DAILY NEWS Book Review: "Songbook" by Nick Hornby
It is no secret that Nick Hornby loves music and possesses the ability to write about the subject intelligently. He more than proved that with his bestselling novel "High Fidelity." With his latest work, "Songbook," Hornby has elevated the level of his game when it comes to being a music fan/critic and possibly even writing in general.
"Songbook" is a departure for Hornby, most known for his fiction, which examines the best and worst of the human spirit in a light-hearted, funny way, into the land of the short essay. With quick hits at 31 songs and 15 albums that he has a love for, Hornby provides a discography of "pop" music that ranges from The Beatles to Nelly Furtado and from Led Zeppelin to the Avalanches.
While some readers might not appreciate Hornby's taste in music, they should not dismiss "Songbook" as one man's opinion. Through his writing, Hornby shows the amazing significance that a little three to four minute tune can have in and on an individual's life. "Songbook" is about far more than just the songs Hornby cherishes. It is about why we get attached to the songs we do and why we keep going back for more.
For an avid music fan, "Songbook" sets forth a list of great songs with explanations as to why they are so special that will make the reader slap his/her head saying "Why can't I describe the music I love like that?" For a music fan who is looking to expand his /her musical horizons beyond what is currently on the radio, "Songbook" is a sampler platter of the best the industry has had to offer for multiple decades. For a lover a literature, "Songbook" is a collection of essays that displays arguably one of the best contemporary writers practicing his craft with superb talent and apparent ease.
In "Songbook," Hornby once again showcases his ability to write from the heart with a voice that captures readers and makes them care about what he is writing even if they have never thought about it, or at least admitted to thinking about it, themselves. The writing is funny. It is wise. It is honest. It is self-aware. Simply put, it is very, very good.
"Songbook" might be Hornby's greatest accomplishment to date because of the connection it allows the reader to make with the author himself. While his other works have always been enjoyable and well received, "Songbook" gave Hornby the opportunity to write about something he obviously has a true passion and respect for.
When a great writer gets the chance to write about what he or she wants to and works to write about it to the highest level, it doesn't get much better than that. And it doesn't get much better than "Songbook."
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Other works by Nick Hornby
Nonfiction:
Fever Pitch
Fiction:
High Fidelity
About a Boy
How to be Good
Anthologies:
My Favourite Year
Speaking with the Angel
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About the Author
Nick Hornby was born in 1957. Presently, he works as the pop music critic for the New Yorker. In 1999, he was awarded the E. M. Forester award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives and works in Highbury, North London.
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