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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
You would probably enjoy this book if you are a keen basketball fan. For the rest of us the sport is meaningless and the plot is weak
This is the first John Grisham book I have read. I loved this type of writing style. It is the kind of simple, easy to read style that makes a story flow and engages the reader. Though this could be considered a relatively light read, I found the insights to the situation in South Sudan telling and informative. Also, as a basketball fan I was enthralled with the basketball storyline.
I am rarely as blindsided by a book as I was by Sooley. The novel is a combination of a sports fairytale, a refugee story, and an emotional gut punch. As a big fan of college basketball, the book worked for me, though some of the performances felt unrealistic.
Gives insight into conditions in Sudan, and the struggles of its people. A different subject matter for Grisham. Relatively quick read.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book wanted to be so good for me. I skipped a lot because I didn’t care for all the details about basketball plays! Especially basketball talk following other non key characters in the book. But it was a good story.
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
After all the books I’ve read lately, this one showed me that Grisham is a good storyteller but a mediocre writer. Glad i read it though.
Great premise, but poor execution. The story of a basketball player with a refugee family who works hard and maintains a positive attitude sounds intriguing, but it’s so poorly written with almost no character development.
Meanwhile, his basketball development works like magic, as if no one else ever thought to put in extra hours of practice before! He goes from a poor shooter to Steph Curry in just a matter of months and becomes college basketball’s biggest star out of nowhere. And a 46 inch vertical leap?! That’s extremely rare, to the point of being unbelievable that he wouldn’t be scouted with that type of athleticism. The basketball development is pure fantasy.
I really wanted to like this book more, but found myself disappointed at how little Grisham seems to actually know about basketball. I actually laughed out loud in disbelief several times at how poorly this book was written.
Meanwhile, his basketball development works like magic, as if no one else ever thought to put in extra hours of practice before! He goes from a poor shooter to Steph Curry in just a matter of months and becomes college basketball’s biggest star out of nowhere. And a 46 inch vertical leap?! That’s extremely rare, to the point of being unbelievable that he wouldn’t be scouted with that type of athleticism. The basketball development is pure fantasy.
I really wanted to like this book more, but found myself disappointed at how little Grisham seems to actually know about basketball. I actually laughed out loud in disbelief several times at how poorly this book was written.