The movie was renamed The Perfect Catch outside North America to avoid confusion with the 1997 film. He knows he needs to do something with his life and enrolls in teacher's college. It tells the story of the author's relationship with football, and with Arsenal Football Club in particular. Arsenal loses two Cup finals in a row, and Nick feels stricken. Nick also goes to see a final cup match in 1972. Fever Pitch compares Hornby's life at Arsenal and other football clubs. Nick begins going to every game … 1144 votes. and Cambridge City F.C. Nick begins going to every game he can, and his interest soon becomes an obsession. Southampton v. Arsenal, 10.4.71, How I Won the Double, Arsenal v. Newcastle, 17.4.71; Another City, Chelsea v. Tottenham, January 1972; Islington Boy, Reading v. Arsenal, 5.2.72; and Happy, Arsenal v. Derby, 12.2.72, My Mum and Charlie George, Derby County v. Arsenal, 26.2.72; Social History, Arsenal v. Derby, 29.2.72; Me and Bob McNab, Stoke City v. Arsenal, (Villa Park), 5.4.72; and Wembley II - The Nightmare Continues, Leeds v. Arsenal, 5.5.72, A New Family, Arsenal v. Wolves, 15.8.72; A Matter of Life and Death, Crystal Palace v. Liverpool, October 1972; Graduation Day, Arsenal v. Ipswich, 14.10.72; and The Whole Package, Arsenal v. Coventry, 4.11.72. Before a 1972 cup semifinal match, Nick meets one of the Arsenal players, Bob McNab. His father takes Nick to his first Arsenal game as a way to bond after leaving Nick's mother for another woman. It consists of several chapters in chronological order, from the time the author first became a football fan as a child until his early thirties. He realizes he was obsessed and obsessions aren't funny but doesn't learn to relax at games until he is older. Through his twenties, Nick falls into a depression and in his twenties, sees a psychiatrist because he's frustrated that he can't find a job he wants to do. England v. Scotland, May 1969; and Camping, Arsenal v. Everton, 7.8.69, Boring, Boring Arsenal, Arsenal v. Newcastle, 27.12.69; Pele, Brazil v. Chechoslovakia, June 1970; Thumped, Arsenal v. Derby, 31.10.70; and Can You See Me on the Box? 1. English teacher Paul Ashworth believes his long standing obsession with Arsenal serves him well. Their relationship develops in tandem with Arsenal's roller coaster fortunes in the football league, both leading to a nail biting climax. The book is the basis for two films: Fever Pitch (1997, UK) and Fever Pitch (2005, U.S.). He feels this is a sign of growing up. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Fever Pitch. [2], "BOOK REVIEW / A twerp's best moment ever: 'Fever Pitch' - Nick Hornby: Gollancz", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fever_Pitch&oldid=949917789, William Hill Sports Book of the Year winning works, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 9 April 2020, at 07:26. The film culminates with Arsenal playing title rivals Liverpool in the final game of the season on 26 May 1989, a Michael Thomas goal giving Arsenal the 0–2 win they needed to win the title. Nick Hornby turns fifteen and moves to the North Bank, where Arsenal's most vocal supporters stand. Leeds wins 1-0, and Nick doesn't understand how he could go through this again. As the Red Sox continued to progress through the playoffs, the Farrellys rewrote the script to include the historic moment. Fever Pitch, first published in 1992, is a memoir and Hornby's first book. They can't afford to sit in the good seats in the West Stand, so they stand throughout the games in a section called the Schoolboy's Enclosure. Nick gets a job with a trading company. Nick begins going to every game he can, and his interest soon becomes an obsession. Nick's dad moves out of the country, and Nick begins going to games with a boy known as Rat, the older brother of one of his classmates. As well as recounting Arsenal's highs and lows, Hornby talks about other football clubs that play in London, and his interest in the contrasting surroundings of Cambridge United F.C. He would like to write for a living, but as he didn't pursue writing for the college newspaper while in school, he thinks he doesn't have a chance to get a writing job. Fever Pitch is his tribute to a lifelong obsession. Fever Pitch Summary Fever Pitch is a nonfiction memoir by Nick Hornby, an English writer, that details his obsession with the Arsenal football team. 2. Fever Pitch traces Arsenal’s football journey from the time in 1968 a eleven year old Nick Hornby was taken to his first ever game at Highbury by his father, through the Double years of 70-71, the frustrations of an eighteen year old barren spell, the dramatic high of the 1987 Littlewoods Cup final, the once-in-a-lifetime occurrence on May 26, 1989 (a beautifully visceral description of the last gasp title … Summaries. Nick enrolls at Cambridge University and attends some games of Cambridge United. Introduction, Sunday, 14th July 1991; Home Debut, Arsenal v. Stoke City, 14.9.68; and A Spare Jimmy Husband, Arsenal v. West Ham, 26.10.68, Don Rogers, Swindon Town v. Arsenal (at Wembley), 15.3.69; England! Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. Carol Blackburn, Arsenal v. Derby, 31.3.73; Goodbye to All That, Arsenal v. Manchester City, 4.10.75; My Second Childhood, Arsenal v. Bristol City, 21.8.76; Supermac, Arsenal v. Everton, 18.9.76; and A Fourth Division Town, Cambridge United v. Darlington, Boys and Girls, Arsenal v. Leicester City, 2.4.77; Just Like a Woman, Cambridge United v. Exeter City, 29.4.78; Wembley III - The Horror Returns, Arsenal v. Ipswich (at Wembley), 6.5.78; and Sugar Mice and Buzzcocks Albums, Cambridge United v. Orient, 4.1, Wembley IV - The Catharsis, Arsenal v. Manchester United (at Wembley), 12.5.79; Filling a Hole, Arsenal v. Liverpool, 1.5.80; Liam Brady, Arsenal v. Nottingham Forest, 5.5.80; Arsenalesque, West Ham v. Arsenal, 10.5.80; Life After Football, Arsenal v. Va, My Brother, Arsenal v. Tottenham, 30.8.80; Clowns, Arsenal v. Stoke City, 13.9.80; Same Old Arsenal, Arsenal v. Brighton, 1.11.80; A Trivial Pursuit, Arsenal v. Manchester City, 24.2.81; Coach, My School v. Their School, January 1982; On the Pitch, Arsena, Charlie Nicholas, Arsenal v. Luton, 27.8.83, A Seven-Month Hiccup, Cambridge United v. Oldham Athletic, 1.10.83; Coconuts, Cambridge United v. Newcastle United, 28.4.84; Pete, Arsenal v. Stoke City, 22.9.84; Heysel, Liverpool v. Juventus, 29.5.85; Dying o, George, Arsenal v. Manchester United, 23.8.86; A Male Fantasy, Arsenal v. Charlton Athletic, 18.11.86; From NW3 to N17, Tottenham v. Arsenal, 4.3.87; Just Another Saturday, Chelsea v. Arsenal, 7.3.87; Golden, Arsenal v. Liverpool (at Wembley), 11.4.87; Ba, My Ankle, Arsenal v. Wimbledon, 19.8.87; The Match, Coventry v. Arsenal, 13.12.87; No Apology Necessary, Arsenal v. Everton, 24.2.88; Welcome to England, England v. Holland, March 1988; and Gus Caesar, Arsenal v. Luton (at Wembley), 24.4.88, Walking Distance, Arsenal v. Sheffield Wednesday, 21.1.89; Tyranny, Arsenal v. Charlton, 21.3.89; Hillsborough, Arsenal v. Newcastle, 15.4.89; The Greatest Moment Ever, Liverpool v. Arsenal, 26.5.89; and Seats, Arsenal v. Coventry, 22.8.89, Smoking, Arsenal v. Liverpool, 25.10.89; Seven Goals and a Punch-Up, Arsenal v. Norwich, 4.11.89; Saddam Hussein and Warren Barton, Arsenal v. Everton, 19.1.91; Typical Arsenal, Arsenal v. Manchester United, 6.5.91; Playing, Friends v. Other Friends, ever. Based on Nick Hornby's best selling autobiographical novel, Fever Pitch. It tells the story of the author's relationship with football, and with Arsenal Football Club in particular. Each chapter is about a football match that he remembers watching, most but not all at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, and how it related to the events that were going on with his life. Each chapter is about a football match that he remembers watching, most but not all at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, and how it related to the events that were going on with his life. A romantic comedy about a man, a woman and a football team. help you understand the book. The book was made a Penguin Modern Classic in August 2012. Fever Pitch is a nonfiction memoir by Nick Hornby, an English writer, that details his obsession with the Arsenal football team. He sees that he looks very serious watching the game, more than the other children around him. Nick buys a season ticket for the seated section in 1989. A 2005 film remake of Fever Pitch, directed by the Farrelly Brothers with Hornby as an executive producer, starred Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. Sites with a short overview, synopsis, book report, or summary of Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. This Study Guide consists of approximately 33 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - Fever Pitch The number-one bestseller Nick Hornby explores childhood, adolescence and adulthood through the ups and downs of football in the million-copy-selling, William Hill Sports Book of the Year winner, Fever Pitch. As he goes to Arsenal games as an adult, he feels like he has come full circle. Paul Ashworth, played by Colin Firth, the character based on Hornby, a teacher at a school in North London and his burgeoning romance with Sarah Hughes (Ruth Gemmell), a new teacher who joins Ashworth's school. But then he meets Sarah. [1] It consists of several chapters in chronological order, from the time the author first became a football fan as a child until his early thirties. As well as recounting Arsena… Fever Pitch sold over a million copies in the United Kingdom. SuperSummary - Fever Pitch He discusses seminal football matches he’s attended and their relationship to his life as a whole. His father takes Nick to his first Arsenal game as a way to bond after leaving Nick's mother for another woman. Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. whose matches he attends while at university. — IMDb Editors. He feels uneasy when he watches the games and learns that despair and disappointment are familiar feelings to football fans. Arsenal beats Tottenham in the Littlewoods Cup semifinals in 1987, and this lifts Nick Hornby out of a decade-long downward spiral. As a teenager, Nick attends an away match for Arsenal, and after watching the replay, learns he was on camera. Fever Pitch (1992), an autobiographical book by British author Nick Hornby, explores Hornby’s life through his love for football (soccer in America) and with the Arsenal Football Club in particular. Fever Pitch, first published in 1992, is a memoir and Hornby's first book. He coasts through university without making much of a mark. Fever Pitch Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to In this adaptation (based on the 1997 film, not the 1992 book), the action is moved from London to Boston, the focus of the protagonist's obsession is shifted from football to baseball and the story is based on the 2004 Boston Red Sox season, which culminated with the team's first Major League Baseball World Series victory in 86 years. Part autobiography, part comedy, part incisive analysis of insanity, Hornby's award-winning memoir captures the fever pitch of fandom — its agony and ecstasy, its community, its defining role in thousands of young mens' coming-of-age stories. membership pack as part of the "Final Salute" to Highbury Stadium. Everything you need to understand or teach Fever Pitch: A Fan's Life is a 1992 autobiographical essay by British author Nick Hornby.