 
Fever Pitch
Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 123
More Information
 On: 2008-08-27
Brillant book... Almost wet my pants a few times. I relate a million percent to the obsession...
Its football... Its my life... And I am American...
 On: 2008-07-23
Nick Hornbys warm autobiographical book deals with his life as a football fan from 1968 (when he was a teenager) until 1992, especifically as he supported his beloved Arsenal during that time. Theres some good insights about football culture (for a true football fan, football is not really an entertainment, a concept that is probably hard to understand in the US, where sports are just a part of the entertainment business) as well as football tactics (there are few good passers in the sports, he says, as hard as this might be to believe to outsiders; Liam Brady, one of his favorite players, was that rare player, a great passer). Each of the chapters (so to call them) deals with a particular football match that he remembers during that period. And along football, he also makes comments on his relationships, be it with his family or with girlfriends. What Hornby tells is the story of English football in his last throes, a time when hooliganism ruled, but when it also was a genuine, integral pastime of the English people. When the Premiere League was established (in 1992, the year this book ends), and the megamoney and the huge tv contracts came along, and some clubs (like, say, Arsenal) did not put in the field a single English player, it became more of a commercial business and less of a cultural phenomenon. And while I like football, its hard not to come out from reading this book with the impression that being a football fan at the level Hornby was is not a colossal waste of time.
On: 2007-11-01
This is simply put, a great book. I have been a fan of football for a few years now and have to admit I am always interested to read or hear about people experiences. More importantly I was always interested in how people picked their team and the life of an English fan. This is a very well written version of how someone became a life long football fan. It will keep you laughing and show you exactly how important football and sports in general can be to people.
1 Warning: Do not buy this book simply because you enjoy Nick Hornby. This is a book about a football fan, not a novel. That being said if you enjoy football, or sports, and a good witty read, this book is for you!
On: 2007-09-10
I pretty much hate all forms of football. The fact that I read a book about football (to the British, that is: the rest of the world calls it soccer) from cover to cover, smirking, chuckling and at times laughing out loud, attests, once again, to the talent of Nick Hornby as a wordsmith. This book is witty and clever, incredibly insightful about obsession and definitely worth a read!
On: 2007-07-13
A 2007 summer reading list mini review
If you are so passionate, its scary about sports you must read this book. Many reviewers have said here and elsewhere that a rudimentary understanding of British Football is imperative to enjoying this book. Quite simply, they are wrong. All I knew about soccer in Britain, prior to reading this, was from watching Bend it like Beckham. However,I had no trouble following the book, as obsession translates for itself.
When Hornby tries to take partial credit for Arsenals championship seasons simply because he attended their games I related. I still feel partially responsible for the White Sox winning the World Series in 2005. The previous 2 seasons the Sox had excellent records at home but were 0-8 when I attended. The sign that states welcome to the ballpark was modified adding except Dave Roller. But that did not stop me. I bought my first and only multi ticket plan and the White Sox went on their winning journey (musical pun intended).
I encourage obsessive fans of any sport to put the lessons of Fever Pitch in their arsenal (again pun intended) of sports literature.
On: 2007-02-16
Great book. An excellent account of what it means to be a loyal fan or supporter.
On: 2007-01-06
The only thing keeping me from giving this book 5 stars is my own complete lack of interest in anything soccer-related. Take that personal bias out, and its a great read. The insight into the soccer culture in the UK is frankly frightening, but in a very funny way. Having lived through the Denver Bronco Super-Bowl failures of the 1980s as a young man, I empathized with Hornby as he details his own irrational emotions growing up as a fan.
I think anyone, sports fan or not, will enjoy this book. Sports fans because they empathize, non-fans because it will help explain the mystery.
On: 2006-10-15
Let me begin by noting that I find soccer/football incredibly dull. Dull, dull, dull! But Hornbys book is a great read.
He gives excellent insights as to sports obsession, one with which many men can identify. He is never sentimental or glorifying of the game or of his own actions, which are sometimes far from noble. He admits to placing his love of Arsenal above his relationships. But he also never comes across as a jerk.
I would love to sit down and have a few pints and watch a game with him.
The one thing I cant understand is how this could be made into a movie about the Red Sox. It just couldnt work, in my opinion.
 On: 2006-08-24
Ill admit, its probably just me. Maybe its just that I dont understand British culture all that much, nor the culture of football or the mind of the obsessive sports fan...but aside from a few amusing passages (between LONG spells of really dull ones) I really wasnt all that impressed with this book. It had a few moments that made me chuckle, but it certainly wasnt as drop-dead funny to me as all the reviews led me to believe. It was long, drawn-out, and filled with names and places of people Ive neither heard of nor cared about. But again, its just a clash of culture; this would be like someone from England reading a book about the Dawg Pound in Cleveland or the fans with terrible towels in Pittsburgh. Basically, if youre not a sports fan or if you dont know anything about soccer or its culture, Id pass on this one. While it did give some interesting insight into the mind of the obsessive sports fan and a glimpse of a true English soccer fan I just wasnt entertained. Then again, Im probably not the type of person to whom this book was intended...I really should have read High Fidelity!
On: 2006-06-24
Hornby takes the reader into the mind and obsessions of the hardcore sports fan in "Fever Pitch", a tale of the authors obsessive relationship with Arsenal, one of Londons main football (soccer) clubs.
Many of the reviewers here note that the book is filled with detail about English soccer, and that therefore it was dull and boring for them. The reality is that this is precisely what Hornby intended to convey: how the diehard fanatical fan is obsessed with numerous details and trivia surrounding the team they support, well beyond a level that is comprehensible to any non-hardcore fan. Americans who read the book assume that they cant relate because of a lack of familiarity with English football, but in reality what Hornby is portraying is the most obsessive sort of football fan you could ever come across, something the "typical" English sports fan cannot relate to either. And he portrays it by allowing you inside his mind, giving you a guided tour of just how obsessive and extreme he was (and is) about football and about Arsenal in particular ... giving the reader an insight into the mind of an obsessive sports fan, rather than providing a detached analysis of what makes such a person tick.
For those who are interested in understanding how the mind of a hardcore sports fan works, "Fever Pitch" is without equal. Even if American readers find the football references unfamilliar, the more telling aspect is the obsessiveness with which Hornby recalls numerous minutae, the lengths to which he has gone in his life to support his Arsenal obsession ... these are commonalities of mindset that apply to obsessive fans of all sports, including those familiar to Americans, and the mindset that Hornby portrays in this book will help all readers better understand just what is going on inside the minds of their own local sports fanatics.
On: 2005-06-30
All Arsenal soccer fans should read this book by Nick Hornby. It shows his obsessions for Arsenal with a fine sense of homour and wit. It is filled with RAW honesty which will definately increase the male hormones of the British working class-soccer fans.
Hornby also shows his passion for the ups and downs of the typical fan of Arsenal. His emotional outbursts are extreme (to say the least) and would leave the reader laughing on the floor. A MUST read!
On: 2005-06-30
All Arsenal soccer fans should read this book by Nick Hornby. It shows his obsession for Arsenal with a fine sense of humor and wit. It is filled with RAW honesty which will definitely increase the male hormones of the British working class-soccer fans.
Hornby also shows his passion for the ups and downs of the typical fan of Arsenal. His emotional outbursts are extreme (to say the least) and would leave the reader laughing on the floor. A MUST read!
 On: 2005-06-19
I like Nick Hornby and Im an Arsenal fan, so I should have loved this book...but I didnt.
Maybe Im just not a fan of memoirs, or maybe a memoirist has to have a more interesting life than Hornbys, but I was just never caught up in this book. I was never wondering what was going to happen, never wondering how things were going to work out. If I hadnt been an Arsenal fan, I probably would have put this down one day and never picked it up again, not because its bad but because its forgettable. It just meanders from one random, wry musing to another.
A word of warning: if you dont know anything about English soccer, you might have a hard time following this book. Do words like "Anfield" and "Gazza" ring any bells? If not, youre not part of the target audience, and it could be tough going.
On: 2005-05-12
Nick Hornby describes exactly what it feels to be a fan of a team in terms that almost anyone who is a fan can identify. Heart breaking losses, non-descript performances, listening to the game on the radio, going out with your friends to watch the game at a pub and having girlfriends who just cant quite understand what the big deal is when your team finally reaches the promised land is just part of the charm that Hornby weaves into this tale of his coming of age with football.
Delightful prose adds to ones pleasure, but for the most part this is a funny, yet often times, poignant book. As a Manchester United supporter, I even found myself identifying with Arsenal (no small feat!). Highly recommended for anyone who is a fan of English Football, or even for fans of any sport, anywhere.
On: 2005-04-10
Nick Hornby is, by now, the master of the male confessional, an astute observer of what it is that makes modern men tick. In this, his first book, Hornby turned the lens on himself and his life-long obsession with soccor. While some might not be able to relate to the soccor-heavy lore, most everyone will be able to relate to the notion of obsessive fandom, and how it can define (and deny the progress of) a life.
Hornby structures the book around matches he attended, starting with a first memorable visit to Highbury in 1968. Here, an eleven-year-old Hornby finds the team that will become his obsession, and a crutch for the years to come: Arsenal. A previously great team that is down on its luck when he comes along, Hornby soon becomes a devoted watcher of even the teams worst defeats and draws. As the years wear on, and the matches fluctuate from utter despair to unrestrained joy, Hornby gives us a glimpse into why he loves this sport, and why he loves Arsenal in particular.
Like most Americans, however, I had trouble following some of the action described in the book. Hornbys soccor-heavy knowledge (and his assumption that you, the reader, will know who or what hes refering to) might be a bit off-putting, which is why I dont recommend this for soccor-hating folks. But if youre a fan of Hornbys writing, even the dullest aspects of soccor culture take on a grand magnificance in Hornbys prose.
All in all, I came away with the book with a deeper understanding of who Hornby is as a human being. Like all of us (particularly males), he is sports-obsessed, but then again any sort of obsession could be inserted and the book would still work. Be it pop music, the World Cup, or reading, Hornby is a praticed master at disecting and understanding the root of the neurosis. Hornby recognizes, like most fans, that he has a problem; like most fans, however, he wouldnt have it any other way.
