You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
128 reviews for:
The Sport of Kings: Shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2017
C.E. Morgan
3.52 AVERAGE
128 reviews for:
The Sport of Kings: Shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2017
C.E. Morgan
3.52 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Review originally written for my blog
So this is the final Bailey’s Prize shortlisted book I had left to review! It was actually the second last one I read but I adored The Power so much that I just had to review it first. Anyway, this was the book that I was least looking forward to reading because I have absolutely no interest in horse riding and it was described as a “Great American Novel” which I’m also not a huge fan of. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised and ended up enjoying the book even though it’s definitely not something I would have chosen to read if not for my goal of reading the entire shortlist.
As the synopsis says, the story follows Henry Forge as he inherits his family farm and turns to horse breeding. We start off with Henry as a child and follow both him and his family through the struggles that face them in their goal of the ultimate racehorse.
This is a very slow book, focusing heavily on the characters themselves and their growth and so it took me a while to get into it due to not being that interested in them. However, once I grew fond of the characters, I found it much harder to put down as I wanted to keep reading and find out how they would manage and how Hellsmouth would do in the races.
It is quite a large novel, however don’t let that put you off as it’s a very rewarding read. I would definitely recommend this novel, as I would with most of the shortlisted books for the Bailey’s Prize. I can see this book winning, although personally it would not be the one I would choose to win. I’ve also chosen to use this for the USA for my Around the World challenge as I feel it’s a very good representation of America.
So this is the final Bailey’s Prize shortlisted book I had left to review! It was actually the second last one I read but I adored The Power so much that I just had to review it first. Anyway, this was the book that I was least looking forward to reading because I have absolutely no interest in horse riding and it was described as a “Great American Novel” which I’m also not a huge fan of. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised and ended up enjoying the book even though it’s definitely not something I would have chosen to read if not for my goal of reading the entire shortlist.
As the synopsis says, the story follows Henry Forge as he inherits his family farm and turns to horse breeding. We start off with Henry as a child and follow both him and his family through the struggles that face them in their goal of the ultimate racehorse.
This is a very slow book, focusing heavily on the characters themselves and their growth and so it took me a while to get into it due to not being that interested in them. However, once I grew fond of the characters, I found it much harder to put down as I wanted to keep reading and find out how they would manage and how Hellsmouth would do in the races.
It is quite a large novel, however don’t let that put you off as it’s a very rewarding read. I would definitely recommend this novel, as I would with most of the shortlisted books for the Bailey’s Prize. I can see this book winning, although personally it would not be the one I would choose to win. I’ve also chosen to use this for the USA for my Around the World challenge as I feel it’s a very good representation of America.
emotional
medium-paced
The Sport of Kings is a story of America, of generations of one family, of racial inequality, and of the breeding of racehorses. Separated into chunks of time and split up by interludes, it plays out on a grand scale, though the novel focuses on a small circle of characters and is set mostly in a small part of Kentucky, other than one section in Cincinnati. The book engages with a number of issues - race, class, money, family, power, gender - with varying degrees of success, but ultimately emerges as an American Novel, firmly tying itself to America’s past and the geography of Kentucky in particular.
Less sprawling than other novels in a similar vein, its tight focus helps keep it readable despite parts focused on horse breeding and long scenes of horse racing. Moments of self conscious narration and asides, for example pointing out the use of florid prose after it has just dominated the pages, are an interesting quirk that, though never fully realised, suggest the act of creative control behind the novel, just as Henry strives for control in his life and his breeding of horses. The changing focus of different sections as time passes and central characters shift slightly means that the novel does not get trapped in one story or one unlikeable character.
The Sport of Kings paints a picture of the South of America that is very important in this modern day: a portrait of power, injustice, and the attempt to control life.
Less sprawling than other novels in a similar vein, its tight focus helps keep it readable despite parts focused on horse breeding and long scenes of horse racing. Moments of self conscious narration and asides, for example pointing out the use of florid prose after it has just dominated the pages, are an interesting quirk that, though never fully realised, suggest the act of creative control behind the novel, just as Henry strives for control in his life and his breeding of horses. The changing focus of different sections as time passes and central characters shift slightly means that the novel does not get trapped in one story or one unlikeable character.
The Sport of Kings paints a picture of the South of America that is very important in this modern day: a portrait of power, injustice, and the attempt to control life.
As a Kentucky native, I appreciated this book’s portrayal of the state’s tangled and sometimes abhorrent past. The prose is beautiful and easy to get lost in—the plot got a little stagnant around 3/4 of the way through; however, the ending sealed it. I would recommend this book, especially if you have any interest in horses/racing or the South.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has split me in two.
I love it: Its is a 4.5 star.
Look there is some beautiful writing here. For example there is a stunning scene where one of the female protagonists has sex with a stranger in the back seat of a car during a rain storm. The two family sagas are intriguing too with an interesting twist or two at the end.
I hate it. It should be a DNF and does not even deserve a single star.
Unfortunately, at there is at least two hundred pages of complete self- indulgent, convoluted, overwritten mess. When a molecular biologist is bored by Genetics, trust me it was bring.
So overall a DNF worthy book saved from time to time by flashes of brilliance. If someone crafty editor would get their hands on it an cut out 50% of the text – there may actually be a great book buried somewhere below.
In my opinion it did not deserve its place on the Bailey's short list and I will be most disappointed if it wins.
I love it: Its is a 4.5 star.
Look there is some beautiful writing here. For example there is a stunning scene where one of the female protagonists has sex with a stranger in the back seat of a car during a rain storm. The two family sagas are intriguing too with an interesting twist or two at the end.
I hate it. It should be a DNF and does not even deserve a single star.
Unfortunately, at there is at least two hundred pages of complete self- indulgent, convoluted, overwritten mess. When a molecular biologist is bored by Genetics, trust me it was bring.
