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First of all, it's a book about a guy who is passionate about skateboarding and to me it's a story abo…more I may be mistaken, but my understanding is this:
First of all, it's a book about a guy who is passionate about skateboarding and to me it's a story about a very real life slam he experiences and slams that have happened previously to other people (without giving too much away)
I have always thought how this is a very fitting title as a lot of the plot and development is about how to deal with slams in your life(less)
Community Reviews
Notes: Its skateboarding theme adds nothing but a lazy veneer of youth culture and the facilitation of ineffectual gimmicks.
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To: Nick Hornby
From: Bonnie Lumley
Sent: September 30, 2009
Hi Nick,
Glad to hear you're back to writing adult fiction now; I hate to say it, but I don't think writing young-adult fiction is your strength. Slam was a worthwhile experiment; but you've done better, and maybe could have done better here. Maybe if you'd written it from the POV of Sam's mum instead of 16-year-old Sam, you'd have been able to offer your readers a more pleasing, polished novel. No offence, but it seemed to me as
Re: SlamTo: Nick Hornby
From: Bonnie Lumley
Sent: September 30, 2009
Hi Nick,
Glad to hear you're back to writing adult fiction now; I hate to say it, but I don't think writing young-adult fiction is your strength. Slam was a worthwhile experiment; but you've done better, and maybe could have done better here. Maybe if you'd written it from the POV of Sam's mum instead of 16-year-old Sam, you'd have been able to offer your readers a more pleasing, polished novel. No offence, but it seemed to me as if you'd written Slam in one draft: too much quantity; too little quality.
Sure, I laughed – exactly twelve times, actually – (Yes, I counted; you know me!) -- But that's because you're naturally funny. About a Boy was funnier, though, and it was well-crafted with well-developed characters. In Slam, I thought you could have done without the stupid – a word you used much too often by the way (and yes, I counted) friend, Rabbit. And Sam's other friend, Rubbish, the one with intelligence but none of Rabbit's skateboarding skills; what did they really add to the story?
For that matter, Sam's girlfriend, Alicia, came across more as a device than as a real character. Her single purpose seemed to be the vehicle to carry the subject about teenaged pregnancy. She was having the baby: no discussion with Sam, with his single mom, with her own parents. Period. (Puns intended.)
Anyway (another word you used a LOT), I don't want to be totally negative, but really, the whole Tony Hawk poster as an adviser just didn't fly. Sure, Sam read Tony's autobiography about a thousand times so he knew the answers Tony would give, but then to have Hawk "whiz" Sam into the future to see himself as a father of baby Rufus (Roof)– It was a brave attempt to branch out, but it was another plodding plot-device that ultimately didn't work; at least, it didn't work for me. I had to check the Internet to find more information about Tony Hawk and to see if he really wrote an autobiography. I suppose I was searching for something authentic.
I'm not sure why, because the story was less about skateboarding than it was about Sam impregnating a girl and wanting to be a good dad, unlike his own father. What really got me was the question-and-answer section at the end. Sorry, but for me that was just a lazy way to tie everything up into a neat little package.
There are better books out there by authors who write for young adult readers. You should leave that to them and stick to what you do best: 'lad-lit'. You also usually do a good job of getting inside your characters' heads. You did that a bit with Sam, but to be truthful, I never became emotionally engaged with Sam; I didn't really care what happened, and I had to force myself to finish reading. I had eleven pages to go and I fell asleep! Seriously!
It appears as though, with [Book:Juliet, Naked], newly released, you have written a book that adults, both men and women, will enjoy. If it's anything like your other adult books, then young adults will be part of your audience, too. Isn't that a better way to go?
All the best,
Bonnie
Oh, and sorry to hear that Arsenal could only manage a draw: yes, I checked. And say hi to Gill for me.
--------- Original Message ---------
From: Nick Hornby
To: Bonnie Lumley
Re: Slam
Sent: February 8, 2009
Hey Bonnie!
Thanks for your note last week about "About a Boy" – glad you liked it. I may use a couple of quotes on the back cover of the next edition. Hope that's okay! ;)
Anyway, have you had a chance to look at "Slam"? It's my first attempt at young adult fiction. Hope you don't think it's stupid or anything.
Gotta go here, game starts in five… The Gunners will be taking the piss out of the Spurs -- or Hotflashes, as we prefer to call them, and….
