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ndbooth's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
exquisite_tragedy's review against another edition
3.0
FUN FACT: This author graduated from my high school (Racine St. Catherine's). Completely unrelated to the book itself, but I thought that was interesting :)
missyjohnson's review against another edition
3.0
All in all I liked the book. The middle part with Henry was a little too long and there was a bit of predictability with just about every character. I was not surprised at any decision or event that occured. I guess that is not a bad thing because as humans I believe that we are predictible creatures. It is just that in a book, I enjoy the potential for escape and surprise and that did not occur here. I love baseball and did enjoy the baseball stories. I guess that the only "surprise" was the end and the way that Henry was the hero. Pella, Mike and Guert were safe and followed the path expected. Owen was the one most likely to step outside the lines but alas did not.
misshgtraveling's review against another edition
4.0
What a fascinating book. Very unique and clever. Beautiful writing.
claireburr's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. The best book I've read this year, and perhaps in a few years.
jmyles's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lindsayaunderwood's review against another edition
5.0
I am going to miss reading this book. Amazing characters. Great story. Even though it clocked in at 500 pages, I was left wanting more. Wish I could know more about Skrimmer, Schwartz, Owen, and Pella (aka my new best friends). I feel like I know them.
jgraydee's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good summer-time book because it is centers around the sport of baseball. You needn't be an ardent fan of the game (or understand well) to read this novel, but I will say that Harbach did a great job of writing the final championship game chapter. You can almost see the game as it happens, play by play.
One reviewer aptly suggests that this novel should win an award for Best Character Names: Henry Skrimshander, Guert Affenlight, Pella Affenlight, Rick Starblind.
The story is written in third-person, and centers around Henry -- an incredibly gifted but aimless high school short-stop who is recruited to Westish College (Wisconsin) by future teammate, Mike Schwartz. Henry roommates with Owen "Buddha" Dunne, who introduces himself to Henry on their first meeting as his "gay mulatto roommate." Henry is surprised later in the story to find out that Owen is also on the Westish baseball team.
Harbach's talent with this story is that it begins so strongly to be about Henry and his future and his insecurities. It wasn't until mid-way through that I realized I had become engrossed with the stories/background of Schwartzy, Owen and female character, Pella. Their friendships and loyalties to one another are so complex that they almost become one character. An event in one life almost always has a ripple affect into the other characters’ lives.
One of Harbach's favorite novels was Moby Dick, and that story, theme and author all play a large part in The Art of Fielding. Harbach gave an interesting interview to NPR Books about his personal background in baseball and his love of Melville's classic. Harbach’s novel has many subtle themes (i.e. the father/son relationship between Henry and Schwartz) and many not-so-subtle themes (homosexuality, depression) that I think this book would be a good choice for a book club.
Harbach addresses homosexuality in such a direct way, that it has to be considered a key theme of this novel. Except for Pella, Owen is the most academically achieved student in the story. He is the steady go-to character in crisis, hence the nickname Buddha. Owen is open-minded, accepting of everyone, and the most environmentally active character. This begs the question of whether Harbach made Owen too perfect in light of his homosexuality? (I believe there is some over compensation to this affect). At the same time, Owen is a romantic who desires a monogomous relationship; he is not promiscuous or overt with his sexuality.His teammates accept his sexuality without prejudice. One funny part of the novel is a scene in the dug out where the characters repeatedly refer to something as "being gay." Finally Owen calls them on it, and one of them casually replies, "Sorry, Buddha." Finally, Owen's relationship with president Affenlight presents an interesting question: Would Affenlight have been forced to resign if he had an inapprorpriate romantic relationship with a female student?
However, I also had many problems with this story, particularly toward the end:
• Pella, who moves back to Wisconsin after a failed marriage and a long bout of depression, soon becomes Mike Schwartz’s girlfriend. I found this transition to be too quick in itself. But when she sleeps with (and briefly lives with) Henry, Schwartz forgives both of them completely? It happens in the story; I have a hard time believing it would happen in real life. (Apparently love triangles are the stuff of great, classic literature?)
