My husband laughed at me when I bought this book. He thought it was strange that I would read a book about baseball. The truth is, I love baseball. I love that the game makes sense, that I can eat hot dogs and popcorn and be in good company doing so, and that watching baseball makes me proud to be an American. I love the game. He should not have been so surprised.
The real surprise, however, is how little The Art of Fielding is about baseball. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of baseball in the book, but the story really is more about commitment, friends, and love in all of its crazy forms than it is about baseball. It's a fantastic story. It's the sort of story that sticks to your ribs and stays with you for a long time. This one will be high on this year's Top 10 list.
I remember having a conversation with Rob years and years ago about people who are lucky enough to be truly great at something: Michael Jordan and basketball, Tiger Woods and golf, Elvis and music. You get the idea. Henry, one of the main characters in Harbach's story, is a great short-stop. Better than great. He was put on Earth to be a short-stop. He was error free and humble about it. He couldn't believe when scouts approached him that he could play his favorite game and make money doing it. But in an instant, it all changed. Henry's life changed, his game changed, and his team changed. And in an instant, The Art of Fielding changes from a story about baseball, to a story about life and how it doesn't always turn out quite the way you expect. But, if you stay true to yourself and if you know yourself and your limitations, as well as having just a little faith in yourself, all will be good in the end. Different, maybe, but good.
In addition to Henry, in The Art of Fielding, we get to meet Mike Schwartz, the catcher who convinces Henry to come to Westish College to play ball, and Owen Dunne, Henry's rather eccentrically well-rounded roommate who plays ball and has a full academic scholarship to Westish. We also get to know the President of Westish, Guert Affenlight, and his daughter Pella. The characters are so well-developed you can see and hear them. I feel a bit as though I was watching a movie over the past week, rather than reading a novel. And, as sometimes happens when I read, I am sad that the book is done. I looked forward all week to waiting in the carpool line for the girls, because I was able to open the book and read more about these amazing characters. Now their story is done. Sigh...
It really is a fabulous book and one that deserves to be read.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
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