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The Art of Fielding
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
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The Art of Fielding
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Summary
A wonderful, warm novel from a major new American voice.
In The Art of Fielding, we see young men who know that their four years on the baseball diamond at Westish College are all that remain of their sporting careers. Only their preternaturally gifted fielder, Henry Skrimshander, seems to have the chance to keep his dream – and theirs, vicariously – alive, until a routine throw goes disastrously off course, and the fates of five people are upended.
After his throw threatens to ruin his roommate Owen’s future, Henry’s fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his; while Mike Schwartz, the team captain and Henry’s best friend, realizes he has guided Henry’s career at the expense of his own. Keeping a keen eye on them all, college president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, falls unexpectedly and dangerously in love, much to the surprise of his daughter, Pella, who has returned to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life.
Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warm-hearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment – to oneself and to others.
Critic reviews
‘It's left a little hole in my life the way a really good book will’ Jonathan Franzen
‘This is an outstanding novel about sport and, in Henry Skrimshander, Harbach has created a character who will keep sports psychologists in conversation for years’ Mike Atherton, The Times
‘Charming, warm-hearted, addictive’ Guardian
‘Once started The Art of Fielding is a book you want to read and read. It is deliciously old-fashioned: it simply gets on with the business of creating vivid, layered characters and telling a good, engrossing story’ Daily Telegraph
‘An intricate, poised, tingling debut … leaves you longing, lingering, and a baseball convert long after the last page’ Téa Obreht, author of The Tiger’s Wife, winner of the Orange Prize
‘Chad Harbach has hit a game-ender with The Art of Fielding. It’s pure fun, easy to read, as if the other Fielding had a hand in it — as if Tom Jones were about baseball and college life.’ John Irving
Steeped in American tradition, this moving debut hits a home run…What in less skilled hands might have been a light comic novel evolves into a debut of great warmth and weight… This is a charming, moving and slyly profound novel. You might even say Chad Harbach hit this one out of the park’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Every bit as good as billed. A big, beautiful blowout of a book, sure and generous, it reads like a throwback to the mid-20th century, when American literature was in its pomp… an exceptional debut’ Guardian
‘A terrifically engaging novel… you will be rewarded by a page-turning, beguiling and wonderfully warm-hearted read’. Sunday Times
‘The baseball sequences are terrific… Harbach captures precisely the strangely becalmed grace that sets sportsmen like Henry apart…Very good indeed’ Independent
What listeners say about The Art of Fielding
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Polly
- 17-06-15
Terrific
Would you listen to The Art of Fielding again? Why?
Yes, yes, yes! (And I did - the moment I finished it the first time round!)
What did you like best about this story?
The characters are wonderfully believable, their journeys a joy and their plights heartfelt.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I found myself laughing on the train, and, at other times, in bits. So very enjoyable.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 02-10-12
intriguing
written in a similar style to John Irving - quirky and a fabulous listen. Great characterisation and a roller coaster plot
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nishil
- 24-07-17
Superbly developed characters
A great read, you'll develop a strong affinity for the characters. Beautifully crafted book, easy listen and thoroughly enjoyable.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 15-05-18
sad and yet slightly life affirming as well
loved every second of this. characters that are so complex and rich that they somehow seem tangible
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 07-02-13
The Art of Fielding
I really enjoyed this book. From the first page it held me until the last. The characters are believable and one could relate to them in a real way. I highly recommend this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- ben
- 10-09-12
Outstanding in his field
The narration brings this study of life, to life. A important book, the best of the new millennium from the US.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr Henry
- 14-05-16
More than a ball game
Life is more than baseball.
But - even for a non-expert - the game provides a satisfying theme for this beautiful book.
Home run!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Louise
- 21-01-18
I returned it after 2 hours
I don’t usually review books that I return but I found this too tedious to continue with. I can only comment on the first couple of hours but I can sum it up by saying that an underdog goes to college to play baseball and everyone seems nice. Aside from that, nothing has happened and I doubt that it will.
I wish I could find something in this story to keep me listening but I really can’t.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- MN
- 30-04-24
Compelling until it wasn’t
Lots to learn in this one! Enjoyed the book. The story is well told, but wraps up abruptly. The resolution of certain elements of the story (e.g. death of a beloved character, mischief involving a cemetery, redemption of Henry from his demons) feel rushed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AMS
- 14-01-14
You will want to emigrate to watch baseball
Would you consider the audio edition of The Art of Fielding to be better than the print version?
I have not read the print version, but the audio brings it to life. I am not young, American or male, so the voice enhanced what I could imagine.
What did you like best about this story?
The weaving of the story with the baseball was so skilful. I gave a damn about these young people in a far country.
What about Holter Graham’s performance did you like?
The consistency of the voices, the changes from male to female, young to older, character to narrator. He did especially well at the descriptions of the ball games.
Any additional comments?
You will want to emigrate to the Midwest and watch baseball. You will wonder where you can watch baseball nearer home.
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