Shoeless Joe
by W.P. Kinsella
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 628)
Read in March, 2008
Well it’s supposed to be about dreams, magic, life and not about baseball...wrong it’s about baseball and an American understanding that baseball is a way to unlock dreams, magic, and life.
But I am not an American follower of Baseball so along with Underworld by Don DeLillo it went over my head (although DeLillo’s books first chapter was a stunning, lyrical depiction of the centuries’ baseball World Series final moments). So is Shoeless Joe...stunning, lyrical writing? No, assume woo...more
But I am not an American follower of Baseball so along with Underworld by Don DeLillo it went over my head (although DeLillo’s books first chapter was a stunning, lyrical depiction of the centuries’ baseball World Series final moments). So is Shoeless Joe...stunning, lyrical writing? No, assume woo...more
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How do you go from seeing a magical movie which still blows soft whispers over the pan-flute of your soul to the book which inspired the movie? How do you not envision the characters in the book as Kevin Costner/Amy Madigan/James Earl Jones? The only real answer is if both works of art were created out of fidelity to both the writing and to the author/director's vision.
This is what I discovered when reading Shoeless Joe. Despite the fact that the movie held/holds something special ...more
This is what I discovered when reading Shoeless Joe. Despite the fact that the movie held/holds something special ...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
people who like baseball
Even though I didn't like baseball, I decided to read it because I've seen the movie, "Field of Dreams." I liked the book, I thought it was clever, but at the same time, I really hated how the author kept bringing in the guy's disdain for religion, and for all those who actually practice it.
I didn't like him as a character.
Moonlight Graham was my favorite.
This is the story of how a guy living in Iowa, on his farm one night, heard a baseball announcer's voice te...more
I didn't like him as a character.
Moonlight Graham was my favorite.
This is the story of how a guy living in Iowa, on his farm one night, heard a baseball announcer's voice te...more
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Read in July, 2008
Had this in my collection for a long time then on impulse pulled it off the shelf to read (and after many years since seeing the book's movie version "Field of Dreams").
Kinsella is a fine writer no question, but the book just didn't come together for me. I know it was based on a previous short story, and maybe that is the version worth reading. Here, I found it boring and overly long (even at 200 or so pages). The "hero" Ray Kinsella was as unlikeable a main character as ...more
Kinsella is a fine writer no question, but the book just didn't come together for me. I know it was based on a previous short story, and maybe that is the version worth reading. Here, I found it boring and overly long (even at 200 or so pages). The "hero" Ray Kinsella was as unlikeable a main character as ...more
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I told you I loved the genre of Magical Realism.
I also love baseball circa 1930. So while this was a little early, I'll let it slide.
It's hard to avoid talking about the movie when reviewing this book, but that is exactly what I'm going to do.
I love the present tense style of writing in this book. It reads so God Damned well with the style of writing.
I wanted to marry a girl just like Annie from this book when I first read it. It's weird to fall in love with a woman in a boo...more
I also love baseball circa 1930. So while this was a little early, I'll let it slide.
It's hard to avoid talking about the movie when reviewing this book, but that is exactly what I'm going to do.
I love the present tense style of writing in this book. It reads so God Damned well with the style of writing.
I wanted to marry a girl just like Annie from this book when I first read it. It's weird to fall in love with a woman in a boo...more
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This book was the inspiration for the movie "Field of Dreams". While the movie deviated from it, and I saw the movie first, I tend to prefer the movie to the book (highly unusual for me!) But, the book had its strengths, too. In fact, as I was reading it, I was struck by its deft handling of inter-generational communication. Also, the handling of the dead ballplayers spirits ("If you build it he will come") was well done. But, the much-beloved movie tends to overshadow the n...more
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Read in June, 2008
Wow! I saw the movie years ago and I just picked this book up to have something to read at the beach. I was blown away. Kinsella has a beautiful way with language. As the cover says, this is not just a book about baseball. It is a book about love and memories, about the truth of our lives, and, in the end, like so many other great works, it is about fathers and sons and the heart rending distance between them that is filled with longing and love and the inability to express it. It left me in tea...more
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
Field of Dream freaks
So, I hunted this book down the summer of 2006. Two libraries in Denver I couldn't find the copy they claimed they had. Then, it was out at the public library three times in a row when I went looking for it. I finally found it, and it sucks compared to the movie. Books are supposed to be better than the movies; damn it, this one failed. I knew it would fail too, because I friend told me that. I read it anyway.....just lacks something. Hopefully he made money off of the movie rights.
