Ballpark Blues: A Novel

By C.W. Tooke

Book Overview

Russ Bryant, a lonely and downtrodden reporter trapped in a job he hates, stumbles onto the story of a lifetime when he is befriended by Casey Fox, a promising rookie catcher on the local minor league... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385506406
• ISBN13: 9780385506403
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Doubleday
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Fun for the Fenway Faithful (and other teams' fans as well!)

As another reviewer did, I grabbed this book from the shelf when I saw the photo of Fenway Park on the cover. I enjoyed it tremendously - the character Russ' words on the pain of being a Red Sox fan were right on the mark. And the theme of what's wrong with modern day sports is interesting and thoughtful without it bogging down the plot (too much). The first half is stronger than the second, but I did stay up late into the night to find out what happened to the characters. I hope they fix the spelling of Lansdowne St. before the paperback comes out (AND, to make it worse, toward the end they spelled it Landsdown!). All in all, a very enjoyable read - it would definitely make a good holiday gift for a Red Sox fan to help them get through the baseball-less winter.

Great Book, Bad Editing

Living in Boston, I grabbed Ballpark Blues from the library shelf when I saw Fenway Park on the cover. Overall, I loved the book. It was more a book about Russell figuring out who and what he wants to be in life than about baseball, but I think that ultimately made it a better book. I had a difficult time putting the book down as I really wanted to know what happened with Russ, Molly and Casey. And having lived with the ups and downs of the Red Sox for 30+ years, I am always happy to see them do well - even if it's in a book. The dialogue was very realistic, nothing contrived or stilted and the story itself had great flow - no dull spots or lags.My only complaints are that someone in the editing department didn't do their research. No one in New England knows what a northeaster is! A Nor'easter however, is a raging storm of wind, rain, sleet and sometimes snow. And Fenway Park and the many bars surrounding it aren't located on Lansdown Street, but are rather found on Lansdowne Street. Minor nits, of course, but details are important.Overall, a great debut novel. I look forward to reading more from Mr. Tooke in the future.

American Past Time?

This book does a great job of demonstrating both the love and loathing we all share concerning the national past time of baseball. As professional sports have become big business and ball players have lost sight of the need to be characters of integrity, we, the fans, are left with questions about why this system has become what it is. I thoroughly enjoyed the questions and answers that Mr. Tooke offers through this great book. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have.

entertaining - worth a read - even if you hate reading

i do hate reading but i found myself invested in this book. tooke did a great job of keeping me wanting more at each chapters end. it is a quick read, entertaining and funny. tooke actually made me laugh out loud twice and being the bitter cynic that i am, he should be proud. definitely worth a look.