“If you are Football fan, you must read this book. If you are a Sports fan, obsessed with players, statistics and trivia, you must read this book. If you have difficulty explaining to others who can't understand your obsession, then you must make them read this book.
Being an Arsenal fan myself, I had wanted to read Fever Pitch for quite long. Although the book made me realise that I'm not as obsessed about the game or the club as much as Nick Hornby, I was nodding away vigorously when he narrated the emotions a fan feels before a match, during a match and after the match. The humorous touch which he gives to the narration makes it an excellent read. It showed me how I tend to overanalyse and allow my moods to be swayed by Arsenal's fortunes in a season. One takeaway from the book was the history of Arsenal at disappointing it fans in a similar fashion throughout five or more decades. Consistent consistency, as Arsene Wenger would say. Another important insight was on how Nick Horny and other obsessed fans had one common factor - they hated what they were doing and that is why they kept doing it over and over again. They hated the team, the players, the managers, the away fans, their own fans, their own lives; and standing on the terraces to watch the football match and vent all their anger on the team they supported was what they loved. Quite ironical, but I could absolutely make a connect with it.
Apart from Arsenal and football, Nick Hornby has done well to extend the dialogue and provide opinions on plenty of topics associated with society - hooliganism, relationships, money and how it splits society, safety and the role of administration in it.
It feels good to be a fan. ”
Sudhamshu H wrote this review Sunday, January 27, 2013.
Was this review helpful? Yes | No