Book Review: The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

The Art of Fielding, Chad Harbach, coming of age novels, fiction, college fiction, baseball novelsFiction
Released September, 2011
516 Pages
Bottom Line: Read it.
Link to this book on Amazon

Plot Summary of The Art of Fielding

The Art of Fielding is a coming of age novel set at a small college, featuring a star shortstop (Henry) who questions his entire identity after one horrible throw, his selfless team mentor, his gay teammate, and the President of the school and his daughter.

My Thoughts on The Art of Fielding: 

I added this book to my “To Read” list after reading Vanity Fair’s article “How a Book is Born” on Harbach’s  journey writing and publishing the book – I’m a sucker for coming of age stories!

My only concern going into it was the focus on baseball, as I’m about as interested in baseball as watching paint dry (because, well, baseball is about as interesting as watching paint dry!). But, don’t be scared away by the baseball premise – it’s just a backdrop to a fantastic coming of age story with lovable, complex characters. And, I ending up loving the sports psychology angle of how Henry’s uncharacteristic errant baseball throw completely shook his confidence on the field.

Finally, the characters I mentioned in the summary probably seem random, but they just add to the charm.

The Art of Fielding is on my Book Club Recommendations List.

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4 Comments

  1. Brooke Lee wrote:

    This is one of my favorites of all-time!! So glad that others enjoy it.

    Posted 1.31.14 Reply
  2. Glad u liked this one Sarah. I still need to read it –I’ve read so many favorable reviews.

    Posted 2.1.14 Reply
  3. I am with you on baseball = watching paint dry! HATE IT! Held onto this book for 2 years before I finally picked it up and opened to the first page ~ I was hooked. . .and it’s all around fave of mine now!

    Posted 2.5.14 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Haha – it’s about so much more than baseball!

      Posted 2.6.14 Reply

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