The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro

Rating:
Summary: Author flubs great story...
Review: Too bad that such a remarkable story is told by an author who makes himself the star of the show. McGinniss - who became a soccer fan when the World Cup came to the USA in 1994 - imposes himself into virtually every part of the story. That is a shame because McGinniss comes across as a real oaf, and we hear too much about him at the expense of learning more about the story and the people he is there to cover. 'Oaf' is an unkind description, but imagine an Italian crime reporter who sees his first baseball game on TV at age 50 and becomes so infatuated with the sport he flies to the USA and attaches himself to a minor league baseball team. Now imagine this neophyte Italian reporter following the team manager around saying, 'Heya, whya you not put Miller in centerafielda and make Smitha batta the cleanup?' This is McGinniss soon after his arrival in Castel di Sangro. Throughout the book, McGinniss spends too much time setting up unconvincing scenes intended to make him appear funny and clever. We are also to believe that since 1994 he has become a remarkably astute judge of soccer talent and a tactical genius who can tell a veteran professional Italian coach how to manage his team. (Ugly American Soccer Dad?) The story and characters are fascinating, and in the right hands this would have been a wonderful read. But I found myself gritting my teeth at McGinniss's bloated presence on virtually every page.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!!!
Review: What a terrific book! Great story (greed, corruption, comradeship, triumph, tragedy, comedy), and wonderful insights into both professional soccer and the Italian mindset. I'm a big soccer fan, but I think anyone would love this book, soccer fan or not. Thanks, Mr. McGinniss, for taking on such a seemingly unpromising subject and producing such a wonderful story!