Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant and evocative
Review: The prose may be over the top at times, but what a preposterously brilliant, creative book: can one even conceive there would be a book where two of the principal characters were JD Salinger and the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson? As absurd as the plot is on its face -- an Iowa farmer is ordered by a "voice" to build a ballfield so the tortured soul of Shoeless Joe Jackson can play once more -- we are gladly swept along in a willing suspension of disbelief, as this marvelous, mystical, beautifully told tale unfolds. As much as I loved the movie Field of Dreams, the book is much much better, and is a true work of literary imagination, not just a book about baseball, although it is that too.
Rating: 
Summary: Shoeless Joe
Review: 1982: Sometimes determination and an imagination can make a person's dreams reality. This notion was powerfully expressed throughout W. P. Kinsella's moving novel, Shoeless Joe. Driven by a mysterious voice that said, "If you build it, he will come", Ray Kinsella sets his ambitions on building a baseball diamond in his corn field in honor of his hero, Shoeless Joe Jackson. Ray Kinsella, a normal farmer from Iowa, ultimately achieved his dreams and ambitions with his baseball field, while seeing the mysterious Chicago Black Soxs play. Ray Kinsella, a baseball fanatic, wandered to New Hampshire to find the novelist, J.D. Salinger, the man the mysterious voice had instructed him to find. Salinger, a retired novelist, did not trust Kinsella, a strange farmer from Iowa who was going to take him to a Red Sox game. Kinsella had got orders from the mysterious voice to take Salinger to the game where they would get their next instructions. Throughout their travels, Salinger and Kinsella try to solve the riddles of the mysterious voice and go to Kinsella's baseball field. W. P. Kinsella induces a world of mystery and tensions between Ray Kinsella and J. D. Salinger as Salinger tells Kinsella, "I work alone. I have my own assignment to complete. I'm the only one who knows how to do it." The mysteries of their assignments are not discussed openly between themselves. Although Kinsella and Salinger are secretive, their loyalty and commitment is most admirable. W. P. Kinsella's writing style is intriguing, expressive, and passionate. While a fictitious novel, it portrays a man's passion for the game, going to all extremes to attain his dreams. This novel deals with the problems one encounters when trying to attain a goal so lofty that only the most determined and lucky people can achieve. Although this book is about baseball, it is about dreams, magic, and life. The images portrayed of the ghostly "Shoeless" Joe Jackson are riveting! A most interesting and captivating novel, Shoeless Joe provides hope to people's dreams that are most unreachable. A depiction of Ray Kinsella's baseball field will stay with you long after you have finished the last page of the novel. The magic of Kinsella's baseball field is exemplified in this passage: "The stars seem to float like flowers in a bowl only yards above our heads. I wonder how much of it is his own joy, and how much is for me. The White Sox taking batting practice, players throwing along the first-and third-base sides. Shoeless Joe in left field, and Eddie Cicotte warming up in the corner, his fastball whapping into the catcher's mitt, sending up a small explosion of dust each time it hits." By Kyle Jelléy
Rating:
Summary: Dreams Fade To Reality
Review: Daydreams, visions, and hopes all come together in the magical novel Shoeless Joe, written by WP Kinsella. In Kinsella's compelling novel, Ray Kinsella, an Iowa insurance agent turned farmer, is changed from a dreamer into a creator. At first, he is a dreamer, hoping to keep his farm while not making enough money off of it to pay off the mortgage. His brothers-in-law constantly attempt to buy his farm from him in order to complete a scheme to make them a load of money. Regardless, he keeps his farm and hopes for a way to pay for it. There, he enjoys life with his wife Annie and his daughter Karina. Annie and Karina support Ray throughout the book, giving him good advice and lifting his spirits when he needs it most. His love of baseball, dreaminess, and determination send him on a journey to both past and present to search for the greatest baseball game that he will ever see. It starts when, one summer evening, Ray hears an incorporeal voice say, "If you build it, he will come." Ray immediately knows that 'he' is Shoeless Joe Jackson, a man banned from baseball for life as a result of the infamous Black Sox scandal of 1919. The 'it' is a baseball field, to be constructed in Ray's cornfield. With care and diligence, Ray builds a stadium, with left field (Shoeless Joe's position) a veritable heaven. He waits for Shoeless Joe to appear, and in time he does and plays ball there every night. Then Ray perfects the rest of the field, and the other members of the Black Sox come to play for him. The fantasy appeared perfect, but it didn't last. Then, "Ease his pain." Ray hears those words from the immaterial voice after his completion of the stadium. Instinctively, he knows that the 'pain' is that of JD Salinger, the famous yet hermit-like author of Catcher in the Rye. He realizes that he must go cross-country and get Salinger to come with him to a baseball game, getting Salinger to stop being a hermit and go back to loving baseball. Ray effectively kidnaps an unwilling Salinger and takes him to Fenway Park for a game. Though at first stubborn, Salinger comes around, finally agreeing to go with Ray back to Iowa to see the magical field. On the way back to Iowa, other characters are encountered. They are Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham, a baseball player for the New York Giants (albeit only as a defensive replacement for an inning), Richard Kinsella, Ray's twin brother who has not been seen by Ray for many years but has been drawn back to Iowa by some freakish coincidence (or is it a coincidence?), and