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The Natural

by Bernard Malamud, Kevin Baker (Goodreads Author) (Introduction)

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 4,175 ratings · 329 reviews

The classical novel (and basis for the acclaimed film) now in a new edition

Introduction by Kevin Baker

The Natural, Bernard Malamud’s first novel, published in 1952, is also the first—and some would say still the best—novel ever written about baseball. In it Malamud, usually appreciated for his unerring portrayals of postwar Jewish life, took on very different material—the...more

Paperback, 237 pages

Published July 7th 2003 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (first published 1952)

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Sep 22, 2007 Mandy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

One of the most over-rated novels in all of American Literature. Malamud cannot write. Or he writes like a 13-year-old boy would write. It baffles me -- baffles me! -- why this book is considered a classic and why on earth we would teach it to high school students. It must be because it's about baseball. Big farkin' deal. Do yourself a favor -- skip the book and watch the movie. Redford is excellent in the film and gives the story more depth than the author ever could.

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Nov 30, 2006 Jacques Bromberg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: prose-fiction

Malamud's prose is elegant and evocative, and made this novel a pleasure to read. So different from the film! Roy Hobbs is larger than life, and not just in the way he swings the bat; his story is a charming, if occasionally repugnant, fable that doesn't turn a blind eye to human nature. The characters are well-drawn and familiar types, and the plot rushes you along like the ghostly train of Roy's nightmares. It was hard to put down. Thanks, Elizabeth!!

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May 18, 2011 bup rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 2009, baseball

I can't believe how little Malamud apparently knew baseball. I tried to understand this book three different ways - first, as a remarkable story set in the real world. NFW. Second, as a surreal fairy-tale/morality play, a la Coelho's The Alchemist. No, Malamud simply seems to believe what he wrote too much. I mean, there are obviously surreal elements, but Malamud didn't make the full commitment. It's just not that. Third, as a kid's book. Almost, until you get to the end. He really thought he h...more

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Dec 02, 2008 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book should be taught as a staple of contemporary fiction, as a sort of companion piece and counterpoint of (or would it be validation of?) The Great Gatsby. It is a truly impressive and imminently readable book, although it has all the trappings of a Literary Novel. What's nice about this book, just like Gatsby, is that the function of all those elements of modern storytelling, i.e., literary allusions and existential metaphors, doesn't actually supplant the action of the story. The plot i...more

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Jun 07, 2013 Shaun rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Natural, by Bernard Malamud, is a book about an old baseball player trying to reenter the game again. When he was young, Roy Hobbs had a ton of potential to be a really good baseball player, and was on his way to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs when a youthful mistake caused him to be shot. Set in the 1930’s, he’s 35 and trying to come back and play again for the fictional MLB team the New York Knights. The book is a touching story about a man who is trying to achieve what he always dreamed o...more The Natural, by Bernard Malamud, is a book about an old baseball player trying to reenter the game again. When he was young, Roy Hobbs had a ton of potential to be a really good baseball player, and was on his way to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs when a youthful mistake caused him to be shot. Set in the 1930’s, he’s 35 and trying to come back and play again for the fictional MLB team the New York Knights. The book is a touching story about a man who is trying to achieve what he always dreamed of achieving: being the best in the game.

The New York Knights are horrible, but Roy manages to get them to the playoffs. A side plot is that Roy is also trying to get the manager of his team’s niece to fall in love with him. There is a lot of symbolism in the book, for example, when Roy first arrives the Knights’ stadium’s grass is dry, but when Roy hits his first home run it starts raining and the grass turns green again. And Roy’s bat, Wonderboy, seems to be like Excalibur, yielding him great power.

Another part of the book that I liked is that there is a lot of superstition and luck that actually influences what happens. Baseball is a very superstitious game and the book perfectly reflects that. The manager warns Roy that his niece is bad luck, and sure enough, when he goes on a date with her he goes into a slump. Another example is when they seemed to have clinched the playoffs, they have a party to celebrate, but Roy gets sick at the party and they choke without him, tying with the first place team and having to have a one-game tiebreaker.

I liked the author’s style very much. The characters’ dialogue seemed like the characters were actually talking and it didn’t sound fake. The main character didn’t really develop, but that was kind of the point. Even though he is much older, his mind is still as if he was a teenager all those years ago. He makes some foolish mistakes that end up hurting him, but I’m not going to say what they are because it might ruin the ending, which was very satisfying. I can’t say how it ends, but it was very surprising and it completely caught me off guard.

