Again to Carthage
by John L. Parker Jr.
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Book Summary Information
Author: John L. Parker Jr.Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-04-01
ISBN: 1891369776
Number of pages: 344
Publisher: Breakaway Books
Book Reviews of Again to Carthage
Book Review: Glad I read; still not sure I liked it.
Summary: 3 Stars
Once a Runner is still my favorite book of all time, and I've always felt that most any page taken by itself contains more truth about competitive distance running than has ever been written in every issue of Runner's World. So, I was eager to dive into the sequel.
Parker's writing style has not changed; that's a good thing, but I thought the last race was more than a little over dramatized. Though entertaining, I found the chapter that occurred the day before that race to be extraneous to the plot of the book.
I did not care for the mixing of real people with fictitious characters, but on the other hand, Parker's giving props to real life atheletes was cool...the only guy who missed out was the one who Quentin displaced in the last race. I did not like the way he played with time and real people; Mark Stickley came along 2-3 years after the Shea sisters, not 10 years before.
My biggest gripe is that Once a Runner ended just after the Montreal Games. Again to Carthage starts the day after Once a Runner ends (apparently), but it could be no later than 1972 (as an aside, I didn't find Mizner's character believable in the sequel). Even then, I'm not sure the events of the book would fit into the timeline between the beginning and the end. Mr. Parker, you may have created this universe, but you still must abide by it's rules; you don't get to make them up as you go.
I suppose this is a pretty harsh review. If I had it to do over again, I would buy and read the book again but only because I'm such a fan of the original. I was afraid that might be setting me up for a disappointment.
Three stars for this book. Five and a half for the original.
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