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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
Look, I need to start of by saying I know absolutely nothing about baseball. This is probably the only thing that curbed my enjoyment of this book slightly. But King manages to keep me interested long enough to get to the absolutely bonkers “guts” of the story, and it was worth it. Only knocked off a star because I wish I understood a bit more about what I was reading baseball wise, but by the end I almost considered checking out baseball’s Wikipedia page. Worth picking up and powering through.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was interesting, but at the same time left me feeling like something was missing. The mystery is not 100% resolved. We never know what Billy was.
Not bad for a short story.
Not bad for a short story.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Child abuse
Reviewed as presented in Bazaar of Bad Dreams.
I'm not a baseball fan. I go to the games for the beer and that's it. So I found this story about baseball mediocre, though the ending was quite good. This was a novella that could have been even shorter. It felt long winded and self indulgent to me (afterall, we know what a baseball fan King is), especially considering how little of the baseball terminology I understood.
I'm not a baseball fan. I go to the games for the beer and that's it. So I found this story about baseball mediocre, though the ending was quite good. This was a novella that could have been even shorter. It felt long winded and self indulgent to me (afterall, we know what a baseball fan King is), especially considering how little of the baseball terminology I understood.
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very quick read (45 minutes or so?), a fun little King story about a kid who played ball like no one else... thank goodness. The narrator could be any old Stephen King character but the author's love of the game certainly comes through. Not really sure why this was published as a solo hardcover, but that's what libraries are for.
A solid story that held my attention. I have to say, it takes some real skill to make me interested in baseball. Not as enjoyable as some of his other work but still a good read.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
An enjoyable non-horror-ish novella from Stephen King.
King is a baseball nut, but he doesn't bog down the story in too much baseball detail. If you aren't into the sport, you might feel a little disinterested, but, as usual, King drops enough juicy tidbits to keep you reading. And, as usual, King drops enough vulgar colloquialisms to keep you laughing throughout. You feel like you're really listening to an old baseball codger in a rest home eager to talk to somebody about something, anything, as long as he doesn't have to join the virtual bowling group.
I listened to this as an in-between-books book. It was short, light and fun. Craig Wasson is a great reader, although I felt his voice sounded a little too young for the character who was narrating. But it's a minor quibble. He does a terrific job otherwise.
I did not listen to the other story in this edition, 'Morality', as I had read it when it was originally published in Esquire. I didn't like it as much then and so was ready to move on to my next audio book.
King is a baseball nut, but he doesn't bog down the story in too much baseball detail. If you aren't into the sport, you might feel a little disinterested, but, as usual, King drops enough juicy tidbits to keep you reading. And, as usual, King drops enough vulgar colloquialisms to keep you laughing throughout. You feel like you're really listening to an old baseball codger in a rest home eager to talk to somebody about something, anything, as long as he doesn't have to join the virtual bowling group.
I listened to this as an in-between-books book. It was short, light and fun. Craig Wasson is a great reader, although I felt his voice sounded a little too young for the character who was narrating. But it's a minor quibble. He does a terrific job otherwise.
I did not listen to the other story in this edition, 'Morality', as I had read it when it was originally published in Esquire. I didn't like it as much then and so was ready to move on to my next audio book.