Juliet, Naked

Nick Hornby's latest novel is good but not great. Like all his books the characters are likable, the writing is good, the plot entertaining but there's always something missing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his work but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because his novels are always lacking that certain something that leaves you begging for more. They're fun while they last yet easily forgotten.

His latest fictional endeavor revolves around Annie who has wasted the past 15 years of her life with Duncan, a man who is more passionate about recluse rock legend Tucker Crowe than he is about her. After 20 years of silence, a demo tape of Crowe's hit album Juliet accidently gets unleashed. This album entitled Juliet, Naked changes Annie and Duncan's life in ways they had never thought possible.

Once again, Hornby's novel can be labeled as a coming of age tale with a dash of love and a pinch of parenting and splash of rock and roll. High Fidelity, anyone (minus the parenting of course)? The same themes keep on returning sadly. Although the plot is mildly predictable, the characters aren't that bad ranging from mundane (Duncan, shame on you) to quirky (Jackson, Tucker's neurotic son is simply sublime). The ending was a bit rush-rush and not what you'd expect from Hornby (meaning no Richard Curtis finale) but seeing as the final page indicates Not The End, we'll have something to look forward to.

I may not love Hornby's novels but I truly like it for sheer entertainment value. The critics who labeled his work "the male equivalent of chick lit" were spot on.