The Art of Fielding in Bookmarks Subscribers

Jan 17, 2013 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2013, busy-as-a-bee-books-group

I found this book to be much better than I'd initially expected. I'd avoided it for awhile because of the whole baseball piece - I wasn't interested in reading about baseball. But, this book is about so much more than baseball. It's a book with much more depth than I'd expected. That isn't to say that it was without flaws ... but it was a pleasant surprise! I understand now why its getting all of this attention and why its sitting on so many best of lists this year!

I was struck by how deliberat I found this book to be much better than I'd initially expected. I'd avoided it for awhile because of the whole baseball piece - I wasn't interested in reading about baseball. But, this book is about so much more than baseball. It's a book with much more depth than I'd expected. That isn't to say that it was without flaws ... but it was a pleasant surprise! I understand now why its getting all of this attention and why its sitting on so many best of lists this year!

I was struck by how deliberate every single component of this book was - it felt very .... well, deliberate. I'm not sure how else to describe it. The plotting, the dialogue - it was all very tight. I liked that about the book but there were times when I almost wished for a bit more looseness to shake up writing on occasion. When I think of the novel as a whole, the construction of the story is so well done so perhaps the deliberateness of the writing contributed to that!

Like I said above, this is a novel that certainly touches on baseball and sports but that isn't the primary focus. I didn't think the sports piece was boring or annoying like I'd expected. I found it to be thoughtful and interesting. It added to the story but didn't overtake the story. If you like baseball and know about the sport, I think you'll probably get even more out of it than someone who doesn't. But, it won't detract form the overall story if you could care less about sports or baseball.

The characters in this novel were fantastic and one of my favorite things about the book. It is full of well rounded characters that could certainly have been the star of their very own novels. I loved how they connected with each other, I loved their back stories and I loved the arc of each of their journeys.

I loved the first part of the book much more than the end. Which isn't to say that it ruined the book for me. Instead, the ending just wasn't as effective as it could have been. I found it a bit outlandish and not nearly as good as the rest of the book. But, it was ok. I was just hoping for an ending as good as the early parts of the book.

As an aside - I found Chad Harbach's character names hilarious - several of them made me laugh out loud. Completely unrealistic but hilarious. I mean how many people at one small university could possibly have such crazy names!

All in all, I was very glad to read this one. It's a fantastic read and definitely one that I recommend (even if you aren't a sports fan)! ...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Sera rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1001-books, own, literary-fiction, 1st

I really enjoyed this book. Many people who read this before me said that this book wasn't about baseball; it's about more than that - which is true, but fundamentally, it is a book about baseball. I'm not complaining about that either, because I love reading sports books - well, the good ones at least, and fortuanately, this one fell into that category. Even so, there are many other things going on in this novel.

There are multiple storylines around five characters that have overlapping relation ...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Denise rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, debut-novel, kindle, 2012-reading-challenge

This book is so many things, and my biggest regret is that I waited so long to read it. I wasn't convinced that I'd love it like the reviews said I would. I like baseball okay but wasn't sure I'd like to read a novel about baseball. Well, I was dead wrong. I adored this book and couldn't read it fast enough. This just goes to prove that if you have a good tight story and good writing, you can set it down in any scenario and it will still be good.

Baseball is the backdrop of this book, but friends ...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Linda rated it really liked it

Shelves: chcpl, botns

On the surface the book centers on baseball. More to the point, it's the story of five people whose lives intersect because of the baseball team. I liked all of the characters even while I didn't like what they were doing which seemed self-destructive. Well written. ...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Steven rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the second highly hyped book(along with Night Circus) that has been a 5 star read. I may have to get less cynical if this continues.Even though the sad aspects of the ending are somewhat telegraphed I found myself very sad anyway. It is also obvious that many of the decisions that are made affect a large number of characters. I loved each of the characters because they were all too human. There is also the ability to set things right even after unwise choices were made. All in all a wond ...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Alison rated it it was amazing

A Winner!