Eddie Scissons, an old man who loves to tell tales of his 'baseball days' with the Cubs, and how he will be buried in a Cubs uniform (although he never played for them). Both Scissons and Graham are former ballplayers who succumbed to everyday life, and all of the above men have something that they need to do; something that only Ray's ballfield can do for them. Through Ray and his field, they can regain a bit of the past, and part of their lives is reopened to them. From Salinger's invitation to visit with the phantom ballplayers to one of Ray's lifelong family dreams coming true to the revealing of Eddie's secrets to the transformation of Graham, each character has a unique and important role. Kinsella writes in detail about the characters, their problems, journeys, and successes. He mixes in trivial details with the important information and makes the book seem shorter than it really is. With clever imagery and a gripping storyline, Shoeless Joe is wonderfully written. It reads like a true story that happens to have some elements of a novel. This book is one of the better ones that I have read, because of both the great characters and the plot. Ray's dreams and journey stick with you after you have finished reading. One scene that captures the feeling of the book is this, at the end of the story; "On the porch, we turn to look at the silent, satiny green of the field. I press the switch, and, like a candle going out, the scar of lights disappears. Above the farm, a moon bright as butter silvers the night as Annie holds the door open for me." It shows how Ray loves the field, and how Annie has been a strongly supporting member of his family for him. The passage also shows how WP Kinsella describes with words (the silent, satiny green of the field) the beauty of the field and without words (as Annie hold the door open for me) how Annie has supported Ray throughout the book. By reading Shoeless Joe, one can understand what true baseball fandom is about, and how dreams can fade into reality.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but over the top
Review: A must read if you liked Field of Dreams, the novel Shoeless Joe is actually a bit more complex and has additional characters. The premise of the novel is brilliant and outrageous, that Shoeless Joe Jackson comes to life when an Iowa farmer/baseball fanatic is given a mysterious directive to build a field for him, and the plot development is highly entertaining. The only drawback for me is that the prose sometimes goes over the top and gets almost psuedo-lyrical, and also the attempt to equate baseball with life is a bit overdone, but that said the book really is a lot of fun and well done.
Rating:
Summary: A literary masterpiece
Review: The book Shoeless Joe, by W.P. Kinsella is in my opinion a literary masterpiece of fiction. The book is about a man named Ray Kinsella who is a farmer in Iowa. He has a wife named Annie and a daughter named Karin. The book takes place in Iowa, in the 1980s. When Ray is in his cornfield one day he hears the voice. It says to him "If you build it, he will come." Ray does not know what to think when he hears this. Then he sees an image of a baseball field. Ray decides to plow under his corn to build this baseball field so that old-time baseball players including the great shoeless Joe Jackson will come and play on the baseball field. In his search for the real meaning of building the baseball field, Ray hears two more messages. "Ease his pain", and " Go the distance." In the end of the book, Ray finds the meaning of the messages and building the baseball field. To see his father again and to heal the wounds they had in their relationship. They do this by playing catch. I thought that part of the book was extremely meaningful because it's a boy having a catch with his father that they never got a chance to do. After Ray plows under his farm and builds his baseball field he goes broke because he does not have enough crops to sell. At the end of the book his daughter Karin tells him that people will come to see the baseball field because they will get bored in Iowa and will need something to do so they will buy a ticket to see a game. This way Ray will have enough money to keep the farm. I think that all the characters in Shoeless Joe learned that dreams can come true if you really believe. People can learn from this book that you must have hope for some things and you have to believe. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves baseball, and that has a great imagination. I think that W.P Kinsella's purpose of writing Shoeless Joe was to not only entertain the reader but also to tell the reader that dreams really can come true.
Rating: 
Summary: Compares only slightly to the movie "Field of Dreams"
Review: "Never judge a book by its movie," they say, and in this case the adage holds true. "Field of Dreams" has been around since 1989 and is not merely a baseball flick, or a Kevin Costner starlight -- it's the depiction of a spiritual journey for both Ray Kinsella and the audience. The book "Shoeless Joe," on the other hand, provides more food for thought and additional storylines. If you simply see the movie, you'll miss out on meeting Kid Scissons, the oldest living Chicago Cub, who rented his farm to Ray and Annie. You won't know that Ray has a twin brother Richard who left home at 15, never to be seen or heard from again, until the time that Ray built his baseball field. And though there are times when the novel's characters share the same script with their movie counterparts, there are many more instances when they don't.If you are the kind of person who has to watch "Field of Dreams" at least once a year, then you should jump back a step and read "Shoeless Joe." Better yet, you should make the trip to Dyersville, Iowa, where the field and the farmhouse still exist and look just as they did in the movie. If you can stand on that baseball field without any emotion or without a chill moving along your spine, then someone better check your pulse.
Rating: 
Summary: If you see this book: Turn around and walk away.