So overall a DNF worthy book saved from time to time by flashes of brilliance. If someone crafty editor would get their hands on it an cut out 50% of the text – there may actually be a great book buried somewhere below.
In my opinion it did not deserve its place on the Bailey's short list and I will be most disappointed if it wins.
Powerful evocation of the American South. Morgan portrays the disparity between whites and blacks, males and females: the strong and the meek. Exposing the prejudices that allow the rich, white and male to stay rich, white and in charge; and examining the bleak, constrained existence black and female individuals face. While the storyline is told through the beautiful - fairly simple - prose, there are times when Morgan experiments with Biology, Philosophy, the Mythos of the South: these interjections to the tried and tested "great American novel" formula bring this tale into the upper echelons of literature. Morgan also uses horse breeding to parallel that of the formation of the family dynasties of the South: I mean, I knew there were sketchy lines around intra-familial relations between humans, but who knew horses were bred incestuously?
Stunning sophomore effort from Morgan - now I need to go back and read her first novel, and then she needs to write and write and write because I cannot wait to see how she evolves.
Stunning sophomore effort from Morgan - now I need to go back and read her first novel, and then she needs to write and write and write because I cannot wait to see how she evolves.
I used to think I liked purple prose. Or at the very least, I felt like I could tolerate it.
Until I read this book. It seemed as though it would whiplash from normal, semi-prose-y chapters into these cringey passages written in second person. Toward the end of the book I found these interludes extremely tiring and hard to remember who we were even talking about if I'd set the book down and come back to it the next day. Part of this challenge, I think, was that I was reading this on a kindle as an ARC (very late, I know) and not a physical book. I might have done better with a real book, but it is what it is.
I went into this novel with very high hopes- I love broad-reaching family stories and have been borderline obsessed (though less so in the last five or so years) with the thoroughbred racing industry. It seemed like it had been written for me!
The story starts off very slowly, introducing a slew of unlikable characters from the get go. Henry's father was awful, and you get to see him blossom into the same kind of terrible as time goes on. Maryleen was an extremely underused character, in my opinion. She seemed to be the most interesting only to be written off by the author for the majority of the book. For that reason it almost made her return seem less than satisfactory (but don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to see her again).
Then we meet Henrietta (really, Henry?) and I'm a little bit charmed because it seems like she's got potential. But then she turns out to be... extremely boring as well. She read as very flat, to me, or as if the author chose certain qualities of her personality almost at random instead of allowing her to develop on her own. Which, now that I look back on it, is basically essentially how her father wanted to handle his daughter.
Oh yeah- incest warning (low blow at Kentucky, Morgan). One of my most hated topics in writing. This wasn't at all graphic, but it still was mentioned enough to give me the shudders.
But Allmon. God BLESS Allmon. His appearance in the second half (?) of the book was like a breath of fresh air. Despite being an ex-con, he was easily one of the most relatable characters because he was written like a human being. I kind of rolled my eyes a little at his appearance though, because it was so obvious. Oh, the father of this prestigious farm has a daughter and also hates black people? Enter young black male who will undoubtedly hook up with the daughter and ""sully"" the Forge family line. Yawn. His entire arc was just explosive, though, and I found it the most entertaining of the entire book.
Overall I feel like this novel was very overwritten and I would not call it 'the next great American Novel'. That's not to say that the author isn't talented, because she is. I just think that this needed to be edited a bit more- or maybe I didn't appreciate it in its true format. Either way, I was disappointed because I expected to like it a lot more than I did. 2-2.5/5 stars
Until I read this book. It seemed as though it would whiplash from normal, semi-prose-y chapters into these cringey passages written in second person. Toward the end of the book I found these interludes extremely tiring and hard to remember who we were even talking about if I'd set the book down and come back to it the next day. Part of this challenge, I think, was that I was reading this on a kindle as an ARC (very late, I know) and not a physical book. I might have done better with a real book, but it is what it is.
I went into this novel with very high hopes- I love broad-reaching family stories and have been borderline obsessed (though less so in the last five or so years) with the thoroughbred racing industry. It seemed like it had been written for me!
The story starts off very slowly, introducing a slew of unlikable characters from the get go. Henry's father was awful, and you get to see him blossom into the same kind of terrible as time goes on. Maryleen was an extremely underused character, in my opinion. She seemed to be the most interesting only to be written off by the author for the majority of the book. For that reason it almost made her return seem less than satisfactory (but don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to see her again).
Then we meet Henrietta (really, Henry?) and I'm a little bit charmed because it seems like she's got potential. But then she turns out to be... extremely boring as well. She read as very flat, to me, or as if the author chose certain qualities of her personality almost at random instead of allowing her to develop on her own. Which, now that I look back on it, is basically essentially how her father wanted to handle his daughter.
Oh yeah- incest warning (low blow at Kentucky, Morgan). One of my most hated topics in writing. This wasn't at all graphic, but it still was mentioned enough to give me the shudders.
But Allmon. God BLESS Allmon. His appearance in the second half (?) of the book was like a breath of fresh air. Despite being an ex-con, he was easily one of the most relatable characters because he was written like a human being. I kind of rolled my eyes a little at his appearance though, because it was so obvious. Oh, the father of this prestigious farm has a daughter and also hates black people? Enter young black male who will undoubtedly hook up with the daughter and ""sully"" the Forge family line. Yawn. His entire arc was just explosive, though, and I found it the most entertaining of the entire book.
Overall I feel like this novel was very overwritten and I would not call it 'the next great American Novel'. That's not to say that the author isn't talented, because she is. I just think that this needed to be edited a bit more- or maybe I didn't appreciate it in its true format. Either way, I was disappointed because I expected to like it a lot more than I did. 2-2.5/5 stars