From the beloved New York Times– bestselling author, a quintessential Nick Hornby tale of music, superfandom, and the truths and lies we tell ourselves about life and love. Now a major motion picture starring Ethan Hawke. Annie loves Duncan—or thinks she does. Duncan loves Annie, but then, all of a sudden, he doesn’t. Duncan really loves Tucker Crowe, a reclusive Dylanish singer-songwriter who … singer-songwriter who stopped making music ten years ago. Annie stops loving Duncan, and starts getting her own life.
In doing so, she initiates an e-mail correspondence with Tucker, and a connection is forged between two lonely people who are looking for more out of what they’ve got. Tucker’s been languishing (and he’s unnervingly aware of it), living in rural Pennsylvania with what he sees as his one hope for redemption amid a life of emotional and artistic ruin—his young son, Jackson. But then there’s also the new material he’s about to release to the world: an acoustic, stripped-down version of his greatest album, Juliet—entitled, Juliet, Naked.
What happens when a washed-up musician looks for another chance? And miles away, a restless, childless woman looks for a change? Juliet, Naked is a powerfully engrossing, humblingly humorous novel about music, love, loneliness, and the struggle to live up to one’s promise.
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“”Juliet, Naked” by Nick Hornby is a sweet and funny novel about friendship, loneliness, love (in all forms), and coming to terms with ones past.”
Read more of this review here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2010/02/rock-me-gently-rock-me-slowly-take-it.html
Never met a Nick Hornby book I didn’t like. When I think of my career as a writer, Nick is my muse – his books are funny, poignant, sometimes heart breaking and always, always on point. Not many writers have the liberty to create, or thrive, outside of a genre box and I love the fact that he just writes a damn good story.
As a music lover, Juliet, Naked captures the freakish, obsessed fan to a T…I see myself in Duncan (one of the books main characters – a man who curates a website dedicated to a mythical rock star who fell off the map twenty years prior) although I’ve toned down my music snobbery in the past few years. The novel expertly winds its way through Duncan and Annie’s floundering relationship and weaves said ex-rock star, Tucker Crowe, into their lives with hilarity that is all too believable. An ode to music, regrets, and living up to expectations, this one is two thumbs up.
Very entertaining read. Hornby (not surprisingly) created a great rockstar has-been and obsessive fan in the two lead male characters. I do wish, however, that there had been more growth with all three characters and that they’d been headed toward a sunnier happily ever after.
This book is about Annie who lives in England with her boyfriend, Duncan. Duncan is obsessed with a recluse rock star named Tucker Crowe. Tucker hasn’t made any music in 20 years and has gone into hiding in America – according to his fans. Duncan and Annie take a trip to America so that Duncan can stop at some famous Tucker Crowe places, and that is when Annie decides that she has had enough. When they get back to England, Tucker Crowe’s people have sent some of his biggest fans a demo CD called Juliet, Naked. Annie listens to it, and doesn’t like it. She decides to take to the internet and post this about the album. It leads to Tucker getting in contact with Annie which leads to life changing consequences.
This book was pretty good. Duncan is a bit of a douche, but Annie is sweet and Tucker is very likable. Annie starts having an online conversation with Tucker which leads to meeting face to face and finding out most of the things posted about him on the internet are untrue. Most of this book is about regret. Annie regrets spending 15 childless years with Duncan – whom she doesn’t really love any more. Tucker regrets not knowing his children better and making more of his life after he left the music business so long ago. We find out the reason for his album in the first place, and it isn’t what everyone thinks. It is the same reason he went into hiding and quit the music business.
I enjoyed it. It wasn’t a hard read, and I thought the characters were easy to like. Check it out.
This book was not one that I would tell my friends “you just have to read this” as a matter of fact I have not mentioned it to anyone so I guess you could say that It was not good enough to mention nor was it bad enough to mention it was just middle of the road. I kept expecting it to go somewhere, to get better to maybe wow me at the end but it didn’t. But let me also say that it may have been my age, I could just be too old for his books now that I am 50. I would like to think that good writing is for everyone. I could be wrong.