Title/Author:
“The Art
of Fielding” by Chad Harbach, narrated by Holter Graham
Tags:
Baseball,
fiction, young adult
Publish date:
September
7, 2011
Length:
516 pages
Rating:
2 1/2 of 5
stars (okay)
Review:
Henry
Skrimshander is a shortstop for tiny Westish College in Wisconsin and seems
destined for a major league contract. He
is a whiz with the glove and got to Westish by being unofficially recruited by
the team’s captain Mike Schwartz. Schwartz becomes Henry’s mentor during the
time at Westish. There are three other important characters in this novel by
Chad Harbach. Owen Dunne, Henry’s
roommate, who is gay and becomes involved with a dangerous affair after being
hit by a ball thrown by Henry. The
college president, Guert Affenlight and his daughter Pella also are main
characters in the story of Henry’s ambition and creeping self-doubt after the
poor throw that struck his roommate.
The story
itself seemed to go off course because there were so many different directions
that I couldn’t figure out what was the proper course. I was interested in this book because of the
baseball theme and I always love a good baseball story. After a while, even though the main male
characters are part of a college baseball team and the story has good baseball
scenes, I felt disappointed with the direction of the story. I felt that all the side issues took away
from the main interest for any baseball fan – what is going to happen to Henry
and his major league contract?
That question along with others does get answered – but the book fell short of my expectations. I had a hard time connecting with any of the other characters. While there are some issues to be expected for a story with college students, such as self-realization, sex and what does the future hold, overall I expected something else. For those looking for a good story of self-reflection, this does the trick. Also, the main question I had for the end of the story was answered, so I won’t totally knock the book. But it fell far short of my expectations and therefore was a disappointment for me.
That question along with others does get answered – but the book fell short of my expectations. I had a hard time connecting with any of the other characters. While there are some issues to be expected for a story with college students, such as self-realization, sex and what does the future hold, overall I expected something else. For those looking for a good story of self-reflection, this does the trick. Also, the main question I had for the end of the story was answered, so I won’t totally knock the book. But it fell far short of my expectations and therefore was a disappointment for me.
Did I skim?
No
Pace of the book:
I thought
it dragged in many areas and probably could have been at least 100 pages
shorter and still got the messages across that it meant to portray.
Do I recommend?
Not if the
reader wants to enjoy a true baseball story, but if the reader is looking for a
coming-of-age story about college students, this might be one to read.
Book Format Read:
Audiobook
Buying links:
No comments:
Post a Comment