Funny Girl: A Novel

I'm a big fan of some of Nick Hornby's past works, I've always loved the way he could bring what could be a one dimensional character to life. He made potentially dull stereotypes into interesting people, and told their stories in charming and respectful ways. But here, he takes characters that should be fascinating, and makes them completely boring. Written in a strangely removed, journalistic style, the reader is not allowed to know what makes these characters tick, and by the time you're halfway through, you won't even care. Half the characters are so interchangeable, you have to keep turning to the blurb on the book flap to remind yourself who's who, and the main character is so one dimensional, we only know she's fun and funny because the author keeps telling us she is. He never shows so much as a glimpse of it. That's writing 101- show, don't tell. All this book does is tell, and it's a real disappointment.

There's a lot to like about "Funny Girl". It's a charming, breezy backstage story about an independent young woman in the early sixties making her way in the world of television comedy. The subject alone is enough to sell me, plus Hornby perfectly captures the nostalgic details of the time period, pairing them with the struggles of a younger generation shedding their innocence and past restrictions to the frustration of the generation before.And yet, halfway through the book I began to realize that charm and nostalgia will get you just so far, and I worried there wasn't enough depth or conflict to sustain me to the last page. Worries that soon proved themselves valid.A lot of the responsibility for this lies with our heroine, the aforementioned "funny girl". Her name's Barbara, soon to become Sophie, and...1. She's gorgeous- you will read a lot about this in a lot of ways. .2. Every one loves her- you will also read a lot about this, in the form of characters (mostly men)thinking how bewitching she is.3. She's very talented and focused on her craft.4. She's nobody's fool.And...there's not much else to her really. Part of the charm of a character who wants to be funny rather than beautiful is the implication that while others are focused on surface and beauty, she cares about making people laugh, giving them joy in their struggles, answering a call to something more meaningful. And yet, Sophie is mostly surface, and seems just fine with that. And so are all the men bewitched by her. And no, this is presented with a sense of irony or a peek at another time, but instead one gets the sense that the writer himself is in love with Sophie and needs her to be nothing more than pretty and agreeable. But readers may want more. And they may find a growing distaste for a character who is not only shallow, but pretty cavalier about dating married men and struggles very little to achieve her dreams before they are plopped down before her (presumably because of points 1-4 above) completely depriving the reader of any chance to empathize with her.Interestingly enough, one of the main issues the book seems to address is whether or not entertainment needs to be relevant and somewhat thorny to have true value. But it's the men in the story who wrestle with this question. Sophie is merely their muse. The Princess they all swarm around and whose favor they fight to win. As a result, each character has a kind of mini-climax, and a minor arc, because all the weight is spread amongst them rather than giving the heft to the person who should have it, Sophie. When Sophie's climax does come it drops in with all the foreshadowing and impact of a sun shower.Maybe the movie adaptation will work better (indeed, much of this book is structured in such a way that it feels like an easy reformat and a capable actress may be able to provide the depth that Hornby doesn't) but while "Funny Girl" is a wonderful piece of nostalgic escapism, reading it is akin to eating a lovely looking piece of candy, the filling of which is mostly air.

For me, this really was a blast from the past. I suppose it is helpful to have been in one's twenties in the 1960's, and also to have worked in television at the same time. Luckily for Nick Hornby I worked for Granada television in Manchester between 1964 and 1969 and totally related to the premise of this book. Having been around and dated vain actors, and observed bearded, bespectacled writers (Vince Powell, Jack Rosenthal, et al) in the studio canteen - I absolutely felt at home as I read this wonderful book. Yes, it is dated - but it's supposed to be. I quite liked the pace of the book and how we were able to see Sophie and Clive in 2014 - still alive, still wanting to work, still attractive older people - just like me and many of my contemporaries from that era.Barbara/Sophie's rise to stardom seemed inordinately fast, but I guess those things did happen in the past. Usually, actresses climbed the ladder of hard work to success - and beauty was not necessarily all one needed to become a superstar -- but this is a book, and I must say I enjoyed every page. I have just finished the lengthy and beautifully written epic, "Shantaram which, although stunningly written took forever to get through. Conversely, Funny Girl was a jolly romp, delivering nostalgic memories of a time when television and theater were coming into their own after the bleakness and prudishness of the fifties. I must say I would have liked to have read more about Sophie and Dennis's marriage - the jump forwqrd in time took me by surprise, but all in all it was a good read. I look forward to more of Mr. Hornby's work and thank him for this amusing, yet telling, look into television and theater as it was back in the day. Valerie Byron - author of "No Ordinary Woman":

