carolynf's review against another edition
2.0
This seems to be one of those books that people either love or hate. It was written in 1986, but feels more like something from the 50s or 60s. The protagonist, Frank, is not having a midlife crisis exactly. It sounds more like he has always lived without any sense of passion or commitment. He prides himself on living just comfortably enough, going with the flow, while forming superficial short term relationships. He avoids any kind of long term planning to preserve a sense of "mystery" in life. He did experience a lot of grief when his eldest son died of a random childhood disease (as we learn in the first chapter), but I don't think that this caused him to unravel his life. By then he already had dropped his novel to switch to magazine writing, which allowed him to continuously be on the road and sleep with scores of random younger women. He lucked into plenty of money at an early age, so he never really has to do anything he doesn't want to do.
The plot of the book takes place over Easter weekend. There is the anniversary of his son's death, a work trip to Detroit (from New Jersey) with his current girlfriend along for the ride, and then Easter dinner with her family. Along the way he reminiscences about his life a lot, and gets interrupted repeatedly by a friend who is struggling with his recent hook-up with a man. In all of his interactions, Frank is most comfortable when everything is going according to script. There are lots of references to Frank saying what he feels the conversation calls for even though he really believes the opposite, and using smiles or other body language to nonverbally mislead the other person about his feelings. He has absolutely no desire for intimacy with either male friends or female love interests. This doesn't really change throughout the story.
Frank is very WASPy, and continuously labels people by their ethnicity - mentally though while pretending to be nonjudgmental about them. He talks about "Negros" and "Coloreds" a lot, and how they are the servant class in town and happy and content. He talks about Jews, Pollacks, Irish, Italians (spaghetti-benders), and Arabs. He is super skeeved out by his friend's homosexual encounter and makes a mental note that he should be committed and given drugs to cure him, while telling the friend that of course it doesn't bother him at all. He wants to have sex with pretty much every woman he meets and does a lot of propositioning at very inappropriate times. He says random stupid things a lot in a very knowing tone, and other characters (particularly women) occasionally call him on it. Which made me wonder throughout the book whether the reader is expected to connect with Frank or laugh at him.
Anyway, the book is not long but it took forever to get through because it is exceptionally boring. I can't believe it is the first in a series of four novels.
The plot of the book takes place over Easter weekend. There is the anniversary of his son's death, a work trip to Detroit (from New Jersey) with his current girlfriend along for the ride, and then Easter dinner with her family. Along the way he reminiscences about his life a lot, and gets interrupted repeatedly by a friend who is struggling with his recent hook-up with a man. In all of his interactions, Frank is most comfortable when everything is going according to script. There are lots of references to Frank saying what he feels the conversation calls for even though he really believes the opposite, and using smiles or other body language to nonverbally mislead the other person about his feelings. He has absolutely no desire for intimacy with either male friends or female love interests. This doesn't really change throughout the story.
Frank is very WASPy, and continuously labels people by their ethnicity - mentally though while pretending to be nonjudgmental about them. He talks about "Negros" and "Coloreds" a lot, and how they are the servant class in town and happy and content. He talks about Jews, Pollacks, Irish, Italians (spaghetti-benders), and Arabs. He is super skeeved out by his friend's homosexual encounter and makes a mental note that he should be committed and given drugs to cure him, while telling the friend that of course it doesn't bother him at all. He wants to have sex with pretty much every woman he meets and does a lot of propositioning at very inappropriate times. He says random stupid things a lot in a very knowing tone, and other characters (particularly women) occasionally call him on it. Which made me wonder throughout the book whether the reader is expected to connect with Frank or laugh at him.
Anyway, the book is not long but it took forever to get through because it is exceptionally boring. I can't believe it is the first in a series of four novels.
annabella82's review against another edition
2.0
There's only one thing I can really say about this novel...disappointing.
I can't deny that it was very well-written but I just couldn't get behind the character of Frank Bascombe.
The story opened great but it serisouly went downhill for me...blah. I didn't care much for the character and got tired of reading the things he had to say by the end; I lost interest.
I probably won't be reading the rest of the novels in this series...
I can't deny that it was very well-written but I just couldn't get behind the character of Frank Bascombe.
The story opened great but it serisouly went downhill for me...blah. I didn't care much for the character and got tired of reading the things he had to say by the end; I lost interest.
I probably won't be reading the rest of the novels in this series...
oceanlistener's review against another edition
3.0
So our narrator is a self-absorbed dick, which he can't hide despite his obsession with being nice and living a nice life.
What I keep thinking about with this book is the behavior of his girlfriend Vicky. Sure, Frank's a jerk. But her behavior is so babyish, I suspect Frank is a pedophile who is dating a 12 year old. A 12 year old divorcee.
