Nick Hornby’s seventh novel Funny Girl presents the story of Barbara, a Blackpool beauty queen, who dreams of life on the small screen like her comedy hero, Lucille Ball.
Months later, a chance meeting with an agent (plus a name change to Sophie Straw) lead to a starring role in the next big British comedy series, national attention and praise.
As hilarious and charming as ever, Funny Girl is absolutely equal in quality to Hornby’s earlier works, About A Boy and High Fidelity. Sophie is bright and likeable, with a supporting cast of actors, screenwriters and producers who complement her perfectly.
In parts, the novel does feel like it has already been given a screen treatment, though with successful film adaptations of his previous works, you could hardly blame Hornby for his cinematic style.
Regardless, this does the story no damage and it’s actually refreshing to read a novel which keeps such a fast pace.
Delightfully witty, Funny Girl is wonderful and unmissable.
