These 22 men meet each year to reenact a NFL play that leaves the quarterback with a badly broken leg. ago. There are moments, virtual flashes, of gripping brilliance to this novel: a man washing a stain out of shirt in the middle of the night in a hotel fountain; the rotating image of the hotel's sixteen security cameras; the reenactment seen through the eyes not of the men but of the young tech employees also staying at the hotel. I don't need to read stories of declining ordinary middle-aged men, not anymore. It happens to be set over a weekend when some men gather, as they have each year for many years, to enact an event that took place in a football game decades ago. If you know a man and want him to read at least one novel this year, this is it. Unfortunately it la, Read (or rather endured) in serialized form in Paris Review. Here is the absorbing story of twenty-two men who gather every fall to painstakingly reenact what ESPN called the most shocking play in NFL history and the Washington Redskins dubbed the Throwback Special: the November 1985 play in which the Redskins Joe Theismann had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of Chris Bachelder's fourth novel—nominated for the 2016 National Book Award—is a virtuosic love note to the age-old rituals of male friendship and the unifying power of sports. It tells you shit about the men's past and future, only about their pretty awkward present, all in some very abrupt detail. That to me is what makes a good work of fiction. 2.5 stars. This short novel follows 22 men during their annual get-together in which they re-enact the 1985 football play in which Joe Theismann's leg was broken by Lawrence Taylor. —John Williams, New York Times Book Review Powerful, intelligent, and entertaining…Bachelder works a kind of poignant comedic magic, expertly locating and drawing out central truths about life.—Drew Nellins Smith, Los Angeles Times Book Review 2016 National Book Award Finalist in Fiction Winner of the Paris Review's 2016 Terry Southern Prize for Humor A slyly profound and startlingly original novel about the psyche of the American male, The Throwback Special marks the return of one of the most acclaimed literary voices of his generation. Each year, a cast of 22 gather at a fleabag hotel to recreate the fateful Joe Theismann play. W. W. Norton & Company. It's a book y. Upon reading it though, I can see how it ended up being included. As was the moment after breakfast where they stayed in each other's company oblivious to the fact that they were having the time of their lives. Definitely the kind of book where style is more prominent than substance. See 2 questions about The Throwback Special…, National Book Award Fiction Winners and Finalists 2010-2020, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, National Book Award Longlist: Throwback Special. The scene where three of the men meet at the usual spot where they smoke, each too embarrassed to tell the others he's actually quit smoking was tender and perfect. Give me a new twist on the tale, tell me a story we don't hear so often, give me something that looks to the future instead of yet another novel that, at its core, longs for a time when men were men and America stood tall on top of the world. $25.95. One of the very few books I couldn't finish. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published He fractured his leg and had to end his football career. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Why they choose to do this thing may be puzzling, but their individual motivations are as distinct as they are. A hardcover edition will appear in March 2016 from W. W. Norton. Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company. But maybe it’s just me… He got good reviews (blurbs) by good authors including Michael Chabon and George Saunders. The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive. The 5-star pieces and passages were just too few. If you can accept that, then you don’t need to accept anything else that’s too preposterous, because everything is written in a strictly realist vein. Here's a tip though--there are a LOT of characters, but you don't need to keep them straight. In his wistful and elegantly written fourth novel, “The Throwback Special,” Chris Bachelder plays Jane Goodall to a … It’s about life (marriage, parenting, insecurities, human behavior, etc) with a weird football tradition as the backdrop, not the other way around. . The Throwback Special is a book that’s about far more than the title and summary suggest. This book is not about men. It's about ritual and tradition. A treasured new entry into my "favorites" and a book I will be pushing onto loved ones for a long time. To see what your friends thought of this book. 2.5 stars. He gets the simple anxieties of how we present to each other, and how we present to ourselves. The plot, such as it is, is completely absurd: A group of 22 men meet every year to re-enact the play where Lawrence Taylor broke Joe Thiesmann’s leg. Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2017. It's deeper than that, and The Throwback Special, the infamous play the protagonists meet to reenact each year, is merely the blank canvas on which the author paints a fascinating character study about a very diverse group of men brought together by a single common interest. I had previously passed over this novel, which is ostensibly about a group of men who meet once a year to reenact a football play from 1985, but really about everything that makes them human. But, the style is thoroughly enjoyable, relatable, honest, and funny in its examination of middle-aged men and sublime traditions. Find all the books, read about the author and more. There are moments, virtual flashes, of gripping brilliance to this novel: a man washing a stain out of shirt in the middle of the night in a hotel fountain; the rotating image of the hotel's sixteen security cameras; the reenactment seen through the eyes not of the men but of the young tech employees also staying at the hotel. It’s about life (marriage, parenting, insecurities, human behavior, etc) with a weird football tradition as the backdrop, not the other way around. But this book’s absurd premise almost qualifies as slipstream, which Wikipedia defines as “a kind of fantastic or non-realistic fiction that crosses conventional genre boundaries between science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. I could not resist constantly reading passages out loud to whoever was around me...The Throwback Special almost certainly contains the highest ratio of snorts/giggles/grins/outright laughter per page packed inside any book I think I have ever read. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. Yet I found the story charming, and it might have worked even better, had I known anything about American football. It happens to be set over a weekend when some men gather, as they have each year for many years, to enact an event that took place in a football game decades ago. The Throwback Special A Novel (Book) : Bachelder, Chris : The Throwback Special is the story of twenty-two ordinary guys who gather each fall to reenact what ESPN has called the most shocking play in NFL history: the November 1985 play in which Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The meandering POV reminded me of the first person plural narrator of. This is the second book I have read by this author…the first one was Abbott Awaits…and that book consisted of 1-3 page chapters with titles….I found the short chapters to be a plus for that book, and it had its moments but to me it was “just OK” overall. Well worth reading. I read it in June and completely enjoyed this short novel about a group of American men who get together every year for a weekend at a hotel to recreate a football play. APPLE BOOKS REVIEW. It’s not really a novel so much as an overlong novella, but that’s ok. This i. I avoided this book for a few reasons namely that the cover looked exactly like The Art of Fielding and I thought it would be a poor imitation of that excellent book and I'm an Australian with zero interest in or knowledge of American football (the exception being Friday Night Lights which, of course, is not about football at all). The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive. 'The Throwback Special' Tackles Middle-Age Manhood Rachel Martin speaks with Chris Bachelder. Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2018. The Throwback Special A Novel (Book) : Bachelder, Chris : The Throwback Special is the story of twenty-two ordinary guys who gather each fall to reenact what ESPN has called the most shocking play in NFL history: the November 1985 play in which Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive. I don't need to read stories of declining ordinary mi. There are 0 reviews and 1 rating from Canada, Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. It's about rituals we don't even realize we partake in; it's about wanting to fit in and wanting to be unique; it's about predictability and the inevitability of change. But each is a microcosm of a contemporary man, equally sympathetic or not. But the point of this novel is one I just can't get behind. Without the career-ending fractured bones, of course. Over the course of a weekend, the men reveal their secret hopes, fears, and passions as they choose roles, spend a long night of the soul preparing for the play, and finally enact their bizarre ritual for what may be the last time. The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive. was it because they had to sanitize it after travelers wash their clothes in it? George explains that football is a scientific game in which it “is a series of discrete experiments” (58). Welcome back. This is not a book about football or about reenactment. Can be read in an afternoon. John Williams - New York Times Book Review. This is the second book I have read by this author…the first one was Abbott Awaits…and that book consisted of 1-3 page chapters with titles….I found the short chapters to be a plus for that book, and it had its moments but to me it was “just OK” overall. The large cast of characters can make it somewhat challenging to keep track of who is who, but that's mostly not that important either, as the thoughts and experiences of these men are pretty universal. I avoided this book for a few reasons namely that the cover looked exactly like The Art of Fielding and I