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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
I loved this book! Very Hoosiers-esque, if that sort of sports underdog story appeals to you.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As someone who lives in Montana, it's a damn shame this is promoted across the state as one of our classics. While it moves fairly fast, the writing style is clunky as hell and downright weird and gross in places. Stanley Gordon West tortures a simile like no other and in many passages packs up to three of them into a single paragraph without letting any room for his characters or story to breathe. Between this literary abuse and the unrelenting vicious fatphobia and ableism, I can't recommend this book. I'm only giving it an extra star because he's a decent sportswriter and allowed me to visualize the basketball games.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
5 stars for feel good story which we all need once in a while. And I love sports and basketball in particular so thoroughly enjoyed the audio book.
Listen up, you cynics, you literary snobs, you people who think you could never be fully invested in the story of a small-town basketball team persevering against the odds.
I was once you.
And then this book came along and broke my heart and put it back together again, two sizes bigger than before. It may not be a perfect literary achievement (and anyway, we could argue about what that means for a few years without finding consensus), but it's a great place to lose yourself in a story.
Go Broncs!
(Note: Other reviews mentioned grammatical, etc. errors in the text, which would drive my English-teacher self batty. But I listened to the audio book, and it was quite good.)
I was once you.
And then this book came along and broke my heart and put it back together again, two sizes bigger than before. It may not be a perfect literary achievement (and anyway, we could argue about what that means for a few years without finding consensus), but it's a great place to lose yourself in a story.
Go Broncs!
(Note: Other reviews mentioned grammatical, etc. errors in the text, which would drive my English-teacher self batty. But I listened to the audio book, and it was quite good.)
Blind Your Ponies is a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down.
In the book, Stanley Gordon West created not just one or two fully developed characters but an entire town of them. Their lives are intricate and intertwined but not to the extent that the reader is distracted from the story by trying to keep track of all the subtle details. Within pages, I was completely invested in the characters and their happiness, from the grief-striken coach to the humble giant of an exchange student to kooky grandma Chapman.
Over the course of the story, the townspeople come together to support their underdog basketball team and begin to grow closer. It becomes clear that there's a lot that they don't know about one another and my one complaint about the book is that it almost seems like there are too many secrets for this tiny town. However, most seem to fit with the overarching story of these courageous boys and their fellow townspeople. And as they open up to one another, they learn that sometimes life gets better when you have someone to lean on and share your burdens.
To quote some cliches, it's the story of hope and hard work overcoming adversity, of getting up again when the world knocks you down. After so very many losses, almost no one believes that the boys can win a game, let alone the state-sanctioned conference, but with Coach Pickett and Grandma Chapman cheering them on, the boys are willing to believe in miracles.
Blind Your Ponies is an absolute must-read. It's one of the best books I've read this year and is definitely being added to my favourites list. I can't wait to see what this once-self-published author comes out with next.
In the book, Stanley Gordon West created not just one or two fully developed characters but an entire town of them. Their lives are intricate and intertwined but not to the extent that the reader is distracted from the story by trying to keep track of all the subtle details. Within pages, I was completely invested in the characters and their happiness, from the grief-striken coach to the humble giant of an exchange student to kooky grandma Chapman.
Over the course of the story, the townspeople come together to support their underdog basketball team and begin to grow closer. It becomes clear that there's a lot that they don't know about one another and my one complaint about the book is that it almost seems like there are too many secrets for this tiny town. However, most seem to fit with the overarching story of these courageous boys and their fellow townspeople. And as they open up to one another, they learn that sometimes life gets better when you have someone to lean on and share your burdens.
To quote some cliches, it's the story of hope and hard work overcoming adversity, of getting up again when the world knocks you down. After so very many losses, almost no one believes that the boys can win a game, let alone the state-sanctioned conference, but with Coach Pickett and Grandma Chapman cheering them on, the boys are willing to believe in miracles.
Blind Your Ponies is an absolute must-read. It's one of the best books I've read this year and is definitely being added to my favourites list. I can't wait to see what this once-self-published author comes out with next.
Great story, I loved all the characters. I might reread this forever.
The only reason I read this whole book is because I have a very hard time not finishing a book. I hate to say it, but this was probably one of the worst books I’ve ever read; it is riddled with spelling and grammar errors absolutely throughout, and the author frequently goes on convoluted metaphors that add nothing to the story and play-by-play descriptions of each basketball game. I found myself wondering where the editor was the whole time I was reading, and the book could definitely be at least 200 pages shorter despite an abrupt ending. Plus, the way he writes about women, fat people, and Dean’s sister with cerebral palsy was awful and made my skin crawl. Blind Your Ponies reminds me of a Hallmark movie – it has a sweet story and a few compelling characters that draw you in, but is otherwise never worth your time.