Reviews

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

eletricjb's review

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3.0

Good, not great. Not enough baseball or Owen.

lauratarh2o's review

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5.0

This book was excellent in every sense of the word. I would give it 10 stars if I could.

jjacobi's review

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4.0

I enjoyed this book. I identified with the Midwest college-town setting, and the characters - though sometimes lacking credibility - were interesting and well-developed. I found myself thinking about what would happen to them when I set the book down, and that, to me, is a mark of good writing. However, I completely understand and agree with what some others have said about the need for editing. There are a few moments in this story that are jarringly misplaced. For me, these moments triggered the kind of reaction you have when a friend tells a joke that bombs - your instinct is to forgive and console, because you like them so much and want them to succeed. The story drifts towards the end, as stories often do. On the whole, though, I am glad I picked this one up and would recommend it to friends.

mschrock8's review

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5.0

See? I can enjoy books written by men with male lead characters! I'm sure baseball helped.

babyruth510's review

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5.0

I loved everything about this book, the characters, the writing, the story. Although baseball plays an important role it is not a book about baseball that non-sports lovers should shy away from.

sarahanne8382's review

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4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book that sounds like it's all about baseball, but isn't really.

Henry Skrimshander is not your typical baseball superstar. Of medium height and skinny build, the 17-year-old is definitely not a power hitter, but on the field he is quick and agile, the perfect shortstop. This boy from tiny Lankton, SD is obsessed with legendary shortstop Aparicio Rodriguez and carries a well-worn copy of his book The Art of Fielding with him wherever he goes.

When Mike Schwartz, a hard-working kid from Chicago's south side sees Henry play in an amateur tournament, he knows that the boy would be perfect for his college's team in northern Wisconsin, and convinces Westish College, located along the scenic coast of Lake Michigan) to roll out the welcome mat for a kid who thought high school was his last chance to do the only thing he'd ever been really good at.

Together Mike and Henry turn the perennially mediocre Westish Harpooners into a powerhouse ball club, but some of the most interesting parts of their story happen off the field with the characters they meet along the way: Henry's brilliant and serene roommate Owen, who joins the team despite his apparent lack of a competitive nature; Guert Affenlight, the college's president who was also once a student at Westish. He loves what Mike has done for his alma mater's sports program and gets to know Owen through his work with the college's green student initiatives. His daughter Pella also plays a major role in the story when she runs away from a failed marriage to start her life over again at Westish, and almost immediately falls in with Mike and Henry.

All of these characters lose something of supreme importance to them during the book and the way they all interact to eventually find their respective resolutions results in a very rewarding read. Because I've been reading a lot of YA fiction, this is the longest book I've picked up in quite awhile, yet once I got into it, I flew through most of the 500 pages in a few days.

I really enjoyed this book so I would recommend it to anyone, but especially folks who like coming of age novels (since most of the characters are college students trying to figure out how to deal with adulthood). You don't have to know much about baseball to follow the book, but an appreciation of sports in general might help you get into the more sports-heavy sections, since they're more about Henry and Mike's extreme training regimen than actual game play.

lamom77's review against another edition

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4.0

A solid 4 stars for me. Great story, great characters, beautiful writing, but perhaps a bit too wordy at times and a little longer than it needed to be. With all that said, great execution and very appropriate ending.

shesnotthere's review

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4.0

It took me awhile to get into this book, but once I did I fell in love with it. It's one of those books where you catch yourself at work wondering what's happening to the characters, which, to me, is the definition of a good book.

My only questions were: 1. What were Henry's parents reaction to his issues? It just seems like they just completely faded away from the novel. 2. It seemed like there wasn't enough technology infused in the novel to be modern day (e.g. not much facebook, cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc). Not that technology should be an intergral part of a novel, but they were almost completely absent, which is weird in a tech-savvy area such as a college. But maybe that was the author's intent; that this story could be told about any era. I would definitely read another book from the author. It was an absolutely excellent book!

bookysue's review

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5.0

I was skeptical about a sports book, given that I’m not at all into sports, but I have to admit this one got me.

gwalt118's review

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5.0

A book about a baseball team at a private college didn't strike me as a premise I would enjoy. I certainly didn't think I would enjoy it for 400 pages. I was pleasantly surprised. I love this novel because it's a modern-day bildungsroman (coming of age) novel. It takes place during the college years, which are near and dear to my heart as a higher education professional. It focuses on a sport - baseball - which gives it a level of intensity that I don't think we often find in typical coming of age novels. The novel gives some insight into issues like depression, alcoholism, and drug use that college students might encounter during their four years - particularly if they are a student athlete. The novel also shows us a wonderful spectrum of characters - those who know exactly what they want to do and those who are floundering and wondering what their path should be.

This novel is Dickensian in its detailed and sometimes lyrical description, hence the 400 page novel. I love this aspect of the novel, but others might be turned off by it. If you are not a fan of long, descriptive paragraphs and you are a reader who likes a lot of action, then you might not enjoy reading this book. But, if you're like me, then it might be one of your favorite aspects.

One other caveat is that I don't think you need to enjoy baseball in order to enjoy this novel. I actually think that if you're a fan of young adult novels, that's a sign you'll enjoy this book. All in all, it's worth a try - even if you're hesitant like I was.