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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
This King novella had me reeling, I was trying to predict what was coming throughout the entirety of the story. I kept struggling with reminding myself that this was a fictional book, it felt so real. The characters were all very relatable.
Good short story all about baseball. It really helps to have some background knowledge about baseball to understand all of the terminology and plot points of this short story. It really showed how much of a baseball fan Stephen King is.
slow-paced
Not bad, but not as good as I was expecting from a baseball story written by King. The second King I ever read was Faithful, his chronicle of the '04 Red Sox, and I was expecting more from a King baseball story. The story told as a recollection from a coach in a retirement home went by quick with lots of "authentic" language, and was over too soon, not enough suspense particularly from King. Read it if you are King devotee or are looking for a short fictional baseball tale.
As a long-time Stephen King fan, I was really looking forward to this story, and I wasn't at all disappointed. Great story with a seemingly normal plotline, however, the author weaves a great dark theme into it, almost so you don't expect it. A return to the Stephen King of old, if you ask me.
I liked the story well-enough; I am a fan of Stephen King's work. The narrator, however, did not sit well with me. The story of Blockade Billy is told to Mr. King by an old fella who remembers the season that Blockade Billy played for the Titans. I can swallow that a 70+ gentleman has such a detailed memory for games and specifics. Far-fetched, but, I'll go with it. The part I found quite unsettling, however, was the foul language used by this old man. I'm no prude and I believe language is necessary in writing sometimes. I found the swearing offensive coming from this old man. Men of his generation just didn't speak that way. It was not true to character; it was disconcerting. Otherwise, I thought it was a good story.
I wanted to give this 4 stars, but it needed to be longer and more fleshed-out, in my opinion. As it is, it's a good story, but that's about it. Some very nice touches, though.
Note: I did not get the second story, "Morality," with my edition, so I'm not reviewing it.
Note: I did not get the second story, "Morality," with my edition, so I'm not reviewing it.
King is a master at story telling. This book couldn't have been farther storywise from the type of stories I like. It was like a play by play reciting of a baseball season, but somehow the characterization and language wove in a plot that I couldn't put down.
My rating: 3 stars
Audiobook narrator [a:Craig Wasson|496245|Craig Wasson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1335637642p2/496245.jpg] rating: 4.5 stars
I read (listened to) this book mainly because of the narrator. It is a short story and is extremely heavy on baseball (which I do enjoy). The ending was not as exciting as I hoped it would be. Craig Wasson was fantastic as usual at narrating.
Audiobook narrator [a:Craig Wasson|496245|Craig Wasson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1335637642p2/496245.jpg] rating: 4.5 stars
I read (listened to) this book mainly because of the narrator. It is a short story and is extremely heavy on baseball (which I do enjoy). The ending was not as exciting as I hoped it would be. Craig Wasson was fantastic as usual at narrating.
I'm glad I listened to this book instead of reading it for myself because I think the narrator's voice did an excellent job bringing me into this book. I was totally engaged, as if I was sitting at a bar listening to some old timer tell a story from his glory days. The story itself isn't my favorite subject, in fact, I have managed to avoid most books about sports up to this point! But being that this is King and I want to "read them all", I gave this one my ears. I'm glad I did!