{"id":15990,"date":"2012-01-14T13:11:56","date_gmt":"2012-01-14T18:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bookdragon.si.edu\/?p=15990"},"modified":"2014-05-16T22:46:52","modified_gmt":"2014-05-17T02:46:52","slug":"a-long-way-down-by-nick-hornby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/a-long-way-down-by-nick-hornby\/","title":{"rendered":"A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Long<\/a>An aborted suicide is probably not the most solid basis from which to start a lasting friendship … but for bestselling author Nick Hornby<\/a>, it’s certainly an interesting place to start quite the irreverent novel.<\/p>\n

Four desperate souls somehow find themselves gathered on the roof of a London “tower block” on New Year’s Eve, each determined to take the leap. Martin, once a famous talk-show host, is fed up with trying to rebuild his life after surviving jail for getting caught sleeping with a 15-year-old girl. Maureen is an isolated, middle-aged single mother with a challenging teenager who never matured beyond a toddler’s abilities. Jess is the foul-mouthed privileged daughter of a dysfunctional family temporarily distraught with\u00a0unrequited love. And JJ, the one American, is a would-be musician who’s lost his girlfriend and his band, and realizes delivering pizzas in a city not his own is not how he wants to spend the rest of his life.<\/p>\n

Except their rash New Year’s Eve resolution, the quartet has nothing else in common. But they somehow end up saving each other from jumping that night … and many more nights to come. With mutual poking and prodding, each manages to shed enough of their debilitating degrees of self-absorption to still be standing on solid (enough) ground by book’s end …<\/p>\n

Admittedly, Long Way<\/em>\u00a0is no About a Boy <\/em>or High Fidelity<\/em>, two of Hornby’s more successful novels. The ending (which I’ve sort of just given away without really meaning to) is of the head-scratching, careless shrugging variety.<\/p>\n

That said, if you’re looking for some quick-moving light entertainment (in spite of its undeniably serious subject), skip the book (that’s a first coming from me!) and grab the audible version instead. In addition to the never-disappointing\u00a0Simon Vance<\/a> who glibly voices Martin just right, Scott Brick<\/a> (who’s narrated hundreds of those mega-adventure thrillers by Clancy, DeMille, Cussler, etc.) poignantly captures the questioning JJ, while Kate Reading<\/a> is surprisingly convincing as both maudlin Maureen and impossible Jess. Without a doubt, the robust cast definitely adds surprisingly heft and strength to the anemic pages …<\/p>\n

Tidbit<\/strong>: HOLY MOLY! I just found out Kate Reading is the audio-name for Jennifer Mendenhall<\/a>, one of my favorite DC-based actresses!!! Egads, no wonder she sounded so familiar!<\/p>\n

Readers<\/strong>: Adult<\/p>\n

Published<\/strong>: 2005<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An aborted suicide is probably not the most solid basis from which to start a lasting friendship … but for bestselling author Nick Hornby, it’s certainly an interesting place to start quite the irreverent novel. 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