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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I loved this story. Its one that will stay with me, it left me in tears after reading it. It is more than a book about baseball, but cherished memories and loved ones. I was introduced to it by my Fiancee, and can't thank her enough for that. I love you Belle.
relaxing
Ray Kinsella is called to a journey and he agrees to go. He is not entirely in control, but his faith in what he needs to do saves him. If you love baseball, you will love this story. If you love bigger questions of life, you will love this.
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm going to admit that the entirety of my knowledge about baseball is that it involves a guy throwing a ball that gets hit by another dude, and then there's a lot of rules around running around and catching. All I knew about Field of Dreams was that it's a wholesome family baseball movie and 'if you build it, they will come.'
I was not prepared for JD Salinger psychopomp fantasy. I was not prepared for long-lost carny twin who probably is a metaphor for paths not walked. This book was wild. It wasn't particularly well focused, kind of like 5 short stories in a trench coat, and as a result I think that a few of the overarching themes didn't really come together in a particularly satisfying way. Having watched Field of Dreams afterwards, I think that the movie really did zero in on developing some of those threads fully. It's objectively a more cohesive experience.
But, at the same time, I think I enjoyed the book more as a wonderfully bizarre adventure. I came in expecting something feel-good and straightforward, and what I got was this sprawling, messy narrative about the price of dreams and meeting/saving your heroes that also happens to be a genuine love letter to the state of Iowa and the history of baseball. Also JD Salinger. Because I think that JD Salinger and baseball get equal billing in this book, which is hilarious to me.
(I also haven't actually read Catcher in the Rye.)
I was not prepared for JD Salinger psychopomp fantasy. I was not prepared for long-lost carny twin who probably is a metaphor for paths not walked. This book was wild. It wasn't particularly well focused, kind of like 5 short stories in a trench coat, and as a result I think that a few of the overarching themes didn't really come together in a particularly satisfying way. Having watched Field of Dreams afterwards, I think that the movie really did zero in on developing some of those threads fully. It's objectively a more cohesive experience.
But, at the same time, I think I enjoyed the book more as a wonderfully bizarre adventure. I came in expecting something feel-good and straightforward, and what I got was this sprawling, messy narrative about the price of dreams and meeting/saving your heroes that also happens to be a genuine love letter to the state of Iowa and the history of baseball. Also JD Salinger. Because I think that JD Salinger and baseball get equal billing in this book, which is hilarious to me.
(I also haven't actually read Catcher in the Rye.)
It is difficult to read this book after seeing the movie. The film is, of course, a classic baseball movie, and so I found myself anticipating certain scenes, and noticing that certain lines occur in different parts of the story, and are even uttered by different characters. (For example, "Is this heaven?" in the book is asked by Joe Jackson, not Ray's father.) There are major characters that don't appear in the film (Eddie Scissons). Further, the story in the book spans a much longer time than the movie.
Nevertheless, the fundamental drama remains just as compelling. The additional characters add depth & complexity to the story. Scissons in particular gives a speech on baseball as religion that, while intentionally simplistic, combines with Salinger's speech on how baseball has always been the one constant theme in America, helps explain why no other sport can ever capture the imagination of the American public the way baseball can.
Nevertheless, the fundamental drama remains just as compelling. The additional characters add depth & complexity to the story. Scissons in particular gives a speech on baseball as religion that, while intentionally simplistic, combines with Salinger's speech on how baseball has always been the one constant theme in America, helps explain why no other sport can ever capture the imagination of the American public the way baseball can.
As more of a spectator than a fan of baseball (as defined by book itself) this helped me understand those who truly love the sport. Baseball is depicted as something beyond religion, it is instead a quiet, unifying constant. The love of the game, and for the players, becoming the great connection between each of the characters.
"Shoeless Joe" came close to capturing the ordinary magic of land, home, and family--although it veered into being too lyrical for my preference towards the end. The simple love of a thing (baseball) that drove the early pages and had me captivated got a little lost as the book went on. But perhaps that dedication to magic and hyper lyricism makes the bridged connection to the Carnival more profound. Though I might be reaching on that one.
But really, this book was excellent. Has me looking for a place where, "Once the land touches you, the wind never blows so cold again. You feel for the land like it was your child. When that happens to you, you know you can't be bought."
"Shoeless Joe" came close to capturing the ordinary magic of land, home, and family--although it veered into being too lyrical for my preference towards the end. The simple love of a thing (baseball) that drove the early pages and had me captivated got a little lost as the book went on. But perhaps that dedication to magic and hyper lyricism makes the bridged connection to the Carnival more profound. Though I might be reaching on that one.
But really, this book was excellent. Has me looking for a place where, "Once the land touches you, the wind never blows so cold again. You feel for the land like it was your child. When that happens to you, you know you can't be bought."
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The movie was better, but all the basic ideas did come from the book.