Brief synopsis at Google Books
LAST AT BAT is the story of a man who refused to give up on his God-given talent and of the small South Carolina town who conspired to grant him a second chance. It is a story of resilience, redemption and enduring love.
My review at Good Reads
My cousin, one of the ones who recommended David Baldacci to me, brought this book with him when we met in Cincinnati for a baseball game and loaned it to me. Another friend of his is waiting for the book after me, so I made it the next book in the queue for me. I will say that when you've been reading using an ereader for a few years a hard cover feels mighty strange in your hands!
3.5 of 5 stars
The book is fiction without a doubt. There is absolutely no possible way the main points in the book could have happened and that did interfere with me really enjoying the story at first. The two main characters are same person and both are dead and play baseball for the Cincinnati Reds. I'm not going to explain that because I do recommend the book for the right readers. If you're not the right reader for the book you won't care what that confusing sentence meant anyway. The story jumps around in time a little, but no more than necessary to give historical facts and it takes place in an unspecified time in the future. I will note that the Houston Astros are still in the National League and division rivals of the Reds, which they were in 2009 when the book was published. The book gets an extra star from me because of the mention that Pete Rose's number is retired.
Last At Bat is a romance novel for men. That's what I got from it and about half way through the book when I came to that realization it became a much more enjoyable book. There are not graphic sex scenes. Science tells us women like those but men prefer visuals for that. What a man would look for in a romance hero is that he is an incredible athlete, smart, good looking and everyone loves him on the field on off and he can woo a woman with words and a look even if the gorgeous but completely down to earth woman believes he's not her type. Meet Dylan Michael. A romance hero for a man would also be strong enough to face the most horrendous physical challenge and beat it out. A devastating physical trauma is something he can overcome with sheer determination and an undying spirit and he'll be physically better than he was without losing the brains and charm that everyone loved before. Meet Matt Wolf.
Can a man be on top of the world, fall completely down and get back up to the very top? When it’s obvious that he was cheated and is an innocent can a man morally evade the law after a conviction and win? Can a man lose the love of his life hoping to find her again and have her sacrifice whatever is necessary to be with him? Can the rekindled romance only be possible with the help of a dog? It's a romance novel, of course it can!
Should you read this book? If you like baseball, fantasy and would just like to see number 14 on the wall of retired numbers at Great American Ballpark in print, yes you should read this book. Although I will recommend that you read it in the off season when the Cubs are unbeaten and could win the World Series and any dream can come true.
1 comment:
Often times I read just to take my mind off of what is going on inside my own little world or my head. For me, reading is an escape from reality for as long as I am turning the pages. Last At Bat did that for me during what is turning out to be a misreable Red Sox baseball season. I needed to escape. And I wasn't very far into the book when I knew I that I had to pass it on to you. Not the best book I've ever read, but still a page turner. And I can't disagree with your review. Though I didn't see the romance angle as strongly as you did. I enjoyed the other story lines much more than the romance story line to the point that I completely overlooked the romance until your review.
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