[Truncated by Sender:]
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Also, later in the book, the Tony Hawk poster supposedly sends the main character into the future a couple times -- but only a few months or so into the future and the experience doesn't change the character at all. It's thrown in there for absolutely NO good reason.
It was truly terrible, and if I wasn't a teen librarian, I would not have finished it. All the teens I know who have read it also hated it, but apparently the critics have been giving it good reviews. ...more
I have read only "The Polysyllabic Spree", which was about the love of books (pretty good, swift nonfiction to pass the time) and
So it just may be that Nick Hornby is overrated. He did spark quite an interest (and I'm counting myself in this category, while everyone else was probably in the post Bridget Jones and Pre Stephanie Meyer stage). "About a Boy", though the movie surpasses book in myriad ways, was incredibly original. The duality of both the man-boy and boy-man was absolute perfection.I have read only "The Polysyllabic Spree", which was about the love of books (pretty good, swift nonfiction to pass the time) and his lesser novel, "How to be Good", which does not belong in the category "A Must." It was quite terrible actually, to my recollection.
This one is a simple story about a skater (so... Everyboy [at least, version 2.0:]), & how he gets his g.f. pregnant and how he isn't ready for such a responsibility. Sure, it's fun to read some simpleton's thoughts... like talking to my fifteen year-old skater cousin. The parents are too accepting, the novel too plot-less, too simple, too short, too unimportant.
This is not at all his best, sure. But its endearing, well-imagined. Mediocrity done well.
P.S. Just realized this is more of a foray into YA. Figures.
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Hornby's writing style has always
English author Nick Hornby has dutifully produced 'vox populi' fiction about contemporary men struggling to grow up, cope, and accept responsibility for the better part of fifteen years. Often these males are self-absorbed, id-driven, and change themselves for others. Readers respond with great enthusiasm; men read them as how-to manuals. His latest offering, Slam, follows the same formula – but it's written in the sprawling vocabulary and context of a teenager.Hornby's writing style has always been conversational and loose, his characters lovable despite occasional actions, and his pages are often filled with pop-culture hooks (soccer fanatics in Fever Pitch, audiophiles in High Fidelity, a bachelor pad full of great stuff in About a Boy). So it really isn't so great an ollie for Hornby to pen a young adult novel about a skateboarding teen forced to grow up painfully fast. Slam tells the story of Tony Hawk-obsessed Sam, an 18-year-old art student who speaks directly to you as the reader, like you are his confidant or therapist, relating two years of his life since a life-altering event in highly reasoned hindsight.
Sam lives with his single (and dating) 32-year-old mother in middle-class London, England. When 16-year-old Sam is forcefully introduced to the beautiful Alicia, they rush into a physical relationship. Things are rocky and they are about to break up when she gets pregnant, just like Sam's mom did at their age. The man-boy seeks advice from the bedroom poster of skating legend Hawk, whose memoir Sam has read "50,000 times". The imagined Hawk can only speak in Magic 8-Ball like passages relating to the issue, but it's the only solace the troubled young father-to-be can find.
Hornby's real accomplishment with this story is not necessarily wading through a heady subject matter or his deft incorporation of pop-culture. Many have written on the subject of being a teen parent, and many book houses produce young adult literature that make affinitive references to fashionable celebrities or items to endear the product to a targeted reader. His ramble-style and use of language make his work significant. Many teen pregnancy stories in film, TV, and books can get heavy-handed and serious, too much like the time your parents sat you down and reasoned with you to avoid youthful mistakes. The YA label is a difficult genre to navigate – it's can't be patronizing or proselytizing – so having an author with a pop vernacular and conversational wit helps.
Typically, Hornby's characters come from deeper, adult backgrounds with more emotional fractures. In Slam, the narrative voice is younger and can only observe and deal with life matters from less than two decades of experience. Hornby adapts well enough.
Sam has the same wishes and desires of other teenage boys. He wants to hang at the local skate park. He wants to date normal girls. He goes to the movies and to the Starbucks for a frappucino. His friends aren't the ideal, but they are what they are.
It becomes a troubling part of the writing process however when Sam acts with the hesitant wisdom of a righteous older person. He doesn't try drugs, he is hesitant about fooling around, and in general is wise beyond his years. The pregnancy is portrayed as something forced upon him. The material is much more enjoyable when Hornby just lets it flow rather than preventing the characters from learning by experienced humanity.