I would recommend this book to people who like baseball, although it is not a necessity. It is a book set mainly around the game, but it is still a good story, and you would probably like it even if you didn’t like baseball. It is unpredictable and you definitely find yourself rooting for Roy and his team. You’ll feel bad for Roy when he makes a youthful mistake, and happy for him when he does something good. I think most people would enjoy this book.
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Apr 26, 2013 John Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bernard Malamud wrote a novel on baseball in the 1950's. A 19 year old boy named Roy Hobbs, who had a bright future in pitching in the professionals, was on his way to Chicago in a train to try out for the Chicago Cubs. He stayed at a hotel in Chicago the night before his try out he was shot in his guts by an attractive woman. He then ends up as a rookie at age 34 for the New York Knights who's manager was Pop Fisher. The author points out a theme in The Natural and was very descriptive on Roy's...more Bernard Malamud wrote a novel on baseball in the 1950's. A 19 year old boy named Roy Hobbs, who had a bright future in pitching in the professionals, was on his way to Chicago in a train to try out for the Chicago Cubs. He stayed at a hotel in Chicago the night before his try out he was shot in his guts by an attractive woman. He then ends up as a rookie at age 34 for the New York Knights who's manager was Pop Fisher. The author points out a theme in The Natural and was very descriptive on Roy's life.

In the book, Malamud mentioned "Without heroes we're all plain people and don't know how far we can go." He points out that everyone needs a hero otherwise there's no one to look up too. It's like we can't live a good and entertaining life without our heroes. In this book Roy Hobbs became the hero for the New York Nights because he dominated every pitcher hitting many home runs and helped bring them to the playoffs. Heroes become role models to everyone. Not only can you be a hero in baseball, but in life also. We don't know how far we can go in life or in baseball unless someone goes beyond the range. We all need heroes so that we know we can become better at what we do because the heroes were able to do it like Roy did in baseball.

First of all Roy had a bat he made and called it Wonderboy because he was going to make wonders out of it. He was just natural with his wonderboy hitting many balls into the stands even the bad pitches too. The author notices us that Roy always had an attractive woman with him to support him which helped give him strength in hitting. The news people were also trying to figure out about his past because no one knew who he was, but he never revealed his past for it was none of their business. He never played well when he didn't have a mate standing for him which gives brings his spirit high with wonderboy. Everyone depended on him in baseball to help them win games. If he was playing bad then the team didn't play well, but if he was hitting safe balls then the team followed him into a win.

I only recommend this book to those who understand the game of baseball because this is a novel of baseball. His style of writing is different unless you know baseball. Overall I thought it was a pretty interesting book because I got to visualize what baseball was like in the late 1940's and know all the adventures Roy goes through as a hero to his team and public. Malamud used many different language in the book so I had to keep looking up what he means, but other than that I thought it was fun to read.

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Dec 24, 2012 Eligah Boykin jr. rated it 4 of 5 stars

'The Natural' is a wonderful book about natural forces and the corrupting forces of the Big City. The hero has complete faith in his own ability and not much else, being too young to have fully developed a social and sexual literacy. He seems fated for Ruthian adventures and exploits, but is stopped in his tracks for perceived spiritual shallowness by a mysterious woman in black.

Fast forward to his 'comeback' and his adventures in the Big Leagues. These episodes come complete with a glamorous...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Saxon rated it 3 of 5 stars

I heard a lot of good things about Malamud and so I picked up 'The Natural.' After all, how much better can you get with a yiddish, Brooklynite writing about baseball? I read this book in three days and while I did enjoy it, I found some of the story to be a bit corny and over-the-top. I get that Malamud was trying to utilize the American mythology behind the game of baseball and those who play it to create something of a modern baseball Greek-like myth with his main character Roy Hobbs. It has...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Franz rated it 4 of 5 stars

While Malamud's novel bears a family resemblance to the movie version, the book's tone and theme more closely matches the film of the Black Sox scandal, Eight Men Out. Though the film appropriates the characters and some of the main outlines of the book, the book is much darker. Malamud's book is less magical than the movie version: Roy Hobbs less handsome and less personable than Redford's Hobbs, and more psychically damaged and more susceptible to corruption; Iris almost as redemptive but with...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-lit, baseball, contemporary-lit, pop-lit

I love baseball books. Almost more, even, than I love baseball movies. So you can imagine how excited I was to get my hands on the original baseball novel, which also happens to have been made into my favorite baseball movie: The Natural. I could wax poetic about baseball and the mythos surrounding it for hours. There’s something about the sport that lends itself to legend and heroes and the fantastic. The movie version of The Natural plays to this, clearly, but I think it’s so interesting how m...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Gary Hoggatt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, all-fiction, audiobooks

Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel The Natural is one of the most well-known baseball books ever written, aided no doubt by the Robert Redford movie. I'd seen the movie before reading the book, and it turns out that there are actually many major differences between the original novel and the Hollywood edition.