What I keep thinking about with this book is the behavior of his girlfriend Vicky. Sure, Frank's a jerk. But her behavior is so babyish, I suspect Frank is a pedophile who is dating a 12 year old. A 12 year old divorcee.
bryanfarmer's review against another edition
5.0
In 1996, I read The Sportswriter and loved the simple story of a divorced man in the early 80s who is navigating new relationships, new friendships, the death of a son, the trappings of being a writer and, most importantly, regret. Up until a few month ago, I would consider it my most favorite book ever ([b:On Beauty|3679|On Beauty|Zadie Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1495961870s/3679.jpg|910752], by Zadie Smith, holds that title now).
Now that I'm over 40, I wanted to re-read it and see if it still resonated the same with me. Most of it did (it's still in the top ten), but I found some parts of the book hasn't withstood the test of time. Frank Bascombe overthinks everything and doesn't quite understand his own privilege (a very new concept blossoming in the Internet age). However, it's beautifully and keenly written and a great profile of a divorced intellectual learning to deal with grief in a very honest way. The book contains one of my favorite quotes, and I feel like it summarizes the book wholly:
Now that I'm over 40, I wanted to re-read it and see if it still resonated the same with me. Most of it did (it's still in the top ten), but I found some parts of the book hasn't withstood the test of time. Frank Bascombe overthinks everything and doesn't quite understand his own privilege (a very new concept blossoming in the Internet age). However, it's beautifully and keenly written and a great profile of a divorced intellectual learning to deal with grief in a very honest way. The book contains one of my favorite quotes, and I feel like it summarizes the book wholly:
"For now let me say only this: if sportswriting teaches you anything, and there is much truth to it as well as plenty of lies, it is that for your life to be worth anything you must sooner or later face the possibility of terrible, searing regret. Though you must also manage to avoid it or your life will be ruined. I believe I have done these two things. Faced down regret. Avoided ruin. And I am here to tell about it."
ryno23's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve tried for several days to come up with the ultimate review of this book. But what it means to me means little to you. Sorry.
Yes, this story is about the week in the life of a divorced sportswriter whose child passed away a few years previous. I was a sportswriter for 12 years, but I haven’t been divorced nor lost a child. Frank didn’t know much about sports, but loved the human-interest story. I was the opposite.
But in reality, this book had very little to do about sports and all about life. Frank was 38 in this story, but I saw myself in my 20s, in my 30-40s, and even now in Frank’s tale. Wonderfully written and will mean more to those that are able to connect.
Yes, this story is about the week in the life of a divorced sportswriter whose child passed away a few years previous. I was a sportswriter for 12 years, but I haven’t been divorced nor lost a child. Frank didn’t know much about sports, but loved the human-interest story. I was the opposite.
But in reality, this book had very little to do about sports and all about life. Frank was 38 in this story, but I saw myself in my 20s, in my 30-40s, and even now in Frank’s tale. Wonderfully written and will mean more to those that are able to connect.
organicwario's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
termith's review against another edition
2.0
За почти месяц так и не смог дочитать. Слишком сложно для меня оказалось, но при должном настрое, думаю, это отличный роман.
brianlokker's review against another edition
5.0
It’s not so easy to like Frank Bascombe, the sportswriter of the title. But it certainly is easy to like Richard Ford’s writing. In the hands of a lesser writer, this would be a 4-star book for me, but the beautiful writing elevates it to 5-star status.
Frank is just shy of 39 years old. When he was younger, he published a well-received book of short stories and began working on a novel. But instead, he accepted an offer to write for a sports magazine in New York. Justifying his decision, he says, “It is no loss to mankind when one writer decides to call it a day.” He and his wife moved to New Jersey, started a family, and had a successful if conventional suburban life.
Now Frank is a man in pain, mourning the death of his young son Ralph a few years earlier and still trying to find a way to live with a huge hole in his heart. In the wake of Ralph’s death, he allowed his marriage to fall apart. He had affairs and seemingly lost the desire and ability to communicate with his wife (to whom he refers only as “X”).
After their amicable divorce, Frank and X have continued to live in the same suburban town. But Frank really lives mostly in his head. He writes his sports pieces, but he doesn’t really connect with the athletes he writes about. He’s joined a local group of divorced men, but he avoids getting close to them. He is currently involved with Vicki, a vivacious young nurse, whom he’s invited to accompany him to Detroit on a work assignment. The relationship looks promising, but can he get close to her?
When I say it’s not so easy to like Frank, what I mean is that the existential crisis that consumes him throughout the Easter weekend during which this book is set can become maddening after a while. Frank is the first-person narrator, so we spend a lot of time with him in his head. He analyzes everything, and then he has a talent for saying or doing the wrong thing at critical moments. It’s clear (to me, at least) that Frank is a good guy, but he’s lost. There may be a glimmer of hope for him at the end, but I guess I’ll have to read the other three books in the series to learn how it ultimately works out.
