The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song

by Brian Kaufman

Courtney Morgan is a female knuckle-ball pitcher trying to break into professional baseball. Parker Westfall is an aging slugger with one last chance at the ultimate carrot—a spot on a major-league roster. She’s gorgeous, and he’s having the season of his life. Together, they’ll try to change a losing team’s fortunes on their way to the big show. But when tragedy strikes, will their dreams still matter? The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song is about what it means to be part of a team, and part of a community in the heartbreaking world of minor league ball.

Genres: Sports, Fiction, Adult, Baseball

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 5, 2018

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can learn a lot about someone by their favorite baseball movie. Sandlot, Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own, Bull Durham, even Major League. This is because baseball movies are not really about baseball.

Thus also with The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song. This is ostensibly a story about baseball... and not.

We're introduced to Parker, an early-thirties, desperate designated hitter who settles for one more season in an indie league while he waits for a call from the major leagues that never comes. Parker signs with the Miners of Fort Collins, a team that ended the previous season in second-to-last place, with a roster of colorful characters, a mysterious owner, and a belligerent coaching staff out for Parker's blood.

They also sign a new pitcher with a perfect knuckleball: twenty-year-old Courtney Morgan, who, if she can hack it in indie ball, could have a future as the first woman in major league baseball.

But again, this is not a story about a young woman who makes it big in the cutthroat, male world of professional athletics. And it's not about the amazing come-back of a team everyone had written off. It's about the peace that comes with accepting a dream deferred. It's about the magic of community-building and the grace of age. It's about the pain of wanting something so badly that you live in denial of your chances of ever getting it. It's about unlikely but necessary friendships.

One of the most touching parts of this book is the blossoming friendship between Parker and Courtney. I was terrified at first that it would turn into a romantic relationship. My deepest apologies to Kaufman for ever suspecting he'd do me wrong like that! Instead it becomes a relationship of mutual respect, dependence, and inspiration. Parker is the only member of the team at first who sees Courtney's raw potential, and who wants her to achieve it. The others aren't openly hostile to her. Instead, they see her as "the girl," and see in her only entertainment value. They'd rather flirt with her and get her drunk enough to dance on a tabletop than invest time and care in her pitching. Alternatively, Parker decides to set aside his own feelings and do what's best for her, for the team, even when it gets him in trouble. By the end their relationship is deep, touching, and something entirely ineffable.

Each of the players on the team is wrestling with his own demons. There's the aging catcher (read: mid-thirties in professional sports god forbid) worried about how to make ends meet for his family in the shadow of an injury. There's the shortstop and unofficial team captain, who is relentlessly optimistic and pushes---nay, inspires---the rest of the team to put the work in to shape up. There's the professorial and quirky intellectual on a bench of jocks. There's the Lenny of the team, who absolutely knows his strength but is too dumb and hotheaded to use it wisely.

And then there are the fans, who Parker instinctively and charmingly rallies around the team as an unexpected cheerleading squad. Late in the book, an event of national proportions brings together the fans, the team, the coaching staff in a moment of sheer warmth and brilliance. I didn't see it coming, but it was both beautiful and a tasteful commentary on current events.

Every time I turned around, this book decided to be different from what I expected. I kept thinking I had it pegged, and then it would surprise me. Call me a faithless reader, but I should've known Kaufman would keep me guessing, keep me pleasantly surprised.

This is not a story about baseball. And I'm so glad it's not.

[Joy D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Protagonist Parker Westfall is a thirty-something minor league baseball player signed for one year by the Independent League’s Colorado Miners. Courtney Morgan is a rookie knuckleball pitcher, the only woman on the team. The narrative follows the team over the course of one season.

Upsides:
- Kaufmann obviously knows the game well – the in-game scenes are detailed and realistic.
- It portrays a platonic friendship between a man and woman.
- Teamwork is highlighted.
- The quotes that open each chapter are well-selected. Some address serious topics. Others are humorous.

