Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
medium-paced
I don't like boxing. I'm not drawn to stories about boxing. I thought the Rocky movies were just okay. Not that I am against boxing or anything. It's just not my thing. But I do like lists. And one of my reading lists is to catch up on the books that Oscar-winning Best Pictures are based on. I saw Million Dollar Baby at the time it was released and remember thinking it was a good movie, but still not one I would have chosen if it hadn't won the award. This book has the story that the movie was based on, and the story is so much better than I remember the movie being. That and the other stories in the book are far more about human drama than boxing. The writing put me in a place that I could appreciate the characters and the story, and even though it's a crucial part of each tale, the boxing somehow ends up not being what the stories were really about. I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected, but I still probably won't be looking for more boxing books or movies.
The stories showed different perspectives from my usual reads, and were an interesting look into the world of boxing. I found the dialects a bit difficult to read, but they also set the tone so they worked in context.
The stories themselves are okay at best. The writing is pretty terrible. I'm a boxer, and this book was a slog for me. I had high hopes for it, and kinda wish I hadn't bothered.
I really didn't get the acclaim for this book. I'm always leery when people affectionately compare a new writer to Hemingway. It usually means the story's decent and the writing's boring.
Just not my thing, super depressing stories about good people who get screwed over by bad people.
I loved the stories in this book about boxing, written by someone who knew what it is like to fight and the kind of people who do fight. Sincere thanks for this.
A great and real boxing book.
I read this series of short stories as research and found it to be a window into a world of tough characters who do what they need to do to survive. The prose is tight and honest, written by an author who has lived this world. If you'd really like to know what it is to box professionally, read this.
I read this series of short stories as research and found it to be a window into a world of tough characters who do what they need to do to survive. The prose is tight and honest, written by an author who has lived this world. If you'd really like to know what it is to box professionally, read this.
Overall, this was a magical experience. I can't say enough good things about these stories. Filled with insights. The only reason I can't give this a full 5 stars is because these stories are written in dialect and it's somewhat cumbersome at times.