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Review
"A brilliant and unusually fine novel." --"The New York Times"
"A preposterously readable story about life." --"Time"
"Malamud [holds a] high and honored place among contemporary American writers." --"Washington Post Book World"
"The finest novel about baseball since Ring Lardner left the scene." --"St. Louis Post-Dispatch"
"A preposterously readable story about life." --"Time"
"Malamud [holds a] high and honored place among contemporary American writers." --"Washington Post Book World"
"The finest novel about baseball since Ring Lardner left the scene." --"St. Louis Post-Dispatch"
Product Description
This is a book about heroism, and it is a strange one. What makes Roy Hobbs potentially a hero is his immense natural gift for playing baseball. When he is quite young he already knows that he may become one of the great ones of the game, a player unmatched in his time. It is a long while before he finds a place on a major league team. His first attempt ends violently, at the hands of a crazy girl, and it is years before another chance comes. By that time he is not far off the age at which most first-class players retire. In a few short seasons, or never, he must make the towering reputation that he feels is his right. His brief career is both comic and tragic, and ends before he has proved what his stature might have been.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
I really really didn't like this book, at all.
My husband has an unusual interest in baseball. Obviously in America/Cuba/Japan etc. this is not an unusual interest, but in the UK where the sport is not televised on terrestrial television (I don't think it's even on the satellite channels) it is an unusual interest. As a result I have seen my fair share of cheesy baseball films which all seem to be made by Disney. Well this book was like reading the script of one of these films and seemed to contain every cliché going.
Now of course this book was written in 1952 and the ideas within the novel would not have been cliché at time of publication, I know this. But having seen my fair share of baseball films I am afraid that I inwardly groaned when the next plot development crept in.
The main character Roy is a self destructive man with a major chip on his shoulder. He is hired by the 'New York Knights' a team which is on a losing streak. Once Roy joins, the main star of the team, a man called 'bump' takes an instant dislike to Roy for no reason whatsoever and they become enemies. Roy then falls for the coaches daughter who happens to be the sweetheart of.......his enemy bump (surprised? I wasn't) I'm going to stop with the plot outline now before I cry.
I feel bad about this, the writing itself wasn't bad despite the lack of character development and to be fair Malamud did avoid the very last cliché which is used at the end of the film (you know where its all down to the player who is the last to bat and the team need a home run, then its strike one, strike two etc etc)
Malamud went onto win the Pulitzer prize with his novel The Fixer so perhaps I just read the wrong book? Perhaps the plot chiques are part of the point and not being a baseball fan I simply don't get it?
My husband has an unusual interest in baseball. Obviously in America/Cuba/Japan etc. this is not an unusual interest, but in the UK where the sport is not televised on terrestrial television (I don't think it's even on the satellite channels) it is an unusual interest. As a result I have seen my fair share of cheesy baseball films which all seem to be made by Disney. Well this book was like reading the script of one of these films and seemed to contain every cliché going.
Now of course this book was written in 1952 and the ideas within the novel would not have been cliché at time of publication, I know this. But having seen my fair share of baseball films I am afraid that I inwardly groaned when the next plot development crept in.
The main character Roy is a self destructive man with a major chip on his shoulder. He is hired by the 'New York Knights' a team which is on a losing streak. Once Roy joins, the main star of the team, a man called 'bump' takes an instant dislike to Roy for no reason whatsoever and they become enemies. Roy then falls for the coaches daughter who happens to be the sweetheart of.......his enemy bump (surprised? I wasn't) I'm going to stop with the plot outline now before I cry.
I feel bad about this, the writing itself wasn't bad despite the lack of character development and to be fair Malamud did avoid the very last cliché which is used at the end of the film (you know where its all down to the player who is the last to bat and the team need a home run, then its strike one, strike two etc etc)
Malamud went onto win the Pulitzer prize with his novel The Fixer so perhaps I just read the wrong book? Perhaps the plot chiques are part of the point and not being a baseball fan I simply don't get it?
Format:Paperback
Having watched the film based on the book (starring Robert Redford) many years ago I always wondered why his film character was shot. I thought the book might explain. Unfortunately whilst it gives more info on what the female shooter had done in the past it does not answer the real question.... why ? Still, good book, good film and I guess we will just have to make our own assumptions as to why.
Format:Paperback
Most people will come to this book through the Redford film and will be surprised and intrigued by the view that the movie takes of the text. In the film the key event of the protagonist's life, Roy Hobbs, is seen as a random event of chance which changes an otherwise good man's chance of fame and greatness and through his love of baseball he is redeemed; the book's view is that Roy, while a genius, has flaws that mean he will never be redeemed and will always struggle with his inner demons. If we look at our real life sporting heroes we will see that this is the true picture of sporting genius and what makes many sportsmen great (confidence, self-belief and skill) will, often be the very thing that causes their destruction, in one telling line that defines Roy's character and fate, the team mamanger expresses concern that Roy can "never leave a bad ball alone".
This is the reason for Roy's fall, not a random event of fate but a man struggling with his talent and with the dark side of his talent.
The book has an epic feel to it, Roy is a hero in the mould of Odysseus or Jason, he is tempted, fails and is constantly antagonising the gods that gave him his talent; as a result those gods beset him with trials and tests, many of which he fails. It is therefore not a story more of an extended fable. The mythic quality that the film draws upon is much darker and forboding in the book and, most tellingly there is no happy ending.
This is an evocative book, the smell and feel of baseball is captured with startling clarity and the nature of skill and luck in any game is brought vividly to life. It is not a comfortable book to read and there are some stark contrasts with key moments in the film which are also key moments in the book but from an entirely different perspective.
This is the reason for Roy's fall, not a random event of fate but a man struggling with his talent and with the dark side of his talent.
The book has an epic feel to it, Roy is a hero in the mould of Odysseus or Jason, he is tempted, fails and is constantly antagonising the gods that gave him his talent; as a result those gods beset him with trials and tests, many of which he fails. It is therefore not a story more of an extended fable. The mythic quality that the film draws upon is much darker and forboding in the book and, most tellingly there is no happy ending.
This is an evocative book, the smell and feel of baseball is captured with startling clarity and the nature of skill and luck in any game is brought vividly to life. It is not a comfortable book to read and there are some stark contrasts with key moments in the film which are also key moments in the book but from an entirely different perspective.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Flawed Classic
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys... Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2004 by "scribeoflight"
A Flawed Classic
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys... Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2004 by "scribeoflight"
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