The basic story is probably familiar to many. Roy Hobbs, a 19 year old baseball phenomenon, is shot by a crazed athlete stalker before his major league tryout. Fifteen years later, Hobbs signs on...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars

A great novel and perhaps the greatest baseball novel of all time, The Natural is not without its flaws. First and foremost is Roy Hobbs, our protagonist, and his lack of likable traits. Roy is stubborn, shallow, and selfish. Everyone and everything in his life seems to only serve the purpose of appeasing his voracious appetite. For what does he hunger? For greatness, on the surface. To be the best at what he does. To fulfill his potential. To have it all.

I struggled at times to get behind the...more

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Jan 15, 2012 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is in a... strange situation in literature. Don't get me wrong, I think the book is fantastic, but it's also shaded by a pretty fun baseball movie which is purportedly based on it but which really isn't. I mean, the main character of Roy Hobbs is in there as are most of the minor ones, but the movie - and hey, I am not telling you that you should not like it, but you have to respect the difference here - completely gutted the theme of the book in favor of a more general "ain't baseball...more This book is in a... strange situation in literature. Don't get me wrong, I think the book is fantastic, but it's also shaded by a pretty fun baseball movie which is purportedly based on it but which really isn't. I mean, the main character of Roy Hobbs is in there as are most of the minor ones, but the movie - and hey, I am not telling you that you should not like it, but you have to respect the difference here - completely gutted the theme of the book in favor of a more general "ain't baseball grand?" one.

In my opinion "The Natural" is a must-read for anyone who has ever been interested in the Pete Rose case. Gambling is potentially a huge problem in sports because it can affect the outcome of the games. Sometimes fiction is better than dry fact in explaining why things are the way that they are, and this book is like that. I don't want to spoil the whole thing, but you know that bit in the movie where Roy Hobbs shatters Lightning and then he's rounding the bases and he's bleeding and then suddenly it turns into a scene of father and son playing catch? Needless to say, that's not in the book. The ending is... just a bit darker than that. Without getting into too much detail, this book is a classic American tragedy - since it's about baseball perhaps it's *the* classic American tragedy - about a man who attempts to overcome his personal foibles with God-given talent.

I think that the character of Roy Hobbs in the book is a lot more nuanced and, frankly, interesting than the Roy Hobbs of the movie. The movie Hobbs is just an everyday great guy who has an Eddie Waitkus-like run-in with a Baseball Annie but who is otherwise a pretty likeable guy. The book Hobbs is, well, a lot more like we think professional athletes as being today: more than a little arrogant about all things, super-confident about his own ability to play his chosen sport (is it arrogance when you know you're good?), boastful, brash... to me, the really interesting bits about a character aren't the things that he can do but that he can't or won't do. And unlike the movie Hobbs, the book Hobbs is full of can'ts and won'ts.

So yeah, great book. I should warn you, though: if you're already a fan of the movie, reading this may make you want to throw it out (or at least see someone remake it).(less)

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Jul 21, 2011 Elliot Ratzman rated it 3 of 5 stars

“Without heroes,” Iris Lemon tells the “natural” Roy Hobbs, “we’re all plain people and don’t know how far we can go.” The iconic movie was an idolatrous meditation on Nordic superman Robert Redford. The original book, Malamud’s first novel (1952), is actually a reverse of most of the pulp baseball story clichés, as strange and morally ambiguous as the movie is black and white. The Natural is the story of Roy Hobbs, a 34 year old baseball rookie, once prodigy without luck, wisdom or manners. Unl...more

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May 18, 2011 Lily Bart rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gloomy and full of sadness, yet lacking any real lessons or even a real heart.

What's striking about THE NATURAL is that critics love the IDEA of the book -- a Jewish-American writer certifies his "American" identity by writing the Great American Baseball Novel. Yet almost nobody who reads this book ever remembers any of the ball games -- or any of the characters -- or any American scenes or situations or dialogue. It's full of shadowy sureallism and all seems to be set in some twilight world dev...more

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Aug 28, 2010 El rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: late20th-centurylit

I mostly read this because I somehow had it in my mind that I was remiss in not having seen the movie starring Robert Redford, and since I like to read the book a movie is based on first, well. It had to be done. And it is done. Except now I don't want to watch the movie.

