Million Dollar Baby: Stories from the Corner

Million Dollar Baby: Stories from the Corner

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91  ·  rating details  ·  907 ratings  ·  77 reviews
This hard-hitting collection of powerful and moving tales based on the experiences of the late, great fight manager and cut man Jerry Boyd, who wrote under the pen name F.X. Toole, is the basis for the Oscar-winning motion picture starring Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman. Breathing life into vivid, compelling characters who radiate the fierce intensity of the worlds they i...more
Paperback, 235 pages
Published January 5th 2005 by Harper Perennial (first published 2000)
more details... edit details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,415)
filter  |  sort: default (?)  |  rating details
Lou
dbc43b6eb7e8239032a36c8cc4b071c8, Uploaded from the Photobucket iPad App
The name F. X. Toole was the pseudonym of Jerry Boyd (1930-2002).

He was a boxing trainer and his writing in these stories clearly display his great knowledge on boxing.

His stories are through various characters in the boxing arena. He tells them through the eyes of the fighter female and male, the trainer and manager and the cutman. He sticks his characters amongst problems in society crime, racism, brutality and politics. He takes his characters through courage, lose, love, hope and triumph.

Th...more
James
Call it a low-blow (idiotic boxing metaphors get you a blurb on the back of the movie tie-in edition, right?) but it's not hard to see why Jerry Boyd "battled rejection letters for forty years." To use a favourite adjective of the cutman-author's, his writing ain't pretty. It's beset by sloppy, obtrusive exposition and grating attempts at mimicking racial speech patterns. Fine, whatever, I can deal with every Spanish-speaking character in "The Monkey Look" being saddled with seemingly endless it...more
Saman
Aug 19, 2009 Saman added it
Shelves: novel

اين نوشتار نه نقدي‌ست درباره‌ي فيلمي كه از اين رمان ساخته شد و نه بررسي و يا تشريح و ستايش همه‌ي عواملي كه اين فيلم را جزو آثار برتر سينماي جهان كرده است. بهانه‌ي نوشتن اين چند خط كه در پايين خواهد آمد، گفت و گويي بود بين من و يكي از دوستانم كه چند وقت پيش هنگام پياده‌روي با هم داشتيم. دوستم از من پرسيد: سامان، مي‌تونم ازت يه سئوالي بپرسم؟ گفتم: البته. گفت: تو خودت رو آدم خوشبختي احساس مي‌كني؟
پاسخ دوستم را در حد و اندازه‌هايي كه دوستي‌مان اجازه مي‌داد، دادم كه صد البته اينجا محلي براي بازگو كردن...more
Jacob
May 2009

I’ve never really cared for boxing, but in recent years I developed some interest in boxing fiction, and tough-guy manly-man fiction in general, starting with Thom Jones, moving on to Craig Davidson and mumblemumbleChuckPalahniukmumble (who hasn’t exactly written about boxing, but close enough). I know there are others--many others--but I haven’t read them yet. Now I can add Toole to the list. He was a lucky find: I haven’t seen the film Million Dollar Baby so I didn’t know the connectio...more
Windry
sebelumnya, saya benci tinju. buku ini dengan mudahnya mengubah pandangan saya *saya baru mengerti sekarang, kenapa saya dipaksa membaca buku ini. damn good!* habis sekali baca sepanjang perjalanan pulang dari Jogja-Jakarta (Bintaro) dengan pesawat berlanjut bis damri.

buku ini diterjemahkan oleh Banana dan menurut saya, ini salah satu buku terjemahan yang bagus. memang benar tampaknya, sebaiknya penerjemah itu bukan sekedar lulusan sastra Inggris aja tapi juga seorang penulis yang baik, biar tid...more
syam asinar
Dunia tinju ternyata bisa menjadi ide cerita yang luar biasa. Tinju bukan hanya gedebak-gedebuk! Ia juga punya filosofi, pelajaran hidup, dll. F.X Tolle bukan mengarang-ngarang. Ia mencatat, mengamati, belajar dan berjuang bersama para petinju. Million $$$ Baby yang kemudian diangkat menjadi film dan diperankan oleh Clint Eastwood dan Hillary Swank hanyalah satu dari 7 cerita pendek di buku ini. Ditulis oleh FX Tolle sebagai buah pengamatannya selama menjadi seorang cut-man alias perawat luka di...more
Fence
I bought this because I saw the film version and wasn't impressed. I'm not going to go into why I felt it was way over-hyped here, but it did interest me enough to read this book.

