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Summary: Cartoon characters in a non-existent place called Cuba.
Review: Intrigued by the plot synopsis, I purchased this book with high expectations. After reading it I felt cheated of both time and money. The real-life Fidel may be a ruthless dictator or a heroic leader; in either case though, he is a charismatic figure who transcends time and enemies. The author's Fidel is a one-dimensional, cliche-speaking, cartoon like character. Worse can be said of the other two protagonists, ball-player Billy Bryan and the love of his life photographer Malena Fonseca. Nothing in this novel seems right. In real life people don't talk or act in the simplistic way the author presents them. Descriptions have no depth. No real sense of time or place develops. Halfway through the plot loses direction. In sum I intensely disliked this book and don't recommend it.
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Summary: Wanted: More please
Review: It was nice soothing novel by Tim Wendell but, it needs more... Not another book with the same plot, just more events for all the HYPE.
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Summary: A timely, well written story of life and love(s)
Review: Mr. Wendel has certainly driven one deep. This book is a great read, both in its storyline and also in Mr. Wendel's depiction of the Cuba that was, a delicious mix of beauty, deception, and unrest that would soon boil over and destroy the nation. Mr. Wendel does a great job in giving us Billy Bryan's perspective- a seventy-plus year old man, educated by the world and its cruel lessons. His narrative is simple, yet very insightful, and it struck a nerve. The baseball scenes are on the money, and Billy's true love, Malena, shows just enough of herself to make the reader want to know more. Castro,despite what others have said, gets about as much character analysis and development as he needs. Can anyone say "opportunist"? We see his type every day in the news. Again, Mr. Wendel has done a great job.
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Summary: nice summer read
Review: Nice book to read at the beach. I liked the love story, it was unexpected in what I thought would be purely a baseball book.
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Summary: I'm not alone in loving this book
Review: Obviously, as the editor who acquired Castro's Curveball, I think it's a terrific book. That's why I'm especially pleased with the responses we've gotten to it from people like Ken Burns, whose PBS documentary on baseball set the standard by which all others will be judged. Also, who can argue with Frank DeFord, one of our most esteemed sports writers? And novelist Carolyn Doty checks in with more wonderful words in support of this extraordinary first novel about baseball, heroism, love, and the powerful pull the past has on us all. So, don't just take my word for it, read what these experts have said about Castro's Curveball: "Tim Wendel's love and impressive knowledge of baseball suffuses every page of this passionate novel of love, loss, and the real freedom that wisdom and time sometimes bring.'' --Ken Burns co-author of "Baseball: An Illustrated History "A Cuba libre mixed with baseball, revolution, and moonlight, wonderfully evocative of a time that was and a pitcher that might have been." --Frank Deford Author of Everybody's All-American "In Castro's Curveball, Tim Wendel gives us a sparkling novel about baseball, a country on the brink of revolution, and the man who links them together--Fidel Castro. With remarkable ease and clarity, Wendel draws us into that world and into the lives of the fascinating and diverse characters who populate it. It's a fast-paced, entertaining and suspenseful read. But for me, one of the most important things about this fine books is that it reminds us all of the "what ifs" which might have altered the course of our own lives." --Carolyn Doty Author of Whisper: A Novel
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Summary: Interesting idea....weak writing
Review: The concept of a novel based upon rumors of Castro's being scouted by the major leagues is a great idea, the reason I bought the book. However, I found the writing to be simplistic, and lacking in detail. It was very difficult to picture any scene in the book because of the missing development. Also, as baseball writing goes, there's just not much there...it almost seems gratuitous.
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Summary: Castro's Curveball
Review: This is the first summer where I've spent any time at all following baseball: I initially picked this book up purely because of the ball and glove on the cover. A few pages in, I was completely intrigued by Wendel's elaboration on the legend/myth of Castro being signed by the major leagues. This book was interesting in much the same way as Julia Alvarez's "Year of the Butterflies"; that is, it drew me into a part of history that I know little about and made me intrigued enough to want to read more on the topic.
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Summary: If you liked Casablanca...
Review: This story has a real Casablanca feel to it. I can already see the movie--the romantic, tropical aura of Old Havana, the reluctant hero, the passionate woman who compels the hero to action. Based on other reviews, lots of people liked this story for the plot and baseball scenes. I have to admit I fell for the mix of love and politics. Billy and Malena are great characters who face big choices. I think the author is really exploring notions of failure and regret. As a result, an air of melancholy and a certain poignancy pervade the story. Being an idealistic romantic at heart, I found those themes particularly compelling. There's a lot to ponder in this book. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: If you liked Casablanca...
Review: This story has a real Casablanca feel to it. I can already see the movie--the romantic, tropical aura of Old Havana, the reluctant hero, the passionate woman who compels the hero to action. Based on other reviews, lots of people liked this story for the plot and baseball scenes. I have to admit I fell for the mix of love and politics. Billy and Malena are great characters who face big choices. I think the author is really exploring notions of failure and regret. As a result, an air of melancholy and a certain poignancy pervade the story. Being an idealistic romantic at heart, I found those themes particularly compelling. There's a lot to ponder in this book. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Castro's Curveball--Dramatic Fiction at It's Best!!
Review: Tim Wendel has done a brilliant job of intertwining the dramatic culture of a country and the history of a revolution, with the desperate desire of an old baseball player to reconcile the many conflicting dimensions of his life. Written in brilliant prose, Castro's Curveball gives us a view of Fidel Castro and his need to be a hero, in contrast with Billy Bryan who has the same desire. Returning to Cuba through the persistent efforts of his daughter Cassy where he once played baseball, Billy encounters a formerly lively country now in ruins. Encountering the ghostly shadows of his once great love, Malena, Billy relives what it was like to be in love with a marvelous woman full of contradictions, and by her power, pulled into parts of the revolution as well. Unfolding before him becomes the dramatic reality of why he wanted so much to be a hero and how much he had lost of himself by bowing down to the people who were controlling his destiny in the game he loved, including their demand to recruit Castro as a pitcher. Having lost Malena by her death at the very hands of the revolutionaries she supported, Billy finds he has a daughter by Malena named Evangelina. From her he finds out the truth behind the thoughts and actions of Malena, but is unable to accept Evangelina until his daughter Cassy assures him that his recently deceased wife would have wanted him to make her part of the family. Finally, Billy returns to the U.S., having his life reconciled in now being with the wonderful daughter he had with his recently deceased wife in the U.S., and the daughter of his great love of the past, Malena. This book is absolutely a must for all to read!!
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