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best baseball novel ever. Roy Hobbs - wonderboy. A lot darker than the movie but captures the spirit of baseball is those days. Excellent.
Although he's in his mid-30s for most of the book, he comes across almost consistently like a confused, psychologically-blind teenager--chasing women (most of whom are losers), practicing little or no self-reflection or self-restraint, gambling senselessly, overeating, and just leaning on his physical talent. Yes, the part about Roy Hobbs' talent is great--it shines through, and creates something magical. I expected more from this book. His behavior is actually probably similar to that of a lot of modern baseball greats--which is probably why I find them so dull as people. But basically all of the rest of the book is just average--or worse. Roy Hobbs himself is a just a very average person, and I personally found it difficult to care about him one way or another. Yes, it's amazing to watch them play, because their talent is something otherworldly, but who really cares about their silly teenage dramas. And, sadly, that's what this book is.
Even if you have already seen the movie, which I happen to consider the greatest sports film of all-time, this book is worth buying. There are some notable differences and many more interesting characters. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.
My father was an English teacher who also happened to be a baseball fanatic, and I still have his marked-up copy of "The Natural" somewhere in the basement. He actually built an entire English class around baseball fiction, with this book as its centerpiece.You can't help but appreciate the humanness of Hobbs as the book moves along, picking up steam much like the locomotives that are often used as a metaphor.My favorite character is probably Pop - what a great, colorful caricature of a crusty old manager who lives and dies with every batted ball and terrific throw."The Natural" is the standard by which all other baseball novels - including mine, The King's Game - are judged. And that's how it should be.And other reviewers are right - you'll never see the book's ending coming if you saw the movie first, but that's a good thing. This ending feels more real, more true, more human.A classic.-- John Nemo, author of the baseball novel The King's Game
I thought the movie "The Natural" was great. I won't ruin it for readers by giving it away, but it's worth a read.The only criticism I have with the book is I'm not a huge fan of Malamud's writing style. The story the book tells is even better. I think that each of the different tellings works for the different medium in which it is presented. I have read several of the reviews stating that's the best thing about the book, but I don't see it. I sometimes felt like the writing got in the way of the story, rather than moved it along.
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