A Long Way Down

the international bestseller

By: Nick Hornby

Narrated by: Beattie Edmondson, Christopher Ragland, Nicky Henson, Pauline McLynn

Brought to you by Penguin.

'Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?'

For disgraced TV presenter Martin Sharp the answer's pretty simple: he has, in his own words, 'pissed his life away'. And on New Year's Eve, he's going to end it all ... But not, as it happens, alone. Because first single-mum Maureen, then eighteen-year-old Jess and lastly American rock-god JJ turn up and crash Martin's private party. They've stolen his idea - but brought their own reasons.

Yet it's hard to jump when you've got an audience queuing impatiently behind you. A few heated words and some slices of cold pizza later and these four strangers are suddenly allies. But is their unlikely friendship a good enough reason to carry on living?

Nick Hornby's hilarious bestseller about strangers and secrets, now a major motion picture starring Rosamund Pike and Pierce Brosnan.

Critic reviews

Impossible to put down . . . enthralling

Extremely funny . . . and wise

A page-turning plot and rich, funny characters with several big laughs on every page . . . Hornby's best yet

Hornby pins down the age in which we live with precision and comic brilliance

Hugely enjoyable

Masterful . . . some of the finest writing, and some of the most outstanding characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading (Johnny Depp)

Hornby's portrayal of four characters who accidentally meet on top of a tower block, all ready to jump to their death on New Year's Eve, manages to be sensitive and empathetic, but damn funny as well. My new Hornby favourite (Adam Phillips)

Brilliant, smart and funny . . . a cello suite about how to go on living. It's hard to imagine a novel more darkly and sublimely devoted to life

Generous and wise. Right from the opening pages, a smile played continually across my face

Made me think about

How I see myself in JJ. to try to live with more understanding and love for myself, as cliche as it sounds I am stuck with myself and I have no one but me.

Another nice story bug Nick Hornsby

What would have made A Long Way Down better?

I didn't like the ending... I hoped for more.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I wouldn't't believe it.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Martin, he was a great performance.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The characters were great, the plot line wasn't.