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Summary: A great book for any sports fan who has lost his way
Review: After years of watching the pros, collegians and now high-schoolers celebrate routine plays with hot dog juvenile antics it was a pleasure to read of Coach Gagliardi and his Johnnies. I'm a bit too old to enroll but I do have two elementary age boys who would love it, if I can just convince them that the snow country is not just for vacations, people really live there year around.
Thanks Austin for some very pleasant evenings.
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Summary: Football and a Whole Lot More
Review: As an American now residing in Hong Kong, I was searching for a good read about one of the many things I miss about home and something which is truly American; college football. However, with the Sweet Season, the reader will get football plus a view on life.Austin Murphy has written a book that is not only hysterical, but also deals with everyday annoyances, nuances, joys and frustrations of life while still not losing the main focus of the book, which is the season he spent with the Johnnies. Austin will have you cheering for Coach Gagliardi and his boys, will have you laughing over stories of the "beef jar" and will probably make you ponder your own life and what is important. Needless to say, I recommend this book. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good laugh, looking for a good yarn about football, or just looking for a fresh prespective on life.
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Summary: Very enjoyable read, but a few comments:
Review: Austin Murphy is a gold-medal decathlon winner among authors. He has finished in the money in each of these writerly categories with his book "The Sweet Season": 1) He displayed a craftsman's use of language: Murphy's subtle alliterations and "bordering-on-erudite" vocabulary (sending me to the dictionary at least a dozen times over the course of the book) were highly effective.
2) He wielded a crafty (and crackly dry) sense of humor: Even (or especially) if you're not a retired Irish Catholic from the Rust Belt, this book is, at times, "pee-in-your-pants" funny.
3) He dug deep for his facts, particularly about the background of St. John's monastery and university.
4) He was sensitive without being maudlin when discussing the things that really matter in life -- family, faith, and (not) football.
5) He nailed the human interest angle: The stand-up, wise-acre QB, the quirky but lovable Gags, the beer-drinking, cigar-puffing, down-to-earth monks, Saint Frosty Westering.
6) His use of dialogue rocked.
7) He captured the physical and emotional setting of St. John's with ease.
8) He gracefully inserted just enough bathroom humor and (at least dreaming about) sex to keep my primitive forebrain interested in the storyline.
9) He skillfully wove together disparate elements into an eminently satisfying whole.
10) Did I mention yet that the whole damn thing was "fall-down" funny? Oh, I did? But I wrote "pee-in-your-pants" funny? Uff da! Sorry for the profane use of "pee". Signed, A 1983 graduate of St. John's, fellow author, and the 1978 long-snapper for dear old Hastings (Minnesota) High, the 2001 Class AAAAA Minnesota state champions.
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Summary: A well told story
Review: Gentle Readers, Austin Murphy tells us a little about St. John's University football in "The Sweet Season" and a lot about his marriage, his faith, his family, his work as a Sports Illustrated writer, the state of professional football, Catholics, and himself. He is funny. The subjects are big and serious. Murphy moves you through these subjects and the book with detailed descriptions especially with an eye for the humor in all of it. You need not be a sports fan to enjoy this story. Is it literature? Maybe...
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Summary: I loved this book and I don't watch football!
Review: I read this book after reading Mr. Murphy's "How Tough Could It B?" and loving it. Although I'm not much for football I thought I'd give this book a try because I enjoyed his writing. It was terrific - a great commentary on St. John's and its coach as well as another look at Mr. Murphy's refreshingly real family (well, perhaps they are not real but they sure are like my husband and children). I'm waiting for another book please!
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Summary: A reminder of all that should be good in football.
Review: If you're as tired as I am of the NFL schlock, of having to take the time to remind the high school kids you coach every season that taunting and trash talking are not a part of the game, then you will absolutely love this book. Mr. Murphy is funny-- so funny, in fact, that several times I laughed so hard I couldn't even read the passage in question out loud to my wife and had to hand her the book. Mr. Murphy is also jaded, tired of spending his life on the road dealing with the overlarge head of professional and big college Div-1A athletes. You won't find jerks like Randy Moss or Brian Bosworth in the pages of this book, unless they are mentions solely as a stark contrast to the genuinely respectful and worthy athletes of St. Johns. Reading this book reminded me of the potential of all athletics to reap great good from the hearts and minds of youth, and also reminded me that, as a coach, it's my responsibility to sow those seeds. The book can be enjoyed on several levels-- as humor, as a description of a sporting season, and above all, as a triumph of what football is supposed to be-- fun for everyone involved, ESPECIALLY the players. I hope you enjoy it.
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Summary: Very enjoyable read, but a few comments:
Review: Some reviewers have suggested this is a story of true student-athletes in an idyllic religious school. But the descriptions of the players could have fit those at almost any school: focusing on football, alcohol, and sex. They did not seem more religious than any other college student; they wanted to win championships as much as any other college football player; they didn't seem to particularly burn the midnight oil (not studying, anyway). Their main distinction was that they weren't big enough to play on Division I teams. One other criticism: I could have done without getting to know Murphy's brothers, who had about the same maturity level as his son Devin. But those are small quibbles. Murphy's narrative made me want to know Gagliardi, and made me want to walk on the campus of St. John's. Or should I say that he almost enabled me to do both simply by reading the book. That's good writing.
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Summary: Well written, good insight
Review: This is NOT a John Feinstein level book, though it is off the same genre. The author spends a big chunk of pages discussing his personal time and family situations, which makes the book unique, but does leave you wanting more about the school and the students. This is a well written book and if you want insight into a great Div 3 football program, this hits the mark. It would have been good to get more insight into the student body, religion on campus, why players, coaches & staff at a Catholic school seem to drink and swear so much, etc.
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