I only have nice, mushy things to say about this book. I know, that’s not as fun to read. But what can I say? It was great.
You pull for the characters, you chastise them in your mind when they make bad choices. They become real in the way that only characters can.
The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that there are a few barriers to picking it up right off. Please allow me to address two.
It Is a Book About Baseball
Yeah, I know. It’s about baseball. Sort of. But sort of not. Maybe more sort of not than sort of.
Let me allay any minor fears you have by pointing out that I don’t give one hot damn about baseball. Seriously. I stopped caring about baseball the day I gave up on my baseball collection, which was right about the time I got a card that featured a shirtless Kirby Puckett. Why someone would take that photograph is completely beyond me, but that’s the world we’re in, I guess.
More to the point, I think that it’s a true test of a writer to make you care about something that you didn’t care about before, and maybe will never care about again. I’ve read a lot of books relating to subjects that I care about, and most of the time my care for the subject isn’t going to turn a bad book into a good one. Usually it’s the opposite, reading with frustration while someone handles something dear to my heart with less care than he or she should.
All I’m saying is, if baseball is what’s keeping you away from this book, give it a shot. It’s a silly reason not to read the book anyone. How many of you have competed in a fight to the death against several teenagers in order to determine whose hometown will get enough food for the next year or so? Oh, none of you? Yet you still read and enjoyed the Hunger Games? Alright then. So maybe there’s room in your heart to enjoy a baseball book too.
It’s So Long!
It is long. That’s true.
I tend to shy away from stuff that’s too long. Ask anyone I’ve gone to the movies with.I can barely make it to the parking lot without complaining that they could have cut 40 minutes, usually involving a ballroom dance sequence or something to do with an estranged relative. Long drives turn me into a child, hitting the back seat and whining about being out of Slim Jims. Sex? Sex could be a little shorter, in general. Maybe?
Just putting out the message that I’m sensitive to overly lengthy stuff, anything that feels padded out. This one, even though it’s just this side of hefty, is tight, my friends. And it’s a fast read. Not a fast read as in you can skip whole sections. A fast read as in the prose is so strong that it’s more like opening a page and listening than doing the work yourself.
Give it a read. It’s the kind of book that you want to buy for people so that you can put it in their hands and make them feel obligated to read. It’s THAT kind of book.
Like any book, it won’t be for everyone. But it deserves a chance from everyone. A once-over.
I could go on, but I won’t. Hopefully anyone who was considering reading this book will. And hopefully someone who had no intention of doing so will give it a shot.
Most hopefully, I really really hope that this didn’t change anyone from considering reading it to saying absolutely not. If so, I apologize deeply and should let you know that Mr. Harbach is a lot better at this typing business than I am.
For example, near the end of the book, one character nails it. Exactly what makes a great book a great book. I’ll close with that because it’s daunting to think of as nice a conclusion myself.
“I read your book when I was fourteen, and it bolstered my courage at a moment when my courage was required.”