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February 6, 2020

The Cactus League by Emily Nemens

This post may include Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Cactus League by Emily Nemens

The Cactus League by Emily Nemens
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: February 4, 2020
Length: 288 pages
Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

A loosely woven story of a baseball team, people involved with it, and its Golden Glove winning left fielder during spring training in Scottsdale.

From the Publisher

“Jason Goodyear is the star outfielder for the Los Angeles Lions, stationed with the rest of his team in the punishingly hot Arizona desert for their annual spring training. Handsome, famous, and talented, Goodyear is nonetheless coming apart at the seams. And the coaches, writers, wives, girlfriends, petty criminals, and diehard fans following his every move are eager to find out why–as they hide secrets of their own.”

The Draw
  • Sports stories are not usually my thing, so something different.
  • Sarah from Sarah’s Book Shelves originally put this book on my radar.
  • My sister lives in Scottsdale, so I know the setting well.

{My Thoughts}

I’m not sure there’s anything I like much more than when a book takes me completely by surprise and that’s exactly what happened with The Cactus League. Books that are actually connected short stories typically have me running the other way. I hadn’t realized that was the case with Nemens’ new book until I finished the first chapter and began the second, but oh, I loved that first chapter. From start to finish each of the nine chapters in The Cactus League presented a new character who beautifully drove the story.

Throughout the book Nemens delivers characters connected in someway to The Los Angeles Lions and their star player Jason Goodyear. It’s the spring of 2011 and his world is starting to fall apart. Each story gives a little more information about what really might be going on with Jason. At the same time the reader gets the more personal stories of others connected to the team: an aging out batting coach, teammates, an owner, Jason’s agent and ex-wife, a baseball groupie, and many more. The individual stories were beautifully written with real depth in a small package.

A down and out reporter, who’s been around baseball a long time and knows where to dig, tells the stories. Before each new chapter he links a little bit of Arizona’s geological history with baseball. At first this threw me a bit, but I came to look forward to each new geology lesson and how it would lead me to a new person’s story. Getting to know each character and their connections to baseball and to Jason turned out to be a very special reading experience. Whether you’re a fan of baseball or not, The Cactus League is a book well worth reading! Grade: B+

“But this isn’t a story about my career trajectory or how much I miss my wife. This isn’t about the downfall of newspapers or why my son won’t go ahead and make me a granddad already. It’s about Jason, and all the improbable things that got him to us – to this very instant, to right now.”

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:
  • Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes – Another story featuring a baseball player going through a tough time. (my review)
  • Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles – A paraplegic veteran suddenly stands and walks, and everyone wants a piece of his miracle. (my review)

Note: I received a copy of this book from the Farrar, Straus and Giroux (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

Filed Under: By Title, Contemporary Fiction Tagged With: 2020, Arizona, Baseball, Book Review, Grade B, Spring Training




Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. susan says

    February 6, 2020 at 6:00 am

    I admit I like sports stories …. like The Art of Fielding … so I plan to give this one a whirl. I’m glad it took you by surprise.

    Reply
    • Susie says

      February 9, 2020 at 6:37 pm

      I think you’ll really like it, Susan.

      Reply
  2. Kristen says

    February 6, 2020 at 9:11 am

    I love sports books like this one! Definitely adding it to my list. Thanks for the heads up!

    Reply
    • Susie says

      February 9, 2020 at 6:38 pm

      Let me know what you think.

      Reply
  3. Madeline says

    March 13, 2020 at 12:22 am

    I loved this book! It may well make my annual top 10.

    Reply
    • Susie says

      March 16, 2020 at 8:37 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad it worked for you.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. February 2020 Books to Read (and Skip) - Sarah's Bookshelves says:
    February 13, 2020 at 2:01 am

    […] below)? But, a couple other readers I trust loved it, so definitely look for a second opinion (ex: Novel Visits, Gayle […]

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  2. Staying the Course - The Cue CardThe Cue Card says:
    April 8, 2020 at 3:06 pm

    […] going.It’s also a debut novel by a promising writer who’s the editor of The Paris Review and was reviewed favorably by Susie at Novel Visits. […]

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Welcome to Novel Visits! I’m Susie and reading is my passion. Join me for new novel reviews, musing on all things books, and much more.

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