About: Tucker Crowe, ex-rock star and icon of a small passionate fan crowd, lives a secluded life in small-town America. Annie and Duncan, who live across the pond, question their relationship because of him. Duncan, a big Crowe-worshipper, won't admit Annie the understanding it needs to form an opinion on Crowe's songs, for which one needs to be an expert like Duncan. Annie is no expert, but she decides to put a review of Crowe's latest album Juliet, Naked in the Internet. When the musician reads the review, he feels understood for the first time - and contacts Annie...
My thoughts: Nick Hornby already wrote a couple of good books about obsessive men and their music fanaticism. This book too seizes a man, Duncan, who seems to stand in his own and his life's way. For him, analyzing the music of his idol and it's meaning is the most important thing in life. He doesn't recognize that his life just passes by without him taking part in it. Annie tolerates Duncan's passion until he degrades her opinion on Crowe's newest album. But who would have thought that the musician himself sympathizes with Annie's views. Maybe Duncan is now able to realize, that though some things we do with passion, we are not above them.
The book is also about the weariness two people feel for each other, when day-to-day life already outrun them. Duncan meets another woman and Annie suddenly becomes the feeling that she wasted her precious time with Duncan. She is anxious to compensate some of the lost time, but she does not yet know how.
I think that the emotions and thoughts of the characters somehow felt real and tangible. I mean they are not pompous and exaggerated like in the most romance books. Though I like a good romance once in a while because they work great for the soul, they seldom reflect reality. Juliet, Naked is no romance but it does not leave the reader hopeless.
My favorite quote:
“For the best part of 40 years she had genuinely believed that not doing things would somehow prevent regret, when, of course, the exact opposite was true.”
I got this book from my local library.
I do like Nick Hornby, although I wasn't impressed with his YA effort, Slam, that much. I have this one already but haven't read it yet....from your review, I'll probably give it a go.
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