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c_r1996's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.5
I have a really mixed reaction to this book. On one hand I do feel that Barry can capture the essence of what makes this game and it’s players so compelling but at the same time I feel the book rambles on too much sometimes you get overwhelmed. If you asked me to read this and give you a play by play of the game I would instantly fail as it’s broken up so much that the game itself becomes hard to follow. I would say the game is more of a biography of many of the players who stared in that game than it’s about the game itself. Do I feel that it actually does good on themes? Yes I feel like the book is very good at showing that AAA baseball is about the passion and dreams of the players and how many have to move on at some point. Ultimately though I feel that there is so much overload of information and honestly a bit repetitive at times that I can’t really recommend it.
thegordonfreeman's review against another edition
3.0
As someone raised in RI, this book offered a great view of a place most kids have been to at least a few times. The characters fit in firmly with my perceptions of RI as a child, and even feature some locations that were part of my life, including the barbershop I had my hair cut at as a child. Great writing, funny and poignant stories.
dave_peticolas's review against another edition
4.0
The true(ish) story of the longest baseball game ever played and the subsequent lives of some of the people who played and watched it. Great sportswriting and a fascinating story. By a weird coincidence, there is a recent article in the NY Times by Barry about the same franchise. The new owners are moving the team out of Pawtucket. No joy in Mudville, but I guess that's baseball.
underavioletmoon's review against another edition
5.0
I wish I could give this more than 5 stars. Like, maybe a gazillion?
I bought this because it's about the longest game ever played in professional baseball. 33 innings, I kid you not. And if that had been all the book was about, I would have been happy with it.
But, first of all, it is so well written, one of the best I've ever read in a life of reading A LOT!
Barry makes you see it, smell it, feel it. His sense of pacing is impeccable. For example, he'll introduce the next player up to bat -- and then go back and tell you a bit about how the player got there. Because, after all, what's the rush? We have 33 innings.
And it is about so much more than one baseball game -- indeed, about so much more than baseball. It's about hope and joy; sorrow and disappointment; dreams fulfilled and dreams abandoned. It is even, in one short, luminous passage, about the nature of time itself.
If you are a lover of both baseball and fine writing, this belongs on your bookshelf right beside the late, great Bart Giamatti's "The Green Fields of the Mind." Yes, it is that good.
I bought this because it's about the longest game ever played in professional baseball. 33 innings, I kid you not. And if that had been all the book was about, I would have been happy with it.
But, first of all, it is so well written, one of the best I've ever read in a life of reading A LOT!
Barry makes you see it, smell it, feel it. His sense of pacing is impeccable. For example, he'll introduce the next player up to bat -- and then go back and tell you a bit about how the player got there. Because, after all, what's the rush? We have 33 innings.
And it is about so much more than one baseball game -- indeed, about so much more than baseball. It's about hope and joy; sorrow and disappointment; dreams fulfilled and dreams abandoned. It is even, in one short, luminous passage, about the nature of time itself.
If you are a lover of both baseball and fine writing, this belongs on your bookshelf right beside the late, great Bart Giamatti's "The Green Fields of the Mind." Yes, it is that good.
whatsheasaid's review
4.0
One of the reviews adorning the cover of this book says "'Our Town' on the diamond!" and the comparison is dead-on: the book is expertly crafted, paints a detailed pictures of the lives of a few dozen men and women in a small town, and is ultimately very depressing. The stories author Dan Barry included are both captivating and disheartening. It demonstrates, perhaps too well, the heartbreak that can be minor league baseball.
Poignant, and beautifully told, these 33 innings of minor league baseball have something to say. Pick it up when you have a chance.
Poignant, and beautifully told, these 33 innings of minor league baseball have something to say. Pick it up when you have a chance.
andileah306's review against another edition
4.0
It sort of became a running joke that it was taking me longer to finish reading this than it did to finish the game in question. But once I had the time to focus on it, I loved the stories behind the story — the players, the fans, the stadium itself. I’m a baseball fan to start with, but what I loved was the human aspect of the recounting.
Lost a star because one of the reasons I initially struggled to get into it was the writing in the early pages. Much too wordy and hard to focus, but smoothed out later on.
Lost a star because one of the reasons I initially struggled to get into it was the writing in the early pages. Much too wordy and hard to focus, but smoothed out later on.
malavika413's review against another edition
5.0
I feel like my greatest weakness is an exquisitely detailed account of sports, triumph, and failure. This one takes the cake. So, so good.