Downsides:
- Parker, our hero, is, to quote Mary Poppins, “practically perfect in every way.” He works two jobs, supports his mom and sister, knows more than everyone else, takes the rookies under his wing, and rescues a drunk woman. His only flaw is his fielding.
- The manager is a cardboard cutout villain.
- The plot takes a hard turn at the three-quarters mark. Something horrible happens out of the blue, which derails the story and adds nothing.
- Lots (and I mean a boatload) of crude language and sexual harassment. I get that a female teammate may have to deal with some of this, but the author goes over the top, in my opinion.

I am a baseball fan. I tend to enjoy books that contain elements of the game. This one was a disappointment.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parker Westfall is a career minor league baseball player facing a crossroad in his career when he gets an unexpected phone call with an invitation to play for the Fort Collins Miners, an independent league team. He accepts and that is the beginning of a great adventure of one Miners season captured in this wonderful book by Brian Kaufman.

The reader will not only learn about Westfall and some of his secrets, but also about several of his Fort Collins teammates. Along the way, the reader is introduced to a smart, aging catcher who is trying to play through the pain of injury, an inspirational shortstop who pushes teammates to put in extra work, the manager who is stubborn and won’t show his players any slack, and even some fans who instead of attending games in the stadium will gather on the other side of the river from the ballpark and form their own fan club.

However, there is one other special member of the Miners and that is a young pitcher named Courtney Morgan. She is a knuckleball pitcher who shows great promise but because she blindly follows the instructions given her by coaches and the manager, she is struggling. Parker approaches her to help and she is very resistant at first. I had to admit that I thought this story would then turn into a sports romance novel, but it does not do so at all. Instead, Parker and Courtney work on their skills together and develop a nice platonic relationship in which the reader learns more about these characters.

The baseball scenes are realistic and describe good game action and interaction between opponents and teammates alike. The interactions with fans, especially when Parker and Courtney visit the fans outside the stadium, are heartwarming. Through these and other scenes which range from humorous to dangerous to maddening, the reader will discover the true beauty of this book and that is that each person involved in a baseball team will have his or her own stories and contributions to the overall success or failure of that team.

Finally, the ending was one that was a surprise as the book ends soon after the season does I did not think that each of the characters would have the positions they would eventually take after the season. There are no obvious cliffhangers but the reader does close the book wondering if there could be a sequel to this story for Parker and for Courtney, but in their own separate ways. This was a very satisfying conclusion to a very satisfying book.

I wish to thank Black Rose Writing for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not at all the book that I expected when I began The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song! In many ways I felt a little outside of the story as someone who doesn't have intricate knowledge of baseball, but even the games themselves were an altogether readable experience throughout the book. The best of this novel was by far the relationships between the characters, which were often characterised by quite funny interludes of ribbing and cynical descriptions of 'lad culture'.

The only real issues I had with this book were the occasionally insensitive language and the lack of character/plot development in places. There was a slightly uncomfortable emphasis placed on race and gender throughout the novel, which despite depicting a young female baseball player breaking gender stereotypes, was largely dominated by the sexualisation of the one female character. There are also infrequent, unnecessary characterisations of race, and at least one slur used - unironically - in reference to gay women.

However, the story itself was enjoyable, and it's an easy read that I would probably recommend.

[Sean Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a perfect example of how traditional publishing misses great books. This book, an indie title published through Black Rose Writing, is easily the best book I’ve read this year.

Parker Westfall is a career minor-leaguer. He’s never made The Show. For more than a decade, he’s been grinding out a career playing baseball in podunk towns for podunk teams, and those playing days are coming to a close. He’s given one last chance for a season in the sun playing first base for the Fort Collins Miners, an independent baseball team. If there’s one step below the minor leagues, it’s independent baseball. With no other options, Westfall signs on. When he gets there, the team owner asks Westfall for a special favor—mentor a young pitcher who throws a helluva knuckeball.

Oh, yeah—that pitcher is a woman.

The signing of Courtney Morgan could be just a publicity stunt, and the book could have turned into a trite, damsel-in-distress novel, but it doesn’t. Parker and Morgan don’t fall in love. Parker isn’t the white knight who teaches her the game, but rather a coach who helps her find her own way to play.

The book is a sweet paean to baseball, the unsung heroes who never get to be on baseball cards or interviewed on ESPN, and the tiny towns that keep the spirit of real baseball alive. As a baseball fan, and as a fan of good writing, this book falls into place at the top of my reading list (so far) for 2018. It’s one of those books that probably should have gotten more looks from agents or publishers. It’s one of those books that should get more readers than it’s ever going to get.

