Rating: 
Summary: A joy to read
Review: "He wore thick, black-framed glasses and slipperlike shoes, with a white dress shirt and ruffles and frills coming untucked from his black pants. He looked like a combination of a maitre d' and a matador." But oh could he pitch. Thus Castro makes his appearance in Wendel's fine first novel. And from that point Wendel had me hooked. No escape. Castro's Curveball is fast paced, a joy to read and to remember."
Rating: 
Summary: A Nice Little Book
Review: Anyone interested in a cute little read that mixes a little history and a little bit of baseball will like Castro's Curveball. Also the description of Cuba before Communism. Other than Godfather 2 this was the first I had learned about the old Havanna. The idea of Fidel possibly going into the majors and not becoming a revolutionary is a great what if question. It is an interesting side note. It is a short little book and it is enjoyable. Not a classic, but a good short little read.
Rating:
Summary: Novel si, history no!
Review: As a pure fiction Tim Wendel's widely-discussed novel is at least a passing success. But readers should be fully aware of the conceit on which it is built. Fidel Castro was never a serious major league pitching prospect, not an athlete scouted by the major leagues. That much is propoganda pure and simple. For the historical detail check out the recent histories on Cuban baseball, such as those by Gonzalez Echevarria and Rucker and Bjarkman. As for Wendel, a passingly good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Tim Wendel captures the flavor of Havana
Review: Castro's Curveball provides fascinating insight into a city that few Americans have visited, Havana. Tim Wendel skillfully weaves a compelling story about an aging baseball player's romance with a fearless female photographer in Havana during the rise to power of Fidel Castro in the early 1950's. While the book captures Castro's single-minded ambition to change Cuba's political future, it does so without becoming bogged down by the details of a complex and volatile political revolution. Rather, the author focuses on the romance between the two main characters, and the romance of Havana. His detailed descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells of a beautiful but troubled city makes you feel as if you were there. Well worth reading even if you are not a baseball fan.
Rating: 
Summary: A bigger disappointment than last year's sugar-cane crop.
Review: Having read a glowing newspaper review, and being a fan of baseball and Caribbean cultures, I had great hopes for this book. What a letdown. I've seen better writing on the back of Wheaties boxes and stronger plot development on "The Simpsons." When a writer has a 21-year-old Fidel Castro -- by that time in his life a dedicated revolutionary and card-carrying Yanqui-hater -- toadying up to has-been American ballplayers, and using dialogue like "Isn't this silly?", you have to wonder why he bothered to locate his novel at that place and time. A quick run through Tad Szulc's "Castro" might have prevented part of the disaster this novel became -- but probably not. As presented here, Fidel Castro has the political depth of Archie and the vocabulary of Jughead. A few tourist-brochure descriptions of Havana, then and now, are tossed in for "mood," and the scene-setting of the early days of the Cuban Revolution has all the texture of a mayonnaise sandwich. When the writer has Castro leaving a note for Yanqui baseball scouts that tells them he can't keep an appointment because he's off to overthrow the "truant Trujillo" in the Dominican Republic, I thought I'd toss my yuccas. What, we're going to kill Trujillo because he was late for algebra class? And that's only one plot-killer. Better luck next time.
Rating: 
Summary: Baseball, revolution and love in old-time Havana
Review: Hi readers: So what if Fidel Castro had been more interested in baseball than revolution? Sounds far-fetched, right? But in Cuba that intriguing possibility, truth or myth, is still being debated. During my last trip to the island, an old man told us how Castro had a so-so fastball but a great curveball. He insisted this was true. The year is 1947, and Billy Bryan is playing winter ball in Cuba, enjoying Havana's decadent nightlife, and dreaming of a major-league career. Then one fateful night, he discovers an uncanny pitching prodigy named Fidel. So begins Bryan's tug-a-war for the woman he loves and his efforts to find his way in a world racing toward revolution.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning--something in it for everyone!
Review: I already wanted to visit Cuba before I read this book, and Castro's Curveball made me want to even more! Tim's book is stunning--the descriptions are lively, the characters are fascinating, and the baseball writing is crisp and clear. It's a great, fast read with something for everyone--baseball, a love story, political intrigue, murder and mayhem, and a bittersweet ending. Obviously, from these reviews, to each his or her own, but I found the language captivating and the book worth a long, slow re-read just to savor the descriptions of Cuba, its people and its baseball teams. This book deserves all the praise it receives!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting premise brought to life.
Review: I don't usually read novels, but this one caught my eye. You've read a description of the plot elsewhere on this site. Wendel does a really nice job of bringing the pre-Revolutionary era of Cuba to life -- a really good sense of place here. The story is told in straight-forward fashion, no complaints here, and moves right along to a worthwhile conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Hits it out of the Park!
Review: I found Castros' Curveball a wonderful ride through an amazing journey. Whether you are a history buff, a romantic, a sports fan or just an avid reader, there is a strong enough story to keep those pages turning. Tim Wendell should be comended for bringing these characters to life. I found myself wordering throughout the book -- is this fact or fiction?I HIGHLY recommend it. An excellent Bookclub selection!
Rating:
Summary: Castro's Curveball
Review: I found this book to be very enjoyable. It cleverly tied together historical fiction, baseball, and a love story. It was easy to read, and kept my attention. I would highly recommend it.
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