Even if you despise soccor, "Fever Pitch" is a must if you enjoy sports and good writing. Nick Hornby may be a world-class writer, but he is also a world-class fan. With this book, he tells you why, and you can understand why. Hell, if you follow a team with half the devotion of Hornby, youll feel right at home with "Fever Pitch"
On: 2004-12-15
As a football (or soccer) player and fan, I thought Nick Hornbys, Fever Pitch, was a flying success. It has a very unique style and Hornby uses a brilliant organizational strategy to connect the stories. Unlike the organization of any memoir I have read, Fever Pitch follows Hornbys life through a series Arsenal football games (his favorite team) he attended and the impact these games had on him as a football fan and as a person. It keeps the story focused, while also providing the reader with some understanding to why he acted the way he did.
The story, however, is not just about the games. Each game he attends connects to his life outside of Arsenal in some way. What I most admire about the piece is the way he keeps the two lives tied in together and keeps both the soccer and the social life interesting. He truly is obsessed with soccer and no matter how much he tries to deny it, it has taken over his life. He not only abandons a good friends birthday party, but at one point he says that if he has a kid, he cant imagine going to his childs game or concert over an Arsenal game. As readers, we see the choices he is forced to make and the affects this has on him and the people in his life.
While I think everyone would enjoy this book, I hesitate in recommending it for people who arent fans of football and who dont know the rules. I can see the book getting very repetitive if the games are not interesting to the reader, because Hornbys social life goes on dry spells for many pages at a time. He goes on for a long time about the successes and failures of Arsenal, which climaxes at the 1989 Arsenal vs. Liverpool game. As a football fan, I was on the edge of my chair reading each play with enthusiasm, but if the reader is an American without much knowledge of soccer I doubt he or she could fully understand how intense the game can get and how into English fans get. Overall, though, Hornby scores with Fever Pitch.
On: 2004-12-01
As an Arsenal fan Nick Hornbys Fever Pitch is a must read. For Hornby fans looking for the usual material they will probably be let down. Fever Pitch is a diary of Arsenal Football Club (soccer for us Americans) games throughout his life. His recollection of all the games and scores is amazing and give the reader an idea of how extreme his obsession is with Arsenal.
In some ways this book helped my obsession with Arsenal as well. Horby also wrote the screenplay for the movie of the same title. It stars Colin Firth and is a little more accessible in terms of linear storytelling. Another movie is being made in the US with Jimmy Fallon, but it is based off of the Boston Red Sox. The best part of Fever Pitch is the classic Liverpool/Arsenal game in 1989; it will be difficult to transpose that into the Red Sox. I recommend the book to any sports fan and anyone that love the Gunners.
On: 2004-11-30
As an Arsenal fan Nick Hornbys Fever Pitch is a must read. For Hornby fans looking for the usual material they will probably be let down. Fever Pitch is a diary of Arsenal Football Club (soccer for us Americans) games throughout his life. His recollection of all the games and scores is amazing and give the reader an idea of how extreme his obsession is with Arsenal.
In some ways this book helped my obsession with Arsenal as well. Horby also wrote the screenplay for the movie of the same title. It stars Colin Firth and is a little more accessible in terms of linear storytelling. Another movie is being made in the US with Jimmy Fallon, but it is based off of the Boston Red Sox. The best part of Fever Pitch is the classic Liverpool/Arsenal game in 1989; it will be difficult to transpose that into the Red Sox. I recommend the book to any sports fan and anyone that love the Gunners.
On: 2004-09-01
Being an American, Ive always enjoyed English football, but once I visited and realized the extent of the obsession with the game we call soccer, it absolutely floored me. Nick Hornbys book addresses the mind of the ultimate Arsenal fanatic, himself, and attempts to explain to the world how football creates a world for him and an escape from the real world. It could make even the most die-hard Liverpool fans feel for Arsenal (it almost made me, a Man U fan, wish to go to the Arsenal stadium for a game, if only to experience football as he explains it). I would recommend this book to anyone with any affinity to English football, although it goes so far beyond that.
On: 2004-08-31
I picked this book out on Amazon before I read any of Hornbys books because it was the highest rated book of his. I didnt know it was a 250-page book about his personal love of soccer (or football). Hornbys English. There are a lot of football fans in England. If I lived in England, Id be a football nut too. But reading this book was like listening to steeplechase nuts recount the best races theyd ever witnessed. I was hoping it might turn into an examination of the global fanaticism surrounding the sport, but it became a very personal description of Hornbys love affair with the game, and I was more fascinated by why someone would write a game-by-game description of twenty-year-old soccer seasons. Hornbys a good writer, but Id recommend this only to someone who really really really loves soccer.
On: 2004-08-31
Being an American, Ive always enjoyed English football, but once I visited and realized the extent of the obsession with the game we call soccer, it absolutely floored me. Nick Hornbys book addresses the mind of the ultimate Arsenal fanatic, himself, and attempts to explain to the world how football creates a world for him and an escape from the real world. It could make even the most die-hard Liverpool fans feel for Arsenal (it almost made me, a Man U fan, wish to go to the Arsenal stadium for a game, if only to experience football as he explains it). I would recommend this book to anyone with any affinity to English football, although it goes so far beyond that.
On: 2004-08-30
I picked this book out on Amazon before I read any of Hornbys books because it was the highest rated book of his. I didnt know it was a 250-page book about his personal love of soccer (or football). Hornbys English. There are a lot of football fans in England. If I lived in England, Id be a football nut too. But reading this book was like listening to steeplechase nuts recount the best races theyd ever witnessed. I was hoping it might turn into an examination of the global fanaticism surrounding the sport, but it became a very personal description of Hornbys love affair with the game, and I was more fascinated by why someone would write a game-by-game description of twenty-year-old soccer seasons. Hornbys a good writer, but Id recommend this only to someone who really really really loves soccer.
On: 2004-07-26
Nick Hornby tells his life story through Fever Pitch, but the emotions and struggles he describes will undoubtedly resonate with many a male reader. We learn all we need to know about English soccer, the Premier League, the Arsenal Football Club, and, most of all, Nick Hornby, in its pages. The narration is filled with charm and I believe this work is far superior to everything that he wrote afterwards (even though I loved "High Fidelity" and liked "About a Boy"). His subtitles are hilarious (Wembley II: The Nightmare Continues) and his vignettes are riveting. The authors coherent weaving of sport into the larger tapestry of life is something that only a very abstract mind could have accomplished. I sometimes get out the section on the Arsenal footballer, Gus Ceasar, and read it aloud to whoever will listen as it sums up the fact that outside of athletic competition, few incompetent individuals are ever discovered or found out. I loved this book.
On: 2004-07-25
Nick Hornby tells his life story through Fever Pitch, but the emotions and struggles he describes will undoubtedly resonate with many a male reader. We learn all we need to know about English soccer, the Premier League, the Arsenal Football Club, and, most of all, Nick Hornby, in its pages. The narration is filled with charm and I believe this work is far superior to everything that he wrote afterwards (even though I loved "High Fidelity" and liked "About a Boy"). His subtitles are hilarious (Wembley II: The Nightmare Continues) and his vignettes are riveting. The authors coherent weaving of sport into the larger tapestry of life is something that only a very abstract mind could have accomplished. I sometimes get out the section on the Arsenal footballer, Gus Ceasar, and read it aloud to whoever will listen as it sums up the fact that outside of athletic competition, few incompetent individuals are ever discovered or found out. I loved this book.
On: 2004-02-15
Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby is one of the best football books around. But it is about much more than football, it gives a rare glimpse into the psyche of the British football fan. In his book, football is a metaphor for all aspects of life, romance, family, and career. Hornby¡¦s amusing narratives perfectly encapsulate the unique relationship a football fan has with their favorite team. Even as a Manchester United fan I find it fascinating to read about his obsession with and dedication to Arsenal.
At the most superficial level, this book provides a very detail account of Arsenal from the late 60s through the beginning of the 90s, and the increasingly violent behavior by football fans during the late 70s and early 80s, and the negative impact it had on his feelings for the games.
Hornby describes vividly how his life was related to Arsenals achievements. When Arsenal was doing good, Hornby was doing good. When Arsenal was having an off-season, Hornby fell into depression. It is interesting to observe the development of Hornbys obsession, because it can happen to anyone. With the backdrop of his often witty accounts of Arsenal games, Hornby talks about how his life evolves with his family, his girlfriend, and his students. Football is like a common world language, and Hornby uses it to interact with his students. And watching football with his father was one the highlights of his childhood.
Every game has an analogy in life for the football fan. For Hornby, a tight game ending in defeat is a painful reminder of a break with his girlfriend.
While this obsession with football is almost innate, sometimes Hornby felt immature, especially when he was unable to control his overwhelming passion for the game in front of his students.
In humorous pros Hornby highlights how football and life come together on the pitch and is definitely worthy of reading.
On: 2003-12-15
This is a cool book, and a very good book, but a tiny little "je ne sais quoi" keeps me from giving it that last and final fifth star. To summarize the book superficially in a sentence, its an autobiographical retelling, in a very witty first-person voice, of the authors (London journalist Nick Hornby) lifelong love of soccer and his passion for the English pro soccer team Arsenal (which plays in London). Thrown in are side stories about his boyhood, his relationship with his parents, and his posse of friends, love interests, and workmates who either do or dont share his love of the sport. One problem for North Americans is that this is a truly English book, in that it contains tons of references to little villages in England, little UK customs, judgments and descriptions of London neighborhoods, etc., that left me feeling like a Yankee hick whod never left the trailer park. Indeed, that is my problem and not the authors, but North Americans who dont know English culture well will feel lost at times. Another problem is that the book, like the TV show "Seinfeld," isnt really about anything. Sure, theres a lot of chatter about soccer, but not in any sort of methodical or educative way. Its basically a willfully disorganized diary about 20 years in the life of a clever, witty Englishman (from about age 10 to about age 30) who allows soccer to dominate his worldview and, alas, his whole life. It comes down to the amusing musings of a 30-something Londoner, which makes the book fascinating but not monumental. The obsession with soccer is the strength and the weakness of the work. If you want to learn about English pro soccer, you will be disappointed. If you want to learn first-hand, from a very imaginative and clever soul, about what it was like for one particular person to grow up soccer-mad in southeastern England the 1970s and 1980s and how it impacted the rest of his life, then this is the book for you. Im a big fan of Nick Hornby, and a better book of his, and a better "starter book" for him, is "High Fidelity."
