At Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended.
Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners' team captain and Henry's best friend, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life.
As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment--to oneself and to others.
Cathy says:
"This utterly compelling novel, despite the title, is not really about baseball, though there are some beautifully written baseball scenes. Chad Harbach's world at Westish College is written with such a sense of deep humanity and affection, and his gift to the reader is amazing characters that move far beyond the printed page and into our hearts. The Art of Fielding delves deeply into character in the way that Jonathan Franzen can bringing us people we care for deeply as we watch them live their complicated lives."
Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners' team captain and Henry's best friend, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life.
As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment--to oneself and to others.
Cathy says:
"This utterly compelling novel, despite the title, is not really about baseball, though there are some beautifully written baseball scenes. Chad Harbach's world at Westish College is written with such a sense of deep humanity and affection, and his gift to the reader is amazing characters that move far beyond the printed page and into our hearts. The Art of Fielding delves deeply into character in the way that Jonathan Franzen can bringing us people we care for deeply as we watch them live their complicated lives."
Every now and then we encounter a new book that we’re so excited about we want to shout it from the rooftops, so we've created a special tag to distinguish it from the rest: TC V.I.B. (very impressive book)! That means it’s a true stand-out in a season of many excellent & compelling new books.
1 comment:
Thank you...this sounds like a great addition to my classroom library.
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