Two of the three Hornby novels turned into movies were re-settled in America for better understanding of the material by audiences there. So what hope do teens in America have to interpret life there? It's the subtleties of detail and thought underneath the action that often make this author's writings pop, so much so that Slam may be a more popular novel with his established adult fan base than new and younger readers.
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I'm so glad I did, what a fantastic and painfully funny book. Certainly Hornby's best since 'About a Boy' with which it sets a fairly consistent tone. This is quite remarkable as 'Slam' is written in the first person as a teenage boy. Although 'About a Boy' was very insightful into the mind of an adolescent boy and his relationship with the adults around him it didn't have to do it in the boy's voice. 'Slam' is written in a very convincing voice of a fifteen year old boy, although the language and passions for music and skating very much tie the novel to the present the spirit in which it is written ties it to teenagers of any generation and consequently I can feel a certain empathy for a teenager I could obviously have fathered.
I don't want to tell you anything of the plot as it would spoil the book to hear about it in my voice rather than 'Sam's', trust me it's better than the blurb which relies too heavily on the Tony Hawks fandom to give a balanced appreciation of the book.
I think that the reason that Sam's voice in 'Slam' works is that it still resonates with the same passion as Rob's did in 'High Fidelity'. Perhaps the reason Hornby and even I can understand this character so well is that we belong to the first generation that never grew up, we are still essentially teenagers. The four hundred or so middle aged men jumping up and down to 'Teenage Kicks' at a recent Undertones concert I attended possibly suffer from the same malaise.
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I am an enthusiastic fan of Nick Hornby, having read most of his fiction and non-fiction books, with High Fidelity a clear favorite - both the book and the movie. He has demonstrated repeatedly that he is funny and smart and insightful. Which makes writing the review of Slam all the more difficult. Is this the same guy who penned Fever Pitch and A Way Long Down? Why is Slam such a trainwreck? It's not the Y.A. content, at least not on principle: I admire John Green, Catherynne Valente and I ha
I am an enthusiastic fan of Nick Hornby, having read most of his fiction and non-fiction books, with High Fidelity a clear favorite - both the book and the movie. He has demonstrated repeatedly that he is funny and smart and insightful. Which makes writing the review of Slam all the more difficult. Is this the same guy who penned Fever Pitch and A Way Long Down? Why is Slam such a trainwreck? It's not the Y.A. content, at least not on principle: I admire John Green, Catherynne Valente and I had fun with Submarine - all written from a teenager perspective. I filled a notebook with quotes from High Fidelity, yet I struggled to come up with more than two from Slam.
The only explanation I can come up with is that Hornby tried deliberately to simplify his plotting and his prose, a dumbing down that feels condescending, even insulting towards young adults and their ability to enjoy better written books. I also have the impression that the author let the message overwhelm the actual story, that he was more interested in touching all bases on the subject of teenage pregancy than on creating believable characters. The final impression at the end of the book is that I had read a pamphlet, a lecture on the dangers of premarital sex, delivered from a pulpit to a captive audience. It seemed to me that there was an Important Lesson in Life on every single page, that Sam Jones, the protagonist, is not talking with his own voice, but he is one of those generic puppets that appear in promotional movies to explain what you can do and cannot do as a teenager with a girlfriend. The moral of the story, the whole debate is reduced to a single item : ABSTINENCE. ( Aaaagh! I don't want a baby yet! We'd better not have sex!) I remember I had a similar reaction some years ago while watching "Dawson's Creek" : these are not real teenagers, but what parents imagine and would like their children to act and to talk.
Not everything is bad about the novel. Hornby is still funny and easy to read, if you ignore the heavy-handled moralizing. A couple of secondary characters are up to his usual standards. I particularly liked Sam's mother, who had him as a teenager herself, and is still trying to rebuilt the life that was derailed by her early parenthood; (view spoiler)[ she gets pregnant at the same time as Sam's girlfriend, making for some very interesting family ties when her and Sam's children are born (hide spoiler)]. One of Sam's skating friends is also laugh out loud funny : the thick skulled Rabbit, who may be good on a board, but has serious defficiencies in the intelligence department.
