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32nd out of 86 books
—
217 voters
Again to Carthage
John L. Parker, Jr.’s first novel, Once a Runner, is the cult novel for runners. Self-published in the late 1970s, and for years sold out of the trunk of the author’s car at running events, it went on to sell over 100,000 copies and achieve legendary status among runners.
It perfectly captured the intensity, relentlessness, and sheer lunacy of a serious miler’s life. Kenny...more
It perfectly captured the intensity, relentlessness, and sheer lunacy of a serious miler’s life. Kenny...more
Hardcover, 344 pages
Published
April 1st 2008
by Breakaway Books
(first published October 1st 2005)
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I have just finished it and I think it is a good book. It is worth reading his "Once a Runner" first since "Again to Carthage" is a sequel to it. Moreover, Parker does not spend time introducing the characters and somewhat assumes that the reader is familiar with the first novel. OaR achieved a cult status among people who enjoy the sport. OaR is out print but copies are scanned in and available on the Internet.
"Again to Carthage" is a more complicated book than OaR. The characters are given a b...more
"Again to Carthage" is a more complicated book than OaR. The characters are given a b...more
I'm really disappointed. This could have been so much better. Parker's prose is enjoyable, and the narrative moves quickly, but the suspension of disbelief--on so many levels--required to actually enjoy this book is too much to ask. My biggest issue is the overwhelming abundance of anachronisms. I think it's great that Parker weaves in real historical events and people to make the story more "real." It was done much more effectively in Once a Runner than it is here, though. In Once a Runner, Cas...more
Parker really blows it this time- his book is a literary jumble, with lots of extraneous characters and a rambling plot. The writing is pretty mediocre, almost laughable... until you get to the race description, which is awesome. You have to suffer 300 pages to get there. Not sure it's worth it.
Parker's sequel picks up after Quenton Cassidy has become an olympian and now has to go back to something he has been avoiding: life. After establishing himself as a respectable lawyer though, he finds that there is something missing: his life simply is not challenging enough. After reconvening with his old friend Bruce Denton, Cassidy goes after his dreams one more time in an effort to qualify for the Olympic Marathon. Readers will be pleased to hear that Parker adheres to his nonchalant style...more
As a runner I really enjoyed reading this book. What I find interesting about Parker's writing is that instead of just telling what happens to the characters he instead paints a picture and right when you start to wonder where it's all going it suddenly all makes sense.
It's not a quick read as the writing doesn't lend itself to reading quickly but it's beautifully written and like I said I love all the parts that talk about what it means to be a runner. A really good book that made me want to p...more
It's not a quick read as the writing doesn't lend itself to reading quickly but it's beautifully written and like I said I love all the parts that talk about what it means to be a runner. A really good book that made me want to p...more
I really liked "Once a Runner" and this sequel is just as good. As others have stated, it's not for everyone. If you've enjoyed the pain and the pleasure of doing endless intervals, long solitary runs, and marathon racing, you'll connect with this book. I read a negative review on Amazon where the individual stated that the book didn't inspire him to get off the couch and start running. Those are the ones that just won't get it.
Only negative was the chapter devoted to one of his former college...more
Only negative was the chapter devoted to one of his former college...more
The second novel in the Quenton Cassidy series. I really appreciated the distance training aspects of this book, but I expected running to play a larger role in the plotline. I’ll admit I wasn’t paying attention much to his diving stories or some of the family subplots. It was a great story, and just as well-written as Once a Runner, but I was just seeking something solely focused on running to read at the time. I will definitely reread this book for the details, since they’re essential in showi...more
I loved "Once a Runner" but I found this one harder to get through. I had to force myself through some chapters that were entirely uninteresting to me. I love the main character, Quenton Cassidy, I think the author's writing is clever and often very funny, I love the running stuff, and the ending was good. But the writing seemed too self-indulgent, like the author figured his first book was so successful that he could put whatever he wanted in the second one and people would automatically love i...more
If you aren't a runner I don't think you could possibly enjoy Parker's books. The banter of group runs, the methodical, repetitiveness of training, and the agony of a long race are where Parker is at his best. The rest of the book felt almost like a story of his life (from what I can tell of his personal bio, his non-running life seems a lot like Quentin's).
