How to Be Good

by Nick Hornby

This book's plot is hard to summarize, so I'm borrowing from the New York Times book review: "It's a story about how to wreck your marriage, how to help the homeless, how not to raise your kids, how to find religion ... and how to be good."

I read this a few years ago and thought, "Wow! A male author has really captured what goes on in the mind of a woman." I reread it this month, and my opinion has changed somewhat. While I still think his characterization is plausible, I didn't get that feeling of identification with the main character that I did before. I found the narrator more immature and selfish this go 'round. Could it be that I have matured? Hmmmm....I don't think that shift in my point of view changed my enjoyment of the book, but it did change my impression of the author's insight of the book.

Still, Nick Hornby is a great author whose other works (About a Boy, High Fidelity, among others) are not only compelling, quirky movies, but also compelling, quirky novels. And a good sense of humor is always welcome on my bookshelf.