The title of the novel is another unsubtle analogy between Sam's passion for skateboarding, with the occasional biting of the cement after a fall, and the slamming of the door to his future when he has to take responsibility for getting a girl in the family way. The only thing that could have worked in favor of the novel is the subject of the need for role models in the life of a teenager. In the absence of a father who has zero interest in Sam's education, the boy looks for help from a pop culture hero:
Does this sound mad to you? It probably does, but I don't care, really. Who doesn't talk to someone in their heads? Who doesn't talk to God, or a pet, or someone they love who has died, or maybe just themselves? TH ... he wasn't me. But he was who I wanted to be, so that makes him the best version of myself, and that can't be a bad thing, to have the best version of yourself standing there on a bedroom wall and watching you. It makes you feel as though you mustn't let yourself down.
TH stands for Tony Hawk, the champion skater (hint: they prefer this term to skateboarder) and MTV star, whose autobiography Sam uses as his personal Bible and oracular adviser. Without giving too much away, Tony Hawk manifests some supernatual abilities that stretvhed my suspension of disbelief beyond its breaking point. For Sam Jones though, the process of growing up will translate into his ability to see the cracks and the feeble foundations of his idol's pedestal. Only when he learns to rely on himself and on the real people in his life will Sam be able to act as an adult, a little early in his life, but that's what you get, folks, for making whoopee!
I think I will stick to Nick Hornby's essays and non-fiction books that I still haven't read and keep away from his Y.A. efforts in the future.
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Nick Hornby's first book written for a young adult audience, Slam is entertaining and heartfelt. As anyone who is familiar with any of Hornby's other works would expect, it will certainly appeal to boys and does a good job of dealing with questions of what it means to be a man and a father in a language that teens will relate to. Especially affecting is his portrait of Sam's relationship with his mother, whose own experiences with an unexpected teen pregnancy help Sam to understand that while the arrival of a baby portends enormous changes, it need not ruin his life nor Alicia's. The book also honestly addresses questions of social class in its portrayal of the conflicts that arise between Alicia's upper-middle class parents and Sam's working-class mother.
While I enjoyed the book, it is marred by flaws that in my view prevent it from being fully successful. For example, Sam regularly seeks advice from a poster of his idol, Tony Hawk, who responds to him with quotations from his autobiography and apparently has the ability to transport Sam into different points in time at his whim. I found this plot device to be gimmicky, and its repeated use wore on me pretty quickly. Additionally, some scenes are so weak that they detract from the quality of the larger narrative. For example, after Alicia delivers the baby, we learn that not only had they not decided on a first name for the baby (which they end up naming Rufus because a Rufus Wainwright song was playing on the stereo while he was being born. My eyes rolled into the back of my head when I read this), they also happened to completely neglect the small matter of what the baby's last name would be until after it was born! Of course, this results in an enormous fight in the maternity ward between Alicia's parents and Sam's mother, and while the scene was entertaining I just couldn't believe that something like that would ever happen in reality. Finally, some of the characters are incredibly weak and underdeveloped, especially Sam's best friend Rabbit, who is so dim at times that it completely defies belief.
This is an enjoyable book, but certainly does not rank among the best work in either Hornby's oeuvre or in the world of young adult fiction generally.
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Sam figures that his life is going pretty well. He's doing all right in school, he gets along with his mom, he has a great girlfriend, and is getting good at skateboarding. He has aspirations of attending college, unlike his mom, who had to drop out of school when she became pregnant with him.
But all of his dreams come crashing down when his girlfriend, Alicia, tells him that she's pregnant. And she has no intention of getting rid of the bab
Reviewed by The Compulsive Reader for TeensReadToo.comSam figures that his life is going pretty well. He's doing all right in school, he gets along with his mom, he has a great girlfriend, and is getting good at skateboarding. He has aspirations of attending college, unlike his mom, who had to drop out of school when she became pregnant with him.
But all of his dreams come crashing down when his girlfriend, Alicia, tells him that she's pregnant. And she has no intention of getting rid of the baby.
Sam spooks. He goes into denial. When that doesn't work, he tries running away, physically and emotionally. And then, an unexplainable thing happens...while he dreams at night, he gets whizzed into the future and is shown an unexpected life that will force him to face the facts and take responsibility for his actions.
