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A Long Way Down
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Riverhead Hardcover
Manufacturer: Riverhead Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: June 07, 2005
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Studio: Riverhead Hardcover
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Editorial Review:
Narrated in turns by a dowdy, middle-aged woman, a half-crazed adolescent, a disgraced breakfast TV presenter and an American rock star cum pizza delivery boy, A Long Way Down is the story of the Toppers House Four, aka Maureen, Jess, Martin and JJ. A low-rent crowd with absolutely nothing in common - save where they end up that New Year's Eve night. And what they do next, of course. Funny, sad, and wonderfully humane, Nick Hornby's new novel asks some of the big questions: about life and death, strangers and friendship, love and pain, and whether a slice of pizza can really see you through a long, dark night of the soul.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Very different from his early work
This is closer to "how to be good", rather than "high fidelity" or "about a boy". I really liked it.
Rating:  - Good read.
Life affirming in a way you wouldn't expect a book about 4 down-on-their-luck characters would be. The characters themselves are fully fleshed out by Hornby, who is a great writer with a terrific ear for dialogue. It's all very English and hilarious in a way only the english can be.
Rating: - Classic Hornby -- brilliantly funny
Another New Year's Eve, another party...another group of four people who meet unexpectedly on the rooftop of a building they've all trekked out to so they can kill themselves.
I read the back-cover synopsis and went "What?!" out loud in the bookstore. (Though I don't recommend doing this, as people stare.) This could have been such a grisly novel, but not with Hornby. I devoured this book and loved every page. He tells the story, through four different perspectives, of an unlikely group ... Read More
Rating:  - Kill Yourself
I thought this would be a book about hope and living life to its fullest. Obviously the author has never been suicidal since a "topper" would not find validation in life the way these characters do. I read the whole book, expecting someone to die. The character, Jess, is a teenaged cliche and I ended up skipping over her chapters. Basically, these characters have no reason to live, not in the beginning nor the end of the story. Their circumstances aren't altered in any way. They have no joy. Friends. ... Read More
Rating: - Funny and an all around good book
This book was an interesting subject since it took such a dark subject and made it amusing. It's true to life in many parts, and makes a lot of good points about life in general. This book is more about life and screweing it up than suicide, and is quite enjoyable.
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