Still gracing the bestsellers' lists, THE ART OF FIELDING is a dramatic novel centered around a Division III college baseball team. The college President, his estranged daughter, a talented shortstop, his gay roommate/teammate, and the team captain are at the heart of this book and baseball is the conduit that brings them all together. One play. Just one. Threatens to destroy them all.

If you're new here, allow me to let you in on a well known Alison Fact: I love baseball. I have been
A Winner!

Still gracing the bestsellers' lists, THE ART OF FIELDING is a dramatic novel centered around a Division III college baseball team. The college President, his estranged daughter, a talented shortstop, his gay roommate/teammate, and the team captain are at the heart of this book and baseball is the conduit that brings them all together. One play. Just one. Threatens to destroy them all.

If you're new here, allow me to let you in on a well known Alison Fact: I love baseball. I have been a fan of the game, and, more specifically, the Yankees, most of my life. At least half of all the non-fiction I read is dedicated to baseball. So, when a novel came along that promised me rich drama, deep characters and a college baseball team, I wanted in. THE ART OF FIELDING delivered.

The one play I mentioned above? I have witnessed live and in person a play like that. It sucks the air out of the entire stadium. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but Chad Harbach captures that moment so dead-on, I don't think I breathed for two pages.

I threw the book into my husband's hands to read the following:

Baseball, in its quiet way, was an extravagantly harrowing game. Football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse - these were melee sports. You could make yourself useful by hustling and scrapping more than the other guy. You could redeem yourself through sheer desire.

But baseball was different. Schwartz thought of it as Homeric - not a scrum but a series of isolated contests. Batter versus pitcher, fielder versus ball. You couldn't storm around, snorting and slapping people, the way Schwartz did while playing football. You stood and waited and tried to still your mind. When your moment came, you had to be ready, because if you fucked up, everyone would know whose fault it was. What other sport not only kept a stat as cruel as an error but posted it on the scoreboard for everyone to see?

Does a reader have to love baseball or know the game to enjoy the book? Not necessarily, but I think you need at least a basic understanding and an appreciation for the game. If you do not like baseball, and find the game slow, you may still enjoy this book. On the other hand, if you are like me and experience heart-pumping excitement in each and every pitch, you're already half way there.

Take the baseball out of it for a minute, and I would still love this book simply for the characters. THE ART OF FIELDING is character driven, not baseball driven. There was one scene in Chapter 27 with four characters and I could not help but think to myself how much I would want to play out that scene on a stage. There was so much going on underneath, so much for an actor to sink his teeth into, and so much for the audience to enjoy being a fly on the wall during such a tense situation.

This is not a quick read. Instead, Chad Harbach takes his time building his characters, and their relationships among one another until they are completely intertwined, and you are so sucked in you will not care how long it takes you to finish - it's worth it!
...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Kathy added it

Shelves: started-but-didn-t-finish

"Freshperson" rather than freshman? Seriously?

There were little peccadilloes that kept bothering me as I read. Obviously, I am in an infinitesimal minority and everyone else loves this book. Perhaps it was a mistake to begin it after I finished "The Marriage Plot." There are a number of coincidental similarities in style and substance, and a newbie's first novel is going to suffer by comparison to Eugenides.

Hats off to Harbach, though, for selling this for $650,000 and to now have a developmen ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Margaret rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio-books, 2011

I loved this book. The college just came to life along with the characters.

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Sep 03, 2011 Kathy added it · review of another edition

Shelves: started-but-didn-t-finish

Egads - 30 pgs in and I'm not sure I can continue. The roommate talks, and apparently dresses, like Kurt Hummel. The big, burly baseball player compares himself unfavorably to Abercrombie & Fitch models. I thought this was going to be about baseball! ...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Gayla Bassham rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011-reads, src_winter_2011, tournament-of-books-2012

A really strong beginning but sagged in the middle and never recovered its momentum. Some memorable characters, some nice writing, but I lost my early enthusiasm for it. Still well worth reading, though.

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Sep 15, 2011 Barbara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I loved everything about this book, the characters, the writing, the story. Although baseball plays an important role it is not a book about baseball that non-sports lovers should shy away from.

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