Reviews
Good for Chabon for spreading his wings a little, but this wasn’t for me. I guess I prefer him rooted more firmly in reality.
I just don't care!!!! http://pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2015...
Ethan Feld plays Little League baseball at the Summerlands, a little peninsula of land where the weather is perfectly idyllic year-round (though Ethan’s game doesn’t match the climate—he holds the team record for most errors and fewest hits). The Summerlands also provides a link between our world and other worlds, and it is through this path that the trickster Coyote creeps to kidnap Ethan’s inventor father. Much to Ethan’s surprise, he is recruited by the Ferishers, the fairy-like tribe of baseball-loving beings who dwell secretly in the Summerlands, to be their own personal hero and save them from Coyote’s schemes. Ethan collects a motley crew of companions along the way--including a wise werefox, a lonely Sasquatch, and his teammates Jennifer T. and Thor Wignutt--and ends up playing the game of his life against Coyote’s band of ghouls. More is at stake than the Ferishers’ right to their homeland or even Mr. Feld’s life. The fate of the world rests in the baseball bat and glove of young Ethan, worst baseball player in the history of the game. An imaginative, complex fantasy full of magical lands and otherworldly creatures, Summerland is a story for all ages from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Summerland is infused with adventure, challenging and entertaining themes, American mythology, and above all, the grand game of baseball.
First star: Because Michael Chabon is SUCH good writer. He could write about anything and make it readable. The fact that I finished a book which was ultimately about baseball means massive props to him. Second star: Because I was intrigued enough to find out what happened, and invested enough to want things to end up ok. The rest of the stars were lost because either I had no idea what was going on, or I felt so completely rushed through what was going on that I didn't really care. I like the idea of the characters and I love how they're all different species. However, a few times the characters have 'spaced out' moments that leave me more annoyed than intrigued. I get we're building suspense and will find out more as the story unfolds, but sometimes these moments come as too left of center, too out of the blue. I liked the structure of this book's universe in theory. But I still don't fully understand how it works. There were some scenes that were described in great detail - like the descriptions of Clam Island at the beginning of the novel. Clam Island sounds like a super interesting place. As for Summerland, Winterland and everything in between, I can't picture what they're supposed to look like for the life of me. What's more, my lack of interest in baseball, paired with the fact that this whole book is basically a glorified baseball tournament, is a pretty clear sign this book just wasn't made for me. And speaking of the target audience - things seem way too convoluted for young adult readers. The protagonist is 11 which seems scarily young to have gone through so much. What's more, with all the layers that are put into this story, I just can't imagine 11-year-olds or older YA readers fully grasping what's going on. If any of them did, I'd love an explanation.
Baseball and fantasy. This book felt like it was written for me. I loved it. Great flow, wonderful writing, brilliant end to end. Chabon is just so good and this was a joy.