But, like the minor leaguers this story encompasses, sometimes what you get in the end is just good enough. I loved this book. I can’t recommend it enough.

[Katherine Valdez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an advance copy of The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song by Brian Kaufman, and despite not knowing much about baseball, was drawn in by the realistic, well-drawn characters, the humor, and the increasing tension surrounding the question “will they or won't they?” The question is about whether the team will prevail during an unusual season, and whether Parker and Courtney will become more than friends.

This is a baseball novel with characters I care about. I love rooting for the underdog, and Parker Westfall plays that part in this realistic portrayal of minor league baseball with a tinge of romance. It's easy to see why Kirkus Reviews called it “an entertaining, sweetly atmospheric baseball story” and won accolades from Jean Hastings, co-author of Making My Pitch: A Woman's Baseball Odyssey: “Refreshing and real. Read it and weep for all of us who love the game of baseball beyond reason.”

I love the abundant humor in dialogue among the motley crew baseball team; the budding friendship between Parker and Courtney despite her prickliness; and the tenderness with which Parker treats the minor league team's fans. Summer is the perfect time to dive into this novel. It's a winner.

[Patricia Stoltey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of Brian Kaufman's The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song. This is a novel of baseball, but you don't have to know or love the sport to enjoy the story. What you do have to love are characters you'll care about, a dysfunctional family of diverse and interesting people (in this case, a sports team), and an unexpected ending.

If I was a young woman trying to break into a man's world, as pitcher Courtney Morgan is attempting to do in minor league baseball, I'd sure want an mentor and protector like Parker Westfall, a guy making his last valiant attempt to move to the big leagues. I think their relationship was the part I enjoyed most about the book, but the whole novel is worth every minute I spent reading it. Highly recommended.

[Mark Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there a better setting for hopes and dreams than a baseball diamond? Probably not. Brian Kaufman exploits the sport to great effect in The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song. The title will tell you where this one is headed or at least how it will end. The novel starts in a bleak motel room. Parker Westfall, wannabe big-league ball player, is six beers down. He wants to play with the Mets. He gets a call from the Fort Collins Miners, an independent ball club. Double-A, two rungs down from the bright lights.

The word on Parker is that he has a year or two left. He might be out of shape. Parker is trying to get himself fired up for a team that can’t afford soap for the showers. “He’s hit bottom. The majors have given up on his as a prospect. He hit 31 home runs, and no one noticed.”

Soon, it looks like gimmick time. The team is bringing in a girl to pitch. She is Courtney Morgan. “Her eyes are a wink and murmur of something dark.” She throws a knuckleball and the team wants Parker Westfall to “smooth the way” for her as a teammate.

Is Courtney’s hiring a publicity stunt? Or does it mean a genuine chance for the team to improve? Smartly, Kaufman keeps it real. (At every turn, in fact, Kaufman takes the unsentimental choice; grit over cheap tricks). Courtney is not an immediate sensation. She needs coaching and guidance, and thus begins a long battle to gain her trust and show her how to improve her effectiveness on the mound. But there’s more to The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song than Courtney’s integration into the world of snarky, joking jocks.

There are bar fights, on-the-field scuffles, strange promotional events, road trips to Utah and Nebraska and beyond, and events from the real world (of true life and death) that play a role, too. There are losing streaks, there are winning streaks. The chapters are quick; Kaufman packs a lot of story into 187 pages—to great effect. Kaufman shifts gently from Parker’s point of view to Courtney and also to the Miners’ new manager, Grady O’Connor.

“Grady stands at the far end of the dugout, one leg on the steps. His team is up by two runs. The crowd is small, but vocal. The summer sun won’t set for another 30 minutes, but the evening air is crisp. Pink and orange clouds hover over the mountains to the west, painting the sky with color. He removes his cap, allowing the breeze to cool his forehead. Grady scowls and spits sunflower shells.”

