- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Atlantic Books; New edition edition (11 May 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1843543664
- ISBN-13: 978-1843543664
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 512,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"'A formidably clever book' Daily Mail 'An extraordinary memoir... a positive page turner... A mesh of journeys and destinations, politics and romance, it touches what is beyond words' The Times 'A little gem... The book lingers in the memory long after the final page' Sun Telegraph"
Product Description
Sandy Balfour's father and the game of Contract Bridge were both conceived in 1925. This book spans the eight decades of Tom Balfour's life, and the same period in the epic story of Bridge's wildfire spread around the world. Part memoir, part history, part entertainment, "Vulnerable in Hearts" is a poignant meditation on how we communicate, why we play games, and the ways in which we love.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I read Sandy Balfour's previous memoir, Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8) which is about 'love, exile and crosswords' and I loved it. But when I read he had done a second one, this time about 'father, sons and contract bridge', I wondered if he would pull it off. The answer is an unequivocal yes. Vulnerable in Hearts is much better written - you can feel Balfour's confidence in his own ability - and the story of his relationships with his father and (to a lesser extent) his son is much more complex and layered. And - although I am not a bridge player - the story of the game worked well for me. I don't have any real criticisms of the book. It flows well from the personal to the game and back again. The passages in which Balfour explores his relationship with his father are particularly moving and his use of bridge as an extended metaphor is convincing and gentle. A lovely book.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an absolute gem of a memoir. I had little interest in Bridge before reading this book, little more than I once had in cryptic crosswords, the subject of Sandy Balfour's previous book (Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8)). But Balfour has once again managed to transform a rather obtuse pastime into something enchanting, almost mystical, by weaving stories of the game's history, conventions and eccentricities into the fabric of his own life. The author's relationship with his late father, a devotee of Bridge, is at the centre of this extremely honest memoir which with sublime dexterity, and no small amount of dust-dry humour, combines themes of belonging, loss, regret and learning with a brilliantly entertaining journey of how a parlour diversion became a truly world sport full of intense rivalry and high-stakes.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A sweet deal, well played
6 Dec 2006
Format:Paperback
Sandy Balfour's family memoir, with emphasis on his father, is a charming and unusual book, and an easy read at only 200 pages. Bridge was the anchor for Dad's life, which otherwise was a disappointment in several ways, compared to his potential. Dad could shine at the bridge table and let his personality come through. Lessons in bidding, playing the hand, and relating to your partner and opponents also were proxies for life.
The title comes from a comment near the end: "to be alive is always and everywhere to be vulnerable in hearts," recounted as he waited for father's imminent death. The title is simply a wonderful play on words and suited for a memoir that combines the complex game of contract bridge and similarly complex life in general. To some degree, to understand bridge is to understand the father.
The book opens and closes with the death of the author's father. In between is a combination of the author's memories, a recounting of his father's life, and the history of contract bridge. The connection, besides the importance of the game in his father's life, is that contract bridge was invented the same year as his father was born.
Father and his brothers were shipped from Scotland to South Africa as youths in advance of World War II, presumably to avoid service. Father ended up serving anyway and returned to South Africa permanently, although never completely leaving his native Scotland.
The history of bridge, blended with the story in small doses as well as more extended sections, was very well done. I will assume it is accurate. It flows briskly, with a nice mixture of overview and detail, aided by several colorful personalities, such as Culbertson, and big names, such as Goren.
Knowledge of bridge is not required, although it is helpful. I have played a little, so that the re-telling of various hands and the evolution of different bidding systems was not foreign. Players will no doubt enjoy some specific hands shown and speculate on what they might have done, just as in a bridge column.
My only slightly negative comment is that the book lacks for action; not a lot happens. Perhaps some more anecdotes would have been appropriate. The family wasn't quite interesting enough, as presented, to take the book to the next level.
I highly recommend the book for readers looking for an unusual memoir, and especially for bridge fans of middle age and beyond who can appreciate the bonus view of contract bridge over their own lives.
The title comes from a comment near the end: "to be alive is always and everywhere to be vulnerable in hearts," recounted as he waited for father's imminent death. The title is simply a wonderful play on words and suited for a memoir that combines the complex game of contract bridge and similarly complex life in general. To some degree, to understand bridge is to understand the father.
The book opens and closes with the death of the author's father. In between is a combination of the author's memories, a recounting of his father's life, and the history of contract bridge. The connection, besides the importance of the game in his father's life, is that contract bridge was invented the same year as his father was born.
Father and his brothers were shipped from Scotland to South Africa as youths in advance of World War II, presumably to avoid service. Father ended up serving anyway and returned to South Africa permanently, although never completely leaving his native Scotland.
The history of bridge, blended with the story in small doses as well as more extended sections, was very well done. I will assume it is accurate. It flows briskly, with a nice mixture of overview and detail, aided by several colorful personalities, such as Culbertson, and big names, such as Goren.
Knowledge of bridge is not required, although it is helpful. I have played a little, so that the re-telling of various hands and the evolution of different bidding systems was not foreign. Players will no doubt enjoy some specific hands shown and speculate on what they might have done, just as in a bridge column.
My only slightly negative comment is that the book lacks for action; not a lot happens. Perhaps some more anecdotes would have been appropriate. The family wasn't quite interesting enough, as presented, to take the book to the next level.
I highly recommend the book for readers looking for an unusual memoir, and especially for bridge fans of middle age and beyond who can appreciate the bonus view of contract bridge over their own lives.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Grand Slam
28 Oct 2006
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
You don't have to be a bridge lover to enjoy this story of a young man's experiences in pre World War II Scotland, England and South Africa. But it helps! As the author's father says "Everyone likes bridge, they just don't know it yet." I highly recommend this wonderful memoir.
Great gift for a bridge player
11 Aug 2009
Format:Paperback
This book was an excellent Thank You gift to a bridge playing couple who invited us to stay in their home. They were thrilled with the book - which is all about bridge and relationships - and especially that we were able to find a copy even though it is currently out of print.
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