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ktaylorhurley's review against another edition
5.0
When asked about my favorite books, this one is always at the top of the list. I don't even know how to describe why. It's just. so. good.
alidottie's review against another edition
3.0
3 and a half stars
I am facilitating a "Dine and Discuss" at the library for this book since the librarian in charge of it is at a conference. I had to read this during a super hectic week in my life (if any of you have had a child get married, you know it's not the week you lick up a 500+ pp book and expect to finish it!), so I had to spend every spare minute yesterday (which happened to be my 24th wedding anniversary!) reading this book. Knowing myself as I do, having to read this book under these circumstances would have made almost any book I read lose some of it's appeal, that said, I still have a feeling I wouldn't have been crazy about this book.
I think Harbach does a stand-up job developing characters, so that wasn't the problem, I think the problem was I just could not relate to any of the characters problems or feel much sympathy for them either.
I know that this is suppose to be a baseball book, but it really didn't feel like it was about baseball. We shall see if I gain some insights that make me like this book more after I participate in this discussion!
I am facilitating a "Dine and Discuss" at the library for this book since the librarian in charge of it is at a conference. I had to read this during a super hectic week in my life (if any of you have had a child get married, you know it's not the week you lick up a 500+ pp book and expect to finish it!), so I had to spend every spare minute yesterday (which happened to be my 24th wedding anniversary!) reading this book. Knowing myself as I do, having to read this book under these circumstances would have made almost any book I read lose some of it's appeal, that said, I still have a feeling I wouldn't have been crazy about this book.
I think Harbach does a stand-up job developing characters, so that wasn't the problem, I think the problem was I just could not relate to any of the characters problems or feel much sympathy for them either.
I know that this is suppose to be a baseball book, but it really didn't feel like it was about baseball. We shall see if I gain some insights that make me like this book more after I participate in this discussion!
waynediane's review against another edition
5.0
You do not have to like baseball to enjoy this book. Definitely a summertime read. A boy who idolizes a short stop the best ever and grows up to be the best NO ERRORS. That being said, his life is thrown upside down along the way. From the Midwest to having a roommate his freshman year, who is gay and other very interesting characters etc. WONDERFUL BOOK!
scavengercat's review against another edition
3.0
This book was hard for me to get into. I ended up liking it--but at the same time, I couldn't WAIT for it to be over.
jomasini's review
4.0
I read this on holiday, which maybe meant I enjoyed it more vs. reading it while commuting. However, it was well written with some really lovely phrases and descriptions, likeable characters etc
There is a lot of baseball, which is integral to the story but lost me in places - the key thing you need to know is the outcome of the matches, so as long as you can keep up with that, it's ok
There is a lot of baseball, which is integral to the story but lost me in places - the key thing you need to know is the outcome of the matches, so as long as you can keep up with that, it's ok
loujoseph's review against another edition
4.0
just finished this, and i'm thinking i'm leaning towards a 5 star, but i think i need to settle in with some of the ideas from the book a little more. very franzenian, in a good way, in character development, and exploring failure and ideas of perfection.. not entirely sure how i feel about the ending at this point though.
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
I expected witty, swoonworthy college lit in a baseball setting. I got adolescent romantic angst masquerading as enlightened adult philosophizing. THE ART OF FIELDING is a decent—dare I say enjoyable?—read if you don’t go in expecting what I did, but just kind of a drag if you were expecting that.
The good: If you like odd romantic pairings, varsity athletes undergoing emotional crises, and almost-John-Green-like philosophical insights, you’ll enjoy THE ART OF FIELDING. The writing is really not bad, although definitely nothing mind-blowing. There’s a handful of witty dialogue that will let a chuckle or two escape, and if you’re a fan of the self-identifying “gay mulatto Buddhist roommate” character trope, you’ll enjoy Owen Dunne.
The not so good: While the first third was enjoyable as we witnessed Henry’s rise from good to great, the rest of the book gets bogged down in angst. And by angst, I actually mean ANGST. You have the expected angst of Henry agonizing over his mistake, but you also have the angst of some troubled maybe-lovers with childhoods that they agonize over but are never fully shown to readers, and you also have the angst of a SIXTY-YEAR-OLD MAN IN LOVE. And I’m not trying to be ageist, but rather remarking about how vomit-inducing it is to read about Affenlight’s love described using the literary equivalent of baby’s breath, rose-petal showers, and soft soft skin. If I want those kinds of descriptions of love, I’ll read Keats. I want my depictions of love grittier, less rose-tinted, more realistic, and it was a real drag for me to be subject to such descriptions of what I suppose the author believes to be “a true, perfect, and untarnished love.”