Kaufman’s matter-of-fact style is also a cool breeze. Kaufman steers clear of clichés and easy choices. Think “Bull Durham,” not “The Natural.” Like Scott Glasser’s excellent “Battle Creek,” Kaufman’s minor league landscape is a crossroads. Not every career arcs up. Not every fly ball is a home run. A terrific book about baseball and much more. Truth, as Parker knows all too well, is a “great deflator.”

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best baseball book I have read!

I have to confess, I'm not a fan of baseball. But reading this book made me love it. You first meet Parker Westfall, a washed out, overweight baseball player invited to play for an indie league. It's way below his expectations for an offer to play but his desperation makes him take it.

He meets the team, the Miners, and it's being coached by a guy named Grady, who doesn't seem to want to help the team much, at least with things like soap. He rubs Westfall the wrong way. And then Westfall hears they have brought in a girl pitcher. A girl! Westfall meets the team's owner who encourages him to make friends with her.

From there, this story becomes more than about baseball. It's about team spirit, following a dream, and defeating the odds. I loved the character Parker Westfall and his contribution to the team. He is an endearing man, despite the fact that he is lying about his age. And I loved Courtney, who starts out being too defensive to hear good advice.

This book took me by total surprise and I couldn't stop reading it. Like I said, I'm not a fan of baseball, but this book is more than that. It's endearing and charming and I couldn't wait to see what happened.

I enjoyed this book so much and hope there's a second one. I will absolutely read it.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parker Westfall is a baseball player of a certain age, trying to prolong his career. He’s been living the hard life of the road, looking for his shot to go pro. But when the manager of the Fort Collins Miners calls to offer him a space on the roster, Parker fears that he’s at his last stop - an “indy” league. He is determined to prove them wrong!

I knew I was going to like this book when the first line was a quote from a Tom Petty song. The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song was a quick, easy read, but really evoked the nostalgia of childhood days spent watching (and playing) baseball. However, I don’t think you have to be a baseball fan to appreciate this book. The characters are all real and relatable, and the author painted an excellent picture of those struggling to achieve their dream - a common theme across many facets of life.

Another reviewer pointed out that the authors writing style was evocative of scenes in a movie rather than seamless chapters and I agree. It was a bold choice, but it really worked for me to set the tone. 3.5 stars!

[J Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song, a professional minor league baseball player, Parker Westfall, is looking for his big break. Instead he finds himself in the twilight of his career, with one last shot on an independent minor league team. Parker is embraced by his teammates, all of whom have their own personal struggles as well but who are looking for the same break. A young female pitcher joins the team, which stirs up conflicting tensions among the team.

The story behind this team of players is heartwarming and really makes you feel for these guys who are just trying to make a living while doing what they love. Kauffman writes in a way that brings these characters to life and makes you believe in them and hope for their success.

As a mother of young, aspiring athletes I totally connected with this book and could not put it down. Definitely an enjoyable tale that pulls at your heart.

[Joe Siple · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song is a beautiful rendering of an Independent League baseball season. Parker Westfall is a power-hitting, weak-fielding first baseman, trying to hold on to the dwindling moments he has left in the game. When he's charged with taking female knuckle-baller Courtney Morgan under his wing, the reader is right to think there must be someone better suited for the job than an aging, out-of-shape veteran who's prone to hit the bottle. But throughout the story, Parker's true colors emerge in a way that makes it impossible not to root for him. The bittersweet ending illustrates how a ballplayer's career is never long enough, and what follows--while potentially great--will never equal those days under the sun.

[Corrine Cassels · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've read a baseball-related book, come to think of it, I'm not sure I ever have. I loved this story. It was captivating and entertaining and beautifully written. It's a story with layers, portrayed by entirely believably flawed characters. I could see it being it turned into a wholesome, feel-good movie. It was laugh-out-loud funny at some parts and tear-jerking at others. I couldn't put it down and read it over a 24-hour period. I highly recommend The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song and am looking forward to reading more of Kaufman’s work.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Kaufman swung for the bleachers, and hit it out of the park with his novel The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song. The story has all the winning elements of a good baseball tale – the aging, washed-out player, a witty, Shakespeare quoting second baseman, and a female pitcher with an arm that can really snap the ball. If you like stories about teams coming together and becoming better for it, you will not only enjoy this read, but will find yourself wishing you could be a fan sitting in the stands cheering for the Fort Collins Miners.