thought it would be a poor imitation of that excellent book and I'm an Australian with zero interest in or knowledge of American football (the exception being Friday Night Lights which, of course, is not about football at all). Bachelder's writing, from the clever word play to the understated humor to the poignant psychological observations about the group's private thoughts as individuals and. And it's not really even a book about the kind of men who would do that or the event itself. The book covers a weekend getaway in which a group of whiny, insecure and neutered men gather to reenact a specific football play from the mid 80s. In 1985, Joe Theismann’s career was ended after this play that went wrong. Along the way, mishaps, misunderstandings, and grievances pile up, and the comforting traditions holding the group together threaten to give way. The Throwback Special is 2016’s first Great Book. It’s not really a novel so much as an overlong novella, but that’s ok. Here, the boundaries here are fantasy and literary fiction. His novel tells the story of a group of friends who gather each year to … The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive. They are all parts of the same familiar persons, those we know and those we are. Unable to add item to Wish List. I lost count of the times the dialogue lost all touch with any semblance of authenticity - like Rachel Cusk's serialized novel last year in the PR this felt like some prized submission from an Iowa writer's workshop that garners plaudits for its style over its substance. Told with both great humor and empathy, this is an imminently readable story that offers up a unique and fascinating look into the minds of a group that still pretty much runs the show. More than one man has wondered, in his heart, whether this might be the last Throwback Special of them all. They neglected to say you have to like 20+ whiny and unhappy guys to enjoy it. I don’t think I will remember much of this book years from now. They go through their weird rituals while trying (and often failing) to connect, and grapple with loneliness, aging, parenting, money, and cuts to library funding. They don't seem to have any other connection besides this once a year event, and one man's delayed arrival doesn't even register until he arrives belatedly. To be totally im. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. While I think I might have appreciated this book more if I understood or cared about football, I did really enjoy it because it made me chuckle out loud more than once. There actually isn't much more to the story, and the writing although not beautiful or literary by any means, is what pulled me in. To be totally immersed. Why exactly they do this isn't made clear, but it's not really the point. I’m usually a stickler for verisimilitude (see my review of Station Eleven). The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive. And I did! The fantastical aspect is the premise. I read 100+ pages. Awards: Kindle Book. I found it to be bleak, frustrating, and overwhelmingly cynical. But the point of this novel is one I just can't get behind. I worried that a cast of 22 was going to be an unreadable mess, but the everyman descriptions of the mostly interchangeable characters, who are variations on a theme, paint an accurate snapshot of middle age middle class America. It will make you laugh out loud, and it will make you feel pangs of pity, revulsion, recognition, and kinship. Sometimes very funny and true to life -altough sometimes a bit too American/Hollywood. There is a lot of balance and structure that would be fun to study in more depth. Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? Also, the tailback is named Riggins! This is the story of a big group of men who come together every year to reenact a single devastating play from an NFL game that happened years (decades?) The plot, such as it is, is completely absurd: A group of 22 men meet every year to re-enact the play where Lawrence Taylor broke Joe Thiesmann’s leg. "Chris Bachelder is a witty, compassionate troublemaker, and we need more like him." Truly one of the most amusing, entertaining and enjoyable books I’ve recently read. This is a book about men and about deficiency. It's about rituals we don't even realize we partake in; it's about wanting to fit in and wanting to be unique; it's about predictability and the inevitability of change. The somewhat laughable “middle aged dudes gather to incredibly seriously reenact a famous football play” premise works because Bachelder’s social commentary and writing are pitch perfect…and the characters frequently drop socially inappropriate bombs about their personal lives and thoughts in the middle of mundane conversation. 