Again to Carthage by John L. Parker Jr. Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Again to Carthage
Book Review: A Classic!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Once a Runner" is the greatest novel about running ever written (according to Runners World) and "Again to Carthage" is better. Mr. Parker has created a sequel that is superior to his first "classic" in so many ways. He picks up Quentin Cassidy's story about 7 - 10 years down the road. He has completed law school and has settled into a very comfortable lifestyle in Palm Beach. Several losses shake QC's world and lead him back to his first love ... running. QC gets his old friend Bruce Denton (the thinly disguised Jack Bachelor character) to coach him in his quest to make one more Olympic team ... in the Marathon.
Mr. Parker understands runners like few other writers of fiction. He understands the mind of the runner, the will of the runner, and the idiocy of the runner. Mr. Parker's writing is much more polished in this book. He creates such beautiful visuals of QC training in the mountains of North Carolina that I wanted to hop in the car and drive there for a run.
This is a must read for every runner!! There are a lot of subtle references that runners of the last three decades will pick up. This stands proudly along side "Once a Runner" as one of the greatest running books ever written.
Book Review: A Runner, Once Again
Summary: 4 Stars
The long-awaited sequel to Once a Runner picks up on silver medalist Quenton Cassidy's life as a thirty-something practicing law in a small Palm Beach firm. While he still runs recreationally, Cassidy seems content to have traded his years of self-denial for a comfortable Hemingway-esque lifestyle of drinking, boating, and skin diving. A series of personal events lead him to re-examine his life, however, forcing a realization that he will never be completely fulfilled unless he is aspiring toward personal improvement, in the way that only a runner committed to serious training can be.
Just as Once a Runner nails the feelings of the competitive schoolboy runner, Again to Carthage captures the mindset of the middle-aged athlete who struggles to come to terms with the inevitability of physical decline. As one would expect, Parker's training and racing scenes are beautifully and convincingly rendered. What's equally impressive, are his descriptions of nature, fishing, and the mountain lifestyle of Cassidy's relatives. If he goes a bit heavy on the details at times, particularly in the middle chapters concerning Cassidy's family, these passages flesh out Cassidy as a person and ultimately reward the patient reader. My only other knocks on the book are the occasional awkwardness of Parker's prose, the inclusion of several plot contrivances, and the penchant for odd, anecdotal humor. Even these shortcomings, though, become kind of welcomely familiar for those of us who love Once a Runner and crave a similar reading experience.
Book Review: A Worthy Sequel
Summary: 3 Stars
Again to Carthage: The long anticipated sequel to "Once a Runner" delivers the fix many fans have clamored for over the years. A book less about the act of running itself and more about the spiritual side of running, "Carthage" goes where few books about running are able. Parker's prose makes running real without inflating or cheapening it. His ability to do this is a big reason why "Once a Runner" is required reading for anyone who slides on a pair of running shoes. Parker does it once more in "Carthage," a worthy companion to its cult classic brethren. Read "Again to Carthage" because you've always wondered what it is like to commit yourself to the Olympic dream.
Book Review: A sequel worth reading
Summary: 5 Stars
In my experience, most sequels to really good novels were written to cash in on the success of the predecessor. I did not get that feeling from this book. Again to Carthage is written about the same characters, but tells a completely different story. Once A Runner tells the story of a runner heading toward his peak, while this novel tells a story of the same athlete finding out what comes next in life. I think Cassidy matures and learns a lot more in this story than he did in the preceding one. It may not quite live up to Once A Runner, but Again to Carthage is a worthy sequel, one that has a story to tell, and not just written to cash in on previous success.Book Review: A worthy sequel
Summary: 5 Stars
Parker has written a worthy sequel to OAR. While the book stands up well by itself, if you view it as an extension of the original story and read them sequentially, I think it makes the new novel a more meaningful tale.
Parker's eye for detail remains impeccable, and he never loses sight of the fact that Cassidy's journey is about life as much as it is about running.
For the runners out there, be assured that John once again captures the elements of our sport that make it so dear to us. The workouts, the sacrifice and the racing are all there, and the more mature Cassidy is a logical extension of the original character.
The slightly off-kilter wit of JLP has has survived intact, adding to the pleasure of the read.
The wait was long, but I was not disappointed. I recommend this book highly to all of my fellow runners.