On: 2003-11-14
This book was extremely pointless. Since each entry is a memory, they are written like them so they dont have an insteresting story-telling narrative. Also, some of the entries were just how the game was played and who won, with absolutely nothing interesting to say. And that for 300 pages, completely redundant. This book has no beginning, middle, or end. Just entry after entry of complete pointlessness. Now, it may be because I am not interested in sports, but this is just a football (soccor) journal and nothing more. Hornby was able to shove in a little bit of angst and childhood problems, but it is not nearly significant enough to keep the reader interested. Though the book had some very funny parts, it doesnt make up for the ennui I experienced while reading this book. You know, they made a movie out a this.....HOW?!! It barely works as a piece of fiction or reference book...but a movie?! Jesus. Im sorry but this was one of the most boring books Ive ever read.
by: jrmz2 On: 2003-10-27
"Fever pitch" is Hornbys first well-known book, a precedent to "High fidelity" and "About a boy". Hornby is one of the two british people that has brought a new meaning to pop-culture; the other is Helen Fielding. Hornbys characters are simple, common people that live unusual situations and relationships along his common lives. In this case, Hornbys character is himself, and the book is about his relationship with London soccer team Arsenal. To me this book was fun to read because, like Hornby - although in a much, much smaller degree - I am a soccer fanatic, and, like him, my favourite team - Corinthians Paulista - is also one of the most popular and inconstant teams in my country. Hornby writes his book describing how his life was related to Arsenals achievements. When Arsenal was doing good, Hornby was doing good. When Arsenal was struggling, Hornby was in depression. Of course, theres much more to it than just that, but it is interesting to observe the development of Hornbys obsession, because it can happen to anyone, at any time. The problem with "Fever pitch" is that, if the reader doesnt like or doesnt know soccer there will be a lot of skipped paragraphs, and maybe the book will be put aside before the end. Even if the reader can see this story as a metaphor, soccer is ever-present and cannot be dissociated from Hornbys life. I liked it and understood it because soccer IS a very present thing in my life. Maybe if it was about cricket, I would not have liked it. Grade 8.8/10
On: 2003-08-05
When I saw this book, I thought that Nick Hornby will tell us about his experiences at the stadium, for example:
The first time that I went to a stadium to see the San Diego Chargers (I live in Mexico but my brother lives there). My brother asked me if I want to go to the game and I told him that yes, so the next day he didnt offer me nothing for breakfast, I didnt comment anything because I thought that we will eat some hot dogs at the stadium, then I saw him to take some beers, sodas, meat and everything to do a barbecue so I asked him if we are going to a barbecue after the game, he just smiled.
When we get to the parking lot at the stadium I just didnt believe my eyes, everybody was having a barbecue I just started to laugh and laugh because here in Mexico you will never do that. (I dont remember who won that game nor the others games that I will tell you in this review).
The second time I went to see the Chicago Bears with a friend, I knew that in the stadium they only sell two beers per person per time so in the line for the beers I told my friend:
"Buy two beers."
"No, I dont like so much beer, I only want one."
"I didnt asked you what do you like, I told you what to do!"
At the end of the second quarter I asked him for my beer, and he told me that he already drank HIS second beer.
The third and last story is when I went to see the Houston Oilers at the Astrodome. Behind me was a group of ten or twelve persons, in that stadium were glasses that contain three beers, so they make a competition to see who drinks all the beer faster, so the first started and he drank almost all the beer but part of it went directly to his pants, everybody was laughing, so when the second started, the first make him laugh and happened almost the same as the first one, to make the story short, at the end, the person who won the competition was the one who has more wet his pants.
Now, in this book the writer just wrote all the results of his favorite team of Soccer in England since 1968, that shows us one of two thinks:
He has an excellent memory or he has a sports book to write them down, I think that nobody will check if those results are true or not, nobody cares even if you leave in London.
If the book would say his stories at the stadium, it doesnt matter which sport is because you are not interested in the sport, you are interested in the people who goes to see that specific sport. If I went to a stadium about 10 times in my life (to see football) and I have this and others stories, I am sure that a person who goes to the stadium to each game of his favorite team must have many stories like this to write them, some of them funny and some sad, but that will keep you interested in the book.
On: 2003-07-19
This book offers a very good image of the extremes that fans go to for their addiction when it ocmes to soccer. As a soccer fan, I can see a glimpse of myself in the pages, though I am not as radical as the author ever was. There is much insight into the feelings of soccer fans and their way of thinking. Particularly interesting and true is the feeling that only those that follow the team through the bad times should be allowed to cheer in the good times. Very true in myself included, I am afraid. However, given the deep focus on soccer, there is not much there for the non soccer fan. Even being a soccer fan, one needs to be quite familiar with English teams and the championships they play in order to fully follow the author. The book have benefitted from an explanatory appendix, but then again, true fans wouldnt need and might find it offensive if there were one.
On: 2003-07-12
Sports fan? Youll like this book.
Soccer fan? Youll really live this book.
English soccer fan? Youll love this book.
Arsenal fan? This will be one of your favorite books ever.
I am all of the above. But I am also a fan of good writing. Nick Hornby has proven (with books such as "High Fidelity " and "About a Boy") that hes an excellent writer. In tackling (pun intended) the sport and team he is obsessed with, Hornby is being faithful to the notion that writers should deal with topics familiar to them.
"Fever Pitch" is a love story. It is about one persons unconditional love for a sports team. There have been other such books before, but none better. Hornby explores the intersecting of love of team (and living and dying with their results) with the annoying business of the "rest of life." Any sport fan will be able not to just relate to the book, but seem themselves in it. Those familiar with English football (soccer to the heathen) will identify all the more.
Sports fans should read this book for a glimpse at how others see us.
On: 2003-06-08
As soon as I read the first few pages of this book, I was absorbed in it. I felt as though the author is me. The difference between us is only that he is crazy about Arsenal but Im crazy about Liverpool. Surely there are many football fans, but they only love and dont hate their favorite team. To them football may be pleasant. But to the author and to me football is a curse. Our daily life and feelings are ruled by it, and we want to get rid of it, but we cant do it. Please rescue us from this heaven!
On: 2003-05-08
I think Nick Hornby is an excellent writer, but this book just didnt keep me interested like all his others. Probably because I dont know much at all about football (soccer) clubs in England. I imagine if you are an Arsenal fan, or any other club that plays them, then youll love this book. If you dont know who Arsenal is, then youre going to be stuck reading a ton about people, games, statistics, etc. that mean nothing to you.Hornby is great at describing the male psyche, which has some appearances in this book, but they are few and far between.
On: 2003-05-03
This is a very funny and more than a little sad memoir about Hornbys life-long, love-hate obsession with Londons Arsenal Football Club. For Anglophiles, the football culture is fun and fascinating to read about (and Hornbys personal observations on the disaster at Hillsbrough are moving). Hornbys writing is fast-paced and witty. And self-deprecating to the point of mockery. He knows hes sacrificed much more important things in life for the sake of a sport club that has rarely failed to disappoint him.
On: 2003-01-26
I bought this book hoping it would be an undiscovered gem by the writer who gave us About A Boy and High Fidelity. I am a late-middle-aged American with no particular interest in British football. The book is, at heart, an autobiography of Mr. Hornby as an obsessive football (soccer) fan growing up in the London area, and, in terms of word count, the emphasis is decidedly on "football" over "autobiography".
While there were nuggets of self-revelation, there was much more of cavilling over the performance minutiae of players in whom I have no interest. And not football players in general, but-primarily- players for Arsenal, which I presume to be based in or near London. Who cares? I was much more intrigued by Among the Thugs, which at least had some visceral violence.
On: 2003-01-13
I had heard a lot about Hornbys books, and quite few guys I know had recommended them as hilariously funny. "Fever Pitch" was recommended as the absolute best one, so I thought Id better read it.The book is about Arsenal, Hornby, and what it means to be a soccer (football) fan (not a hooligan, just severely addicted to soccer). And oh my God! Hornby qualifies for the die-hard group by far! We are talking about *serious* addiction to soccer!! Or what do you say to scheduling your whole life (career & work / partner / social etc) around the possibility of a re-play of a game? Or saying "no" to weddings because it collides with an Arsenal match? Someone at work told me that this book would be insightful to understanding English men / soccer fans.. If that is true - Ill stay clear! Since I am not English, I probably missed a few (good?) jokes due to my obvious lack of native soccer lingo. But even so, there was plenty for me to enjoy. And the book certainly made me laugh out loud, several times. "Fever Pitch" was a fast and easy read and I read this book in a few sittings. It was a very, very, funny and highly entertaining book. Absolutely recommended!
On: 2003-01-12
I had heard a lot about Hornbys books, and quite few guys I know had recommended them as hilariously funny. "Fever Pitch" was recommended as the absolute best one, so I thought Id better read it.The book is about Arsenal, Hornby, and what it means to be a soccer (football) fan (not a hooligan, just severely addicted to soccer). And oh my God! Hornby qualifies for the die-hard group by far! We are talking about *serious* addiction to soccer!! Or what do you say to scheduling your whole life (career & work / partner / social etc) around the possibility of a re-play of a game? Or saying "no" to weddings because it collides with an Arsenal match? Someone at work told me that this book would be insightful to understanding English men / soccer fans.. If that is true - Ill stay clear! Since I am not English, I probably missed a few (good?) jokes due to my obvious lack of native soccer lingo. But even so, there was plenty for me to enjoy. And the book certainly made me laugh out loud, several times. "Fever Pitch" was a fast and easy read and I read this book in a few sittings. It was a very, very, funny and highly entertaining book. Absolutely recommended!
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-27
As an American who knows just a bit about FA football I had no problem diving right into the source of this fine work.
Its about the pain and struggle of being a professional sports fan.
Being a Cleveland sports fan I felt right at home with all of this, yet strangley detached.
Heck he can talk all he wants about having to deal with the frustrations of Arsenal - which have won quite a fair share of Cups throughout his musings - but I sit here as a sports fan near Cleveland, OH without any memories of winning any chanpionships. Last title was in the 60s by the Browns - pre Super Bowl.