SLAM is a frank, vivid, and highly realistic take on teenage pregnancy from a point of view that is completely different from what many are accustomed to. Hornby doesn't waste time by working in lectures of the consequences of premarital sex, but instead gives us Sam, who is a little selfish, very scared, a bit ashamed, but ultimately a strong character who, through many trials and despite his own feelings, manages to pull himself together and attempt to be the best dad he can be -- and is surprisingly good at it.
The more unbelievable element of the story, Sam's visits to the future, gives the story just the right dash of unique appeal without seeming too implausible. Hornby does more than just give us an intriguing account of teen parenthood; he reveals each emotion, thought, and feeling with startling clarity and humor, until you understand and empathize with Sam. SLAM is a fascinating, compelling, and even poignant read that won't soon be forgotten.
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If I think I'd read a Nick Hornby Novel even if it were just his characters reading ads from a phone book. Part of it is the cool way that those Brits sound when they talk about anything, but the voices of a Hornby character will stay with you for a while. His Narrator in this book, Sam, like the narrators of High Fidelity and About A Boy, has many chuckalicious turns of phrase. But few writers are going to attempt the first person narrative if they can't manage to handle one distinctive voice.
If you want to see how skillfully Hornby manages voices, take a really close reads of any of the exchanges between Sam's girlfriend, Alicia, and her parents -- particularly the scenes in which Sam is present but not saying anything. They comprise only the smallest portions of the overall book, but Hornby makes them distincitve and relevant nonetheless.
Like many of his novels, this one loses a little narrative steam toward the end, and wraps up some pretty complicated issues a little too simply, but not so much so that you the entire novel loses its integrity. ...more
This book was okay, but only okay.
Slam is the story of Sam, a sixteen-year-old boy totally obsessed with skateboarding and the pro skater, Tony Hawk. Sam meets Alicia at a party and they quickly start seeing each other and almost as quickly stop seeing each other. Then it turns out that Sam and Alicia have got themselves into trouble, and Sam is suddenly looking down the barrel of having to grow up quite quickly.
The plot of the book was okay and centred around Sam coming to terms with
2.5 starsThis book was okay, but only okay.
Slam is the story of Sam, a sixteen-year-old boy totally obsessed with skateboarding and the pro skater, Tony Hawk. Sam meets Alicia at a party and they quickly start seeing each other and almost as quickly stop seeing each other. Then it turns out that Sam and Alicia have got themselves into trouble, and Sam is suddenly looking down the barrel of having to grow up quite quickly.
The plot of the book was okay and centred around Sam coming to terms with the face that he was going to become a dad, but there was nothing really new or ground-breaking. There was nothing that kept me hooked. The characters were okay, but not amazing, and their relationship was completely without feels (which was the point, I think, but it doesn't make for great reading).
There were a few things in the book that I didn't really get, but some other things that were spot on. There are a few points where Sam flashes forward into the future and sees what his life is going to be like in a couple of years time. This was okay, but it didn't add anything to the plot because Sam doesn't really do anything with the knowledge he's gained. I also didn't get his imaginary conversations with Tony Hawk (and to be honest, if I was Tony Hawk and was reading this book, I'd be a bit weirded out).
However, there were some things that were spot on. The way Sam and Alicia are totally absorbed in each other at the beginning of their relationship and how what they think is love gradually fades, and also the way their lives change when the baby comes along - this was so well observed, but I think it would be better pitched at an adult audience rather than a young adult one.
Also, I have to say that both Sam and Alicia's parents were remarkably cool when they found out their teenage kids were becoming parents. I seriously doubt my own parents would have been so cool if I'd come home and told them I was pregnant at sixteen, or if my brother told them he'd got a girl pregnant. Sam and Alicia's parents were very ... unfazed. Alicia's mum actually thinks it's a good thing because she'll be a young granny, which I felt was a remarkably glass-half-full attitude to have.
I've read a couple of other Nick Hornby books and while they were fine I never really found anything to rave about. I hoped this one might float my boat, but sadly no. Maybe he's just not the author for me.
I got this book at a second hand shop - I took a punt on it, it didn't blow me away and I'm glad I only spent twenty-five pence on it. It wasn't dreadful, but it wasn't good enough for me to go around recommending it to everyone.
