Funny Girl

A Novel

By: Nick Hornby

Narrated by: Emma Fielding

Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

From the best-selling author of High Fidelity, About a Boy, and A Long Way Down comes a highly anticipated new novel.

Set in 1960's London, Funny Girl is a lively account of the adventures of the intrepid young Sophie Straw as she navigates her transformation from provincial ingnue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters. Insightful and humorous, Nick Hornby's latest does what he does best: endears us to a cast of characters who are funny if flawed, and forces us to examine ourselves in the process.

©2015 Nick Hornby (P)2015 Penguin

Critic reviews

"As befits a novel about a popular sitcom, this novel packs in lots of laughs, but it’s also got more heft than Mr. Hornby’s readers may expect." (The New York Times)

"A smart comic novel that...induces binge-reading that's the literary equivalent of polishing off an entire television series in one weekend." (NPR)

"Engaging...Hornby’s fictionalized evocation of the era is spot-on." (Entertainment Weekly)

Good listen.

Enjoyed the story and the characters. Good recap of London during the 60's. Emily Fielding is a great reader.

If you loved Lucy, you're sure to love Sophie

Another enjoyable tale with well-rounded characters from veteran Nick Hornby. The first half in particular, a fictionalized tale of the making of a 60's British sitcom, is very engaging. Sophie is fun and vibrant, a pleasure to watch grow over the course of the book. In the supporting cast, Bill and Tony are particularly interesting as the two writers on the show whose flawed personal lives eventually interfere with their creative partnership. I found the last third of the story less interesting, but will say that the ending was pleasurable and did justice to the title character.

Well-performed, this audiobook should be enjoyed by fans of either Hornby or the classic sitcoms he is (at times satirically, at times nostalgically) referencing.

How We Got Here

Yes the book surpassed my expectations.
Realistic characters - everyday people except they are stars. Seeking - finding - read and find out.

Nostalgically enjoyable!

I've always enjoyed Nick Hornby's novels, and though this one was not as laugh-out-loud as as some of his previous works, the story and the characters were very good. I enjoyed the heroine Sophie, and her hunger for fame and fortune in London that was still emerging from post war austerity. I'm curious to know if there was a similar show based on the Barbara and Jim show - as it seems it was quite progressive for the times - but no doubt that was the point for this story! I enjoyed the banter between Tony and Bill - that particular form of British dialogue, where the humor Is understated and inferred between the lines.

Disappointed

I am a huge HUGE, H-U-G-E Nick Hornby fan.

What I love about Hornby, is his ability to write prose that is at once approachable and yet poetic. To create scenes that I can totally see happening in our modern-day world, and yet be replete with meaning and depth.

As a writer, he believes that novels should not be mountains we have to sweat over to get something out of. They should be an enjoyable ride, and I totally agree with him. I can't tell you how many so-called literary "masterpieces" I've read from the small presses, where I go... "Okay, gimme a break, you're just trying to offend me so this book gets mentioned in the media, right?"

The narrator is lovely. Stunning. Gorgeous. I loved her.

But...

I was not as captivated by his prose, by his poetic insights, which is why I'm thinking it's an audiobook thing. Perhaps if I had the words in front of me, I would have paused before certain passages, highlighted, considered, thought about. But because they were read to me, they didn't ping in the same way.

In addition to this, I found that Sophie, the main character was a bit of a ghost. Despite everyone falling in love with her, I didn't feel I could see her, feel her, get inside her skin. Sure, we heard a lot of her voice, but it was always so remote, so distant...

It is a book about a comedy actress, so one would think that as her career grows, I'd be able to visualize her on the television screen. But those aren't provided. You would think that she would have some kind of philosophical struggle the readers can connect with. There was one point, when she had to choose between going back to see her father (who might be dying) and recording the first episode of a new series, which was interesting. But the other plot points didn't have such conundrums for her to work through.

In fact, from Sophie's POV, the story was not really plot-run. But character run, either. She is rather vanilla, as a person. She was described as "blonde" but for some reason I never saw her as blonde. I rarely saw her as "beautiful". I wonder if choosing some kind of unique characteristic, red haired, for example, or big nose, something for her to fight against, would have been a stronger writing choice.

The characters who have the most depth and meaning for me, were Bill and Toni, the two writers. They were also the characters that the actor seemed to connect with most strongly.

I wonder if the entire story would have been stronger if told from their POV. (shrugs) Just wondering.

Entertaining and intelligent story

A very engaging novel looking at history of British TV and its relevance to cultural shifts. Wonderful characters and masterful narrative.

Love it!

Loved the story, and narration , well written , light and funny, add this to your list you won't be sorry!

Fluff, but with that Hornby sharpness

I enjoyed it. It wasn't high literature or anything, but it was a good story told well. Plus, Emma Fielding really added to the story as she is an excellent narrator. It's Mad Men for 60s British comedy and I could easily see this as a movie or television series of its own.

When I'm Sixty Four

It was like listening to the radio station, Sixties on Six. I enjoyed the story of Sofie Straw and Dennis and Barbara and Jim. Hornby is so groovey. I found the narrative difficult to listen to. Indistinct, even at full volume.

Another Success for Hornby

Sophie is a great character but some of the other characters were not as fleshed out. Still, I truly enjoyed the read.