Well, I suspect that most people who have read the novel About a Boy may have also seen the 2002 film adaptation with Huge Grunt, ahem, Hugh Grant. Thankfully I have not, and was able to avoid making endless trivial comparisons between the two like 'Oooh that didn't happen in the book...' or vice versa, 'Where did she come from? She wasn't in the film'.

I could enjoy About a Boy for what it was. A sweet, moving, laugh out loud funny in places (much to my embarrassment on a packed train... people thought I had gone temporarily loopy and were bemused that I had disturbed their morning reading of the Guardian), thought-provoking (well.. ish) story about... a boy, literally. Ok, more a bout a man and his relationship with a young boy and his depressive mother but you know what I'm getting at.

I'm not sure what I was expecting and truthfully, if I had been novel buying for an impending holiday (mmm... smell the fresh print), this book would not have been one that would have made it into the suitcase. That was, until I had read it. It's exactly the kind of book that you want to take on holiday.

You can see why they made it into a film (even if it bears little resemblance to the novel). It's full of great little observations about life and the people who live it (or don't) and captures the mood of the early 90s. I am nearly the same age as Marcus (THE BOY) would be now and I tried to remember what it was like to be a kid in the early 90s and I have to say, it was as if Nick Hornby had been a spy at my school. The characters are neatly drawn (even if a little stereotypical in places) but you get used to them and when it ends you find yourself wondering where everyone went. It's a bit 'heavier' than some holiday reads, don't be fooled by the picture of Hugh on the cover! If you want to read something that will make you chuckle, think about what the 'point' of life is (and who knows, even come to Will's conclusion)and ponder the value of friendship and look at what it means to be a friend then give it a go. What with the growth of single fathers these days I have even considered attending a SPAT group(Single Parents Alone Together)myself and inventing a fictitious child of my own so that I could potentially schmoozy with a dishy Dad. Although, I suppose it doesn't really work for women.

If I haven't given you many details about the plot or discussed it's various literary merits (it's not intended to be the next Ulysses) then that is because I want you to take it on holiday (or in the garden) and read it yourself. You might like it.

Remember that by posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use.
If you consider any content on this site to be inappropriate, please report it to Penguin Books by emailing BlogaHolidayReadFeedback@penguin.co.uk

Feed

There are 0 comments on this review