All in all, I definitely recommend The Sportswriter. Richard Ford writes beautiful prose and vivid characters, even if they’re not always one hundred percent likable.
Frank is just shy of 39 years old. When he was younger, he published a well-received book of short stories and began working on a novel. But instead, he accepted an offer to write for a sports magazine in New York. Justifying his decision, he says, “It is no loss to mankind when one writer decides to call it a day.” He and his wife moved to New Jersey, started a family, and had a successful if conventional suburban life.
Now Frank is a man in pain, mourning the death of his young son Ralph a few years earlier and still trying to find a way to live with a huge hole in his heart. In the wake of Ralph’s death, he allowed his marriage to fall apart. He had affairs and seemingly lost the desire and ability to communicate with his wife (to whom he refers only as “X”).
After their amicable divorce, Frank and X have continued to live in the same suburban town. But Frank really lives mostly in his head. He writes his sports pieces, but he doesn’t really connect with the athletes he writes about. He’s joined a local group of divorced men, but he avoids getting close to them. He is currently involved with Vicki, a vivacious young nurse, whom he’s invited to accompany him to Detroit on a work assignment. The relationship looks promising, but can he get close to her?
When I say it’s not so easy to like Frank, what I mean is that the existential crisis that consumes him throughout the Easter weekend during which this book is set can become maddening after a while. Frank is the first-person narrator, so we spend a lot of time with him in his head. He analyzes everything, and then he has a talent for saying or doing the wrong thing at critical moments. It’s clear (to me, at least) that Frank is a good guy, but he’s lost. There may be a glimmer of hope for him at the end, but I guess I’ll have to read the other three books in the series to learn how it ultimately works out.
All in all, I definitely recommend The Sportswriter. Richard Ford writes beautiful prose and vivid characters, even if they’re not always one hundred percent likable.
oryx27's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
slothrop's review against another edition
4.0
This book was difficult. It was mature and older than I am, its life and characters and feelings and understandings. It also had nearly nothing to do with sports, thank god.
At first, I didn't understand the point of the story. It meandered and veered and discussed and was altogether introspective of its narrator and main character, Frank Bascombe. A relatively simple man who craves simplicity in life, but has been handed extraordinary hands of fate. A dead son, a sleepy fugue state that leads to a rather crushing divorce, a career switch, death of his dreams, loss of almost all important relationships save his two living children, who are too young to interpret their father's futile grasp for normalcy and ease. Not even by page 70 (my go-to for a novel-understanding benchmark) was I under the impression that I even liked this book. I'd say by maybe page 200 or so (of 375) I realized all was not for naught. Suddenly it clicked with me that this was a novel about the everyman, the rogue humans, the artists, the welders, the stockbrokers, the politicians, the teachers, the writers -- it was about death and secrets and spirituality and anxiety and happiness and ultimately the power of forward thinking, optimism, and honesty. And I'd say though it had a cynical air through most of the novel, both Frank and I suppose Ford understand that happiness is possible every day, but it's not always easy. Life doesn't hand you what you ask for, but whether what you get is better or worse isn't for you to curse or thank. You keep rolling with the punches, smile and bear it, enjoy the journey.
P.s. the writing was of a master. The voice was consistent, the echoes of Faulkner palpable. What I like about Ford is what I love about DeLillo -- the frankness of their written truths in a solid simple sentence. It was astounding to read such a persuasive written work.
At first, I didn't understand the point of the story. It meandered and veered and discussed and was altogether introspective of its narrator and main character, Frank Bascombe. A relatively simple man who craves simplicity in life, but has been handed extraordinary hands of fate. A dead son, a sleepy fugue state that leads to a rather crushing divorce, a career switch, death of his dreams, loss of almost all important relationships save his two living children, who are too young to interpret their father's futile grasp for normalcy and ease. Not even by page 70 (my go-to for a novel-understanding benchmark) was I under the impression that I even liked this book. I'd say by maybe page 200 or so (of 375) I realized all was not for naught. Suddenly it clicked with me that this was a novel about the everyman, the rogue humans, the artists, the welders, the stockbrokers, the politicians, the teachers, the writers -- it was about death and secrets and spirituality and anxiety and happiness and ultimately the power of forward thinking, optimism, and honesty. And I'd say though it had a cynical air through most of the novel, both Frank and I suppose Ford understand that happiness is possible every day, but it's not always easy. Life doesn't hand you what you ask for, but whether what you get is better or worse isn't for you to curse or thank. You keep rolling with the punches, smile and bear it, enjoy the journey.
P.s. the writing was of a master. The voice was consistent, the echoes of Faulkner palpable. What I like about Ford is what I love about DeLillo -- the frankness of their written truths in a solid simple sentence. It was astounding to read such a persuasive written work.