2024 the best pitcher of all time review

Price: $15.95
(as of Dec 01, 2024 07:21:08 UTC - Details)

"The Pitcher," is a classic story of baseball, the price of dreams, and the lessons of life. A mythic baseball story about a broken down World Series Pitcher is mourning over the death of his wife and an underprivileged Mexican-American boy who lives across the street and wants to learn to pitch. This is a mainstream contemporary novel about dreams lost and found. In the great tradition of books like, "The Natural." This is a novel with the mythic themes, readability, and appeal to be a mainstream bestseller.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Koehler Books (September 26, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1938467590
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1938467592
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 17 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL650L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 6 and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.63 x 9 inches
Reviewer: Russell Blake
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Well Worth The Read
Review: A remarkable novel. The pros: Well written without being over the top. Great characterizations. Powerful narrative with judicious and economic use of language. A classic hero's journey presented within the context of baseball. The cons: Some of the racism endured by the Latino family is a bit heavy-handed (racism's bad - we got it), and the ending was a trifle too happy for my tastes, but then again, it will probably delight most.I was teetering between a four and a five star, and then went back and reread some sections and decided that the strength of the writing pushes it past four and a half, more into the four and three-quarter range. So I rounded up.With so many books out there, it's hard to find something worthwhile. The Pitcher is worthwhile, from a satisfying and lucid voice whose work I'd read again. I should also say I have exactly zero interest in baseball, so if you can hold my attention for an entire novel based on a topic I could care less about, you've got some storytelling chops.

Reviewer: Jean Rakoske
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great story, Lots of swears
Review: I bought this book for my grandson to read for a book report. He ended up reading only part of it, but I read the entire book. I give the book 5 stars and an A+ with the caveat that there are curse and swear words in it, which permeated the book, especially the first half. I understand that this is how people talk, and that the author was trying to be authentic and portray people as they are; and I agree to this approach to a point. It is an effective approach. I just did not find it appropriate for my particular situation and for my 11 year old grandson. So I blacked out as many of the words as I could and skipped over swear words when I read to him out loud. The "flavor" and emotion and nuances of the characters were fortunately described well by the author in his writing; he use such detail and color - You can see, hear, and feel each character (even the dog) just through the author's writing, without the swears, which shows what a great writer he is. You know, for me the bad language was overkill. I do not enjoy reading books with a voluminous amount of curse and swear words and just plain vulgarity and the like, but it probably is not an issue for others. The book was fabulous in term of plot and characters and story line. It made me cry, it touched me so much, in very many spots and instances. It was a book with a feel good ending; you could tell it was coming but the author leaves the reader in suspense as to how he is going to get there.Incidentally, the retired Major League pitcher in the story reminded me of my dad, who was a star baseball player in college and who, after college, advanced to the minor leagues and was forever a baseball enthusiast who taught my sisters and me to love the game. So, from that perspective, the story was endearing and part of why I related to it so well. I think it might be hard to thoroughly enjoy the book if you do not like baseball, or have little familiarity with the sport.There is a theme throughout the book of racism of whites [others] towards Hispanics; hint - the mother and son are Hispanic - and less of a theme, but nonetheless one intentionally inserted, of prejudice against illegal aliens. Again, I think the author was trying to write from the perspective of the characters, whether their perspectives were limited or informed.The beautiful thing about this book is how "the pitcher" starts out as the crotchety ex-major leaguer, and that characterization is maintained throughout the book until the very end; then seamlessly, and without labored and unnecessary explanation, "the pitcher" turns into Ricky, the boy. It is because the story is so good. It is just the most magical and emotionally satisfying transformation, which also made me cry - in a good way. There were incredible odds against the mom (She was poor and in very grave health.)and her son (He had mean rivals and racists all out against him.) So his goal to make the high school baseball team was a super, almost insurmountable challenge.So I wont divulge any more. It is just a great read and I recommend it (except for the bad words).

Reviewer: W. S. Klavon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Sweet, powerful, and heart-felt
Review: I'm picky about what I read, particularly when it comes to YA fiction and books about sports, as both are difficult nuts to crack for any author. I've read TOBACCO STICKS and ROCKET MAN, two of Hazelgrove's previous book, and while I enjoyed both, I was skeptical about his ability to create a narrative that melded these two new categories together into a story that would draw me in.So when THE PITCHER was recommended to me by a friend who knows that SHOELESS JOE, THE CATCHER IN THE RYE and WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS are three of my favorite books, and FIELD OF DREAMS and BULL DURHAM are two of my all-time favorite movies, at first I ignored him. Then a second friend chimed in, unsolicited, with the same recommendation, so I gave it a chance.I'm glad I did.Hazelgrove has pulled off something not many authors can do -- he has created is a story that manages to be a breezy read, while also being sweet, powerful and heart-felt. There are a thousand tales of kids reaching for their dreams, encouraged by a special "Obi-Wan"-esque mentor, but despite that THE PITCHER manages to come off as fresh and even original in its point-of-view of this tale as old as time.As I said before, I've read other books by the author. As much as I liked them, though, I have to say that THE PITCHER feels the most authentic. Hazelgrove has found his voice in this book, through these characters and with a story that feels personal and real. A good writer, like a good actor, can make almost any material work (though it will likely still come across as wooden), but no matter how good an author may be, he or she can't force their writing to live and breathe...that comes only from a well-grounded connection to the material. That's what Hazelgrove has accomplished here.Want to feel good? Read THE PITCHER.

Reviewer: Dan T.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Characters you will love.
Review: Written in 2011, The Pitcher connects current events, timeless issues of adolescence and nostalgia for the past.Ricky's voice is perfect. You hear him talking in the back of your mind, reminding you of when you grew up, the difficulties and challenges you faced, memories of your peers, mentors and your parents. You will love all the characters, warts and all.A fine story by an excellent storyteller. The dialogue and internal thought processes of Ricky have just enough grit and substance to set an appropriate tone. A story for the child living in all of us who has never quite grown up and still remembers our dreams.

Reviewer: Gabriel
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Feelgood book

Reviewer: Elizabeth Genovese
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Brilliant. Beautifully-drawn characters. Sentiment without melodrama. And you don't have to like baseball to enjoy 'The Pitcher'.