And I'm glad I picked it up, because these short stories are a lot better than the film. The author, F.X. Toole, was a cut-man and professional boxing trainer, and so he knew the business. He knew the people and the atmosphere and all of that comes across in the stories.

The best of the stories, imo, is Rope Burns. That...more
Ice
The story of the 69-year-old author of this astonishing first fiction collection is a salutary one; he wrote between gigs tending boxers in their corners as a "cut man" (who stanches the blood flow and allows fights to continue), finally got a story published by a small literary magazine, was spotted by a keen-eyed agent and achieved book publication.

It's amazing it took so long, because Irish-born Toole, now living and working in Los Angeles, is a natural. His knowledge of the bizarre world of...more
William Johnson
Wow. . .to use a cliche, this book was winning all the rounds and then just got stupid, forgot to think, and got dropped before becoming a champion.

This collection of boxing short stories is brilliant at times. . .actually every story until the final one. . .that it is sad to think I can't put it as a classic.

The book promises boxing fiction and it delivers for the most part. It is darker then the more uplifting boxing stories people are used to as it focuses on corruption, racism, and the cruel...more
J Hyde

What I thought about my book was that it was pretty good. I have read better but overall it was pretty good. I recommend it to people who like action.
The setting was usually in a boxing arena but for a short period of time it was in the boxer’s home. The plot was a guy that was a good boxer and he retired but his friends encouraged him to go back and to box again.
The characters are the boxer, the boxer’s trainer, the boxers opponent, the baby was probably the most important character of the...more
James
This is second time I read these stories about boxing. One of them is "Million Dollar Baby", which became a notable movie with Clint Eastwood and Hillary Swank, but I read the book before they made the movie. Good movie, better story. And, in my opinion, it's not the best of the bunch.

This is one of those sports books which transcends the sport. Despite the fact there's a ton of interesting information about pro boxing and it's lifestyle, or "the fancy" in the author's words, a combination of t...more
Luis Perez
This is a re-read for me. I think the second or third. A sure sign that I think a lot of it that I keep coming back to it now and then. I like short-story collections in general anyway, so bonus points for that. I think most readers who like short stories will appreciate this effort even if they are not boxing fans.

These are gritty stories, full of despair but also hope and they offer a lot of life lessons applicable to much more than just a ring of combat. It's a shame the author didn't live l...more
Michael
I read this book after seeing the movie. It is always a pleasure seeing a good movie, but reading the book and discovering the book is even better is glorious. The characters, the language, the dufferent flavor for each story. I know nothing about professional boxing and have always been somewhat rrpelled by it, but I came away from MDB with a new respect and appreciation for the people who spend their lives (and health) doing this. There are some unforgettable characters here- if you want to se...more
Endah
aku baca edisi Indonesia terbitan Banana Publisher (2006)

Judul Asli : Rope Burns
Penulis : F.X. Toole
Penerjemah : Basuki Heri Winarno & Yusi A.Pareanom
Penyunting : Akmal N.Basral & Yusi A.Pareanom
Cetakan : Pertama, Oktober 2006
Tebal : 357 hlm.

Saya tidak pernah suka nonton (pertandingan) tinju. Sejak dulu, sejak zaman keemasan Muhammad Ali hingga Si Leher Beton, Mike Tyson. Saya ingat betul, setiap kali TVRI - satu-satunya siaran televisi yang ada waktu itu - menyiarkan secara langsung pe...more
kinu triatmojo
Setelah Opera Jakarta dan Opera Jakarta-Hongkong karya Titi Nginung (pseudonim-nya Arswendo Atmowiloto)rasanya belum ada lagi buku fiksi Indonesia mengenai tinju. Langka memang. Oleh karenanya menemukan (diberi sih tepatnya :D) buku ini -meskipun bukan ditulis oleh orang Indonesia-cukup memberi kesegaran.

Buku ini merekam dunia tinju jauh lebih dalam dari yang umumnya dikenal awam. Alih-alih bertutur petinju sebagai sentral cerita, Toole justru bercerita tentang orang-orang di belakang kesuksesa...more
sydney
Don't be fooled- this book was originally published as "Rope Burns," and one story in it, "Million Dollar Baby," was turned into the movie with Hilary Swank. It's not one of those weird cheesy books that gets written after a movie comes out.

