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A review by pipparature
Unstoppable: My Life So Far by Maria Sharapova
5.0
I love a good Sports memoir so I was keen to read Maria Sharapova's autobiography. I wasn't disappointed. With a sometimes humorous and always honest look back over her 30 years of life Sharapova takes you on a journey from her conception, in a region affected by the Chernobyl disaster, through to her youngest days in Sochi and her move to America as a seven year old.
Unlike many sporting memoirs this isn't simply a list of matches played and how she approached them and felt afterwards., although there is an element of that of course, she skims through a few of her professional seasons talking in depth about only her grand slam wins. The chapter about her first Wimbledon win is especially good. The characters she meets along the way, mainly the men in her life - her father, Yuri, agent Max and her coaches from her youngest days - are evocatively described, often with genuine love and affection.
Her drugs ban is elegantly dealt with and she offers an honest appraisal of how she was caught out which made me feel like she had been a little unfairly treated. Obviously, as the writer, Sharapova wants people to feel that way but I didn't feel like she was setting out to manipulate her audience. Like the rest of her book, she is honest, often brutally so and it's hard not to find that likable.
This is a fascinating account of an exceptionally driven young woman that offers real colour and personality to someone who is often thought of as a bit lacking in that department. Maria's strong sense of fun and love of her sport shines through, even though she claims that no top tennis player plays for love of the game. My opinion of her has risen since reading this engaging and interesting book.
Unlike many sporting memoirs this isn't simply a list of matches played and how she approached them and felt afterwards., although there is an element of that of course, she skims through a few of her professional seasons talking in depth about only her grand slam wins. The chapter about her first Wimbledon win is especially good. The characters she meets along the way, mainly the men in her life - her father, Yuri, agent Max and her coaches from her youngest days - are evocatively described, often with genuine love and affection.
Her drugs ban is elegantly dealt with and she offers an honest appraisal of how she was caught out which made me feel like she had been a little unfairly treated. Obviously, as the writer, Sharapova wants people to feel that way but I didn't feel like she was setting out to manipulate her audience. Like the rest of her book, she is honest, often brutally so and it's hard not to find that likable.
This is a fascinating account of an exceptionally driven young woman that offers real colour and personality to someone who is often thought of as a bit lacking in that department. Maria's strong sense of fun and love of her sport shines through, even though she claims that no top tennis player plays for love of the game. My opinion of her has risen since reading this engaging and interesting book.