The Olympian

Rating:
Summary: The Olympian
Review: A very good book, although it is a bit dated with some of the references to training, women's running etc. I read it in two days; it is a novel where the suspension builds unil the last paragraph. It tells the story of an athlete who wants to be the best miler in the world and will stop at nothing to win the gold medal. It shows the struggles and sacrifices that he goes through over 7 years, and is a good book for distance runners to read. It has a very surprising ending that I had to re-read and think about a few times to completely understand. A very recommended book :)

Rating:
Summary: Interesting story, poor presentation
Review: Brian Glanville's novel about a young miler who rises from obscurity to become a world record holder, is both a good story and a difficult read. The book details Ike Low's running career from the time he is discovered by infamous British coach Sam Dee until the 1964 Olympics final six years later. Low's whole life revolves around running and training, and this becomes a problem when it comsumes his romances, emotional state, and general view of the world. He has a classic one track mind which does considerable harm to everyone around him. It is a very interesting story, particularly for serious runners who may be able to relate to his training and lifestyle, but it was a difficult one to read because Glanville is simply not the best writer out there. He tries to use three separate narrators to tell the story which is very confusing, particularly because they do not have distinct voices, rather they sounds the same and it often takes a while to realize whose viewpoint you are hearing at the time. Also, the charater development is not very good--you know enough about the characters, but they never seem to really become much more than two dimensional actors. It is a good book to add to a running library, but really not one that I would purchase for any other reason, including pleasure reading.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite novel - ever, no joke.
Review: I have never been more influenced by any other book. I first encountered it many years ago. It went out of print in hardcover, but it is now available in paperback. My feelings and thoughts about this book are too involved to write here. Please contact me via e-mail to discuss this further -- I would be more than happy to do so. If anyone has any information regarding the author, please let me know. I would love to meet him