• Guert Affenlight and Owen are lovers, a secret which daughter Pella and college officials figure out on their own. Affenlight is forced to resign as president of the college, and suffers a fatal heart attack a few days later. I thought this was a cop-out on Harbach’s part – to address the homosexual issue so straight on, and then to have Affenlight conveniently die. End of scandal; end of crisis.
• Pella decides, after her father’s funeral, that he would not be at peace in the graveyard near the school – so she convinces her friends to help her secretly exhume his body and drop it into Lake Michigan. I understood the Melville connection (it gets explained in the book), but this was a ridiculous end of the story (super human strength to lift/open the casket, they never getting caught, etc.)
With the exception of Affenlight's re-burial, I did enjoy this story, and I would recommend it. Just be aware that it has some quirks, and that it is not an average baseball story.
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/19/143964939/the-art-of-fielding-baseball-meets-literature
One reviewer aptly suggests that this novel should win an award for Best Character Names: Henry Skrimshander, Guert Affenlight, Pella Affenlight, Rick Starblind.
The story is written in third-person, and centers around Henry -- an incredibly gifted but aimless high school short-stop who is recruited to Westish College (Wisconsin) by future teammate, Mike Schwartz. Henry roommates with Owen "Buddha" Dunne, who introduces himself to Henry on their first meeting as his "gay mulatto roommate." Henry is surprised later in the story to find out that Owen is also on the Westish baseball team.
Harbach's talent with this story is that it begins so strongly to be about Henry and his future and his insecurities. It wasn't until mid-way through that I realized I had become engrossed with the stories/background of Schwartzy, Owen and female character, Pella. Their friendships and loyalties to one another are so complex that they almost become one character. An event in one life almost always has a ripple affect into the other characters’ lives.
One of Harbach's favorite novels was Moby Dick, and that story, theme and author all play a large part in The Art of Fielding. Harbach gave an interesting interview to NPR Books about his personal background in baseball and his love of Melville's classic. Harbach’s novel has many subtle themes (i.e. the father/son relationship between Henry and Schwartz) and many not-so-subtle themes (homosexuality, depression) that I think this book would be a good choice for a book club.
Harbach addresses homosexuality in such a direct way, that it has to be considered a key theme of this novel. Except for Pella, Owen is the most academically achieved student in the story. He is the steady go-to character in crisis, hence the nickname Buddha. Owen is open-minded, accepting of everyone, and the most environmentally active character. This begs the question of whether Harbach made Owen too perfect in light of his homosexuality? (I believe there is some over compensation to this affect). At the same time, Owen is a romantic who desires a monogomous relationship; he is not promiscuous or overt with his sexuality.His teammates accept his sexuality without prejudice. One funny part of the novel is a scene in the dug out where the characters repeatedly refer to something as "being gay." Finally Owen calls them on it, and one of them casually replies, "Sorry, Buddha." Finally, Owen's relationship with president Affenlight presents an interesting question: Would Affenlight have been forced to resign if he had an inapprorpriate romantic relationship with a female student?
However, I also had many problems with this story, particularly toward the end:
• Pella, who moves back to Wisconsin after a failed marriage and a long bout of depression, soon becomes Mike Schwartz’s girlfriend. I found this transition to be too quick in itself. But when she sleeps with (and briefly lives with) Henry, Schwartz forgives both of them completely? It happens in the story; I have a hard time believing it would happen in real life. (Apparently love triangles are the stuff of great, classic literature?)
• Guert Affenlight and Owen are lovers, a secret which daughter Pella and college officials figure out on their own. Affenlight is forced to resign as president of the college, and suffers a fatal heart attack a few days later. I thought this was a cop-out on Harbach’s part – to address the homosexual issue so straight on, and then to have Affenlight conveniently die. End of scandal; end of crisis.
• Pella decides, after her father’s funeral, that he would not be at peace in the graveyard near the school – so she convinces her friends to help her secretly exhume his body and drop it into Lake Michigan. I understood the Melville connection (it gets explained in the book), but this was a ridiculous end of the story (super human strength to lift/open the casket, they never getting caught, etc.)
With the exception of Affenlight's re-burial, I did enjoy this story, and I would recommend it. Just be aware that it has some quirks, and that it is not an average baseball story.
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/19/143964939/the-art-of-fielding-baseball-meets-literature