England in the swing sixties: Barbara was just crowned Miss Blackpool when she decieded to ditch her crown and run off to London to become a comedy star like Lucille Ball. Arriving there she realizes it's much harder that she ever tought and she starts to give up hope. Until she finds the stage finds her and she becomes a star over night as the fabulous Sophie Straw, playing the lead role in her very own TV series...

This was my second Hornby and I don't know if I want to try him again. After finding How To Be Good incredibly broing and stupid, I had some more hopes in this one since I liked the setting and the plot. What came was a huge disappointment.

The book is acutally not that thick and usually I can get trough 300 somewhat pages quite quickliy if the writuing style is catchy and good to read, but this one seems to take me ages. It felt like everything was so slow and I couldn't get forwart in the story. The plot was just boring. I like to read something setted in another time, but this one couldn't really convince me taking place in the 60s.

But even worse than the boring plot and the slow and dull writing style were the characters.
I like exacly one of the five main characters. Bill Gardiner was a bit edgy and unkonvetionell, giving the plot another hint, another direction to discuss something important from this time: Being Gay. I would have liked to read more about him and his problems in that Society. Being gay was still a crime back then and he had Troubles with that, especially because he didn't really try to hide it. Bill was quite and interesting person cause he was sort of a rebel. At least a bit. Hornby could have made so much more out of him.

But he focused on the boring characters. Sophie and the others seemed to have just one side, on wish and destiny. They were to dull, do one-dimesional. They were quite predictable I thought.

I also didn't really like the TV series. Sure, back then it might have been new and unconventional, but for me it was just another broing thing. And it seemed to be their entire life, especially Sophies.

I heard a lot of good Things about Hornby and lots of People seem to love him, but so far I was just bored by his Story which both took me ages to get trough. I felt more like work rather than something enjoyable. I'm still askin myself why I didn't stop halfway trough. Well, I think I just had still hopes for the Story.

Anyway, the book was a waste of time. I can't recommend it and I don't know if I will pick up something else written by him again soon. Although some books still seem very interesting to me.