Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #202956 in Books
• Published on: 1996-07-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Customer Reviews

Downbeat But Worth Reading
Frank Bascombe, a sportswriter for a national magazine, is struggling to come to terms with the death of his youngest son as well as a recent divorce.

Richard Ford's book is memorable for many reasons: it paints an entirely honest picture of grieving; it is written in sparse, vivid prose; it gets inside the head of Bascombe so well you feel you've know him all your life; and it is filled with anecdotes and stories that are believable, truthful and free from sentiment.

It is a somewhat depressing read, maybe, but Ford often finds humour in the most unlikely places, and the novel is rarely dull. The gentle, meandering storyline is filled out with scenes from Bascombe's life and the characters he meets along the way. Indeed, part of the magic of the novel is in watching his analytical mind try and get a grip on the absurdities and quirks that he encounters in people and situations. The driving force of the book concerns his seemingly aimless search for a 'place' in life and this is credibly and sympathetically portrayed.

"The Sportswriter" is a major, if downbeat, achievement.

Brilliant, but utterly depressing.
This book is not one for the faint hearted at all, telling the story of a man who seems intent on creating the most hopeless life possible for himself whilst at the same time retaining a layer of optimism that's almost absurd in it's honesty. Maybe it's because of the calm rational inner monologue in which the book is mostly written that made the main character seem so plausible to me but reading it, and agreeing with it, brought it home that I might end up like Frank. A scary, pivotal moment that made me try to do things differently in my life from that point in time onwards. This book is a brilliant read and in my opinion is streets ahead of it's sequel, the Pulitzer prize winning Independence Day.

Philosophical
Frank Bascombe, trying to come to terms with the death of his son and consequential break up of his marrige, is an ordinary man. Therefor, the fact that his voice speaks with dignity and compassion is all the more remarkable. Frank has no answers to life's ultimately small tragedies, but he keeps looking with optimism and an open mind in a life affirming story. A philosophical book and one of the best of the decade.