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Narrated by: Nicholas Hoult
Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
'Slam' was the 2007 contemporary young adult novel from Nick Hornby, and I've been meaning to read it ever since Hornby said this very intelligent thing about YA books:
"I see now that dismissing YA books because you're not a young adult is a little bit like refusing to watch thrillers on the grounds that you're not a policeman or a dangerous criminal, and as a consequence, I've discovered a previously
Written by: Nick HornbyNarrated by: Nicholas Hoult
Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
'Slam' was the 2007 contemporary young adult novel from Nick Hornby, and I've been meaning to read it ever since Hornby said this very intelligent thing about YA books:
"I see now that dismissing YA books because you're not a young adult is a little bit like refusing to watch thrillers on the grounds that you're not a policeman or a dangerous criminal, and as a consequence, I've discovered a previously ignored room at the back of the bookstore that's filled with masterpieces I've never heard of."
I always feel like hugging that quote.
So, 'Slam' is Hornby's first and only young adult book to date – but now that I've read it (via listening on audiobook) I'm really crossing my fingers that he writes something else for this readership because 'Slam' was just so darn good.
It's hard to pinpoint what I love most about Nick Hornby's books. I've read most of them and most recently fell head-over-heels in love with his 2014 book 'Funny Girl' – and now that I've read his YA offering in 'Slam' I can safely say that a real strength in his writing for younger audiences is that he brings a lot of his adult sensibilities over. 'Slam', without giving too much away, is all about teen pregnancy from the perspective of 16-year-old father-to-be Sam Jones. Like with most of Hornby's books, we first meet our protagonist from a place of "WTF have I done?!" and the rest of the novel is an attempt to untie the knots of their lives.
I must admit – I went in a little sceptical of a "teen pregnancy" book from the perspective of the teen father. Even as I count Angela Johnson's 'The First Part Last' (which is on the same subject) as one of my favourite books of all time. What's great about 'Slam' is that Hornby brings no preaching, tick-the-boxing "sorting teen problems" feel to this book. Hornby and Sam both know what a monumental fuck-up this is, and Sam is suitably terrified – especially because the men in his family have a history of repeating this particular mistake, and he's well aware of the repercussions. This repeating of history also means that Sam sets himself up to be a better father than his own, who is uneducated and wholly uninterested in helping to raise his son.
I also wonder if part of my loving 'Slam' so much was the audiobook itself … it is narrated by actor Nicholas Hoult, who had a break-out role in the movie adaptation of Hornby's 'About a Boy' playing Marcus Brewer. Perhaps because of Hoult's previous affiliation with the Hornby universe, he seemed perfectly suited to narrating Sam's story – more likely though is just that Hoult is a fine, fine actor and as such a grand audiobook narrator. There's real vulnerability in Hoult's reading, even as he also hits those comedic marks perfectly. Because of course, this being a Nick Hornby book there are a lot of laughs interspersed throughout the quite weighty topic of teen pregnancy – from Sam's conversations with an imaginary Tony Hawk, to the dreams he has of the father he will grow into.
There are many differences between a baby and an I-Pod. And one of the biggest is, no ones going to mug you for your baby.
I loved 'Slam'. This is a really tender and funny portrayal of what happens when a teenage boy desperately wants to take responsibility for one of the biggest mistakes (and loves) of his life. Nick Hornby has long been a beloved writer of adult fiction with tricky characters butting heads against God-awful situations, and I was thrilled to discover that his YA turn is a similarly evocative exploration. Narrated by a young Nicholas Hoult (circa 2007), Sam's voice shines through in all his earnest, shit-scaredness.
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Now that he faces fatherhood as a very young man, Sam must make adult-sized choices. He's determined to do the right thing. His father didn't, and he's grown up seeing how it has affected his mother. But sometimes doing the rig
Sam is a skater. Not a roller skater, but a skateboarder. He loves Tony Hawk and working out new skateboard tricks. He also loves his mum, even though she's young enough to be an older sister. But everything changes when his ex-girlfriend delivers the news: she's pregnant.Now that he faces fatherhood as a very young man, Sam must make adult-sized choices. He's determined to do the right thing. His father didn't, and he's grown up seeing how it has affected his mother. But sometimes doing the right thing takes a lot more than a guy could ever guess.
