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126 reviews for:
The Sport of Kings: Shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2017
C.E. Morgan
3.52 AVERAGE
126 reviews for:
The Sport of Kings: Shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2017
C.E. Morgan
3.52 AVERAGE
I finally allowed myself to stop listening to this book on Disc 11 of 18. I think if one knows nothing about the Thoroughbred industry or horses, you might enjoy this book. It appears a lot of research went into it and I really like how the author ties in the family history of each character. There are just some things that are wrong regarding Thoroughbred breeding and farming and that was enough to turn me off.
Certainly a massive novel spanning time and a broad range of themes: racism, slavery, love, loss, family, incest, horse racing...
Definitely drew me in and I thought the interweaving of the two families was skillful. But I wish in prize winning novels someone could have something good happen to them!
Henry forge was a mess, Allmon's life was ruined and doomed, and Henrietta, the only female character with much of a voice or agency died in childbirth...
Definitely drew me in and I thought the interweaving of the two families was skillful. But I wish in prize winning novels someone could have something good happen to them!
Henry forge was a mess, Allmon's life was ruined and doomed, and Henrietta, the only female character with much of a voice or agency died in childbirth...
Oh man, how to unpack the levels of this book. First, I read it because I will read almost anything about horse racing. Except, this isn't really about the horses at all; it's about family, inheritance, race, slavery, mass incarceration, and what feels like the hopelessness of America's racial history.
The writing is drop-dead gorgeous and almost got me to five stars, but I just can't. I don't know if this is me being hyper-sensitive or unnecessarily white-guilty, but I had a hard time wrestling with the book's broader themes, knowing that the author is a white (looking) woman. Is that unfair? Is this the history black people experience? Or want told? Maybe yes? Is it for me to say? I just keep hearing Lin-Manuel Miranda asking "who tells your story" and thinking this is not my story to tell. I don't really know what to do with that as a white reader of a white writer. (ETA: this article on William Styron articulates some of what I'm feeling.)
Quotable:
"It was a wet Friday morning with continual, sourceless mist obscuring the lineaments of the buildings, so that the horses and grooms and riders seemed to traverse here and there behind a damp and billowing veil. They were quiet as librarians in the haze, shushed by the soft weather."
Little things:
-I'm confused about the timeline. Seconds Flat is foaled in 1990, but it seems like at the 1993 Derby, Henrietta is reminiscing about Silver Charm, Thunder Gulch, and others who are not around yet.
-By page 177, CEM has used the words karst or karsty at least four times. That seems higher than average.
The writing is drop-dead gorgeous and almost got me to five stars, but I just can't. I don't know if this is me being hyper-sensitive or unnecessarily white-guilty, but I had a hard time wrestling with the book's broader themes, knowing that the author is a white (looking) woman. Is that unfair? Is this the history black people experience? Or want told? Maybe yes? Is it for me to say? I just keep hearing Lin-Manuel Miranda asking "who tells your story" and thinking this is not my story to tell. I don't really know what to do with that as a white reader of a white writer. (ETA: this article on William Styron articulates some of what I'm feeling.)
Quotable:
"It was a wet Friday morning with continual, sourceless mist obscuring the lineaments of the buildings, so that the horses and grooms and riders seemed to traverse here and there behind a damp and billowing veil. They were quiet as librarians in the haze, shushed by the soft weather."
Little things:
-I'm confused about the timeline. Seconds Flat is foaled in 1990, but it seems like at the 1993 Derby, Henrietta is reminiscing about Silver Charm, Thunder Gulch, and others who are not around yet.
-By page 177, CEM has used the words karst or karsty at least four times. That seems higher than average.
What’s the point of my reading this? I disliked the story. Some passages were beautifully written but many were over-written. The ugliness in the story may have been compelling except I thought it was almost always over written. Is it simply a matter of my taste? Perhaps.
2.5/5
Though there are interesting sections of prose and the plot intrigued me, it was a drag to get through and I was 100% tired of all male characters after about 20 pages.
Though there are interesting sections of prose and the plot intrigued me, it was a drag to get through and I was 100% tired of all male characters after about 20 pages.
Had to force myself to push through it. Beautiful writing but didn't live up to rave book reviews. Disappointing ending.
Morgan's prose is a true treat. She brings landscapes to life, her phrases pulsate desire and emotion, and the ideas she infuses this complicated narrative with make it all the richer. I don't want to sully her work or my memory of it by trying to say more.
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WORDS I STILL DON'T KNOW FROM THIS BOOK BECAUSE I HAVEN'T LOOKED THEM UP YET
pastern | karsty | surcingled | ocelle | cupreous | glabrous | proscenium | quantitas magna frumentorum | Ut sementem feceris, ita metes! | arkan | antiphonally | cenotaph | flavid | estrus | burgoo | manumitted | surbated | lenitive | racemes | chine | anorectic | martinet | peccary | sigmoidal | fustian | baize | calliope
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WORDS I STILL DON'T KNOW FROM THIS BOOK BECAUSE I HAVEN'T LOOKED THEM UP YET
pastern | karsty | surcingled | ocelle | cupreous | glabrous | proscenium | quantitas magna frumentorum | Ut sementem feceris, ita metes! | arkan | antiphonally | cenotaph | flavid | estrus | burgoo | manumitted | surbated | lenitive | racemes | chine | anorectic | martinet | peccary | sigmoidal | fustian | baize | calliope
had to quit on this. apparently Ms Morgan's philosophy is; why use two words when five will do? over written and overwrought. too bad, because there's a good story in here somewhere.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes