Funny Girl

 

Shirley J.                           Adult Fiction                                     Small town girl to t.v. star!

Funny Girl: A Novel by Nick Hornby    480 pages

This story takes you through the life of Sophie who starts out in a small village/town where everyone literally knows everyone else, most can claim family kinship however distant and how she went from being different and knowing she was destined  for more to getting her dreams realized by moving to London and through miracle of miracles landing a role on a t,v. series.   It starts out funny but develops into a whole other show by addressing serious and controversial aspects of love, marriage and all the situations that can come.   The writers end up putting their own lives and trials into the shows they are writing and the characters begin to develop into in the end far from the people they started out being.   Sophie is a natural at comedy and her dream was to be Lucille Ball and for a time it looked like she was realizing that goal, but, as the writers' lives morph into new places the fun and laughter fades as topics of abortion and divorce enter the show's venue.   The stars reap wide acclaim though when Sophie gets the chance to meet her idol Lucille ball in person one day, while kind and full of praise, it is certain to Sophie that their show hasn't quite reached every where across the pond, yet.   Good story.   Sophie's development is encouraging.   I would recommend this story to teens on up.  It gives a good study on how to make it and what to expect in the television industry even if it is set in the 60s.