[Kate McDougall Sackler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great baseball novel! It probably is up in my top five. It features Parker who is in his last year playing, in the minors, and finds personal growth while being a positive influence on his team. Also, I’m waiting for the day when female players make it into the “boy’s club”.
2024 nursery rhyme reading challenge-fat

[Jennie Rosenblum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a baseball fan. Not one of those, knows all the stats kind of fan, one of those I really enjoy the game - fans. This book took me right back to the hard seats, the smell of hot dogs and beer, where all the players may not look like star athletes, but if their heart is in the game, it shows.

For the main characters in this book, their hearts are in the game, and it shows. At a time when going to the game is not possible, or even watching it on TV – this book helped fill that void. So pick it up and read, you just might hear the crack of the bat too!

[April Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you're a baseball fan or not, the sport has a way of connecting all of us, through packed stadiums, television screens in the local bar, and even books. The beauty of The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song, is that it isn't just about baseball, it's about the fascinating and complicated lives of teammates, friends, fans, and family and the game that brings them all together. Superbly written; highly recommend.

[Liz V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sent to me by Patricia Stoltey. My thanks.

This book brought to mind the baseball that my mother loved. Pro players went to day jobs (no night games), came home to row houses, played sandlot baseball with the neighborhood kids and, if heroes, were so by virtue of their WWI military service. Much has been lost in the intervening years, and my husband and I never attended a major league game. We did enjoy, however, some minor league games--affiliated, so not as hardscrabble as the team in this book but closer to what once made baseball the national sport.

[James Roller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parker Westfall is almost on his last base. Not your average baseball hero, Parker represents the hero inside all the players through the years who never made it to the majors, but played for the pure love of the game. Forced to lie about his age, you might say his career has gone into extra innings, but in the independent leagues, you either move up, or else you move out. So, it’s no surprise that he finds himself playing for the Fort Collins Miners (and yes, I’m sure the pun is intended!).
At the other end of the spectrum is Courtney Morgan, a young female pitcher who made a name for herself and her knuckle ball in college. Now she’s trying to pitch her way to the next level in a man’s world. Undermined by the ineptitude and incapacity of others to embrace change, Courtney represents a sort of modern-day Willie Mays, breaking stereotypes and prejudices as she works against the historic expectations of what a baseball player should look like. She has a lot to learn, though, and so do we. Peppered with little strategies and insights into how the game of baseball is played, we gain the opportunity to become a little more intimate with the challenges that face all of the players, and a little more understanding about what might compel so many professional players through the years to chase an unforgiving dream that revolves around a little white ball, a wooden bat, and a webbed leather glove.
The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song is not about any woman’s issues with weight, but it is about a tune that grows louder on every player’s lips, and even Courtney’s, although she doesn’t yet know she’s already singing it. Neither is it about a game per-se, but really it hums about a reality we all have to face eventually. To play off of Kaufman’s use of quotes throughout the book, I’ll offer one from Robert Frost’s “Oven Bird.”
“The bird would cease and be as other birds
But that he knows in singing not to sing.
The question that he frames in all but words
Is what to make of a diminished thing.”

