Trevor's review
Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players
by Stefan Fatsis
Oh this reminds me of pleasant evenings playing Scrabble with my siblings and grandmother when we used to visit my grandparents in their beautiful little cottage in England. My grandmother was probably not as obsessed as any of the people in this book, but I love the memory of her gleeful, devious little smile when she would try to pull one over on us. "What?" with an innocent look on her face, "of course it's a word." I can't remember now any of the specific words that she tried to claim were legitimate. I do remember that she wouldn't let me use the word "snot" because it was too vulgar, but really, I think, she was just looking for an excuse to invalidate my play.
There was something about Scrabble (and Boggle too) that really brought my grandmother to life. Thanks for bringing back precious memories.
Trevor's review
Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players by Stefan Fatsis
Trevor's review
rating:
First of all I saw a film called "Word Wars" which quickly became one of my favourite documentaries of all time and then a friend of mine at work lent me this book - and if you haven't read this or seen the film they are probably priorities.
This is the sort of book that allows you to say to yourself, "Gosh, truth really is stranger than fiction." Or perhaps, "It really does take all sorts to make the world". Either way, one is stuck with cliches.
I've never been very good at word games - something I'm a bit disappointed about, really - but if being good at word games turns one into someone like any of these characters. Well, look, it is probably for the best.
If you have ever wondered just what it would be like to have a vocation... No, that is possibly too nasty. But reading this book is fascinating if only because it is remarkable what you can train your mind to do. These people play anagrams - where they will call out a series of letters...more
This is the sort of book that allows you to say to yourself, "Gosh, truth really is stranger than fiction." Or perhaps, "It really does take all sorts to make the world". Either way, one is stuck with cliches.
I've never been very good at word games - something I'm a bit disappointed about, really - but if being good at word games turns one into someone like any of these characters. Well, look, it is probably for the best.
If you have ever wondered just what it would be like to have a vocation... No, that is possibly too nasty. But reading this book is fascinating if only because it is remarkable what you can train your mind to do. These people play anagrams - where they will call out a series of letters...more
Oh this reminds me of pleasant evenings playing Scrabble with my siblings and grandmother when we used to visit my grandparents in their beautiful little cottage in England. My grandmother was probably not as obsessed as any of the people in this book, but I love the memory of her gleeful, devious little smile when she would try to pull one over on us. "What?" with an innocent look on her face, "of course it's a word." I can't remember now any of the specific words that she tried to claim were legitimate. I do remember that she wouldn't let me use the word "snot" because it was too vulgar, but really, I think, she was just looking for an excuse to invalidate my play.
There was something about Scrabble (and Boggle too) that really brought my grandmother to life. Thanks for bringing back precious memories.