Review: This is the WORST book I have ever read. It is about this senile guy who plows down his cornfield (his only source of income) to build a baseball diamond because a little voice in his head tells him to do it. The little voice then tells him go cross-county to gather up a few washed-up slobs (really anyone who will listen) to come back to his wretched "stadium." I had to read this vulgar book for my english class. WATCH "FIELD OF DREAMS! but even that is extreme. This book is really a short essay that is turned into a "modernday classic" with the use of nonsensical adjectives as fillers. DO NOT READ THIS. It will turn you away from baseball.
Rating:
Summary: More Than Just Baseball
Review: At first glance, this book looks like a baseball book, but it is more about a man's quest for J.D. Salinger and a dream to meet his father, who comes alive when Ray Kinsella builds a baseball field in the middle of his corn.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: Though I'd seen the movie, I wanted to read the book, as it's usually better. In this case, they're both well done. The only drawbacks to the book are it's overly descriptive - and I prefer descriptive detail - and too many similes, a favorite figure of speech of mine, one I use often in my writing. A few of the characters are flawed (e.g. Annie is too agreeable when Ray says he's going to cut out some of his farm land & build a baseball diamond or when he says he's going somewhere because a voice told him) but overall, it's an easy read and the visual imagery, though overdone, is good. And the idea of using baseball as a conduit for redemption between father & son and the way it is achieved, was excellent. Definitely a good book, especially if you're a huge baseball fan.
Rating:
Summary: Glove oil and leather, and Freshly cut grass
Review: W.P Kinsella. Shoeless Joe. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1982. 265 pp. $22.95. When was the last time you tumbled onto cool, moist grass, looked up at the robin's-egg blue sky, and imagined that the clouds were forming shapes of various animals? Or the last time you felt total freedom while lifting yourself skyward on an old tree swing, back when summer never seemed to end? These and many more childhood memories will come alive while reading Shoeless Joe. W.P. Kinsella's fictional accounting centers on baseball legend Joe Jackson, one of the Chicago "Black" Sox 8, who was permanently banned from baseball. Joe's magical appearance in an Iowa cornfield initiates a journey for main character Ray Kinsella, to not only fulfill his dreams, but those of many extraordinary characters, too. At first glance, the book is about baseball and Ray's journey to fulfill the request of the voice, "If you build it, he will come." But as Ray ventures across the country the reader begins to sense that, as in The Wizard of Oz, anything is possible, simply by believing. As the plot develops, Ray's acceptance of the mystical, almost religious aspects of baseball, allows the reader to revisit dreams from his own past, too. Ray says, "Your secret dreams grow over the years like apple seeds sown in your belly...sprout through your skin, gentle and soft and wondrous, and they breathe and have a life on their own...." Though most of the characters are as refreshing as a Popsicle or as rich as a Fudgsicle on a summer's day, Ray's wife, Annie is far too loving and weak. Female readers, in particular, may have difficulty connecting to Annie's life, with her lack of protest when her husband plans to plow under their crops to construct a ball-field. But, many readers can relate to Ray's efforts directed toward repairing his relationship with his dad, and may realize how profoundly this book mirrors their own relationships, too. Upon deeper reflection, a reader realizes the importance of Moonlight Graham's statement that "hardly anybody recognizes the most significant moments of their life at the time they happen." While reading this book, a reader may experience a deep desire to turn back the hands of time for a chance to relive his childhood, or to take back words spoken in anger, or to reawaken in the arms of a love from long ago. The story rides on dialogue, rhythmically slow like baseball, as Ray tiptoes beyond the realm of this world. Threading the timelessness of baseball throughout the book suggests immortality to the reader, as Ray tries to answer the question "Is this Heaven." The reader is drawn in and realizes that looking at this world is not the same as seeing it. Miracles happen everyday and can be taken for granted when viewed only with the eyes, and not appreciated with the heart, as well. Sacred events of planting and harvesting fertile farmland, the changing seasons, and the glorious birth of children are connected to the repeating cycle of baseball. Author W.P. Kinsella's strength is mastery of the metaphor, with similes stunning our senses with vivid descriptions, conjuring up precise, almost tangible images. He writes, " Moonlight butters the whole Iowa night. Clover and corn smells are thick as syrup." A reader can almost taste a big stack of pancakes. W.P. Kinsella draws in the reader with the familiarity of baseball, while challenging him to rekindle his dream. Each time a batter is up in Shoeless Joe, the renewal of hope hangs as crisp and fresh as sheets on the line to dry. When Ray's twin brother, Richard, returns to the family, and J.D Salinger is reunited with his first love, the reader comes away believing that it is truly possible to start over again. Like meeting an old friend at a favorite ballpark, the reader can escape the routine of schedules and deadlines, while enjoying this book based on a summer ritual. W.P. Kinsella satisfies the reader with a significant amount of baseball facts, sifted through the Chicago scandal. He successfully concludes when the reader's nostrils are filled with nostalgia of glove oil and leather, freshly cut grass, and home-baked apple pie. Kathie Mueller
|