What does all this angst amount to? Not much. I don’t mind, and may even appreciate, angst if it seems justified and their reasons are shown well, but THE ART OF FIELDING doesn’t do that. Rather, we’re told that such-and-such a thing from such a character’s past has influenced him or her to act the way he or she is acting. And that’s not enough. It’s not enough for the author to just tell me, at the beginning of a chapter early on in the book, that a character had a bad childhood and daddy issues, because, by not showing this backstory, a bad childhood and daddy issues simply become lame excuses for sloppy characterization. As a result, Pella and Schwartz interact like cavemen, each one grunting obscurely things like, “So is that what you want? Yeah, that’s what I want. So that’s it? Yeah, that’s it. I hope you’re happy. You make me miserable.” I guess some romances in real life actually do pan out that way, but I couldn’t help but think that the author was projecting his desire for an ideal of the blameless relationship overcoming communicative opaqueness onto his characters, which resulted in exasperation on my part.
For those of you who arrived at this book following John Green’s recommendation, I guess I would say that this is like a third or fourth draft that a younger, less philosophically polished John Green might’ve written himself. As such, it’s enjoyable enough, if you’re in the mood for it, but otherwise there are a lot of writerly flaws within that make it a not wholly immersive for the more demanding reader.
The good: If you like odd romantic pairings, varsity athletes undergoing emotional crises, and almost-John-Green-like philosophical insights, you’ll enjoy THE ART OF FIELDING. The writing is really not bad, although definitely nothing mind-blowing. There’s a handful of witty dialogue that will let a chuckle or two escape, and if you’re a fan of the self-identifying “gay mulatto Buddhist roommate” character trope, you’ll enjoy Owen Dunne.
The not so good: While the first third was enjoyable as we witnessed Henry’s rise from good to great, the rest of the book gets bogged down in angst. And by angst, I actually mean ANGST. You have the expected angst of Henry agonizing over his mistake, but you also have the angst of some troubled maybe-lovers with childhoods that they agonize over but are never fully shown to readers, and you also have the angst of a SIXTY-YEAR-OLD MAN IN LOVE. And I’m not trying to be ageist, but rather remarking about how vomit-inducing it is to read about Affenlight’s love described using the literary equivalent of baby’s breath, rose-petal showers, and soft soft skin. If I want those kinds of descriptions of love, I’ll read Keats. I want my depictions of love grittier, less rose-tinted, more realistic, and it was a real drag for me to be subject to such descriptions of what I suppose the author believes to be “a true, perfect, and untarnished love.”
What does all this angst amount to? Not much. I don’t mind, and may even appreciate, angst if it seems justified and their reasons are shown well, but THE ART OF FIELDING doesn’t do that. Rather, we’re told that such-and-such a thing from such a character’s past has influenced him or her to act the way he or she is acting. And that’s not enough. It’s not enough for the author to just tell me, at the beginning of a chapter early on in the book, that a character had a bad childhood and daddy issues, because, by not showing this backstory, a bad childhood and daddy issues simply become lame excuses for sloppy characterization. As a result, Pella and Schwartz interact like cavemen, each one grunting obscurely things like, “So is that what you want? Yeah, that’s what I want. So that’s it? Yeah, that’s it. I hope you’re happy. You make me miserable.” I guess some romances in real life actually do pan out that way, but I couldn’t help but think that the author was projecting his desire for an ideal of the blameless relationship overcoming communicative opaqueness onto his characters, which resulted in exasperation on my part.
For those of you who arrived at this book following John Green’s recommendation, I guess I would say that this is like a third or fourth draft that a younger, less philosophically polished John Green might’ve written himself. As such, it’s enjoyable enough, if you’re in the mood for it, but otherwise there are a lot of writerly flaws within that make it a not wholly immersive for the more demanding reader.
aquint's review against another edition
4.0
I am not a fan of baseball but I very much enjoyed this book. It was well written and the characters were interesting although I'm not sure I'm satisfied with the ending.
kristian26's review
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0