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gweiswasser's review
5.0
Full review at: http://www.everydayiwritethebookblog.com/2020/01/the-cactus-league-by-emily-nemens/
Emily Nemens’ debut novel, The Cactus League, is a book about baseball told through interconnected chapters set in Scottsdale at the beginning of spring training in 2013. Jason Goodyear, a two-time MVP outfielder for the fictional L.A. Lions who is going through a tough stretch, is a recurring character threaded through the chapters (of which there are nine, of course), but the book is told through the point of view of other characters living in varying distances from the sport.
Warning for baseball fans: The Cactus League may take a bit of the sheen off the sport. These characters are down on their luck, for the most part, dealing with personal demons. The book opens when a late-career minor league hitting coach arrives in town for spring training to the grim discovery that his Arizona house has been looted and trashed by squatters. A hotshot sports agent is, we learn later, sick with what appears to be cancer. One of the team’s owners makes an impulsive but career-changing decision about a star outfielder after his ego is bruised. These people, some in town only during spring training and some of whom live in Scottsdale year-round, struggle with their self-worth and the prospects for their future. There is a lot of detail and atmosphere in The Cactus League, all of which add up to a richly textured depiction of this strange but revered desert ecosystem.
But spring is a period of renewal and hope. Nemens describes beautifully how the pre-season awakens in players the drive to start over with a clean slate, to erase past failures and claim their rightful lineup spot or win the title that’s escaped them through their years in the majors. For the industry hangers-on – the stadium organist, the wives, the woman selling hot dogs in the new stadium – they too express their hopes and resolutions amidst the warming sun and green grass of the newly mowed field. Will they find redemption?
The Cactus League is a rarity – a beautifully written, character-driven novel about sports. As for whether you need to be a baseball fan to enjoy it? I can’t answer that. I will say that as a baseball fan, I absolutely loved it.
Emily Nemens’ debut novel, The Cactus League, is a book about baseball told through interconnected chapters set in Scottsdale at the beginning of spring training in 2013. Jason Goodyear, a two-time MVP outfielder for the fictional L.A. Lions who is going through a tough stretch, is a recurring character threaded through the chapters (of which there are nine, of course), but the book is told through the point of view of other characters living in varying distances from the sport.
Warning for baseball fans: The Cactus League may take a bit of the sheen off the sport. These characters are down on their luck, for the most part, dealing with personal demons. The book opens when a late-career minor league hitting coach arrives in town for spring training to the grim discovery that his Arizona house has been looted and trashed by squatters. A hotshot sports agent is, we learn later, sick with what appears to be cancer. One of the team’s owners makes an impulsive but career-changing decision about a star outfielder after his ego is bruised. These people, some in town only during spring training and some of whom live in Scottsdale year-round, struggle with their self-worth and the prospects for their future. There is a lot of detail and atmosphere in The Cactus League, all of which add up to a richly textured depiction of this strange but revered desert ecosystem.
But spring is a period of renewal and hope. Nemens describes beautifully how the pre-season awakens in players the drive to start over with a clean slate, to erase past failures and claim their rightful lineup spot or win the title that’s escaped them through their years in the majors. For the industry hangers-on – the stadium organist, the wives, the woman selling hot dogs in the new stadium – they too express their hopes and resolutions amidst the warming sun and green grass of the newly mowed field. Will they find redemption?
The Cactus League is a rarity – a beautifully written, character-driven novel about sports. As for whether you need to be a baseball fan to enjoy it? I can’t answer that. I will say that as a baseball fan, I absolutely loved it.
isabeceral's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sjpbooks's review
2.0
Closer to 2.5 stars. The premise of spring training, and the way the story was told in nine innings through different characters perspectives' was interesting. However, it didn't feel like anything really happened. A character driven novel with too many characters that went undeveloped.
hannasbooked's review
3.0
Pretty quick and painless read. Definitely helps fill that baseball void right now.
ngerharter's review
5.0
I haven't followed baseball in years - decades even - but loved it as a kid. Apparently, these days, I really love fiction about baseball (see: The Art of Fielding, Evvie Drake Starts Over...)
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2020 Extreme Book Nerd Challenge - A book with a three-word title
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2020 Extreme Book Nerd Challenge - A book with a three-word title
thespinsterlibrarian's review
3.0
When I picked this book up, I expected to read about baseball. While the central theme is about America’s pastime, this book is more about the relationships between several characters that happen to all have a connection. Maybe I was hoping for more baseball but this book, which I enjoyed, could have been a home run.
This book made me realize that when done right, I enjoy books that feature several characters, all connected somehow, with the connections revealed throughout the story. I found myself trying to guess the role each new character would play in the story and found myself surprised with how some characters impacted others. The problem with this type of writing is it’s more noticeable when a section or chapter isn’t as good as the others and that was one of the issues I had with his book. Some of the sections were so good that I wanted to read more while others I felt nothing for. In particular, the baseball wives chapter was a low point for me while the Stephen Smith section was great. I found myself wanting to learn more about people that only got a few pages and that was frustrating. The use of baseball terminology and set up was fantastic and I liked Nemens’ choice to have the overall story be narrated by a sports writer and divided into innings. She is an interesting writer and clearly loves baseball and all the nuances that come with the game. She did a good job in making sure the reader understood how every character impacted the others. In the end though, this was a slice of life novel with baseball as the backdrop so I shouldn’t have been surprised that the ending was abrupt and didn’t feel like an ending to the story. If you like your books wrapped up nicely, this may not be the book for you.
While I enjoyed this book and found the writing to be good, I can’t say that I would ever reread it. I will say that this would make a good book club book as there are a lot of different characters and situations to discuss. However, I liked the author enough that I would read other books of hers.
This book made me realize that when done right, I enjoy books that feature several characters, all connected somehow, with the connections revealed throughout the story. I found myself trying to guess the role each new character would play in the story and found myself surprised with how some characters impacted others. The problem with this type of writing is it’s more noticeable when a section or chapter isn’t as good as the others and that was one of the issues I had with his book. Some of the sections were so good that I wanted to read more while others I felt nothing for. In particular, the baseball wives chapter was a low point for me while the Stephen Smith section was great. I found myself wanting to learn more about people that only got a few pages and that was frustrating. The use of baseball terminology and set up was fantastic and I liked Nemens’ choice to have the overall story be narrated by a sports writer and divided into innings. She is an interesting writer and clearly loves baseball and all the nuances that come with the game. She did a good job in making sure the reader understood how every character impacted the others. In the end though, this was a slice of life novel with baseball as the backdrop so I shouldn’t have been surprised that the ending was abrupt and didn’t feel like an ending to the story. If you like your books wrapped up nicely, this may not be the book for you.
While I enjoyed this book and found the writing to be good, I can’t say that I would ever reread it. I will say that this would make a good book club book as there are a lot of different characters and situations to discuss. However, I liked the author enough that I would read other books of hers.
midwest_transplant's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cheryl_r's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0