Thats pain Mr. Hornby.
The more I read the more I connected Hornby with that of an English version of a New York Yankee or Dodgers fan. Always, always crying poor mouth when there are clearly worse off franchises in the world.
Regardless, Mr. Hornby explains it all so well. But, if you really want to know how losing affects a soul check out Terry Plutos writings on the Cleveland Indians. Thats sad stuff.
 On: 2002-12-12
Dont get me wrong, I love Hornbys writing and have since reading the short story that eventually became the movie About A Boy. Yet, Ive tried unsuccessfully now two times to get through this self-described autobiographical journal of an adolescent soccer football fan. Ive really, really wanted to love this book, last month when I put it down only 2/3s through and three years ago when I put it down 1/2 the way through but I just cant.
I cant because: 1) A sports fanatic doesnt need to be told what being a sports fanatic is like and a non-sports fanatic wouldnt get it even if he could give a damnation. There is a fellow named Roger Angell who writes about baseball who can really make a non-fan interested in the game, so try him if you want to learn about sport. 2) This book really isnt at all about rooting for the home team, or even about the sport of soccer football. This is a book by and about a rather sensitive boy being brought up in metroland by a divorced couple who finds that while he really cannot cope with his parents separation he must because they are, afterall, separated. 3) Nick Hornby, while being an extraordinary talent when it comes to writing stories, is really not interesting as either a soccer football fan or a child.
If you really want to read about soccer football fandom find the effort by Salman Rushdie who conveys everything that Horny attempts in this book, only succeeds. Having said that, you are probably going to read this book anyway because you are, like I am, fond of Hornbys other books. Ive tried to warn you.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-12-10
A good book. I dont know how they found the one gunners fan who could write, but he does it well. If this book moves you towards liking Arsenal, try the Joe McGuinness book, Miracle of Castel di Sangro. Now if they could find a Man U. fan with a brain AND a pen, THAT would truly amazing.
On: 2002-12-05
Insightful for those of us who are obsessive fans of anything or those like my wife who have to live with us! What makes this book a five-star read is that it is a fans (or supporter) story, not a teams or a games story. Its a series of reflections on how an individual connects with stars, other obsessives, family, critics, and the completely rational people that surround him. Hornbys writing is passionate, frank, and hillarious in that order - a great combination for any book.
On: 2002-12-04
Have you ever had the shiver, cold sweat runnig down your back? A game 7 two out two on full count in the bottom of the tenth inning, a Super Bowl field goal attempt with only 3 seconds on the clock when the game is tied, the deciding free throw in overtime in the final game of the season?
Whoever is interested in sports remembers these moments most vividly and narrates with lifeblood from these - as they most often seem to us - history changing incidents. No matter which sport, no matter which team you cheer for, it is engraved in your heart as soccer is engraved in Nick Hornbys heart. He writes about Arsenal, a soccer team and much more than a soccer team. Arsenal becomes his wife, Arsenal supporters become his friends and Highbury Park becomes his second, actually his first home.
This autobiographical masterpiece does not only describe the passion, the obsession of soccer fans - and basically all sport fans - share and what fandom gives to them, it also allows soccer to become a metaphore of life. Never before has anyone described these feelings sports fans all over the world share so well.
This book cheers you up, reminds you of the worst losses you ever suffered, it gives you the impression that you are not alone and always provides you with most detailed information about soccer and sports as well as a philosophy and world view all sports fans have had in their subconscience as long as they can think of their first game winner.
A sports bible should contain this book and in what ever situation you are in life - the only constant is sports - you will find a psalm in it that will help you.
On: 2002-10-17
If you are in any way interested in British Football, Fever Pitch is a must read. Hornby describes the process of his physical, emotional, and intellectual growth in the context of his love for the game of football. The detail and anecdotes are entertaining. It was easy to wade through this work, and even though as a US Citizen my detail knowledge of the games, players and rivalries was minimal, simply being a fan of the game will keep you turning the pages.. As fate would have it, I read the book during a recent visit to the UK. While there, I had the opportunity to watch two football matches in different London pubs. The excitement was infectious and provided an added layer of enjoyment to Hornbys work
On: 2002-10-01
Shannons husband Josh writes: Fever Pitch is the penultimate book for the sports fan. Regardless of how you feel about English football (soccer), any fan of any team will relate to Hornbys feelings. This is especially true if you support a team that hasnt won a championship in a long time. I sometimes wonder if I should curse this book for what its done to my free time. I was an Arsenal supporter before I read it, but Ive now fallen into the true pit of fanatic. I wear the shirts, tape and watch games at absurd hours, listen to internet radio broadcasts, etc. Other Arsenal fans only nod and grin knowingly when I tell them about this. Fever Pitch is brilliant writing that you can feel and relate to. Who knows, you might wake up the sleeping Gunner fan inside you too. Dont worry though; theyve evolved into a much better team since this was written.
On: 2002-08-09
Ive been meaning to write a review of this book for a long time, but since Nick Hornby reawakened in me many of my childhood sports fan obsessions when I read it for the first time in 1999, Ive been too busy. Not only did "Fever Pitch" remind me how irrationally and how much I loved my own hometown team (the heartbreaking Boston Red Sox) but he turned me into a fan of English football and his own Arsenal Gunners to the point where I follow them daily on ESPNs soccernet, LISTEN (!?) to them on internet radio broadcasts and have even gone to two games in London over the past two years. Its sick really, and I suppose its not the kind of thing Hornby would have wanted when he wrote this quintessential memoir of growing up a soccer fan in England, but Ive enjoyed it"Fever Pitch" is an obsessives tale as much as it is a fans story, and so should appeal to the same wide audience that enjoys his excellent novels (It was my love for "High Fidelity" that sent me straight to this book). It is a memoir of surprising depth considering how it is organized only by the dates of soccer matches between 1968 and 1991, and it makes perfect sense that Hornby, or any true fan, should see the rest of his life (parents divorce, his own education, romantic and career trouble) primarily as it relates to the team he spends so much time, money and psychic energy on. The irony, for me, was finding out after I read "Fever Pitch" for the first time that Arsenal was one of the top teams of the last decade in England, so Hornby at least gets to feel the joy that we Red Sox fans are still waiting for. Sure, were ecstatic the Pats won the Super Bowl, but our lives will change forever when Boston brings home the World Series. But after "Fever Pitch," Ill remember to laugh like the rest of the world laughs when American sports leagues crown their title-holders "world" champions.
On: 2002-07-26
just does not describe this man. He recollection of events in his life as they pertain to Arsenal soccer games is relentless. I thought I was obsessed with certain things in my life but compared to Nick Hornby, I am not even close. Amazed to think there are several thousand people who feel the same way about soccer as he does. Nothing like the movie.
On: 2002-07-25
just does not describe this man. He recollection of events in his life as they pertain to Arsenal soccer games is relentless. I thought I was obsessed with certain things in my life but compared to Nick Hornby, I am not even close. Amazed to think there are several thousand people who feel the same way about soccer as he does. Nothing like the movie.
On: 2002-07-10
Like many of the reviewers of this book, I dont know a thing about football, except that it occasionally shows up on ESPN late at night and the fans seem a bit insane. Hornby is one of those fans.In this memoir, Hornby takes us step by step through his life of football obsession, recounting with humorous detail the tragedies and joys it has brought him throughout his life. Fever Pitch is about the fans, not the players, and about the obsession, not the game. As with Hornbys other coming of age stories, this book drags us along with the protagonist (in this case, Hornby himself) through the incredulous situations that he puts himself into in pursuit of his obsession (football, like records, women, or good deeds) to find ourselves in awe at the end of how the whole thing turned out for the best.
On: 2002-06-28
Thanks to the once in every four year buzz I get when the World Cup is taking place I thought that it was an appropriate time to begin reading the only Hornby book that I hadnt yet cracked which incidentally is his autobiography and a loving testament to the game of football. With those factors in mind, I figured I couldnt go wrong with this one but sadly, for the first time, I was a bit let down by one of Hornbys books. My main problem with this book stems from the fact that I missed out on approx. 30% of the context because I didnt know the people (players and coaches), places and teams that he spends a great deal of time espousing on. This book is written with the assumption that the reader is steeped in all the lore, historical trivia and nuance of British football and for those with limited knowledge, well I suppose theyll find themselves grasping at times trying to catch up with Hornbys detailed play-by-play enactments of memorable goals and on field blunders. Another thing - this is Hornbys first book and it shows. For those readers accustomed to his flowing, easy to digest prose in future works (High Fidelity, About a Boy, How to be Good) you might be a bit surprised at how clunky his words form here. Yes, there are some very Hornbyesque passages and moments but for the most part it can be choppy reading at times but is interesting in the framework of mind knowing how his future works will evolve into crystalline works of literary brilliance. On the positive note, this book will certainly strike a chord for every hardcore sports fanatic out there. Hornby lovingly touches on the idiosyncracies that every true fan experiences from: Superstitious ritual, disdain for the casual and/or bandwagon fan, the psyche of those who faithfully follow bad teams, etc. Also, youll find the occassional gem on the beauty of Football/Soccer as a pure sport that makes reading through this 247 page book ultimately worthwhile.
