De Kunst Van Het Veldspel (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
This book intrigued me at first. The subjects of baseball and small colleges are not ones that would normally pique my interest, but for some reason they did in this case. As the book went on the initial stories didn't seem to play out as interestingly as I thought they would. I found it difficult to care about any of the major characters as the story unfolded. However, I did find a renewed enjoyment at the very end of the book. In general, the beginning and end are quite good, but the middle is somewhat blah and unoriginal. The author shows a lot of promise. Much of the writing, the wordsmithing, is wonderful. The Art of Fielding's title seems to have a double meaning. It's an obvious reference to baseball and the three most important characters are members of the Westish College baseball team.however, it also seems is about dealing with the ground balls life hits your way. The three ball players, plus the Westish president and his daughter, are figuring out who they really are and what they want to become vocationally, sexually and more. Hardbach is smart and funny--lots of literary references and making fun of life at a small liberal arts college. However, about 300 pages in, The book begins to seem interminably long. The president and his impetuous daughter take the story off in directions it really didn't need to go.
What do You think about De Kunst Van Het Veldspel (2011)?
Baseball book. Was largely uninterested in it possibly because I didn't enjoy the reader. Gave up.
—Sierra
wonderful, never thought a book about a baseball player would be so addictive.
—LexieLane324