I read Once a Runner many years ago, and in my head, that remains the better book. Of course, I was doing a lot of running then, and so I m...more
I read Once a Runner many years ago, and in my head, that remains the better book. Of course, I was doing a lot of running then, and so I m...more
Parker captures the essence of running -- the spirit, the pain, the joy. In this sequel to Once a Runner, we find the protagonist "all grown up" away from the sport. Parker offers intriguing glimpses into the "grown up life" of this former great . . . and then sucks us further in when it's time to reach back, dust off the cobwebs, and lace 'em up again. Not quite as good as the first book, but still . . . if I'm motivated to read and run with one book, well . . . grab me a gatorade and/or a glas...more
I enjoyed this book quite a bit, however it is definitely not for everyone. To get the full experience of this book, you probably will have to 1) read and enjoyed Once A Runner. 2) Be/have been a competitive runner and 3) Be willing to put up with about 150 pages of material that is unrelated in any way to the plot.
Readers seem to have a mixed reaction to Parker's at-times flowery writing; I think that it works really well at times, but it can also give you a sense of that kid in your creative w...more
Readers seem to have a mixed reaction to Parker's at-times flowery writing; I think that it works really well at times, but it can also give you a sense of that kid in your creative w...more
While I couldn't help but be excited to see Quenton again, this time later in life, as a piece of literature this book might as well have stayed hone on race day with the flu. Parker worked hard to keep the reader interested with a strong mix of training tidbits and personality-driven side stories, this time with a slightly aging, wiser Quenton as the reader's viewing lens, but the hard and fast material Parker creates just doesn't hold water. The book feels as though Parker is working too hard...more
I know it seems like blasphemy to only give three stars to any book about Quenton Cassidy, but only about 3/5ths of the book is any good, so it seems appropriate. The first half is slow-moving, and hardly mentions running in any way. Parker is clearly trying to show the new world of Cassidy, which would be fine, if it was interesting at all, or if we found any reason to care about this new cast of characters. Maybe someone who is as into fishing as Once A Runner fans are into running, would appr...more
Even though I had been waiting for years for this book to come out, when I finally got a copy I found myself hesitating to open it. I just really expected to be disappointed: sequels to classics are never as good as the original, and hadn't John L. Parker already shared all his best insights in Once a Runner?
Indeed, through the first 1/3 of the book, Again to Carthage met my expectations. Parker's writing style was still the same, but the plot developed slowly, tragedies happened to characters w...more
Indeed, through the first 1/3 of the book, Again to Carthage met my expectations. Parker's writing style was still the same, but the plot developed slowly, tragedies happened to characters w...more
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The perfect book to read the week before I fly to Houston to watch the Olympic marathon trials and run the marathon on Sunday! Definitely a must read for any marathon runner. I loved 'Once a Runner' and thought this one would be even better because it was about the main character now older and coming back to running to train for a marathon. I think there were actually more good passages in 'Once a Runner' but I really enjoyed this one too. I just wish he didn't spend the first two thirds of the...more
so i fell into 'once a runner' completely by accident, enjoyed it much, i was compelled to pick up this sequel. much like murakami's 'what i talk about when i talk about running', the subject matter is indeed running -- this time qualifying for the olympic marathon team -- and yet has nothing to do with running. highly recommended for the former, current, and hoping-to-be shuffler or serious strider, a book about growth and change and perseverance well worth reading.
John Parker writes well, and this follow-up to "Once A Runner", demonstrates the development of a more polished style since that title was published. However his 'voice' hasn't materially changed - which is a good thing.
While I did not always understand the reason for some of the detail he included, the over-all story was engaging. It is perhaps a more enjoyable read if one is a runner or 'into' running - but it is very readable without that connection.
While I did not always understand the reason for some of the detail he included, the over-all story was engaging. It is perhaps a more enjoyable read if one is a runner or 'into' running - but it is very readable without that connection.
At first I didn't like this book very much. I was annoyed by the detail given about the weekend fishing trips and such. Once Cassidy goes to NC to attend a funeral, though, the story shifted. And then the earlier details fit perfectly into the rest of the story.
It's a corny book about running. But, I enjoyed it. It's also better written than Once a Runner. If you're a runner dork, I think you'd like both books.
It's a corny book about running. But, I enjoyed it. It's also better written than Once a Runner. If you're a runner dork, I think you'd like both books.