On: 2002-06-27
Thanks to the once in every four year buzz I get when the World Cup is taking place I thought that it was an appropriate time to begin reading the only Hornby book that I hadnt yet cracked which incidentally is his autobiography and a loving testament to the game of football. With those factors in mind, I figured I couldnt go wrong with this one but sadly, for the first time, I was a bit let down by one of Hornbys books. My main problem with this book stems from the fact that I missed out on approx. 30% of the context because I didnt know the people (players and coaches), places and teams that he spends a great deal of time espousing on. This book is written with the assumption that the reader is steeped in all the lore, historical trivia and nuance of British football and for those with limited knowledge, well I suppose theyll find themselves grasping at times trying to catch up with Hornbys detailed play-by-play enactments of memorable goals and on field blunders. Another thing - this is Hornbys first book and it shows. For those readers accustomed to his flowing, easy to digest prose in future works (High Fidelity, About a Boy, How to be Good) you might be a bit surprised at how clunky his words form here. Yes, there are some very Hornbyesque passages and moments but for the most part it can be choppy reading at times but is interesting in the framework of mind knowing how his future works will evolve into crystalline works of literary brilliance. On the positive note, this book will certainly strike a chord for every hardcore sports fanatic out there. Hornby lovingly touches on the idiosyncracies that every true fan experiences from: Superstitious ritual, disdain for the casual and/or bandwagon fan, the psyche of those who faithfully follow bad teams, etc. Also, youll find the occassional gem on the beauty of Football/Soccer as a pure sport that makes reading through this 247 page book ultimately worthwhile.
by: Anonymous On: 2002-06-06
Get it and youll get it, even if you dont get it now.That sums up the book... I am 1/3 of the way done and the only thing i can say is, I think I know what its like -- Leaf fans (NHL) will be able to relate to the sad tale of Arsenal as a football club. In fact their failures and now recent success as a club mirrors the Leafs hockey tragedy and rise to respectability quite nicely. I really wasnt looking for a comparison tale when I picked up this book, but in the end I kept saying... yeah, i remember doing something like that, feeling like that or giving up like that (for ten minutes...) The book is not about football... its about, as the author says, the consumption of football by an obsessed fan and how everything in life can relate to football. So get it and youll get it, even if you dont get it now.
On: 2002-05-15
Its fair to say that this book would probably improve tremendously with a knowledge of English football generally and of Arsenal history specifically. That being said, put this book in the hands of a male sports fan, and they will find familiar ground with Nick Hornby, the Arsenal obsessive. In fact, Hornbys never-say-die, thick-and-thin, death-do-us-part, theres-always-next-season attitude will be eerily familiar to any Cubs fan or anyone who has ever spent time with a Cubs fan between April and September. Much of Hornbys obsession is peculiar to English football (e.g. regular attendance at away games - an impossibility in the geographically spread United States), but an equal portion would be recognizable to anyone who has pledged their troth to a team of transient athletes and coaches. Hornby has written three great novels about men and the silly things that they do or over which they obsess, whether it be sports or popular music, or the professional pursuit of loafing. This is one of them, and a must read for anyone who is a sports obsessive or trying to get along with one.
On: 2002-05-14
Its fair to say that this book would probably improve tremendously with a knowledge of English football generally and of Arsenal history specifically. That being said, put this book in the hands of a male sports fan, and they will find familiar ground with Nick Hornby, the Arsenal obsessive. In fact, Hornbys never-say-die, thick-and-thin, death-do-us-part, theres-always-next-season attitude will be eerily familiar to any Cubs fan or anyone who has ever spent time with a Cubs fan between April and September. Much of Hornbys obsession is peculiar to English football (e.g. regular attendance at away games - an impossibility in the geographically spread United States), but an equal portion would be recognizable to anyone who has pledged their troth to a team of transient athletes and coaches. Hornby has written three great novels about men and the silly things that they do or over which they obsess, whether it be sports or popular music, or the professional pursuit of loafing. This is one of them, and a must read for anyone who is a sports obsessive or trying to get along with one.
On: 2002-04-27
Tremendous book! Insightful, honest and true. Whether youre a football fan or not youll love it. Not boring for a minute, Hornby covers everything from modern masculinity to feminsim. Buy it.
On: 2002-03-25
Nick Hornbys story is about more than just his love of football, its about his own place within a world seemingly defined by gate-crashing hooligans. His candid honesty, literary chops, and refreshing lack of pretension speak directly to the thirty-something reader trapped somewhere between the upper echelon of well-bred, urbane literati (with whom we might demographically be categorized) and the suburban, blue collar roots from which we truly hail.
On: 2002-03-20
Whats so fascinating about this novel is Mr. Hornbys amazing ability to remember. I dont know if he kept a detailed journal or what, but somehow he has relayed his life story using the Arsenal soccer team as the backdrop. I recommend this book if not for the simply amazing (while somewhat sickly obsessive) way he has tied his life to that of the soccer team, then for the very reason that he achieves what all humans seek to do: he has found meaning in the randomness and chaos of everyday life. To some it may seem impossible that the rhythym of our lives is echoed in other events around us, but Nick Hornby shows that this is, in fact, possible. Not only possible, but maybe even plausible and after reading the book you will see the proof, which it is nearly irrefutable. Also, after reading the book you will crave the excitement and action of a soccer game. Be warned, however, that if you prefer a lot of dialogue as opposed to narration, this isnt the book for you. If you can overlook that and enjoy instead, the wry, sardonic voice of Mr. Hornby, then youll love it. If this is your first time reading one of Nick Hornbys books, I suggest that you read instead "High Fidelity," or "About a Boy."
On: 2001-12-31
Nick Hornby is not embarrassed to be identified as a fanatic, as he proves in this semi-fictional autobiography about his obsession with the football club Arsenal. Throughout the novel, Hornby examines how the significant events and relationships in his life relate directly to Arsenal games he has attended. He attends his first game with his father shortly after his parents divorced, he knew he was in love the first time when he was able to share his team with a woman, and he buys season tickets at the same time his life starts settling down in his twenties. It is a very funny book and I learned a lot about soccer and obsession, but it also made me feel okay about my own personal obsessive tendencies, which pale in comparison to those of the main character. It isnt a difficult or long read so I would suggest it to anyone who just wants to read an enjoyable book, even if they dont care a bit about soccer.
On: 2001-12-29
Most people have one or more hobbies, quite a few people spend a lot (or even too much) time on their hobby, and some people are obsessed. Nick Hornby belongs to the last group. His obsession is Arsenal: ever since his father took him to see the Gunners to fill in those long Saturday afternoons that a divorced father has to fill in, Nick Hornby has supported The Gunners heart and soul.His knowledge of football facts in general and Arsenal facts in particular is astonishing. The nice aspect is that he knows that he behaves like a fool in the eyes of the rest of us and that he describes his obsession with a healthy amount of humour, relativism and self-derision.
On: 2001-12-03
Football/soccer - the most popular sport in the world, and for many people the most important thing in the world - is a subject of this witty, entertaining book by popular British author Nick Hornby. Until reading this book, I encountered Hornbys work only through rather disappointing film adaptation of his novel "High Fidelity", but my expectations were nevertheless high and, in the end, mostly justified. Less concerned by the game itself, and more with a way it influenced his life, same as the lives of plenty of people on this side of Big Pond (sometimes with fatal results, like in the case of Haysell and Hillsborrough disasters), Hornby described this phenomenon through his own personal experience. Although based on the relationship between one man and his favourite soccer club (Arsenal), many other soccer fans in various parts of the world could recognise familiar situations from their own (often frustrating) experiences. The only major flaw of "Fever Pitch" is the fact that those who lack familiarity with the game (like majority of Americans) might not enjoy finer points of this book.
On: 2001-10-09
Dont kid yourself; a lot of the specifics are going to be lost on you if youre not au courant with English football and its peculiar traditions and history. But this book is well worth the effort even if you dont know what it is to win the Double or even if you dont know the significance of the words "Heysel" and "Hillsborough."And if you do, this is the Holy Grail. Funny, yes--and its the kind of funny that emerges when smart people are unafraid to show how ridiculous they can act sometimes. But just as importantly, its poignant and wise and filled with occasional moments that ring so true you just shake your head and wonder why no ones written a book like this before.
by: Anonymous On: 2001-10-05
this is my least favorite of all of mr. hornbys books, but even this one shows his incredible insight and thoughfulness. certainly worth reading once youve read (in this order) high fidelity, about a boy and how to be good.
On: 2001-09-24
A great book not just for Football fans. Its also about life in general, how Nick Hornby used Arsenal FC to escape from the grind of daily life, only to go to Arsenal to see them grind out boring results. It has some passages of comedy but also some where you dispair along with him. If you are indeed a commited Football fan this is a must-read as it surely only reflects on what goes on in the mind of a fanatic. Whats great about it is that the whole book is just his thoughts and has no particular story line. Thus it is a relief from most other books which seek to put a structure into the storyline. Here it is simply his thoughts, his joy, his grievances, his success, his failures. It is also useful to women seeking what really goes on in a mans brain! A quality read.
On: 2001-08-24
I am a Nick Hornby fan, not a sports fan -- and I dont know a thing about football ("soccer," to my fellow Yanks). As such, many of the details in Hornbys memoir of a lifelong obsession with Arsenal seemed arcane to me. But, surprisingly, I found Fever Pitch to be one of Hornbys stronger efforts. It helped me see how an intelligent person could become preoccupied with sports, and come to see a team as a family -- even more important than ones actual family. In addition, the book is both funny and reflective, especially when the authors ambivalent empathy with football rioters can be seen through his disgust at their actions. A worthy read for any memoir fan, football enthusiast or not.
On: 2001-08-23
If you loved High Fidelity and About A Boy, Fever Pitch gives you loads of background information about Hornby, the man, the boy, the football obsessive, the music fan, and the writer. You dont have to care a bit about football or Arsenal when you start reading. If you have the least bit of sports fan(atic) in you, the book will make you wish you could have spent some time in the terraces of the various stadiums agonizing along with the fortunes of your favorite team. And Im convinced that Hornby plans any new books to be released after football season, so he could schedule his book tours without missing any Arsenal games.
by: Anonymous On: 2001-08-09
"High Fidelity" was very funny and at times thought provoking. This novel was a big disappointment. I am not a sports fan in any way (although I was at the age of 10). Perhaps you need to be a sports fan (and Anglophile?) to appreciate this. I found the book excruciatingly trivial. Dont look to "Fever Pitch" for insight into "fandom" either. The theme of arrested male development is dealt with much more effectively in "High Fidelity".
