Barbara from Blackpool just wants to be a famous actress, a beloved comedienne just like Lucille Ball. In Funny Girl by Nick Hornby, she accomplishes just that. To make her dream come true she heads to London in the 1960s, takes on a new persona named Sophie Straw, and in a whirlwind of good luck, lands a part in a one-time comedy hour that turns into a leading role in a full time series called Barbara (and Jim). The book focuses not only on Sophie’s new life as a comedic actress, but also co-star Clive, her writing team Bill and Tony, and the producer Dennis. The team becomes its own little family, and through all the dramas that revolve around their personal lives, the series pulls them back into what they love. Towards the end of the series, the team begins to fall apart, and then the reader is propelled fifty years into the future, where the team is reunited for Barbara (and Jim)’s fiftieth anniversary award ceremony. Unsurprisingly, the team falls right back into their old friendships.
The author Nick Hornby, has written a few other books, so if you like this one, you may want to take a look at these as well:
High Fidelity (1995)
About a Boy (1998)
How to Be Good (2001)
A Long Way Down (2005)
Slam (2007)
Juliet, Naked (2009)
