Scan barcode
A review by katykelly
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
5.0
Just loved this! No Paul Bettany or Kirsten Dunst in sight.
I couldn't fail to mention that I thought of the British film 'Wimbledon' when reading this. Not because it's similar, no. While it may also be about a former champ trying for a comeback, Carrie Soto is no Peter Colt.
You may not LIKE Carrie Soto, at least not the public image of her, but she's one heck of a character, and really, she does earn your respect and understanding over the course of the novel. Brought up on tennis by her own champion father Javier (the Jaguar), she trained for greatness from childhood, especially after the early and tragic death of her mother.
Once the greatest tennis player in the world, with records dripping from her belt, she was never well-liked (cue some rather unflattering and sexist nicknames) but her style, intensity and talent were never in doubt.
Carrie is now 37. Too old to take back the crown from the latest tennis queen risen through the ranks? Well, she doesn't think so.
With a coach, a former-lover-turned-hitting-partner, an agent and a lot of racquets in her court, Carrie determines, and publicly so that she'll retake her record back from Nicki Chan within four championships.
What follows for the reader is a crash course in tennis training, tactics and tantrums. We get to grips with Carrie's psyche, see the woman underneath the brash exterior, and definitely start to root for her.
Just loved this! No Paul Bettany or Kirsten Dunst in sight.
This has the BEST cast of secondary characters I've enjoyed for a while - just loved Javier, as both coach and father. Bowe as Carrie's rejected lover and also former-star is quietly powerful in the background. She even has a great agent who's not just there to make money. And the enemy - Nicki Chan. Their interactions are quite intense in themselves, with some powerful dialogue and characterisation of two women with their own agendas, timetables and foci.
I read this in a couple of days, just desperate to read the next match, to see if Carrie's knees hold up, to watch how Javier's coaching tips turn out. And to see if Carrie learns the lessons we are all hoping she does, about accepting that being number one isn't forever.
She's a complex but brilliant creation. And I can't wait to see who plays her one day on screen.
I couldn't fail to mention that I thought of the British film 'Wimbledon' when reading this. Not because it's similar, no. While it may also be about a former champ trying for a comeback, Carrie Soto is no Peter Colt.
You may not LIKE Carrie Soto, at least not the public image of her, but she's one heck of a character, and really, she does earn your respect and understanding over the course of the novel. Brought up on tennis by her own champion father Javier (the Jaguar), she trained for greatness from childhood, especially after the early and tragic death of her mother.
Once the greatest tennis player in the world, with records dripping from her belt, she was never well-liked (cue some rather unflattering and sexist nicknames) but her style, intensity and talent were never in doubt.
Carrie is now 37. Too old to take back the crown from the latest tennis queen risen through the ranks? Well, she doesn't think so.
With a coach, a former-lover-turned-hitting-partner, an agent and a lot of racquets in her court, Carrie determines, and publicly so that she'll retake her record back from Nicki Chan within four championships.
What follows for the reader is a crash course in tennis training, tactics and tantrums. We get to grips with Carrie's psyche, see the woman underneath the brash exterior, and definitely start to root for her.
Just loved this! No Paul Bettany or Kirsten Dunst in sight.
This has the BEST cast of secondary characters I've enjoyed for a while - just loved Javier, as both coach and father. Bowe as Carrie's rejected lover and also former-star is quietly powerful in the background. She even has a great agent who's not just there to make money. And the enemy - Nicki Chan. Their interactions are quite intense in themselves, with some powerful dialogue and characterisation of two women with their own agendas, timetables and foci.
I read this in a couple of days, just desperate to read the next match, to see if Carrie's knees hold up, to watch how Javier's coaching tips turn out. And to see if Carrie learns the lessons we are all hoping she does, about accepting that being number one isn't forever.
She's a complex but brilliant creation. And I can't wait to see who plays her one day on screen.