The Art of Fielding

Lovely, Entertaining Literary Novel

I loved this book. Thanks to the author for spending ten years on it! Very well written, great characters, and great story and plot. Overall, I enjoyed becoming engrossed in the novel.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Don't need to love baseball to love "Art of Fielding!"

I read this amazing debut novel in a little more than 48 hours. I find it difficult to believe that this is Chad Harbach's first published book. You do not need to know anything about baseball to read and enjoy "The Art of Fielding." I do know a little more than nothing about baseball, and the pace was maintained throughout. I liked all the characters, and loved a few. Henry is a cousin of Holden Caulfield, in my opinion. Yes, I would suggest this to reading groups, and as soon as it is in paperback (a rule of the reading group I am in,) I am going to recommend that we read this wonderful book. I happen to live in a small college town in Ohio, and almost all of the college aspects rang true. I am awaiting more writing from Chad Harbach.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Recommended but different.

At times, I could not put this down. At other times, I skimmed because, there seemed to be a lot of detail that slowed the process. However, all in all, this was a good read.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Baseball has been beery beery good to me.

There something grand about a GOOD BASEBALL BOOK. Is it the simplicity of it? the way it moves . . . batter by batter, inning by inning, game by game? I don't know. The same can be said for a good work of fiction (it's ALWAYS a "work of fiction" isn't it) . . . page by page, character by character, chapter by chapter. Combine those two things with a book about college life . . . where young people have freedom to dream with few responsibilities, and you have . . . ta da . . .The Art of Fielding. Curl up and enjoy. peace, trkruse

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Must read!

A wonderful book. I am not a baseball fan but I loved this book. Super writing with a human story for all.

3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

I found this book to be elegantly written and the story pleasant

I found this book to be elegantly written and the story pleasantly simple. The author didn't rely on gimmicky twists or plot twists to keep the reader interested. Baseball is timeless, yet you don't have to be a baseball fan to read this book. Enjoyable, easy to read, yet engaging enough to keep you interested in the characters' outcomes. Highly recommended.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great debut novel

I don't quite get ALL the hype about this book, but it was one of the best 10 or 15 books I read in the last year.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Not terrible

I just happen to download this because it was about baseball. It was good but not great. At times I was super confused of whether this book was truly a baseball story or some absurd type of gay/straight drama. I definitely don't think I would recommend this book to anyone although I did find it a bit entertaining and couldn't stop reading it. It was just a disappointment to not fully understand why there was a love affair in the middle of the book.

2 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Entertaining

I am an avid baseball fan, so I was hooked from the begining. I was able to put the book down and come back to it , not exactly a pageturner, but enjoyable.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

OK

This book started out great, but turned into a predictable drama and then wrapped up tidily the same. Good characters, but story line unremarkable.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

I thought I would like the story better

I really thought I would love this book. I kept waiting to love this book, but it never happened. I found the story being told from so many points of view hard to follow. Maybe it was because I couldn't make myself care about the characters enough to keep track of who was talking. I thought the co dependent relationship between Henry and Schwartz got old. I also found the relationship between Owen and the university president totally unbelievable. Gay or straight, a relationship between a 20 something athlete and a 60 something university president ......please. One last thing,I thought it was rediculous how many times in the book someone mentioned how pretty Pella's name was. Seriously, every time I read her name I thought of windows. I really expected a New York Times Best Seller to be more engaging.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Awesome, put on your must read list.

You definitely do not need love baseball to love this book. I loved the characters, all relatable, and I couldn't wait to see how their lives unfolded. I got through a lot of it on a flight and was actually disappointed when we landed. It's truly an engrossing novel. I'm looking forward to what's next from Harbach.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is so many things, and my biggest regret is that I wai

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, you can sit it down in any scenario and it will still be good.


Baseball is the backdrop of this book, but friendship is the theme...friendship, sacrifice and forgiveness. It is one of those rare books where you hate to see it end because you love and care about the characters so much. Great writing, great book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Brenda Ballard for Readers Favorite Henry loved bas

Reviewed by Brenda Ballard for Readers Favorite

Henry loved baseball. In fact, he lived for baseball. He was a natural shortstop; the ball and his glove were like magnet to steel. Life as he knew it would cease to exist as he is discovered and recruited to a liberal arts university. Thriving in the academic arena and catching the eye of scouts with his error free play, he is headed towards being signed and making more money than his family has probably ever seen. But all this will change in an instant. An errant throw from shortstop catches in the wind, hitting his roommate in the face. This one throw will be the pivotal point of not just Henry but those around him. Five lives, directly affected, thrown down a thorny path. Henry is destroyed on many levels, this one incident haunting him every day ...

The audio book discs are probably the nicest I have ever seen, printed as baseballs to follow the story line. This is one of those stories that has so many unexpected twists and turns that it is not possible to guess what the author has in store next. It should be noted that while this book is, in my opinion, an excellent read, it may not be for everyone. There are many colorful scenes with both hetero and homosexual activities. Nonetheless, the audience who choose to embark on the experience will not be disappointed. It is funny and emotional, thought provoking and very well-written. Applause goes to the actor whose voice is captivating and pleasurable to listen to!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Started out great !!!!Then----

There are 5 major characters in the book----none likeable

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Not a baseball story and not a good read. Not recommended

What starts out to be a story about a gifted baseball player, ends up being a soap opera about family issues, unsatisfied people and even a hard to comprehend gay affair. The author seems to have his own agenda he is trying to promote as well as his own view of words (freshperson instead of freshman - really???). His knowledge of baseball is not the best and his choice of name for a hall of fame baseball player is silly. The only reviewers that appear to have liked it are the non-baseball fan types.

1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A satisfying read

I enjoyed this book. Found many of the characters intriguing, and liked the writing style. I feel this would make an excellent book club choice or summer read. Many different angles/relationships to explore.

Anonymous

I read this book for a book club - it was long and drawnout! I felt the characters were rather boring and self absorbed! Definitely not a page turner - I was amazed at all the good reviews!

It was ok

I found myself scaning the narrative a lot...just didnt hold my interest...read it fast but not a page turner

Loved it!

Loved it!