On: 2001-07-31
I am a big fan of Nick Hornby but this book was a bit of a dissapointment for me. Perhaps I just had too high expectations for the book since I had heard such great things about it and had loved Hornbys novels High Fidelity and About a Boy. For some reason, I just couldnt connect with Hornby and his obession with Arsenal. I am a big sports fan as well, but apparently not as obessed with a certain team as Hornby is. What got me was how he could be so obessed with Arsenal and yet fairly nonchalant towards soccer in general. At least, thats how he came across to me. In any case, the book was generally entertaining and I did get a good laugh here and there but I wasnt totally enthralled with the book.
by: Anonymous On: 2001-06-18
Nick Hornbys autobiography about his obsession with the Arsenal football club is poignant and well-written. But most of the best of the book is overshadowed by reviews that call this book "The funniest book of the year!". What makes the book an especially good read is not Hornbys nostalgic, humorous story-telling, but his discursions to such various subjects as class, male behavior, and identity. The book is also a great description of what it means to be a fan of any sport anywhere. Even the most avid opposer to football (soccer) can identify with Hornbys description of obsessive fanaticism, especially sports fans. Possibly the best facet of the book, however, is how Hornbys obsession with football acts as an embodiment of all his emotions. Everything revolves around football for Hornby. His loves, passions, sadnesses, and joys are rooted in Arsenal.
On: 2001-06-17
Nick Hornbys autobiography about his obsession with the Arsenal football club is poignant and well-written. But most of the best of the book is overshadowed by reviews that call this book "The funniest book of the year!". What makes the book an especially good read is not Hornbys nostalgic, humorous story-telling, but his discursions to such various subjects as class, male behavior, and identity. The book is also a great description of what it means to be a fan of any sport anywhere. Even the most avid opposer to football (soccer) can identify with Hornbys description of obsessive fanaticism, especially sports fans. Possibly the best facet of the book, however, is how Hornbys obsession with football acts as an embodiment of all his emotions. Everything revolves around football for Hornby. His loves, passions, sadnesses, and joys are rooted in Arsenal.
On: 2001-06-09
This is an incredible book. I picked it up because ive read Hornbys others (About A Boy, High Fidelity), and loved them. But admittedly, i was most interested because the guy i was dating at the time was obsessed with British Football, most notably Manchester United. I really dont know anything about soccer, so at first some things were hard to follow, but by the end of the book, i felt intimate with the team (nowhere near Hornbys obsession...obviously). i now check FC websites for updates as my local paper acts as though anything outside of Illinois doesnt exist. Anyway, for people who are unfamiliar with soccer, this is a great read, and can be as enjoyable as if you really understand whats going on. Hornbys wit and incredible writing comes out so clearly in this book, and you feel for Hornby and Arsenal as if it was you and your team.
On: 2001-05-22
I wasnt sure that I was going to like this book because I am not a soccer fan. I think soccer is the most asinine pompous bore ever created. Why would I care to read a book about the subject?But I should have known that the man who wrote High Fidelity and About a Boy would find a way to make a subject like this interesting and poingnant. That is why I loved Fever Pitch. Hornby takes the passions inside all of us - whether it be for soccer or baseball or movies or anything and puts it in terms we can relate to. And sometimes our passions and pur obsessions can get the best of us. Dont let the subject scare you away. Fever Pitch is a good read and will hold your interest.
On: 2001-05-08
Although I do not claim to be as enthusiastic a football supporter as Nick Hornby seems to be, "Fever Pitch" nevertheless triggered more than one delightful feeling of déjà vu. The fascination emanating from football (dont call it soccer, please!) arguably is difficult to explain to someone not familiar with the games peculiarities, but Hornby certainly hits the nail on the hand in pointing out that the magic of teamplay, the usual scarcity of goals and the huge (unfortunately often abusive) crowds all contribute to creating an atmosphere probably not to be found with any other sport. To be sure, you do not have to be a "Gunners" supporter in order to appreciate Hornbys witty musings - I for my part was never mesmerized by Arsenal - and you will experience exactly the same feelings of elation and frustration as described in the book, regardless of what team you are sticking to. Thus Nick Hornby has succeeded in writing an ode to one of the worlds most popular sports, and he has done this in such a funny and yet candid way that readers who as yet are not interested in football might soon develop the same passion millions of supporters have already succumbed to.
by: Anonymous On: 2001-05-01
Fever Pitch is, at best, average. Seeing how there are about a hundred Amazonians who gave this book a glowing review, youll probably never get to this little warning, but thats what Im giving you. I know everyone reading the book can relate to being a fan of a longtime losing team, it doesnt just have to be Arsenal it could be the Cubs or the Red Sox or any team that you really have a passion for... so? The problem with this book is unless you are a soccer fan or English or (God help you) both, then the book just doesnt make it. Its an autobiograph about a soccer (thats right soccer not football) fan. Thats it, end of story. Not "tears-running-down-your-face funny" as GQs review on cover promised. Not even that good ultra-violence thats in other soccer books. So me druggies, dont viddy-well.
On: 2001-04-17
I have always wanted a book like "Fever Pitch" to relate to when I feel that my obsession for football (Im talking about the real football) is not understood by friends and family. I found out about this book through my only equally obsessed football friend. Nick Hornby makes us crazy fans feel like we all have something in common and that its ok to think about Football 24/7. This book is a must for any football fan (but especially an Arsenal fan). It wont disappoint. I promise!! GO ARSENAL!!
On: 2001-02-05
Soccer, the American mind screams. Soccer. We dont understand it. Its not brutal enough, like football. Its not high scoring enough, like basketball. Its not dramatic enough, like baseball. And yet, as Nick Hornby describes painstakingly well in Fever Pitch, soccer is all of those things. Well, maybe not the high scoring bit--theres no sport as high scoring as basketball, but maybe thats for the best....Hornbys memoir of his childhood obsession with soccer and his adulthood fixation on the sport is about more than just soccer. Its about his growth as a person. Its about what it means to be a fan. Hornbys soccer-obsessed self could just as easily be a weekend Klingon attending Star Trek conventions; obsessions may differ but the reasons remain the same. Ill be honest. A lot of the references Hornby makes passed right over me. I dont know soccer, and I certainly dont know the English Premier League. Despite that gulf of knowledge, I understood. Hes not writing so much about the sport but about his love of the sport. The details are merely incidental. What comes through clearly is the vaguely distracted way Hornby must have gone through life, living with his mind wandering to the pitch in Highgate where his beloved Arsenal called home. And the way he describes this state of anarchy and confusing is nothing short of hilarious. Fever Pitch is a laugh-out-loud book. Love soccer or hate it, this book will leave you breathless from the sheer humor. But the humor is also touching, and in the end soccer is for Hornby a metaphor for life; everything that he needed to learn about himself and life in general he learned from soccer. Its a great book, an enjoyable book. Its a book of vignettes, pick it up and read at random. If thats your thing, youll really love this.
by: ivy On: 2001-02-01
I assume this book would be a joyous, justifying experience for a devoted fan of any sport - "Im not alone!" - and I can assure you that its a fun, educational read for someone who has no interest in any sport. Its a look at the way fanship can be created by, and in turn create, a persons life, and as such should be required reading both for fans themselves and for the people who cant understand them. In other words, if you completely understand why an important win could turn your entire life around, or why you would have to miss your sisters wedding if it coincided with a game, Fever Pitch is for you. And if you dont understand this at all, the book is also for you. Now, having said that, there are a few problems with this book for Americans who dont know much about football. (You know, soccer, not American rules football.) If you dont know thing one about the game, you can still read the book, but you wont understand big chunks of it. Hornby either never expected this book to be published in America, or he cant imagine an audience that isnt intimately familiar with football argot. (And, having read the book, Im betting on the latter.) So youll need either to read a book about football before you read Fever Pitch, or to have on call a person who knows football. As it happens, I had both. I read the decent book The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro before Fever Pitch, so I knew about, for example, relegation and promotion. And I happen to know a person who watches football. And still I didnt get everything; what the heck is the Arsenal offside trap? What was the Ibrox disaster? (Double whammy, since apparently it also happened before I was born.) Whats the penalty spot? I dont know, and Hornby didnt take the time to tell me. So - not perhaps the best book to introduce you to football. Still, this a fascinating book, a book that contains a wealth of self-knowledge for the obsessed and astonishing revelations for everyone else. Read it. If nothing else, youll learn that the person in your life that you thought was as obsessed with team X as it is possible to be is merely a fly-by-night fan.
On: 2001-01-30
... I grew up in Philadelphia, watching (and suffering through) many a dismal baseball season, with my dad, as the Phillies would implode year after bloody awful year. I can definitely relate to Hornbys obsession with Arsenal. Great book, especially for us Gunners fans, but you wont have to love soccer to love it.
by: Anonymous On: 2001-01-25
This book is a great read. it is an autobiographical account of Horbyslife written as a series of match reports of Arsenal football matches. Each match report alsop includes refelections on his current strate of mind and events going on around him. Hornbys reflections on Heysel and hillsborough are very insighful and show how these disasters did not just affect the people and teams involved at the time but how the affected all fans of the sport.hornby is best known foer his "male confessional" books - High Fidelity and About a Boy. Fans of those novels should read Fever Pitch to get a better insight into Hornbys way of thinking. This is book that all football fans will love and relate too . However anyone who is an sereious fan of any sport will relate withg Horbys description of how his team became part of his life. read this book and find a small part of yourself in it!
On: 2001-01-21
After three books, Hornby seems to be the master of intimate narration. In "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy" I felt as if I was a part of the story, sitting inside his brain like a character on the canceled TV show Hermans Head, wincing at the mistakes and laughing at the happiness. Youre along for the ride and youre emotionally attached all the way through. The books end and youre left with a sense of disbelief, wondering: "What happenned to our relationship? Why am I shut out?" and you sit around and wait for the next to come out. Fever Pitch precedes the two abovementioned books, and the narration is more raw and personal. Greater sadness, wistfulness comes through; instead of guessing that the main character is supposed to be Hornby, you know its him. Reality can be more drab and longwinded than the fiction, but its worth it. Hornby is poignant and honest and the overall effect is wonderful. Like other reviews mention, you dont need to be a sports fan to appreciate this book, although some practical knowledge of teams and grounds might help. A fine book, and something Im happy was allowed to be published.
by: Anonymous On: 2000-11-05
Hey, come on. We invented the game, so we get to call it football!This is a very special book, not just for the die-hard fans who go to every game, but also for those who stand outside a TV shop at 4.45 on a saturday afternoon. Its not simply a celebration of what it is to be a fan, more an emotional journey through a lifetime of football. Parts of it are very moving, and it conjured up moving memories of my own as a I read it. Its a book that is easy to read again, and that for me is the ultimate test. 5 stars if ever any book earned them!
