Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Twitter
  3. Follow us on Instagram
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • About CBR
    • Getting Started
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Event Calendar
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
  • Our Team
    • The CBR Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • How You Can Donate
    • Book Sale
    • CBR Merchandise
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Follow Us
> FAQ Home
> Genre: Fantasy > Good book for the new year. Sort of.

Good book for the new year. Sort of.

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

January 17, 2017 by ardaigle 1 Comment

I have been a fan of Nick Hornby since I read “High Fidelity.” I came at it after having seen the film, and they can both really standalone as solid entertainment. I later read “About a Boy” and enjoyed that as well, so this is my third Hornby, and I liked it just as much as the first two.

The subject matter could be a bit of a downer, especially for this time of year, but it really just depends on your perspective. I have just moved to the Midwest and am trying to get along with winter, so I am trying to pick books that will either raise my spirits, or show me that things could be worse. This novel is the latter.

It is New Year’s Eve and four people have gone to the top of Toppers House in London to commit suicide. They didn’t expect all the traffic though, so now they are stuck. Do they jump, or do they begin an unlikely friendship? The cast of characters includes a mother with a disabled wheelchair-bound son, a semi-celebrity embroiled in scandal, a failed American musician, and an angry teenager. Though they presumably have nothing in common, save for their quest to cash in their chips, they decide to spend the evening trying to find the teenager’s ex-boyfriend. Hijinks, and tender moments, ensue.

Like all Hornby books, the characters are flawed, but real, and there are few neatly wrapped up conclusions. This novel will make you laugh, shake your head, smile, and possibly even think. It has some interesting insight into suicide and mental health, and the cost about deluding yourself about the realty of your situation, and problems.

Also, I was surprised to discover there was a film version in 2014 because I don’t think it would adapt well to film…though I was not surprised to see it had AWFUL reviews, so stay away from that and watch the much more favorably adapted “About a Boy” or “High Fidelity.”

Filed Under: Fantasy Tagged With: A Long Way Down, New Year's Eve, Nick Hornby, suicide

ardaigle's CBR9 Review No:2 · Genres: Fantasy · Tags: A Long Way Down, New Year's Eve, Nick Hornby, suicide ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

About ardaigle

CBR13 participantCBR12 participantCBR11 participantCBR10 participantCBR  9CBR 8CBR 7CBR 6

I am a born and bred southerner and recent transplant to the Midwest. I read because I want to, because I NEED to, and because I'm possibly ignoring the frigid temperatures. Until spring, and then I may read outside. I also enjoy cooking, witty banter, and cheese. All the cheese. View ardaigle's reviews»

Comments

  1. The Mama says

    January 18, 2017 at 9:13 am

    I liked this book more than I thought I would. Glad you enjoyed it!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Recent Comments

  • lowercasesee on Another roundup (sorry)Thank you!! It was the first of this bunch I'd read so I couldn't remember everything.
  • narfna on Another roundup (sorry)I'm reading Eve Brown right now (so good!), and Jacob explicitly tells Eve he's autistic almost as soon as he meets her, in the job...
  • ingres77 on The Wheel of Time (Part I)I’m sorry. If it helps, I really wish I didn’t know either. I saved all these books so my kids could read them when they...
  • narfna on “I’m dealing with a lot of scary things. I think you have to react to them. And you either laugh at them or you go insane.”I'm enjoying seeing your thoughts on this series so much! Looking forward to your review of six (and seven!)
  • persnickety chick on Stepping out of the comfort zoneIt was a nice read - nothing too extreme and some good twists
See More Recent Comments »

Want to Help Out?

CBR has a great crew of volunteers, and we're always looking for more people to help out. If you have a specialty or are willing to learn, drop MsWas a line.

  • How You Can Donate
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo
© 2021 Cannonball Read | Log in