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I admit I've always had a certain fondness for the movie, so when I saw this is the used bookstore I added it to my pile. As expected, the book was better than movie (surprise, surprise), though in this case I'd say the movie was really quite faithful to the book with only a few exceptions. But the book was definitely more graceful and more subtle than the Hollywoodization. I'd give it 3 and a half stars, really: quite enjoyable, if not mind-blowing.
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
baseball fans, writers, and maybe people from iowa?
A "grand slam." (Don't groan too loudly!) An easy read (it was in the young adult section of my library) but the prose is really lovely. The story is similar to the movie that was based on it, Field of Dreams, but has more characters, who are all much more interesting.
I learned about the Black Sox scandal and the class tensions behind it. Interesting!
I highly recommend it. I'd offer to lend out my copy, but I don't own it.
I learned about the Black Sox scandal and the class tensions behind it. Interesting!
I highly recommend it. I'd offer to lend out my copy, but I don't own it.
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Read in January, 2001
The premise for this story is so bizarre: an Iowa farmer clearing corn to make a baseball field, so the ghosts of ancient players can come and play, is odd enough -- but then J.D. Salinger becomes a principle character, and the pursuit of Moonlight Graham in northern Minnesota, who played exactly one half of an inning in his major league career. It works, somehow, and the story has dug its spikes into the hearts of many a baseball fan.
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Read in July, 2008
This is one of those very rare occassions where I found the movie (Field of Dreams) superior than the book. Kinsella's book meanders and the characters are flat. Most importantly, I felt there was no real payoff.
Having said that, this is still a good read. The love of the game and the richness of Americana is quite evident. A warm and loving book for not just fans of baseball.
Having said that, this is still a good read. The love of the game and the richness of Americana is quite evident. A warm and loving book for not just fans of baseball.
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This is the book that the film Field of Dreams was based on. I love that movie, makes me cry every single time he goes and plays catch with his father. Anyway, I've never read the entire thing, but did as part of my Baseball Fiction class at UNLV this summer. It's lyrical, maybe too much, but I LOVED IT. I still love the movie, but this book is incredible.
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Read in May, 2007
I'm pretty sure I can thank my romanticization of Iowa on W. P. Kinsella. Albeit, indirectly, through the movie Field of Dreams than through any of his books. But they still make Iowa seem magical to me.
I was disappointed to see in the short biography of him on the back cover that he lives in the Pacific Northwest.
I was disappointed to see in the short biography of him on the back cover that he lives in the Pacific Northwest.
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I read this book at the start of baseball season every year for ten years. Don't judge from the deeply flawed movie adaptation, "Field of Dreams." This book is required reading for lovers of baseball, and few things can more effectively get me in the mood for summer and long evenings at the ballpark with my dad.
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It took me a little while to get into this book because the beginning is very different than the movie (Field of Dreams), but once I did, I really enjoyed it. It got a little preachy about baseball in some parts, but overall a good read. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like baseball, though.
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I can count the number of times, in my adult life, I've cried on one hand. Then again,that's if I count the three or four times I cried reading this book as one...It was in the same day, to be fair. Nothing has ever effected me so deeply,(or is it affected?) as this book.
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Read in October, 2007
Better than any other author (if any other author has even made an attempt), Kinsella mixes the heart and soul of baseball with odd supernatural circumstances. While I read Shoeless Joe, I asked myself, "Why do we often think we deserve things other than what we're given?"
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The first two-thirds of this novel are dazzling, but Kinsella has some difficulty carrying the momentum through to the end. Once there, however, the reader finds appropriate fulfillment, though some would argue with the "deus ex machina" which closes the piece.
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Read in January, 2003
The basis for Field of Dreams. There are many differences between the book and the movie, but both are very enjoyable. I love reading about old-time baseball and this one, while not the most informative, does a good job of describing the feel of a bygone era.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.98 (545 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.98 (317 ratings) number of reviews: 60popular shelves
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quote
"'God what an outfield,' he says. 'What a left field.' He looks up at me, and I look down at him. 'This must be heaven,' he says.
'No. It's Iowa,' I reply automatically. But then I feel the night rubbing softly against my face like cherry blossoms; look at the sleeping girl-child in my arms, her small hand curled around one of my fingers; think of the fierce warmth of the woman waiting for me in the house; inhale the fresh-cut grass small that seems locked in the air like permanent incense; and listen to the drone of the crowd, as below me Shoelss Joe Jackson tenses, watching the angle of the distant bat for a clue as to where the ball will be hit.
'I think you're right, Joe,' I say, but softly enough not to disturb his concentration."
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