High FidelityHigh Fidelity
Score Modern
What it's about
Rob Fleming owns a failing record shop in London, where he and his two employees spend their days making top-five lists of everything. His girlfriend Laura has just left him. Wounded, Rob looks back on his top five worst breakups of all time and tracks down the women involved, trying to work out why he keeps getting it wrong and whether he can grow up.
Why it's worth reading
It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read. It's funny, honest and full of music, and became the film with John Cusack and later a TV series.
You'll love it if you liked
Bridget Jones's Diary
The Catcher in the Rye
Normal PeopleGood to know
Rob is self-absorbed by design. There's swearing and frank talk about sex.
By the numbers
- Readers24 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller45 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #200 of the 233 romances we rank
- #1297 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2372 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, Moving
If you like this, read next
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
The End of the Affair
Bliss Montage
Tender Is the Night
Klara and the Sun
A Man Called OveExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is High Fidelity worth reading?
Yes. It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read. It ranks #2,372 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 60.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is High Fidelity about?
Rob Fleming owns a failing record shop in London, where he and his two employees spend their days making top-five lists of everything. His girlfriend Laura has just left him. Wounded, Rob looks back on his top five worst breakups of all time and tracks down the women involved, trying to work out why he keeps getting it wrong and whether he can grow up.
How long does it take to read High Fidelity?
About 9 hours (353 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after High Fidelity?
If you liked it, try Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger or Normal People by Sally Rooney.