From the book jacket:

Do you know your desert-island, all-time, top-five most memorable split-ups? Rob does. He keeps a list, in fact. But Laura isn't on it - even though she's just become his latest ex. He's got his life back, you see. He can do what he wants when he wants: like listen to whatever music he likes, look up the girls that are on his list, and generally behave as if Laura never mattered. But Rob finds he can't move on. He's stuck in a really deep groove - and it's called Laura. Soon, he's asking himself some big questions: about love, about life - and about why we choose to share ours with the people we do.

I like Hornby and his style and I had many a good laugh reading this book, but nonetheless the narrator got on my nerves. He's basically the same type of Peter Pan as Will in "About a Boy", but Marcus is missing here, and so poor Rob has to indulge in self-contemplation.

Edit 14.07.2006: Will hopefully be released at today's Braunschweig meet-up.

Grabbed off the table the moment I spotted it. I got a German copy on my TBR pile and have been planning to read it for ages. I'm glad I didn't, for now I can read original and translation simultanously. Thanx a lot, ink-heart!

Congrats, Nick, you've written a chick lit book for boys. I agree it's fun to read and I really like the style. What I enjoyed most (aside from Hornby's very British, self-ironic sort of humour) was how Rob got in touch with his ex'es and found out what life had made of them. He could have gone deeper into that and I can't help feeling he gave the idea away too cheap. On the whole, the book's a bit like listening to a Roger Chapman album with an unsuspected and horrible Cliff Richard cover song on final track side B that spoils much of the fun. So what I didn't like was Laura reappearing as sort of a guardian angel, taking care of Rob's messed-up life and putting things straight for him as if she were a deus ex machina. Are we men really that hopeless and do we need this kind of female redemption? Although I can't deny there's some evidence for that, in real life there are no Lauras and even if there were, I don't think I'd like the idea of having them around. What's the fun of not growing up if you got that kind of surrogate mum pulling the strings from behind the scene to protect you from the worst?

Just because we've been to bed together doesn't mean we have to hate each other.

RELEASE NOTES:

Somewhere in the main building about 5:00 pm, for Hornby's 50th birthday! Probable sites: Sparkasse, Westend, English department...

First, i'm very happy that i've found a book from bookcrossing (heard about them on TV). It's my first english literature, therefore it could be a longer time for reading ;-)

So please still waiting.
Thanks to the last reader and bookcrossing!

CAUGHT IN BIELEFELD NORDRHEINWESTFALEN GERMANY