2 Stars
Fever Pitch had been on my TBR since Jesus was a toddler due to my love for Nick Hornby. I avoided it since I was well aware the combination of soccer superfandom and autobiography might not prove to be a winner for me. Somehow (I believe when I was looking for a “sporty” book to read at one of the kids’ various games) this cycled back around on some list I have long since forgotten and I requested the porny librarian to obtain a copy – which she did pronto because she is well aware that . . . . .
What I did not realize was this was the inspiration behind the Jimmy Fallon/Drew Barrymore flick of the same name – they just flipped the script to make things more ‘Murican . . . .
Which I can TOTALLY relate to as a lifelong Cubs’ fan . . . .
I don’t remember particularly enjoying the American film version of Fever Pitch, but knowing these were based on the same story I bumped the book up on the TBR thinking it would at minimum bring me some LOLz with Hornby finally dropping the charade and admitting he is the inspiration behind all of his loveable losers . . . .
I was assured by the list which cannot be named that Fever Pitch would be a guaranteed winner for even those who detest soccer because it would bring so much funny. Sadly, that was not my experience. With every entry revolving around the events of a specific game and players’ names being dropped every other sentence, it became obvious immediately that Hornby is pretty much this guy . . . . .
Which was way over my head since my only experience with soccer (or football) comes from watching my freshman in high school play for the first time - something I really can’t wrap my brain around because how the hell does a kid make a team and then become a starter for a sport he’s never played since he was 3 years old earning the nickname “Bobby Bouche” due to his constant water drinking and non-playing???? Oh yeah, probably because everyone else “played” like this . . . .
Fever Pitch earns 2 Stars rather than 1 because Hornby is a brilliant writer and there’s simply no denying it. When personal touches such as familial relationships or battles with his own demons were brought up, it was magic. Unfortunately, those moments were like specs of pepper in a sea of salt and didn’t serve to heighten my enjoyment much at all. Don’t take my word for it, though. I’m so stupid I’ve been reading this in snippets for nearly a week and failed to ever mark it on my “currently reading” list. Also, if you are a fan of English soccer anywhere between the early ‘70s to the early ‘90s, this could definitely be the book for you.
What I did not realize was this was the inspiration behind the Jimmy Fallon/Drew Barrymore flick of the same name – they just flipped the script to make things more ‘Murican . . . .
Which I can TOTALLY relate to as a lifelong Cubs’ fan . . . .
I don’t remember particularly enjoying the American film version of Fever Pitch, but knowing these were based on the same story I bumped the book up on the TBR thinking it would at minimum bring me some LOLz with Hornby finally dropping the charade and admitting he is the inspiration behind all of his loveable losers . . . .
I was assured by the list which cannot be named that Fever Pitch would be a guaranteed winner for even those who detest soccer because it would bring so much funny. Sadly, that was not my experience. With every entry revolving around the events of a specific game and players’ names being dropped every other sentence, it became obvious immediately that Hornby is pretty much this guy . . . . .
Which was way over my head since my only experience with soccer (or football) comes from watching my freshman in high school play for the first time - something I really can’t wrap my brain around because how the hell does a kid make a team and then become a starter for a sport he’s never played since he was 3 years old earning the nickname “Bobby Bouche” due to his constant water drinking and non-playing???? Oh yeah, probably because everyone else “played” like this . . . .
Fever Pitch earns 2 Stars rather than 1 because Hornby is a brilliant writer and there’s simply no denying it. When personal touches such as familial relationships or battles with his own demons were brought up, it was magic. Unfortunately, those moments were like specs of pepper in a sea of salt and didn’t serve to heighten my enjoyment much at all. Don’t take my word for it, though. I’m so stupid I’ve been reading this in snippets for nearly a week and failed to ever mark it on my “currently reading” list. Also, if you are a fan of English soccer anywhere between the early ‘70s to the early ‘90s, this could definitely be the book for you.
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