Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Shoeless Joe
Book Review: A Great Catch
Summary: 5 Stars
Shoeless Joe is a book about a farmer named Ray Kinsella who hears a voice that tells him, "If you build it he will come." "It" is a baseball field, and "he" is Shoeless Joe Jackson, one of the eight players banned from baseball in the Black Sox Scandal. This book is also about love and a family sticking together to make it through their problems. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery, baseball, and a little bit of fantasy. This is a very good book.Book Review: A Great Movie Based on a Great Story
Summary: 5 Stars
It was a quiet friday with perfect weather on a splendid midsummer night. The Mets had completed their evening game with yet another loss to the Braves at Turner Field, and nothing was on the other 81 channels of overpriced cable TV that was at all bearable to watch. What's a baseball fan to do?I sat down with a glass of iced tea in a quiet room and placed my 10-year old VHS copy of "Field of Dreams" in my VCR. This, as you may remember, was film #2 of 3 of the "Kevin Costner Didn't Play In The Majors So He Does it On The Screen" trilogy.
"Bull Durham" is of course the classic first movie in this series, with "For The Love Of The Game" bringing up the rear as the most forgettable of the 3 entries.)
"Field of Dreams" is a rare baseball movie: both men and women should enjoy it as it is not a hardcore baseball film, rather a touching and moving story about one man's personal inner journey to peace and satisfaction thru building a baseball field. There isn't much action, but the story, as mythological as it is, makes you want to run out to the local sandbox with your mitt and a smile, and makes you forget those killer millionaire salaries that these overpriced performers of today make. No matter how many times I watch this movie, tears still well up in my eyes at the end, when Costner's character Ray Kinsella meets his deceased father John in the middle of an Iowa baseball cornfield and they proceed to have a traditional father/son baseball catch, healing many years of hard feelings between the two. Does it get any better than that?
Baseball has its share of fictional movies, and besides "The Natural", this is probably the best there is for making the case that baseball is the true national pastime. Baseball transcends communication; look to the scene when Shoeless Joe arrives at the field, and they play ball before they even speak. Baseball binds families together; Baseball heals emotional wounds.
It is based on the 1982 book "Shoeless Joe" by W.P. Kinsella.
Book Review: A Great book about more than baseball
Summary: 4 Stars
Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella is a riveting book, not just about baseball, but also about a journey to meet a dream. Ray Kinsella, the main character who is a farmer and baseball lover, goes out to collect people for his majestic field. I believe that this book is well written because of its first person narrative and descriptive writing. Although this book seems like something for a sports fan, but anybody who loves to read and be amused throughout a book, this is a perfect read. This book is a page turner and I truly believe that everybody who reads it will be pleased.Book Review: A Lot of Magic
Summary: 5 Stars
There is a real special place in my heart for this book and always will be. It's just one of those stories that grab you and take you for a ride, although a very quiet ride. Kinsella's style is soft and melodic and by the end, even those of you who know next to nothing about baseball will find it enthralling. When discussing the book, the movie "Field of Dreams" invariably comes up and I suppose it rightly should seeing as how it is based on Kinsella's novel. I enjoyed the film version but have to say I prefer this book. Movies can sometimes really hold the spirit of the book but in this case, I think your own imagination is best. There's less Iowa society politics and more magic in the book. All in all- I'd say grab a copy of this whether you are into baseball or not. It's not a requirement to enjoy this fantastic, magical novel.Book Review: A beautiful poetic fable. Ten stars if you love baseball.
Summary: 5 Stars
For those of us who love baseball, who love the history of baseball, this book explains ourselves to ourselves. You will have complete and total empathy with the majority of the characters populating this tale.If you don't "get" baseball, this book may provide some insight.
Mr. Kinsella has written a highly original story, written so well some passages seem to sing, that addresses such human conditions as parental loss, unreserved trust, unquestioning love.
And baseball.
The line between reality and fiction is playfully drawn. The author and the protagonist have the same last name. J.D. Salinger and Shoeless Joe are real people.
The action such that it is centers around a magical ballfield created in the midst of a small Iowa farm.
The book is filled with so many wonderful moments that listing them would be insulting to the book.
If you're familiar with the film, "Field of Dreams", then you know the story...but the book is so much fuller. Richer. They actually complement each other well.
This is a perfect book to read during this time of year...