I just loved this book, I bought it to read by the pool on holiday, but I found myself reading in bed until 1am then picking up my kindle at 7am to carry on reading.However - I can't say I would recommend it to many of my friends, and I can understand the frustration of many of the people who have left less flattering reviews on here. I think I got so much out of this book because I was so in tune with the subject. I'm a 50+ year old ex-BBC employee who loves comedy from the 1960s and '70s. I can imagine the relationships between writers, producers and directors, and in the sections (I almost typed "scenes") set in the TV Centre studios I could "see" the exact layout of the studio environment.So, for me it was great, I loved the references to real programmes, writers, BBC executives, interleaved with the fictional characters and programmes. I loved how the changing shape of comedy as the 1960s ended and the 70's started was described, and the constant threat of anything successful being tempted over to "the commercial channel". And one aspect of change in the world of broadcasting (in fact, in the World) that is covered so well in this book is the acceptance of homosexuality. I saw a huge change in attitude towards gay colleagues from my start at the BBC in the early 80's to the present day, and this book takes us back to 20 years earlier than that.All in all, I haven't read a more enjoyable book all year, but I can't think of many people I would say "you've got to read this" to.

I haven't gotten through two books so quickly in quite a while. As a massive fan of the High Fidelity movie I re - read it and found this through it.As with Roddy Doyle over his career NH has moved from almost pure comedy into heavier issues, yet both retain their wit and ease in writing which captures and holds the reader. As with RD he is autobiographical if even just via location or events, and as such educates as he entertains. So I'm hooked again and can see myself the reading his ouvre (!):)

I very much enjoyed Funny Girl. This is the story of Barbara, a short way in changed to Sophie, who as an unknown earns a leading role in a new BBC sitcom in the 1960s. The story continues as the story of the sitcom and its main players, though it is centered on Sophie. I am not English. So, as some real shows and people are mixed in the story - such as Sophie citing Lucille Ball as her major influence and references to "Til death do us part"- I actually wondered whether Barbara (and Jim) had been a real sitcom. It wasn't, but it might as well. Another aspect adding to the stories authenticity is the rather real portrayal of underlying intolerance of homosexuality and, though a minor point, racism. The main characters are themselves tolerant of homosexuality, but do so in an open-mouthed, amazed way- they are very proud to be so. I assume this very well portrays what it was like in the 60s in the UK. I very much enjoyed the story and the characters. I couldn't put it down as they say and finished it in a rather enjoyable day (and a half).

This is the story of Sophie, a comedy actress from the 1960’s/70’s. It charts her rise to television success and the changes which occur in social attitudes and situation comedy while she’s at the top of her fame. There is an interesting cast of characters - writers, producers, other actors and television executives, who facilitate her achievements and whose stories become interwoven with hers. Nick Hornby is a good writer and you care about his characters . He also evokes the period well, and as I’m around the same age as Sophie, I enjoyed the nostalgia.

Barbara wins a beauty contest in her native Blackpool and goes to London in search of fame. She has no idea how to go about it, but has two incredibly lucky breaks in the space of weeks, changes her name to Sophie and stars in a popular sitcom. She's supposed to be a brilliant comic actress, but Hornby fails to give us any sense of this. The producer and script-writers on her programme are much more interesting than her, and she really only comes to life in the closing section when she looks back on her career.