A fitting, satisfying sequel to Once a Runner. This was a "bigger" piece of work, and some might say it carried more irrelevant baggage, but it felt more like a really good book and less like a cult classic. I can't imagine it would be as enjoyable if one hadn't read the first book. All in all, Parker is highly readable, the story moves briskly, the charachters remain interesting and compelling, and the story holds together nicely. I liked it enough to stay up well into the morning (on a work da...more
The sequel to "Once a Runner" and a welcome Christmas gift. Catches up with our hero and Olympic 1,500 gold medalist, Quenton Cassidy, who decides to give the Olympics – this time as a marathoner-- another shot after a couple personal tragedies make him rethink his life. The story was good, but the atmospherics and geography of the south and Blue Ridge mountains raised the book’s impact.
Decent story. Nowhere near as good as the first. Felt like an unnecessary tack on to the end of the story driven by reasons other than that the author had more story to tell. I wish the author had been clearer about the timeline. It was too hard to place a lot of things jumping around from Vietnam (though references to the Tet offensive seemed out of place given that it had to be after 1972 (assuming the first book took place shortly after the Munich games). Then suddenly it was years later, see...more
This book is a sequal to "Once a Runner," written by Parker over 25 years ago. The latter is considered by many as best novel about running ever written. I wouldn't know. It's out of print; I can't find it in the library; and a copy will run you over $200. I figured if nothing else, buying it at $24 would be an investment.
"Again to Carthage" spends a little too much time catching up with the life of its main character, Quenton Cassidy, who won a silver medal in the Olympics as a miler, and decid...more
"Again to Carthage" spends a little too much time catching up with the life of its main character, Quenton Cassidy, who won a silver medal in the Olympics as a miler, and decid...more
Welp, finished it in 2 days. Amazing. If Once A Runner gets like a 98%, this is a solid 97.5%. It's good in a different way too. The second half of the book is still mostly training, but not quite as intense, and the first half of the book is certainly a lot darker. I thought it was awesome, and once again, anyone who's ever run should read it.
The sequel to Once a Runner, this book initially seems like a cheap attempt to sell two novels for the effort of one book. However, this book grew on me. Again, John Parker draws parallels with the real world, both in events of the Cold War, and in the power trips of the athletics governing bodies.
This may not be the novel for someone into masterpieces of fiction, but it was an easy read and kept my interest.
This may not be the novel for someone into masterpieces of fiction, but it was an easy read and kept my interest.
Loved even more than Once a Runner. The miler training in Florida (2 things I know nothing about) becomes a marathoner training in Western North Carolina (2 things I hold dear). Besides my affinity to the subject matter, it's well-written and beautifully described the insanity that goes through the long distance runner's mind.
Oct 13, 2011
Rachel C.
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who has run, or wants to run, a marathon
Shelves:
sports,
pop-fic-general
I got this for Abby's birthday present and once again I couldn't resist a look-see before the official gifting.
The character development's a little thin but the running stuff is great, engrossing to even an anti-running sluggard like me. It also builds up to a thrilling, visceral finale.
Abby, I hope you like it!
The character development's a little thin but the running stuff is great, engrossing to even an anti-running sluggard like me. It also builds up to a thrilling, visceral finale.
Abby, I hope you like it!
Not as good as Once a Runner, but, as my review states, still a worthwhile read. This one should be more relevant for most of us "mature" runners, especially those who target marathons, but it is a bit too fanciful at times.
The sequel to Once A Runner. Read over my trip to Victoria. I thought I'd bring a running book on a weekend I was doing a marathon :)
Not bad. Much, much less running and training in this one than in Once A Runner. The story is interesting enough if you liked Cassidy from Once.
Not bad. Much, much less running and training in this one than in Once A Runner. The story is interesting enough if you liked Cassidy from Once.
Not as good as "Once a Runner", but still worth reading. The book meanders around for about 150 pages before it really gets going. Once it gets to the running part, it is much stronger, though there are some silly scenes that could have easily been eliminated, most particularly the ridiculous subplot about PEDs. Cassidy's return to competitive racing is motivated by the deaths of some people close to him, but one of those characters makes no appearance at all and another barely does, so it is di...more
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John L. Parker Jr. has written for Outside, Runner’s World, and numerous other publications. He was the Southeastern Conference mile champion three times, and the United States Track and Field Federation national champion in the steeplechase, and was the teammate of Olympians Frank Shorter, Jack Bacheler, and Jeff Galloway on several championship cross-country teams. A graduate of the University o...more
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