Title/Author:
“The
Sportsman: A Collection of Short Stories” by Rejean Giguere
Genre:
Fiction,
Ice Hockey, Golf, Fishing, Hiking, Short Stories, Collection
Published:
March 9,
2011
Length:
68 pages
Rating:
5 of 5
stars - excellent
Review
Five short
stories, each of which have a sports theme, make up this collection that is a
fun and quick read. This was a little different than most collections of short
stories because each story was a fun read in its own quirky way. Usually
collections like this will have at least one dud, but not here. Every story had a moment in which the reader
will sit up and say “What the heck just happened?” None of the stories are
totally believable as each one has either a paranormal or supernatural element,
but each of them describes the sport or activity of the main character with
good knowledge and background of the particular topic.
Two of the
stories are hockey related, Overtime and Woody. Overtime is a story of a young
man who is intrigued by the graceful skating of an older man who answers his
question with the line “Great son I always get them in overtime.” Woody is told
from the point of view of a hockey stick that belongs to a veteran player. Both
player and stick have seen a lot of action through the years.
Gulley’s
Legend could be considered a horror story as a golfer who is threatening to
break the course record for a nine hole round is suddenly confronted by strange
occurrences on the last hole.
The Jumping Buck is a fishing story with a twist and The Tree tells about what happens when a hiker encounters a tree with some special abilities.
All of
these stories are easy to read and move quickly. The characters who are narrating each story
are developed quickly so the reader understands his quirks. Each story is told in the first person,
which was helped the reader comprehend the situation and conflicts early. This is a collection I will keep and read
again.
Did I skim?
No
Did I feel connected to the
characters?
I did in
each story. In each story, the main character was well spoken and the reader is
drawn into his situation, whether in peril or joyous
Pace of the book:
All of the
stories moved quickly
Positives:
Each story
had a life of its own – none of them were connected with another one, which is
what I prefer with a collection of stories like this. The reader has to have at least a
rudimentary knowledge of the sport or activity in each of the stories, and I
felt this was good as well. It makes the
story more enjoyable for fans of hockey, golf or people who enjoy fishing or
hiking. Negatives:
Nothing – I enjoyed each story as each one had a nice surprising twist as the end. The closest to a negative is that I would have liked a little more variety of the sports chosen, but that is nitpicking.
Do I recommend?
Yes – to any fan of the outdoors, golf or hockey. Also, the book is good for non-sports fans that enjoy stories with a supernatural element, as each story has at least a taste of a phenomenon beyond nature.
Book Format Read:
EBook –
Kindle
Author Media Links:
http://www.rejeangiguere.com
Buying Links:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Sportsman-short-stories-ebook/dp/B004RIGYTW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1371320474&sr=1-1&keywords=the+sportsman+short
My father would love this book, I just got him Brian Bruns' Rumble Yell, a funny book about RAGBRAI. He told me it's so goodit makes him almost want to get a bike and try it out!http://www.briandavidbruns.com/BDB/Rumble.html. As long as I don't have to do it with him!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. Your dad would probably like this book if he enjoys hockey or the outdoors.
ReplyDeleteI looked at the link for Rumble Yell. Thank you for the reference. I will have to check that one out for this blog.