Roy Hobbs is, as the title suggests, a natural in baseball. He goes around talking pretty big about how bad-ass he is and how badder-asser he will be once he makes the big time... and then he goes and gets all involved with some...more

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Dec 10, 2009 Patdmac7 rated it 4 of 5 stars

... a splurge of freedom ...
... sleepless still despite the lulling train ... 1

"What I mean," he insisted, "is I feel that I have got it in me - that I am due for something very big. I have to do it. ... 32

"I think I know what you mean," he said. "You mean the fun and satisfaction of you get out of playing the best way you know how?" 34

It was a confusing proposition to want a girl you'd already had and couldn't get because you had; a situation common in his life, of having first and then wanting...more

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Oct 21, 2009 Steven Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Those who have seen the movie but have not read the book will be surprised. Bernard Malamud paints a much darker picture of the odyssey of Roy Hobbs. The book takes the arc of one person's career--Roy Hobbs--and weds it to a couple grim episodes in baseball's history: Eddie Waitkus and the Black Sox.

The Hobbs of the novel is wonderfully talented--but very human. In the movie, there is a prolonged slump after Hobbs links up with Paris Memo. In the novel, he sometimes simply has a slump. In the n...more

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Aug 23, 2009 Marianne Carney rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The Natural" was an exciting book to read. Right from the beginning the book really caught my attention. It tells the story of a boy around the age of nineteen, Roy Hobbs. He dreams about becoming a professional baseball player. When he tells a stranger he wants to be the best player in all of baseball, his life changes for the worst.

In "The Natural" the author, Bernard Malamud adds a lot of details. He makes it feel like you're in the story along with Roy Hobbs. He makes you feel the same emot...more

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Jul 22, 2009 Brayden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Malamud is a beautiful writer. This is the second Malamud book that I've read (the first being The Assistant) and I'm becoming a big fan. It's surprising that he doesn't get more credit as a great American writer. The Natural, while not quite an example of perfection, is very good. The book is the tragic story of Roy Hobbs, a man born with all the skills needed to be a great baseball player but who keeps getting derailed in one way or another. The movie with Robert Redford really doesn't do the...more

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Dec 21, 2009 MentorPublicLibrary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, literary, sports, steve-h

If you think this is the sweet story you saw in the movie with Robert Redford, complete with the overdramatic happy ending, you are in for a shock. In this dark tale, Roy Hobbs' baseball career is cut short by a crazed fan. Years later he has a second chance and easily shoots to the top of the majors with his skills. Along the way, Hobbs falls for the manager's niece, Memo, who is still in love with Hobbs' now deceased team rival, Bump Bailey; has a romantic fling with the past-her-prime fan Iri...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Much to my disappointment, I did not like the ending as much as I hoped I would. The ending has everyone in the book being screwed over. I will give this book a 4.5 stars.

Besides showcasing the negative aspects of superstardom in which money and fame not fan loyalty rule the superstars, I think the book also showcase the downside of middle class rugged individualism of going it alone without the help of anyone. I enjoy Roy's insatiable hunger for eating as an excellent metaphor for his ambitious...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Lyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

A reader who begins The Natural by Bernard Malamud after having enjoyed the wonderful 1984 film starring Robert Redford and Glenn Close will be disappointed. Like many books and films based upon the book, the two media are vastly different. This relationship reminds me of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Bladerunner, two similar stories but essentially different and made so by the necessary distinctions of the enabling forum. Both are fine works, just very different. First of all, Malamud...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Levina C. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels, the-school-forced-me-to, a-great-abundance-of-meh, fiction-réaliste

*Warning: High school girl on a rant*

I was forced to read this book for school, and, I knew as soon as I started reading it that I wasn't going to like it. For godsake, it's a novel that waxes philosophical about baseball, of all things, and dreary and cynical about life. Baseball ranks somewhere on the bottom of my list of Things I Couldn't Give Two Shits About right above Lindsay Lohan's arrest records and below Anime fanboy flamewars on Youtube.

Not only that, but it is also a bit of sublimin...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Longfellow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sports

Halfway through April and the Royals are still above .500. Alex Gordon is playing like Roy Hobbs - minus the four-base dingers; I haven't enjoyed baseball this much since the first two weeks of April last year.

