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skoot's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to the audio book narrated by David Duchovny. I don't think we read the book very well, especially if you factor in that he's an actor. At any rate, the book was funny and interesting. Some quirks to it were that the humor was very visual, as if writing for a movie or show, and that Duchovny likes to play with words and word sounds a lot. These are not bad things, just things that are layers to the literature that are not directly related to the story telling. Good read.
machadofam8's review against another edition
3.0
I remember where I was the night that Bucky F*cking Dent hit that home run over the Green Monster that night in '78. We were driving home from a trip to Hershey Park and my Dad could not find the game on the radio.
This brought me back to those heady days of the Yankees in the late '70s.
I loved the relationship between Ted, his Dad, Mariana, the guys on the corner. It all worked. Touching and funny and worth reading.
This brought me back to those heady days of the Yankees in the late '70s.
I loved the relationship between Ted, his Dad, Mariana, the guys on the corner. It all worked. Touching and funny and worth reading.
kmrobbins's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Absolutely loved this one! Not at all what I was expecting. Wasn't even sure I wanted to read it. Totally only bought it for the Duchovny factor but ended up really enjoying it. Nicely done, sir.
blong_books's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs
rmmcdowell's review against another edition
4.0
The premise was interesting, and I enjoyed Duchovny's writing style. At it's core, this is a love story between a father and a son--and the lengths we will go to in order to be there for each other and to love one another through our brokenness . . . and theirs.
martynov94's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ktjawrites's review against another edition
5.0
A touching read about family, baseball, and the things we can/cannot control.
imrogers's review against another edition
3.0
Yeah, yeah -- like many, I picked up this book without knowing much about it because I'm a diehard X-Files fan and wanted to check out one of Duchovny's other projects. While the man can definitely write good prose and there are quite a few memorable lines throughout, the story is loosely hung together at best, dancing around slacker writer Ted's taking care of his father and pursuing his attractive Latina caregiver (who herself is somewhat of a non-character). Ted's plan to trick his father into thinking the Sox are winning feels like something out of a '70s sitcom, but at least it manages to pull the book's wavering plot threads together. The italicized sections, however, serve the opposite effect, feeling too experimental for this type of novel without ever quite coming into their own.
This novel's real strength, though, lies in its ending pages, where the family drama and baseball history converge in a powerful way, and Duchovy's true ability to harness his storyline shines through. I'm not a baseball fan, but I like reading about the sport when it's done well (e.g., Bernard Malamud's The Natural), and found this to be the novel's strongest point. One wonders whether this book might have been better had it revolved more closely around the baseball culture that Duchovny is so clearly passionate about.
Also, the literary references were a nice touch -- comparing the Happy Days of Beckett with the Happy Days of Richie Cunningham? Brilliant.
This novel's real strength, though, lies in its ending pages, where the family drama and baseball history converge in a powerful way, and Duchovy's true ability to harness his storyline shines through. I'm not a baseball fan, but I like reading about the sport when it's done well (e.g., Bernard Malamud's The Natural), and found this to be the novel's strongest point. One wonders whether this book might have been better had it revolved more closely around the baseball culture that Duchovny is so clearly passionate about.
Also, the literary references were a nice touch -- comparing the Happy Days of Beckett with the Happy Days of Richie Cunningham? Brilliant.