Customer Reviews
A smooth addictive read - By: Hardeep, 22 Jan 2008 
What an adorable, fast flowing, interesting & perceptive book this is. More importantly,how does Nick Hornby make an apparently mundane subject so funny, interesting & endearing? I can see why people rave about this author.
The novel is a narration following the lives of two explicitly different characters & their unlikely convergence. We learn of Will Freeman, the thirty something epitome of self sufficiency & selfish indulgence. Then, of twelve year old Marcus, who is the human equivalent of a square peg in a round hole. The "square peg" being Marcus & the "round hole" being the world.
The way in which Hornby describes these different lives with such realism & comedy makes this book simply unputdownable. We experience the unlikely yet somehow believable relationship the two characters establish, & I personallly just loved the humour & incredulity with which Will Freeman observes this unexpected development.
I enjoyed how the characters altered & changed. The adjustment & amendments in their ideas not to mention the downright flipside up backtofront viewpoint changes that were so very believable & charming, yet not done esotericallly or over the pages of a 600 page tome. Hornby proves that if you stick with what is real to people, even to what is obvious you can create rich characters quickly. It makes me wonder if JD Salinger was one of his influences, it would make sense if you have read "Catcher in the Rye"
I did love this book, & in many ways I wish I hadn't watched the film first as it took away from the freshness of some of the more brilliant moments of comedy. I wasn't sure about Hornby after I read "A Long Way Down", but I stand corrected, & am well & truly sold. My biggest disappointment was when the book ended. Highly recommended.
Good for school - By: Kathi, 12 Jun 2007 
The book "About a boy" by Nick Hornby is about Marcus, a 12- year-old boy, who is not a normal boy, & his friendship to a 36-year-old man callled Will. Marcus is bullied at school & his mother is very depressed & tries to commit suicide. Then Marcus is frightened because he lives alone with his mother. So he wants to find new friends & meets Will. Will is a man who has nothing ti do because he has much money.
IN my opinion the book is good for reading at school. It is easy to understand & it is not boring. You want to know how it ends. But in my freetime I would only watch the film because i read other books in my freetime.
So the book is good for school.
Interesting & readable novel - By: BettyThe Goddess of English, 12 Jun 2007 The novel "About a Boy", written by Nick Hornby is about the special relationship between Marcus, a 12-years-old boy an Will, a 36-years-old adult. They are completely different but they help each other in their problematic situation of life. Marcus doesn't want to be alone with his mother, because he has no frieds an he has a depressed mother. Will thinks that he has to live alone, he doesnßt want to have a family or friends. At the end, they are happy because Marcus shows Will that it isn't better if he is alone. So, Marcus become friends an Will become a new girlfriend.
It's a gripping, modern & realistic story about am everyday situation for a lot of people in the world. It shows you, that no man "is an isle".
I think that it's interesting & written in a funny way but if you are a naive person, you shouldn't buy it because you need a little bit of imagination...
There is probably much better Stuff - By: Jonas Plitt, 12 Jun 2007 
The book "About a Boy" is about problems of a teenager.
In several passages the main Character, Marcus, gets into contact with suicide thoughts. The whole book is about searching for a way of to get out & the reason of being born to die.
I think it's very monotonous, but without losing the "red line" of a complete story. I think there are much better stories, so i wouldn't recommend it.
Probably my favourite book! - By: Mrs. Vicki Woolven, 18 May 2007 I absolutely love this book - it is very funny & the idea behind the story is a good one. Strange boy develops a friendship with uber-trendy selfish singleton, alll the characters are likeable, even selfish Will. Very well written with lots of laugh out loud moments throughout. You must see the film also, I never tire of it & definitely rate it in my top 5 favourite films.