I like Malamud's style. Realistic fiction turns suddenly to imaginative fantasy, and hyperbole serves as some abstract symbol. Roy Hobbs stays as enigmatic to the reader as he does to the other characters in the novel, yet it's easy to identify with his flights from confident optimism to...more

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Mar 29, 2009 Daniel Urban-brown added it

There are two Roy Hobbs in the world (sorry Shane Spencer): Robert Redford's Roy Hobbs and Bernard Malamud's Roy Hobbs. They are very different characters but it's virtually impossible not think of Redford's face when reading the novel. While Redford's Hobbs was a natural hero who used the sadness of his past as wisdom to ultimately triumph, Malamud's Hobbs is much more flawed and his quiet "triumph in defeat" at the end of the novel is questionable. When it comes down to it--Redford himself is...more

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May 16, 2012 Nathan rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It is rare that a movie stays so true to the core plot points of a book (With occasional, but significant exceptions), but so wholely alters the main character as to be almost unrecognizable. The film The Natural is such an iconic baseball film that it is difficult to not compare the two and to examine the book on its own merits. In many ways the film completely ignores the subversive nature of what Malamud was trying to accomplish. While the book attempts to pick apart the mythotholgy of the ba...more It is rare that a movie stays so true to the core plot points of a book (With occasional, but significant exceptions), but so wholely alters the main character as to be almost unrecognizable. The film The Natural is such an iconic baseball film that it is difficult to not compare the two and to examine the book on its own merits. In many ways the film completely ignores the subversive nature of what Malamud was trying to accomplish. While the book attempts to pick apart the mythotholgy of the baseball hero, the movie eliminates all of the darkness from its main character and instead plays up the cliches, ultimately turning the "mighty casey" into the hero.

As a character Hobbs is not entirely unsympathetic. It took some time to rid myself of the nostalgic and tender view I had held of Hobbs from my fond memories of his character in the film. In the film he seems to be a pillar of principle and purity being tempted by corruption. He is somewhat unnatural as a person. The film also paints an idealized portrait of his youth with a loving father who taught him the game. However, this appears, couldn't have been farther from the truth according to the book. While Hobbs is certainly no 40 yr old virgin in the book he

As a person Hobbs is probably a realistic portrait of a ballplayer. He is numbers driven, not at all humble and overly concerned with his place in the game. However, as his status grows so does his interest in the bussiness of baseball, and as it becomes clear to win Memo's love he will need plenty of cash. His sense of loyalty to the game and its purity is true, but with his playing days numbered he understands that he needs to cash in on every last penny even if it means, ultimately sacrificing his place in history and betraying the game he loves.

I give the book 2 stars not because it was bad. At times the writing style was overly wordy and long winded, but the descriptions throughout are wonderful. The writing captures all the wonderful intricacies and nuances of the game all the while poking fun and keeping the seedy underbelly near the surface. I gave the book two stars because in the end it just wasn't an enjoyable read. I wanted badly the climatic hollywood ending of the bursting lights and one last home run to stick it to the man, and despite Hobbs' shortfalls I pitied him when he realizes that his actions have once again cost him everything he ever wanted. (less)

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Dec 04, 2011 Ally Armistead rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have wanted to read "The Natural" ever since I saw the film adaptation as a kid, and I can wholeheartedly say two things: (1) the film is a very accurate rendition of the novel, and (2) the novel is really wonderful.

"The Natural" was Bernard Malamud's first novel, and the one he credits as being the "most autobiographical," which I find fascinating, only insomuch as Bernard and Roy are both "late bloomers" in their own respective ways. Bernard published his first novel in his late 30s, early 4...more

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Jun 01, 2010 Gio rated it 4 of 5 stars

The long complex sentences with detailed descriptions of America's game (baseball) and the heartfelt rendering of a middle aged man's redemption, all make this one of the best books I've ever read that is, until coming to the climactic end.

The baseball slugger / heavy hitter / sultan of swing / etc. lives in the minds of every baseball lover kid and grown up alike. American's by and large love their heroes and more so those that play on the baseball diamond. Yet it's now quite visible that our h...more

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Nov 30, 2011 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: big-white-square

Roy, the natural, is more "Captain Caveman" than "Prince Charming":
"He smiled, never so relaxed in sex.
But while he was in the middle of loving her she spoke: 'I forgot to tell you I am a grandmother.' He stopped. Holy Jesus.
Then she remembered something else and tried, in fright, to raise herself.
'Roy, are you-'
But he shoved her back and went on from where he had left off."

"She was lying naked in bed, chewing on a turkey drumstick as she looked at the pictures in a large scrapbook. Not till he...more

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About Bernard Malamud

Bernard Malamud was an author of novels and short stories. Along with Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, he was one of the great American Jewish authors of the 20th century. His baseball novel, The Natural, was adapted into a 1984 film starring Robert Redford. His 1966 novel The Fixer, about antisemitism in Tsarist Russia, won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

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“We have two lives... the life we learn with and the life we live after that. Suffering is what brings us towards happiness.” — 30 people liked it

“We have two lives; the life we learn with and the life we live after that.” — 6 people liked it

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