Originally I thought the subject matter was right up my street, especially as I am a Moderator on a band's web-site and contribute on this Blog. That passion for music and the perils of expressing such passions over the internet where comments and opinions are ripe for misunderstanding.
However, I have heard and read some quite mixed reviews and I haven't been inspired to get a copy (plus, as I think someone mentioned on here recently - have you seen the cover...!?).
I'd be interested to see what other Word Bloggers thought too.

Retro Man,
I too was put off by these things, but took the plunge principally because my copy was coming via the local library, and I therefore had nothing to lose. Once home it sat on my side-table for several days, and I'll be honest and say I actually dismissed it and thought about returning it without bothering to read it. However, I was about to take a bath and fancied something light to read. Consequently I was hooked, and pleasantly surprised, which is why I came here to post about it.

I too had read something here about someone being in two minds, but I couldn't find the post, so had to start this new thread.

If good work (I won't use the term art, as it may throw off the discussion) should be judged as something that taps into, and communicates on a universal truth, then Hornby should be commended for Juliet Naked as much as High Fidelity or Fever Pitch. He's managed to get back to writing about music and its place in the messy goings on of adult relationships, and done so with a subject that I don't think has been covered before in fiction. He's also, in doing so, hit the proverbial nail on the head in (excuse the mangling of language, but pun intended) a (pleasantly) painful way.

If in doubt I would highly recommend Juliet, Naked. I'm not one for fiction so much these days, but this book is proving highly enjoyable.

I too have picked up a library copy and am nearly half way through. I keep recognising bits of myself which is quite scary!
It really is a great read. Its been ages since I've enjoyed a work of fiction but this one is really hitting the spot.
I suspect that anyone who has ever contributed to this forum will at the very least raise a smile or two of recognition!

I am an Arsenal fan, a lover of music and a family man, all of which he has written about and I have read. None of them did much for me; Fever Pitch for the factual bits only.

Soen of the stuff on internet fandom is painfully accurate, but I had a problem with the songwriter getting so involved with the fan stuff. The book's entertaining enough, but it's a piece of fluff; I read it just before Christmas and can't remember any of the characters' names (Correction - the name Tucker Crowe has popped into my head as I typed that.)

I often find books described in reviews as comic gems or suchlike but rarely see the humour in them. However there were at least two occasions reading this which did make me laugh, actually laugh not just smile inwardly. I didn't really buy the central premise of the story but if you suspend your disbelief a little it's a very good read.

and I've read all his books, but the average six year-old can write more credible stories.

I can rarely finish a novel these days, not sure why, is it just an "age thing" I wonder...?! I much prefer non-fiction and the novels I do enjoy all seem to be based in some sort of historic setting or have a large degree of realism about them. Also reading the comments about Hornby and his less than credible stories - I have found that too which is why I was a bit dubious about Juliet Naked.

I love his autobiographical writing, such as Fever Pitch, but even in High Fidelity I found the writing about the relationship between the main character and the musician to be very poor, didn't ring true at all.
However, the rest of the book, centered around the record store and the lists and the ex-girlfriends, is some of my favourite writing from a modern day author.

and in true "Hornby' style would rate it fourth behind Fever Pitch, About A Boy (my favourite) and High Fidelity .. the fanatic (I forget his name) was truly irritating but I liked Tucker Crowe and look forward to tracking down his albums on E-Bay!

Retro, if you like the witticisms of High Fidelity and Fever Pitch, you should like Juliet. The story is... the story, but as usual with Hornby it's the observations that make it shine. As Shakespeare said, Rather a witty fool than a foolish wit. And I'd say Hornby, when he's on form delivers some top-shelf witty fooling; whereas many who try to follow his lead just end up trotting out foolish witticisms.

I fancied a light palate cleanser recently, so tried reading Whatever Makes You Happy by William Sutcliffe, and I had to put it down after about ten pages as I felt like I was regressing as I read, the prose style was that average. However, Hornby is an exception in this genre; the master at this kind of stuff and the yardstick by which others should be measured (if you ask me). Yes, it's a bit fluffy, and I'm with you on not reading so much fiction these days, but hand on heart, there's some lovely lines in Juliet, the kind you want to remember, and, well, it's fun and warm.

Put another way, sometimes it's fair to say that Wedding Crashers or Superbad are funnier than a lot of Woody Allen. Off at a tangent, but you get my drift...

but also have the Nick Cave '...Bunny Munro' one too which is also in the queue. Given that I am a short way into a rather long book about Marilyn Munroe which of these two books should accompany it on my business trip to the US next week?

Not yet, but quite a fan of the boy Hornby...

I'm currently 11th on the list, so it may be a while!

How great are libraries? Once I realised that the golden seam lay within the county-wide online catalogue rather the shelves of the actual library, I was set. Now I get a little thrill every time that email arrives telling me I've got a reservation to pick up. And joy of joys when it's brand new and unsullied by human hand.

I read this over the weekend and really enjoyed it. I've enjoyed all his books (except I skipped Fever Pitch as I've no interest in Football), but was particularly taken with the subject matter in this one.

can't believe it was January that I said I was going to read it...and finally I did. Well, not actually read it, as in finished it, as I gave up after about three chapters.

Really disappointed as it just reinforced my views on Hornby, he's a brilliant autobiographical, factual writer, but his fiction just doesn't cut it. I mean I'm going to be hard pushed to find any sort of book as close to me in subject matter, as I guess a lot of Word Bloggers would feel. The obsessive interest in music, the use of a web-site Forum to communicate etc etc, all very close and he writes about some of that very well.

But as soon as I got to the bit about the main character breaking into the house of the singer's ex-girlfriend just so he could have a pee, well, sorry but that was frankly ridiculous.

Then his attitude to his partner for listening to an album before him, again ridiculous, or just a very badly drawn and unsympathetic character. As is the singer, who suddenly appears and reponds to a post on his own web-site with an outpouring of personal information and feeling - yeah right! Whatever next, Richard Thompson taking umbrage at one of the Word Massive's blogs and inviting him down the pub for a chat?!

Then when the singer is introduced and his long lost daughter turns up and their interaction - just doesn't work, it just proves to me that he should stick to the factual, of which he is no doubt a major talent.

High Fidelity was one of the rare cases when a film is better than a book, maybe a good script writer could do the same for Juliet Naked.