With so many real and fictional stories of young men who skip out on unexpected pregnancies, it's refreshing to see the perspective of a teen who takes the onus of early parenthood seriously. Hornby's sense of humor allows readers to see Sam as a genuine person with a unique--and sometimes quirky--perspective on life.
This book is a great choice for young adults. Although many aspects will play better with guys, many teen girls are likely to enjoy it as well. Yes, there are a few messages, but Hornby isn't preachy or overbearing. Slam is a fun book that addresses serious issues that affect more young people every year.
*****
The reviewer may have received a free copy of this novel from the publisher, author, or other representative in this book's interest. This has no impact on the quality or consideration of the review.
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This book deals with teen pregnancy and its aftermath in a way that's real - it's not just another morality tale for teens in which their lives are completely destroyed by premarital sex.
You get to go along with 16-year-old Sam as his (and his girlfriend's) lives are turned upside-down by her pregnancy. You get to experience her labor and the birth of their baby through Sam's eyes.
I loved the voice of Slam. I thought it was so fresh, and I can see how it would appeal to teens as well as adults.This book deals with teen pregnancy and its aftermath in a way that's real - it's not just another morality tale for teens in which their lives are completely destroyed by premarital sex.
You get to go along with 16-year-old Sam as his (and his girlfriend's) lives are turned upside-down by her pregnancy. You get to experience her labor and the birth of their baby through Sam's eyes. And you also get to do some time traveling, courtesy of Tony Hawk (a poster of whom becomes Sam's main confidante and source of advice). All in all, a very good read.
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Yes, he gets inside his teenage hero's head and he captures the way teenagers probably think. But what's the fun in that? I loved his other books because they seemed effortless as
Someone - maybe Greil Marcus? - once said something to the effect of "I'd listen to a record of Bob Dylan reading the phone book." Well, I used to feel that way about Nick Hornby. I love his writing so much that I figured I'd read his children's books, his cookbooks, his YA fiction. Well, scratch the latter, for sure.Yes, he gets inside his teenage hero's head and he captures the way teenagers probably think. But what's the fun in that? I loved his other books because they seemed effortless as they took confused adults on paths to enlightenment. Well, it's just not as fun taking a confused teen on a path to enlightenment. It takes Hornby almost 100 pages to get going on the story, and then there's really not much story to get to. And the whole "talking to a poster of Tony Hawk" is tiresome, and the jumps into the future seem schticky.
I hope he's hard at work on some OA fiction now.
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Despite the mixed reviews, I found myself enjoying this book. I found it a funny read and really enjoyed the format it was written in when there were flash forwards to events in Sam's future, before flashing back and seeing how he got there. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the whole 'getting-advice-from-Tony-Hawk' thing, which was not only super unrealistic but it served no purpose and felt pointless (I also found myself skimming over this advice). I feel like this was 3.5 stars
Despite the mixed reviews, I found myself enjoying this book. I found it a funny read and really enjoyed the format it was written in when there were flash forwards to events in Sam's future, before flashing back and seeing how he got there. The only thing I didn't like about this book was the whole 'getting-advice-from-Tony-Hawk' thing, which was not only super unrealistic but it served no purpose and felt pointless (I also found myself skimming over this advice). I feel like this was only added so that the book felt it connected more with teenagers, which is silly, because the book could have stood very well without this. I did like this book, but it didn't wow me - I feel that some of his other novels are better. ...more
Slam is just a perfect example of how sometimes a writer can tell a very ordinary, every-day tale and make it completely extraordinary.
In one word: Epic.
Guess you could say that it's my favorite Nick Hornby book. Yup, I loved it even more than High Fidelity. I just adore Hornby's style and ability to deliver a story.Slam is just a perfect example of how sometimes a writer can tell a very ordinary, every-day tale and make it completely extraordinary.
In one word: Epic.
