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A review by novelvisits
The Cactus League by Emily Nemens
4.0
Note: I received a copy of this book from the Farrar, Straus and Giroux (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
I’m not sure there’s anything I like much more than when a book takes me completely by surprise and that’s exactly what happened with The Cactus League. Books that are actually connected short stories typically have me running the other way. I hadn’t realized that was the case with Nemens’ new book until I finished the first chapter and began the second, but oh, I loved that first chapter. From start to finish each of the nine chapters in The Cactus League presented a new character who beautifully drove the story.
Throughout the book Nemens delivers characters connected in someway to The Los Angeles Lions and their star player Jason Goodyear. It’s the spring of 2011 and his world is starting to fall apart. Each story gives a little more information about what really might be going on with Jason. At the same time the reader gets the more personal stories of others connected to the team: an aging out batting coach, teammates, an owner, Jason’s agent and ex-wife, a baseball groupie, and many more. The individual stories were beautifully written with real depth in a small package.
A down and out reporter, who’s been around baseball a long time and knows where to dig, tells the stories. Before each new chapter he links a little bit of Arizona’s geological history with baseball. At first this threw me a bit, but I came to look forward to each new geology lesson and how it would lead me to a new person’s story. Getting to know each character and their connections to baseball and to Jason turned out to be a very special reading experience. Whether you’re a fan of baseball or not, The Cactus League is a book well worth reading!
“But this isn’t a story about my career trajectory or how much I miss my wife. This isn’t about the downfall of newspapers or why my son won’t go ahead and make me a granddad already. It’s about Jason, and all the improbable things that got him to us – to this very instant, to right now.”
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/the-cactus-league-by-emily-nemens/
I’m not sure there’s anything I like much more than when a book takes me completely by surprise and that’s exactly what happened with The Cactus League. Books that are actually connected short stories typically have me running the other way. I hadn’t realized that was the case with Nemens’ new book until I finished the first chapter and began the second, but oh, I loved that first chapter. From start to finish each of the nine chapters in The Cactus League presented a new character who beautifully drove the story.
Throughout the book Nemens delivers characters connected in someway to The Los Angeles Lions and their star player Jason Goodyear. It’s the spring of 2011 and his world is starting to fall apart. Each story gives a little more information about what really might be going on with Jason. At the same time the reader gets the more personal stories of others connected to the team: an aging out batting coach, teammates, an owner, Jason’s agent and ex-wife, a baseball groupie, and many more. The individual stories were beautifully written with real depth in a small package.
A down and out reporter, who’s been around baseball a long time and knows where to dig, tells the stories. Before each new chapter he links a little bit of Arizona’s geological history with baseball. At first this threw me a bit, but I came to look forward to each new geology lesson and how it would lead me to a new person’s story. Getting to know each character and their connections to baseball and to Jason turned out to be a very special reading experience. Whether you’re a fan of baseball or not, The Cactus League is a book well worth reading!
“But this isn’t a story about my career trajectory or how much I miss my wife. This isn’t about the downfall of newspapers or why my son won’t go ahead and make me a granddad already. It’s about Jason, and all the improbable things that got him to us – to this very instant, to right now.”
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/the-cactus-league-by-emily-nemens/