I use the quote to illustrate the theme of the book, not the work itself, and definitely not Kaufman as a writer, who is clearly at the top of his game in Fat Lady. My favorite aspect of Kaufman’s craft in this book is probably the masterful pacing he invests, showing the maturity of a seasoned writer who knows how to turn a story over to its characters. There is the typical grouchy team manager whose personal insecurity is at constant odds with any baseball manager’s need to corral the generally chaotic and idiosyncratic ne’er-do-wells who have dedicated their lives to childhood dreams and locker rooms with no soap. There is the second baseman who hears symphonies in the crack of the bat and romanticizes the human drama of an instant’s reaction into Shakespearean sonnets. And there’s the catcher who nurses one final season out of a shoulder with a tearing or torn rotator cuff. Together, they all speak to the ways our best or worst efforts can contribute to (or undermine) the success of those around us.
Described by his manager as “a potato” on first base, and as “a bean bag chair with a hat on it,” by the local sports writer, Parker Westfall is not the triumphant hero who brings home the pennant, or smiles coolly beneath the thunder of the grandstands. He is the anti-hero whose greatness comes in fractured bits and pieces, and Fat Lady’s drama builds slowly like a good ball game on a warm afternoon at the park. Yes, there are plenty of triumphs for Kaufman in this artwork. The rich imagery throughout draws the reader to personalize the reading experience in ways no movie can. The clever wit and commentary that pepper an engaging, patient plotline are edgy enough to provoke a mischievous grin, but not so crass as to detract from the play by play, or the compassion for anyone struggling with broken hopes and dreams. Still, rather than the glamour and excitement of the big leagues, this book is more about the slow, grinding descent into a dignified reality. Sometimes a walk and sometimes a bunt, Fat Lady’s strength and charm reside in the far-too-real conflict that eventually confronts us all. It’s about the courage and effort that truly defines us as we confront the end of a dream. It assures us that we can still win that last game, and we can still triumph that last season by drawing upon all that we have learned along the way, and all the love that compelled us to round the bases in the first place. Victory isn’t always defined in wins and losses, but so often is a product of how we conduct ourselves as we descend into a past-tense, has-been fading memory. Defeat can create heroes of us too, and it can be a matter of how we face that defeat that makes us great in the end.
Set distinctly in our modern time of cell phones and terrorist attacks, The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song has a sort of old-time, small town feel to it. The Miners are an independent league team that echoes a time before big league got too big to be small town – a time when ball players signed buckets of balls for fans out by the railroad tracks, and when kids found heroes in local sluggers who swing for the picnic areas. Fat Lady is more than another baseball book about glory or the roar of the crowd, and I won’t give any spoilers about whether it delivers some kind of blinking neon “lights out” moment like a minor league Natural. Whether Parker will even know when he is, indeed, on his last base is something you’ll have to read the book to find out, but I can tell you that the read will be one to look back upon very fondly. The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song is a grand slam for Kaufman, who I hope is just now entering the thick of his season.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Baseball is like church. Many attend. Few understand." I have no interest in baseball, but Kaufman - with his perfectly-pitched words and atmospheric descriptions - took me to the game. I started to understand the passion - if not the rules. An invigorating read.

[Lisa McCarthy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song is about what it means to be part of a team, and part of a community in the heartbreaking world of minor league ball.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parker Westfall is in the twilight of his career. He's recruited to a ragtag independent pro ball team with a poor manager to shake things up and bring the team together. He still has dreams for the majors but is just getting by week to week. The owner has also decided to sign up Courtney Morgan, a young knuckleballer, who also happens to be a woman.

Brian has crafted a very compelling novel, full of memorable characters. I found this one very hard to put down and loved it being set in the minors. The conflict between Grady, the manager, and Westfall was particularly engaging, as Westfall found the courage to bring the team together.

I was particularly excited, as a woman, at the prospect of a novel focusing on a professional female baseball player. I would have loved to have seen things more from her side of it. I also wished the author had not placed her there as a romantic interest for Parker, but had instead relied on her being of interest in the story solely as a ballplayer. Early in the story, as Courtney is introduced, the narrator remarks 'Girls are for dating, something Parker has avoided'. Compare this to 'Throw Like a Woman' by Susan Petrone, or 'A Season of Daring Greatly' by Ellen Emerson White, novels that explore what it means, and what it costs, to be a female ballplayer but also focuses on their value as ballplayers.

Putting this aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this story and the way in which they are able to bring their best baseball, bind their community and perhaps find their better selves. For Parker Westfall this book poetically explores what it means to chase a dream, to fall short but perhaps to find something beautiful and inspiring in the process.

Thank you kindly to NetGalley, Black Rose Writing and Brian Kaufman for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sublime Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating = 4.0
Storyline & Concept = 4
Writing & Delivery = 4.5
Cover Marketability = 3
Editorial = 4.5

The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song is a baseball player story told with authenticity from the heart, mind, and diamond. It is told in direct fashion while time releasing essential nuances throughout it. Both comedy and drama, it teeters back and forth between the players and their motivations, taking care to explore each one just deep enough to allow to empathy with them without making emotional, positive and negative, impacts that distract from the main storyline. Parker Westfall’s absolute last chance and hope for a shot to the majors leads the story. Parker’s game analysis will fill the reader’s mind and gut with pages of suspenseful and insightful baseball play and banter. The story reads fast and fun and will have one thinking about it when they are not reading it.

