Title/Author:
“The
Cortlandt Boys” by Laura Vanderkam
Genre/topics:
Basketball,
fiction, mystery, romance
Published:
December
18, 2014
Length:
291 pages
Rating:
5 of 5
stars (outstanding)
Review:
In 1994,
the Cortlandt Cavaliers won the Pennsylvania state boys basketball championship
on a last second three point shot. It
was a thrilling moment for the small town in the northeastern part of the
state. It not only was a watershed moment for the community, it had a profound
effect on the lives of the players and others. How this affected the future of those
young people is the story told in this terrific novel by Laura Vanderkam.
The book
has stories from 1994, 2004 and 2013-14. The first is set in the time when the
thrilling win happened and the immediate joy and celebration save for one
student. Max, who was at the game and a
member of the school band, suffered an injury in the mayhem after the winning
shot. She then went on to become a
sports journalist for a major magazine.
One of her assignments was to return to the town ten years later for a
feature story. There, it is revealed what happened with some of the players and
also a startling discovery is made in the town.
There is also a section in which the daughter of one of the players also attempts to recreate that special time by creating a scrapbook of that time 20 years later. Her story, and how she becomes intertwined with other players, is also interesting. However, this part of the story didn’t resonate with me as much as Max’s did. What became of some of the other players range from success to tragedy and these are all woven together in a book that is hard to put down.
The
writing style is crisp and easy to follow. The characters are well-developed
and have a certain personality that the reader will easily recognize and have
some type of emotional reaction. The
story will leave the reader running through the entire gamut of feelings and
will not want the book to end. A terrific
read that anyone would enjoy.
The basketball
portions were well written as well, as the author’s knowledge of the game is
evident when writing about the action on the court and what the players and
coaches not in the game were doing. I felt like I was in the stands for that
championship game.
I wish to
thank Ms. Vanderkam and the publisher for providing a copy of the book in
exchange for an honest review.
Did I skim?
No, as I
was mesmerized by this story from the beginning with the boys winning the
championship and then through the years and different views.
Did I feel connected to the
characters?
For the
most part, yes, as I really enjoyed the part of the book through Max’s point of
view and I could relate to James and his life after the championship season. I didn’t really like the character of his
daughter Janie, especially when she was the lover of one of the players who was
cheating on his wife.
Pace of the story:
It moves
very well. Unlike other stories and
books I have read that change points of view, it transitioned to that time,
place and point of view very well.
Do I recommend?
Yes – because
this has elements of a good sports book, a murder mystery, some romance and
also runs the range of emotions that a reader can feel. I believe that because these have all been
intertwined well in this complex story, fans of many different genres will
enjoy this book.
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