On: 2000-11-04
Was I reading about Nick Hornby or myself? There was one subtle difference. He was writing about Arsenal whereas the source of my joy and pain since 1966 has been Everton. But apart from that I saw myself on every page. It was quite liberating. Was I the only intelligent professional English male who felt sick on matchdays, and worse when we were playing Liverpool? No. Was there any rational explanation for my total refusal to listen to a game on the radio because this will guarantee a heavy defeat? Yes. We are all in this together.Nick Hornbys books are always witty and engaging. But most of all he is able to communicate the male psyche to an unbelieving world. (See also High Fidelity). Its OK to be male. Its OK to sit in the cold and rain and watch us lose 0-3 to Ipswich Town, knowing that we will be back next week for more of the same. I intend to buy this book as a present for anybody who dares to question my sanity.
On: 2000-09-04
Nick Hornby is now desevedly well known for High Fidelity, but in my opinion this book is even better. The story centers around his obsession with the English Division 1 football team Arsenal, but you dont have to like or care about the sport to really enjoy this book. If you happen to be somewhat on the fanatical side of devotion to a particular team in any sport, youll see a lot here that will ring very true. My own life-and-death sports devotion is tied to another sport (American college football) and another team (Ohio State), but I was nodding my head in recognition of my own feelings and behavior many times through this book. As in High Fidelity, Hornby really captures the essence of this experience and expresses it in a way that is precise, revealing and humorous. Hornby may be a novelist, but hes a very good psychologist too. So if you are a fanatic devotee of a sports team (doesnt matter what team or what sport) or youd like to understand someone who is - then read this book. Highly recommended!
On: 2000-07-19
Any English male with the normal obsession for football will identify with the character in Hornbys first book. I grew up in West London supporting a hopeless lower division team and my life between the ages of 10 and 30 was defined by their successes (few) and failures (many). This was the first book that intelligently defined how this obsession is life itself - everything else, work, family, girlfriend etc. takes second place to the all consuming passion for the team (not for football itself but your team).Hornbys later work is more accessible to the non football fan but this one will forever be my favourite.
On: 2000-07-12
Just a quick, simple warning to potential buyers who liked "High Fidelity" and/or "About A Boy": "Fever Pitch" is not quite in the same vein. Its a fine book on footie--and is the perfect gift for any Arsenal fan--but the book should more accurately be titled "Literary Journal of an Arsenal Fan." Each mini-chapter is catalogued by a specific Arsenal match (score, date, and pitch), and although therere some autobiographical vignettes about life/love, these are few and far between amidst pages and pages of discussion about Arsenal -- the team, its players, its matches, its history. In short, and I submit this review only to distinguish this book from Hornbys later stuff (and because I saw it being touted on the Amazon splashpage): "Fever Pitch" is not fiction, and theres not much of a plot. And unless youre already a moderate football fan, youre gonna be bored and disappointed.
by: Anonymous On: 2000-07-11
Many sports fans end up basing their world so completely around their chosen sport that it ends up eclipsing everything else in their lives. Everything and everyone in their life suffers and the sport becomes a addiction. Nick Hornby is addicted to football and describes this humorously through showing his remarkable memory for facts and witty recollections of many moments gone foggy in the minds of other soccer fans. Unfortunately its just not very interesting after fifty pages, to hear of the authors anguish over Arsenal crashing out of the Rumbelows cup in the second round, again. His writing has about as much descriptive power as that of the New York Post or Boston Herald and our sympathies for his character and the other walk-on parts in his obsessed life barely register. Not litreature, not clever not for everyone.
On: 2000-06-08
Having enjoyed "High Fidelity", and wanting to put some perspective around my miserable soccer experience from high school, I read this book. Hornby could be a literary priest he exercised so many demons for me...simply the best money Ive spent on a book since Mary Karrs "Liars Club". The book describes all the true grit a sport fan is made of. Naturally Hornby gives some wickedly honest insights into "male thinking patterns", but the crux of this book is largely devoted to explaining himself...in terms of being an Arsenal fan. Enjoy this book!
On: 2000-03-31
When I received `Fever Pitch a couple of years ago I thought, "How nice. A book about English soccer (of which I am a fan)." While this is partly true, there is so much more to this book than that. It is about dealing with relationships; family, friends and others. It is about the process of growing up, and all the problems it entails. It is about frustration and desire and dreams and secret fears. It is about obsession, in whatever form it takes, and how some people seem to be particularly prone to it. Which means that, ultimately, I feel that I can identify with the author in a way that I have not been able to with other books that I have read. Ive now read it seven times in the last 2 years. Every time that I read I laugh, cringe, get angry and cry at the events that Hornby relates. One passage has helped me in particular, Hornby writes "Non-footballing friends and family have never met anyone madder than I; indeed, they are convinced that I am as obsessed as it is possible to be. But I know there are people who would regard the level of my commitment...as inadequate." If only I could get my wife, family and friends to read this book I am sure they would look upon me much more kindly. No matter what your obsession might be, I think that reading this book will help you to understand yourself just that little bit more.
On: 2000-03-20
With High Fidelity opening in theatres soon (supposedly at the end of March 2000), the buzz from Nick Hornbys work will reach a fever pitch. Want to know where Hornby finds the inspiration and raw material to craft the exquisitely detailed and accurate pictures of male angst such as Rob Fleming (High Fidelity) or Will Freeman (About a Boy)? Look no further than the life of Hornby himself.On the surface, Fever Pitch follows Hornbys life-long obession with Arsenal, the English Premier league team he dutifully follows through good times and bad. But this is more than a story about football (or soccer, if you will). Its also the story of a complex person struggling to make things right with his family, the various woman that pass through his life, and his career. Make no mistake: the brilliant writer that created Rob Fleming did not appear overnight. Like Rob, Hornby struggled with his passions for years before achieving his breakthrough with Fever Pitch. A previous reviewer notes that this is a biography that does not work because of the authors lack of an interesting life. I disagree - the reason Rob Fleming connects with so many readers (see the High Fidelity customer review section for the raptorous comments from men and women alike) is because of his normalcy and our shock at seeing so many of our own thoughts crystallized so perfectly on the page. The same holds true for Fever Pitch, but with the caveat that a lot of what you read here is distilled through the experience of English football. My recommendation: if youre a football/soccer fanatic, this is a book you simply must read and keep in your collection, regardless of whether youve read either of Hornbys other works. If dont know *anything* about the game and are not too keen to learn, read this book only after youve read High Fidelity and About a Boy. Then sit back and marvel at the connections between the trilogy of characters that are Hornby, Fleming, and Freeman.
by: Anonymous On: 2000-01-24
Nick Hornby is a wonderful author, and Fever Pitch is a superb book. Fraught with passion and clever lines this book brings the essence of soccer to life. Perhaps a little bit obsessive this book brings out the passion of a sport in a way that books seldom acheive, all soccer fans can relate to the way Hornby feels, all soccer fans know the glory and the depression brought by this game. This was a wonderful concept for a way to write an autobiography, and is one of my favorite books.
On: 2000-01-23
Nick Hornby is a wonderful author, and Fever Pitch is a superb book. Fraught with passion and clever lines this book brings the essence of soccer to life. Perhaps a little bit obsessive this book brings out the passion of a sport in a way that books seldom acheive, all soccer fans can relate to the way Hornby feels, all soccer fans know the glory and the depression brought by this game. This was a wonderful concept for a way to write an autobiography, and is one of my favorite books.
by: Anonymous On: 2000-01-15
In this book is brought to life the passion felt by every true english football (soccer for Americans)fan. I can relate to Hornsby being an avid supporter of second division team Oldham Athletic. Five years ago we were in the premiership and beating Man Utd; one of our local rivals, one nil at Wembley in the F.A Cup semi-final, last year we barely avoided relegation. I am part of the 5,000 faithful who turn up every week in the usual rain, hopeful that the good days will return (If they do I hope the 20,000 Man Utd glory hunters dont return also). Although being a Gunner, Hornsbys days of pain are pretty much over, people around the world should take the opportunity to see how much a part of english lives football really is. Sticking with your team through the lowest of the lows, and the feeling you get from the highs. You could say its only a game, but to the english its a way of life, we have an innate love. This is conveyed in Hornsbys book, and after reading it, you can begin to understand just how gutted and depressed every english person alive felt after Euro 96 and World Cup 98. Come on America, you may love your sports, but no-one will love a sport more than the english love football;born and bred from our land.
On: 1999-12-18
I am deeply sorry for all the US blokes who will not read this book only because involves that game called soccer. It is not about soccer, its about life. Every sport fan who would rather watch a dull and meaningless game starring his team (Lakers, Cubs, 49ers, Oilers or whatever) than do everything else should read it. If you are a football fan...this is the ultimate book and you will probably read it at least once every year.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-10-12
I was in the sports section looking for a good soccer rule book and spied this book instead. So I detoured slightly....and was rewarded with hilarious insight into the sports fanatics mind. Mr. Hornby has a way with description which transcends gender and culture. A very fun read.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-09-15
Not much more words to say. The ball is your friend, not the girl
by: Anonymous On: 1999-09-04
I almost felt myself caring about Arsenal for a moment, fortunately the feeling quickly left me. An excellent book, if anyone tells you its only for middle class football fans tell them to pis* off and ask them how many away games theyve been to recently. Incidentally, West Ham and anyone who liked this book, read An Irrational Hatred of Luton, its better, longer, sexier and its got a picture of Pop Robson....