Sublime Line: “The Fat Lady’s Low Sad Song has the movement of the expected fastball, the tricky curve, and the unpredictable knuckleball.”

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song” is more than the best baseball book in a long time. Brian Kaufman weaves a compelling story as he captures the heart and soul of a ballplayer facing his last chance to reach the major leagues. It is a universal story, the sadness of talent that falls short of greatness, compounded by the difficulty of realizing that one must seek another path in life after having invested years chasing the dream.

Kaufman throws readers a knuckle-ball, introducing a female pitcher who might have what it takes to be more than a novelty act. That is, if the knuckle-head team manager could understand how a knuckle-ball should be thrown to be effective.

Interesting characters, inside baseball grittiness and a taut story-line make this a fun read for the Little Leaguer in all of us.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than any other sport, baseball has served as the backdrop for outstanding fiction, Bernard Malamud's The Natural, W.P. Kinsella's Shoeless Joe (Field of Dreams), and now joining that list is Brian Kaufman's latest novel, The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song. Kaufman's love of the game is evident throughout the story. He places the reader right there in the middle of the action. But even more impressive is Kaufman's love for his characters. His novel is populated with characters so carefully drawn, you'd swear you had met them before in real life. The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song is so much more than a baseball novel. It takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster where desperate dreams rush past and the promise of love seems just out of reach. This is a book to savor.

[RK Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

can’t say enough

this comfortably surpasses Philip Rothy’s Great American Novel as the best book on baseball I’ve ever read. words fail. Brian Kaufman is a master craftsman. as a writer myself, it’s been a long time since I’ve literally RELAXED into a book and let it lead me. that this man, Kaufman, is not a celebrated best-selling author is allegorical to the story itself. he is his own Parker, having here set records that can’t be matched while he patiently watches lessor lights ascend. I hope that HE doesn’t give up on The Dream, though. ideally, the reward for great work is its completion, but I can’t imagine that anyone that writes this well wouldn’t also like a little recognition (in his own time) as well.

[Cam Torrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent thirty years and a month in the military. I loved it--the people, the airplanes, the mission...it was what I was good at, and who I was. I didn't choose to retire. The rules of the Air Force dictated that. I would've kept serving even if they moved me from flying planes to sitting behind a desk in Finance.

Author Brian Kaufman touched me with a tale of a similar man with a passion so deep he barely understood it himself. Parker Westfall is a ball player. Always has been. It's who he is and he's good at it. He loves the people, the ballparks, and the game. He has no plans for anything else because it ain't over until the fat lady sings.

Heck yes, on this book! 5 stars--read it--give it to your friends. Brought tears I didn't know I was hiding.

[Jeanne Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting how every baseball story I've read bums me out. Love the game, but aside from the few big stars, it really chews people up and spits them out.

This felt authentic and made a fascinating read. The inclusion of a female pitcher was pretty cool, especially since you expect she's going to be great and that's going to be the main focus. Nope. It was the teamwork and club politics, friendships, and weird intersection of new players learning from those on the way out. Getting paid to play a game you love isn't necessarily all its cracked up to be, but this will make me more aware of the players--most players--who just don't quite make it into the stats everyone remembers.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story. I loved the writing. Brian Kaufman has created interesting, quirky characters, put them in a team in the independent minor baseball leagues and handed them pages full of challenges. At the beginning of each chapter there is a quote; some by baseball’s great players and coaches, some by literary notables, each one is a small gem.

This is a short book worthy of your time. Pay attention, there is much to be learned because baseball isn’t just “iced lemonade and a porch swing on a hot summer night.”

Thank you NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for a copy.

[David Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know or care much about Baseball before reading The Fat Lady’s Low Sad Song, now I do. And you will too. Through Brian Kaufman’s writing you will experience the hopes and heartaches of minor league players looking for a spot in the Bigs.
While following Courtney and Parker’s journeys you’ll get a lot of good advice about how to play the game. Highly recommended for fans and non-fans. 5 stars.