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A review by murph_the_serf
Funny Girl by Nick Hornby
2.0
First of all, when you title your book "Funny Girl," the main character should be, you know, funny. Everyone keeps talking about how funny she is but we never see it. They spend whole conversations going on and on about how funny she is but we rarely, if ever, really, get to see the humor that Sophie was supposed to convey.
Secondly, the titular Sophie is one of the least interesting characters in the book. I was much more interested in the travails of the characters around her as Sophie was as much an observer as the reader is. This is a shame as Hornby is usually quite gifted in forming a connection with his main character and getting you on their side - definitely not the case in "Funny Girl."
It certainly wasn't an awful book to read; the dialogue is fun and zippy most of the time, the characters are distinct, the world of London in the 1950s/1960s is vibrant and a new place for me. I just really wish the glue that is supposed to hold this all together was stronger and that Sophie was more than just a deus ex machina to move the plot along and force these characters to interact with one another.
Secondly, the titular Sophie is one of the least interesting characters in the book. I was much more interested in the travails of the characters around her as Sophie was as much an observer as the reader is. This is a shame as Hornby is usually quite gifted in forming a connection with his main character and getting you on their side - definitely not the case in "Funny Girl."
It certainly wasn't an awful book to read; the dialogue is fun and zippy most of the time, the characters are distinct, the world of London in the 1950s/1960s is vibrant and a new place for me. I just really wish the glue that is supposed to hold this all together was stronger and that Sophie was more than just a deus ex machina to move the plot along and force these characters to interact with one another.