On: 1999-08-31
Nick Hornbys "Fever Pitch" is one of the best sports books written in the modern day. His obsession with the Arsenal Football Club goes beyond being a fan and into being a glutton for punishment. Waiting for Arsenal to make good on a play, waiting for them to score, waiting for them to lose, being miserable in the weather, being physically injured but still standing on the North End of Highbury watching a nil-nil draw, but most of all being a devoted fan, rellishing in the good points about Arsenal (26th May, 1989!) and then returning to the drab, old way again and again, season after season.He describes his love of the team in a way that anyone could apply it to their own favorite team, not just English football, but American football, baseball, hockey, etc. His descriptive humor is what makes you find yourself laughing out loud during the book. A must read for fans of sports everywhere!
by: Anonymous On: 1999-08-19
This is without a doubt the best book on football (soccer) that I have ever read. It is also the best book dealing with sports that I have ever read. It describes like no other book I have read what it means to be a fan.Although this book follows the life of an Arsenal supporter, anyone can read it, because Hornbys experiences are no different than those of any committed, "obsessed" football fan. I am a Leeds supporter, and much of what Hornby said described what I feel, so perfectly. I especially liked the part when he went on about wanting to switch allegiances if he could, but found out that he couldnt because he was too emotionally tied to Arsenal. No matter how poorly they played, or how frustrated they made him feel, he still supported the club. Ive felt the same way about Leeds on many an occasion. A great book about life, not just about football.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-08-11
If you have a passion for sports, than this simply is the book for you -- even if you despise the game of football (soccer for those American non-fans out there, one of which Im proud to say Im not a member). Hornby captured in absolute perfect detail the sports lover and/or fanatic, and how the ebb and flow of the game, even just one game, can literally change your day, your life. My favorite part of the book is in the end, when he describes the Arsenal 2-goal win over Liverpool to win the Premiership, and how no one save the true sports nut can appreciate how that moment will stand for him as his greatest moment ever in life. If youre a sports fan who has that one memory in life (Lenny Dykstras 10th inning homer of Game 5 of the 1993 NLCS is mine), then you must buy this book -- and learn a little about yourself in the process. Nick Hornby, youre my new hero. Cheers.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-08-05
Nick Hornby talks not just about football (never mind this soccer crap, the game is played with feet and a ball!), but about love and obsession, about hiding from the harsh realities of life behind a red and white smokescreen. The juxtaposition of the hooligan and the sensitive boy is masterly.I am about the same age as the author, and am a Gooner (Arsenal supporter), but you dont need to be either to enjoy this book. You just need to be human, with all the frailties and flaws that entails.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-07-31
As a kid I supported Glasgow Celtic with what I can only describe as total immersion. I can remember the complete incomprehension between my dad and myself about what a good game was. My favourites were the 7-1 trouncings of no hope teams, he - completely bizarrely in my view - wanted to watch games where CELTIC MIGHT LOSE! I can remember getting up one morning and rushing downstairs to get the result of a European match that was played after my bedtime and having to run back to my bedroom so the rest of my family wouldnt see me cry (Celtic were beaten 3-1 by Ajax away and didnt make it up in the second leg).Yes I enjoyed this book, but I also lived it. It takes a wonderful author to create this type of work.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-07-29
This was the first of Nick Hornbys books that I read and as a result I went out and bought the other two and loved them all. I think any guy can associate with the characters in the books, I know I can!! But its not only for guys, Hornby writes so simply but yet you get the feeling that you know the characters like a good friend. You dont have to know about soccer or music because the real story is about the characters and all their faults... but you gotta love them!
by: Anonymous On: 1999-07-27
Nick Hornby takes the passions of the average soccer fanatic and condences it down into this easy to read novel
by: Anonymous On: 1999-07-27
This novel is a tribute to Arsenal, the game of football (or soccer as you say over there) and all other sports. Any devoted fan, of any team, who have watched a game and felt the hope, the pain and then finally the desperation after a lost game will love this book.As always when it comes to novels - read the book, it is ten times better than the film (with the same name but with a totally diffrent plot).
On: 1999-07-02
Like music in High Fidelity, soccer plays an important and constant part in Fever Pitch; and like High Fidelity, Hornby takes an in-depth, sometimes depressing, always entertaining look at one mans life and asks what makes it worth living. The difference is that in this case Hornbys writing about his own life, but the end result is the same - a very funny and honest book.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-06-16
Not just a sports book, probably one of the best books I have ever read. His literary style of writing seems effortlessly readable, I wanted more. A must read for sports and non sports fans of good writing everywhere.Brilliant
by: Anonymous On: 1999-04-30
this book is simply marvelous! i read it 3 times i loved it so much. nick hornby is a super author who deserves an award for this book!
On: 1999-04-29
This is an odd but compelling memoir structured around the authors lifelong obsession with the Arsenal Gunners (a football team in England). The book is organized into bite-size chunks which chronologically cover 1968-1982, from ages eleven to twenty-five. While the memoir is full of Hornbys commentary on various facets of modern life, make no mistake, this book is unlikely to captivate anyone not deeply interested in football. In that arena, there is buckets of opinion and analysis of English football, including such topics as hooliganism, decaying stadiums, escalating ticket prices and new demographics of fandom. These sections were the most interesting to me, and in the end, I found myself glad to have waded through the minutiae to discover them. Hornbys memoir is written with an openness reveals a somewhat deranged love for his team, one that exceeds rational fandom in my opinion. The book has been made into a film in the UK.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-04-19
I loved every word of this book. Hornby captures the obsession of every sports fan. Though not a huge soccer fan myself, the story of the rabid soccer fan can easily translate to any sport. This is a great, fun read.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-04-05
The US, as many of us realize, is certainly one of the least soccer oriented societies in the world today (On the Professional Level). Nonetheless, the traits of die hard fans like Hornby is universal. I could feel the pain of Ipswitch the same way I felt when Scott Norwood missed the fieldgoal in SuperBowl XXV (By the way I am from Buffalo and the Bills are life). Any true fan of any real sports team can appreciate this book, and I strongly reccomend it.
On: 1999-03-10
The essence of the book is captured in the following. After Arsenal lost the FA Cup final against Ipswich in 1978: "... to them (the business types), it really was only a game, and it probably did me good to spend time with people who behaved for all the world as if football were a diverting entertainment, like rugby or golf or cricket. Its not like that at all, of course, but just for an afternoon it was interesting and instructive to meet people who believed that it was." Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby is the search for an explanation of being an obsessive football fan. This search results in a brilliant book. Although not all football supporters are as obsessive as Hornby (some are even more obsessive), the vast majority will recognize the emotions that drive them to support a team fanatically and to remember the numerous, useless details about teams and matches. The (lack of) reason to do so will also apply to other sports like American Football, Baseball, Hockey, and Basketball. This book is a great self-analysis for all fanatic supporters of any sport worldwide and, if read by non-supporters, they can understand or at least accept supporters behavior a little better. With Arsenal taking many trophies in England during the last seasons with their impressive offense Bergkamp, Overmars and Anelka and the resulting general recognition that Arsenal is not at all boring, I am pretty sure that Hornby had (and continues to have) many ecstatic moments.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-03-07
I couldnt help thinking while enjoying this book that it should be part of a sports management curriculum. The people who run big teams, like the NY Yankees, or big companies, like Nike, need to understand the way fans think. Ive seen how the prepackaging of sports here in the United States has sucked out much of the joy this book celebrates. In the end, sports arent merely entertainment, they are tribal rituals and religous ceremonies. I especially liked Hornbys description of promotion and relegation in soccer. This is a system that should be employed in all professional sports. I am passing this book around to my friends now, so that they can begin to understand why it does matter that Chelsea not only win the ultimate Cup Winners Cup, the League this year, and as of this writing possibly the Double.
On: 1999-02-20
Let me get this straight -- Hornby takes us through some two decades of his fanatic devotion to Arsenal and in the course of that time they win -- by my count -- at least four major championships of the endless variety that European football seems to offer. This is suffering???? Gees, he should be a San Francisco Giants fan like me and you folks in Chicago would find him even more of a whiner. Still, hes a lot of fun in his whiny fandom, and more than once youll feel this book is a mirror of your own disproportionate affection for a sports team that has broken your heart too many times to count. Give this book to your wife, girlfriend (or for that matter, husband or boyfriend) who just doesnt understand why you have to slip away from the party, the restaurant, to seek out a TV, or call a scoreline and check how the lads are doing (although you know, of course, that they are losing). Its also worth noting that Fever Pitch was made into a pretty good movie which, to my knowledge, hasnt been released in the US. I saw it a couple years ago on an airplane across the Atlantic before Id read the book or heard of Hornbys novels. Last thought: the best book ever of this biography/sports fan genre is Fredericks Exleys A Fans Notes.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-02-18
I am a British lad studying here in America and I would like people to take the opportunity to read Nick Hornbys book "Fever Pitch". He captures the passion shared amongst British soccer fans leaving us thinking, I remember doing that or I wish I would have done that. But you dont have to be British or even a soccer fan to enjoy this one, the book gives a great insight into British culture and goes far beyond the tea and biscuits stereotype sometimes assosiated with the U.K. So come on Americans put down that issue of sports illistrated and find out how the rest of the world lives. I bet my bottom dollar you will come out wishing that your favorite /football /baseball /basketball or hockey team had the same patriotic support. If not, then you will see one mans love for a team that streches far beyond support. But the reason this book has sold millions of copies across the world and had a movie made on it is because there are so many soccer fans like it. I would love to bring two thousand away fans from any soccer team in Britain to the Superbowl, and let them take the place over with songs, chants and the odd bit of high temper. You have to support your team, not watch your team. Please give it a go, trust me it will open your eyes to another part of the world. As Fat Boy Slim says "I Have To Praise You Like I Should" Its a religion in Britain, go on read the bible- Fever Pitch.
On: 1999-02-16
"Fever Pitch" is basically the same story as "High Fidelity" only in this case the main character is obsessed with football (thats soccer to us North Americans) instead of music. Although my own experience with soccer is limited to the one summer I spent in a soccer league when I was six years old, I felt obligated to read this book because "High Fidelity" is one of my all time favorites and could have very easilly been *my* life story. Not surprisingly, I didnt like this book nearly as much and while its probably obvious why, I do think there are other things which separate it from his other one. The characters and relationships in "High Fidelity" were compelling and given more detail while "Fever Pitch" is more focused on the sport. I never felt that someone would have had to have been familiar musical references in "High Fidelity" in order to enjoy it but I do feel that not knowing much about Arsenal or football in general would be a problem for anyone who tries to read "Fever Pitch." So, while I wouldnt warn everyone against reading this book, I still think it has very limited appeal.
On: 1999-02-14
This is the best non-baseball sports book Ive ever read. Part of whats great about it, aside from the humor, is that Hornbys defense of fandom is ultimately not convincing. I dont think he really can defend all the time and emotion hes invested on Arsenal over the course of his life, but I understand how he could become so obsessed.
by: Anonymous On: 1999-02-06
I NEVER READ IT SO I DONT GIVE |