It's a collection of short stories about the world of boxing. Toole's writing is clean and straightforward, almost scientific. Half of the excitement happens in the ring, where Toole narrates each blow like a former boxer reliving the glory days. The other h...more
Craig Pittman
At age 69, first-time author F.X. Toole has seen his share of boxing scenes and he does a brilliant job of putting a reader into the gyms, dressing rooms and rings of his characters. His characters are another matter. In each story there's usually the same characters -- one of them an wily old white corner man who's clearly a stand-in for Toole himself. Still, Toole knows how to spin a yarn, particularly in the stories in the early part of the book. The best story in this collection, of course,...more
Mwil298
This book came to mind as I watched the preview of the Pawel Wolak vs. Delvin Rodriguez fight. Pawel Wolak has the monkey look and I had a feeling that something would happen around his eyes. It did. It was probably the largest swelling that I have seen in a fight, at least one that was not stopped. If you watch Friday Night Fights, you can see some of the roots of these stories, especially in the swing fights.
Vim
I got this book during one of my book club meetings. The cover caught my attention. Afterwards, I learned that it is a compilation of short stories about boxing and I wasn't that interested anymore. I mainly focused on the short story "Million Dollar Baby" and it was an enlightening read.

I guess this book isn't for me. I'm not exactly interested in boxing especially the somewhat dark side of it.
Julia
This book was a little hard for me to follow at first, mainly because I'm not really a boxing fan. It is made up of several different short stories. However Million Dollar Baby and Rope Burn were both very good stories. I had seen the movie Million Dollar Baby, so it wasn't as touching as it was the first time. But Rope Burn actually made me cry. If you are willing to step outside your comfort zone and have an open mind, I believe these 2 short stories will touch your heart!
Michael
This is the collection of short stories that included Million Dollar Baby. The book was retitled that and sold as a movie tie-in. And it sort of makes sense as Million Dollar Baby really is the best, most alive, story in the collection.

Written by F.X. Toole, a former cut-man, the stories are incredibly detailed about the art and science of boxing, from balance and breathing to adrenaline and below-the-belt punches. Most of the stories suffer from too much boxing detail and too little character a...more
Dan
If you like boxing, you'll like it. I really like boxing. At first I thought it was because I liked boxing that I liked these stories, not because it was actual literature, but that sentiment changed in the later pages of "Million $$$ Baby." Though I thoroughly enjoyed the two preceding stories, they focused mostly on the underground world of professional boxing, and therefore felt genre driven to me. "Million $$$ Dollar" baby went beyond this theme however in dealing with race, gender, religion...more
Jason Sydow
Easy read but rewarding. Gave me much to think about w/r/t race and gender relations in this country. Where we have been, where we are, and where we might be able to get to in my lifetime. How is that for a self centered review.
Kevin
Read this on and Metro North to and from CT years back. Skipped around and just loved every single stpry. So well written and the product of real life experience (which, sadly, usually yields only one good book).
Haircolor By
I don't know anything about boxing so I wasn't sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. There seems to be a lot that goes on with boxing, from the boxer to trainers to promoters. Nice look behind the scenes.
David Marshall
This is a timeless collection of short stories and non-fiction about the world of boxing and the violence and corruption that surrounds it.

http://opionator.wordpress.com/2012/0...
Angel Serrano
Historias del boxeo en Los Ángeles; donde un entrenador irlandés, católico creyente intenta imponer su código de honor en sus pupilos, que no siempre ganan, pero siempre pelean con gallardía y caballerosidad.
Tom
I read what must have been a pre-movie edition of this book, entitled Rope Burns. Highly recommended if you're into boxing writing. I can't think of any better boxing fiction out there.
Saya Hashimoto
I hated the author after I read the foreword (false modesty looks crap on everyone) but the stories, can't fault them - gritty and real (hah, see what I did there, total cliche).
Hirosasazaki Sasazaki
interesting short stories.i have read 3 stories including the tittle story which became the same tittled movie.
every stories are interesting.
hard boiled and bit humorous.
« previous 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 47 48 next »
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner (Hardcover)
Rope Burns:  Stories From The Corner (Paperback)
Million Dollar Baby (Paperback)
Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner
Million Dollar Baby (Paperback)

169610
F. X. Toole was the pseudonym of Jerry Boyd (1930–2002), a boxing trainer and author whose work inspired the award-winning film Million Dollar Baby. In 1988, Boyd began writing about boxing, using the pseudonym F. X. Toole to keep his hobby secret from his colleagues in the boxing world. One of his stories caught the eye of a literary agent, who sold Rope Burns, a collection of Boyd’s stories, in...more
More about F.X. Toole...
Pound for Pound: A Novel De sueur et de sang The Best American Mystery Stories 2002 The Dark Side

Share This Book

Your website