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The first few chapters gave me a giggle or two, a few smiles and some approving nods,and that is it.I swear after the seventh chapter, I knew that I was going to enter the dreadful realm of stereotypical YA wr
I am writing this review while trying so hard to maintain my linguistic decency because this book was a flaming piece of human and animal waste( it is that bad).I was reorganising my bookshelf and,God knows why, I decided to pick this book up and give it a try.I feel disgusted and betrayed.The first few chapters gave me a giggle or two, a few smiles and some approving nods,and that is it.I swear after the seventh chapter, I knew that I was going to enter the dreadful realm of stereotypical YA writing and this is an understatement!!The story is so convoluted with irrational "whizzes" to the future as a pathetic attempt to put some science-fiction taste into the story which remained as bland as an overcooked steak.I got the impression that Hornby really REALLY wanted to raise awareness about teen pregnancy, but the manner was frustratingly messy.The plotholes in this novel( if it can be described as one) are so many that Fifty Shades of Grey looks decent and worthwhile.It is like an ongoing internal monologue of angst and whinning coming from an English skateboarding teen who talks to a Tony Hawk poster (cue the edgy music).The thing that really made me ROAR like a famished tiger is the use of questions as an attempt to fill some plotholes.That is an utter NO!!!NOOOO!!! Use your "narrative genius" and finish the story as a novel NOT as an interview.Breaking the fourth wall whenever you feel stuck in the moving sands of a story of your own creation is a pathetic attempt to reach closure.
I am going to give Hornby another chance by reading High Fidelity since I bought it with this "thing".
This book is a HUUUUGGEE DISAPPOINTMENT!!!
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Everything feels like a red herring but I will not call it so because that implies intelligent insertion of certain elements to misguide the reader for an eventual surprise. No. This book fails in many different ways and feels like the author did not quite get his act together and neither did the editor. I can understand a first person narrative can be slightly self-absorbed but the are so many
This will have to be the worst Nick Hornby book and a most terrible novel I Have read in a long time.Everything feels like a red herring but I will not call it so because that implies intelligent insertion of certain elements to misguide the reader for an eventual surprise. No. This book fails in many different ways and feels like the author did not quite get his act together and neither did the editor. I can understand a first person narrative can be slightly self-absorbed but the are so many great and good stories written in the first person with well fleshed out secondary characters that it simply does not fly.
I am totally confused about the Tony Hawk angle, apart from gaining the knowledge that Hornby has read his autobiography.
I suppose worst of all is you may suffer through and through but at the very least it could have been funny. Not even that.
Zero .
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The problems with the story start right at the beginning. When establishing the necessary "quirky" trait of the main character, instead of being obsessed with music or just insanely shallow (like the characters in his best work), the main character talks to his Tony Hawk poster. He has
I had such high hopes for this book, I really did. Everything else I've read by Nick Hornby has been stellar (About a Boy, High Fidelity, and Juliet, Naked). But this one, well, like the title suggests, fell flat.The problems with the story start right at the beginning. When establishing the necessary "quirky" trait of the main character, instead of being obsessed with music or just insanely shallow (like the characters in his best work), the main character talks to his Tony Hawk poster. He has read Tony Hawk's autobiography enough to know exactly what Tony will say in any situation. This isn't to say that stepping away from music wouldn't have been a welcomed change, but that this is not something that's all that easily forgiven.
Everyone knows someone whose music collection is his pet project. Everyone knows someone that wants to visit where he feels great art was created. Everyone knows someone who keeps himself in a bubble of gadgets and superficial friendships. Hell, some of us are those people. The kid who treats speaking to a poster like it's some kind of religious ceremony? That's a little more of a stretch.
The real gimmick of the book, though (and I think we should all take a second to allow the weight of that phrase to be felt) is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come dreams that the main character has. He goes to sleep and "wakes up" shot into the future. He's confused, he's disoriented, he's expected to fit in with his life despite not knowing what's happened between when he fell asleep and when he woke up.
Then he really wakes up. And he's back to where he was. The story progresses and, oh isn't it cute, he ends up living through the same situation! But now he's armed with the knowledge and experience that come with the several months of living he's done.
Future dream sequences make up a little less than a third of the book. But since you get the full scene all over again (plus a little more), it means that two-thirds of the novel are dedicated to the exact same thing.
Why, as a reader, should I care about what is happening to the character in the moment when I've already been told exactly what will happen to him in about two chapters? Oh, he went from not being able to change a diaper to getting it right? Well, nevermind, it's entirely different.
Hornby is easily one of my favorite authors, one who's capable of writing characters that are relatable, ones that can be cared about, ones who--if nothing else--entertain. Slam failed to do that. With its poor rendering of what a teenager might actually be like and its heavy reliance on gimmickry, it felt like reading another author. Not worth the time.
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Posted by: mitchelceronie021837.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/411527.Slam
