View source for High Fidelity (novel)

{{For|the movie|High Fidelity (film)}}{{short description|1995 novel by Nick Hornby}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox book 
| name          = High Fidelity
| title_orig    = 
| translator    = 
| image         = File:HighFidelity.jpg
| caption       = First edition
| author        = [[Nick Hornby]]
| illustrator   = 
| cover_artist  = 
| country       = United Kingdom
| language      = English
| series        = 
| subject       = 
| genre         = 
| publisher     = [[Victor Gollancz Ltd]]
| release_date  = 16 September 1995
| english_release_date =
| media_type    = Print ([[Hardcover|Hardback]] & [[Paperback]])
| pages         = 253 pp
| isbn          = 0-575-05748-3
| oclc= 32237794
| preceded_by   = 
| followed_by   = [[About a Boy (novel)|About a Boy]]
}}

'''''High Fidelity''''' is a novel by British author [[Nick Hornby]] first published in 1995. It has sold over a million copies<ref>{{cite book | last=Knowles | first=Joanne | title=Nick Hornby's High Fidelity | publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group | year=2002 | page=76 | isbn=9780826453259 | series=Continuum Contemporaries}}</ref> and was later adapted into [[High Fidelity (film)|a feature film in 2000]], [[High Fidelity (musical)|a Broadway musical in 2006]] and [[High Fidelity (TV series)|a TV series in 2020]]. In 2003, the novel was listed on the BBC's survey [[The Big Read]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top200.shtml |title= BBC - The Big Read |publisher= BBC |date= April 2003 |access-date= November 7, 2012}}</ref>

==Plot summary==
Rob Fleming is a 35-year-old man who owns a record shop in [[London]] called Championship Vinyl. His lawyer girlfriend, Laura, has just left him and now he's going through a crisis. At his record shop, Rob and his employees, Dick and Barry, spend their free moments discussing [[mix tape|mix-tape]] aesthetics and constructing [[Desert Island Discs|desert-island "top-five"]] lists of anything that demonstrates their knowledge of music, movies, and pop culture. Rob uses this exercise to create his own list:  "The top five most memorable split-ups." This list includes the following ex-girlfriends:  1) Alison Ashworth, 2) Penny Hardwick, 3) Jackie Allen, 4) Charlie Nicholson, and 5) Sarah Kendrew.

Rob, recalling these breakups, sets about getting in touch with the former girlfriends. Eventually, Rob's re-examination of his failed relationships, a one-time stand with an American musician named Marie LaSalle, and the death of Laura's father bring the two back together. Their relationship is cemented by the launch of a new purposefulness to Rob's life in the revival of his [[disc jockey]] career.

Also, realizing that his [[fear of commitment]] (a result of his [[fear of death]] of those around him) and his tendency to act on emotion are responsible for his continuing desires to pursue new women, Rob makes a token commitment to Laura.

== Characters ==

* '''Rob Fleming''':  35-year-old music lover in London who is going through an existential crisis and trying to figure out where he goes wrong in romantic relationships
* '''Laura''':  Rob's ex-girlfriend who works as a lawyer and is having a fling with a former neighbour named Ian
* '''Barry''':  Rob's co-worker at Championship Vinyl who longs to be a musician
* '''Dick''':  Rob's co-worker at Championship Vinyl who is socially awkward and extremely into music
* '''Marie LaSalle''':  An American musician who has a one-night stand with Rob

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Nick Hornby}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1995 British novels]]
[[Category:British bildungsromans]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Novels by Nick Hornby]]
[[Category:Novels set in London]]
[[Category:Novels about music]]
[[Category:Victor Gollancz Ltd books]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into television shows]]


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