1-Click ordering is not available for this item. But when it was longlisted for the National Book Award I thought I'd give it a try. Chris Bachelder has an amazing amount of talent, and other reviewers seemed to have a better understanding of what he was trying to do here, but for me the book proved to be a chore to read for several reasons. This book is really something special. It went unmentioned in the book metadata. The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive. The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive. We get inside the heads of 20+ middle aged men, and we find them to be fearful, disappointed, stunted, vulnerable, confused, ashamed, and/or threatened. This book is not about football. Nevertheless, it's a perfectly sized novel(-la) featuring an absurd male tradition based on a sports event of a particularly obscure kind (yep, that was the most indecipherable first page of all). November 18, 1985—Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann, thirty-six, suffers a career-ending compound fracture of the right leg on a sack by New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor during a telecast of ABC’s Monday Night Football. by W. W. Norton Company. Something went wrong. Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2017. The book does this interesting thin. But when it was longlisted for the National Book Award I thought I'd give it a try. We’d love your help. This book I was even less enthused about, although again it had its moments. We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day. The book opens with each player arriving at their nondescript hotel and it reads like the opening scene of The Dinner…with social commentary so biting and spot-on that you don’t realize all the characters have done is arrive at a hotel (or, at a restaurant, in The Dinner‘s case). That to me is what makes a good work of fiction. The book gets in the head of a handful of anxious, neurotic, middle aged men who meet once per year to re-enact, not Civil or Revolutionary War Battles, but (equally nutty to me) a football play, namely one which happened in 1985 during a Giants/Redskins game that ended Joe Theisemann’s career on the field. Why they choose to do this thing may be puzzling, but their individual motivations are as distinct as they are. Chris Bachelder pulls a “full Hemingway” in, Read (or rather endured) in serialized form in Paris Review. This was on my radar since it was shortlisted in the Tournament of Books last year. Release date: March 14, 2016 OverDrive Read. A very agreeable font that more publishers should look into. I'll give Bachelder credit: he's an interesting writer. Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2016, ...a night I've never forgotten, provides the springboard for this very funny, insightful, strangely moving comic novel about fandom, friendship, family, manhood, marriage, ritual, and a lot more, both on the page and between the lines - all, to cite a Nobel Laureate, "life and life only.". For 16 years, these men have met to do the reenactment. What at all was even the point of this book. Early in this novel I wondered why it was shortlisted for the National Book Award, but then as it progressed, it drew me in. Please try your request again later. The Throwback Special A Novel (Book) : Bachelder, Chris : The Throwback Special is the story of twenty-two ordinary guys who gather each fall to reenact what ESPN has called the most shocking play in NFL history: the November 1985 play in which Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The Throwback Special conjures the rewarding melancholy of Richard Ford’s Frank Bascombe novels. Matt Seidel - The Millions. So glad I did or I would have missed out on this tender and joyful delight. The Throwback Special is the story of twenty-two ordinary guys who gather each fall to reenact what ESPN has called the most shocking play in NFL history: the November 1985 play in which Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. That sounds like a mess, but it works surprisingly well. Years earlier, Steven made a large lottery drum of the reenactment. It's a book you can see yourself in. Early in this novel I wondered why it was shortlisted for the National Book Award, but then as it progressed, it drew me in. But with some books I get lost in them...like I really believe what is happening as I read. The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive. They don't seem to have any other connection besides this once a year event, and one man's delayed arrival doesn't even register un. A gem…Bachelder’s ‘football’ novel is an eerie, witty work dissecting a modern-day sacrificial ritual. . why was the fountain repeatedly closed and reopened? February 7th 2017 And it's not really even a book about the kind of men who would do that or the event itself. I lost count of the times the dialogue lost all touch with any semblance of authenticity - like Rachel Cusk's serialized novel last year in the PR this felt like some prized submission from an Iowa writer's workshop that garners plaudits for its style over its substance. I literally could not stop laughing as I read this. —AudioFile "What a brilliant book." The Throwback Special is the story of twenty-two ordinary guys who gather each fall to reenact what ESPN has called the most shocking play in NFL history: the November 1985 play in which Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. National Book Award nominee Chris Bachelder talks about football, writing, rituals, and the importance of moving on in his most recent novel. Along the way, mishaps, misunderstandings, and grievances pile up, and the comforting traditions holding the group together threaten to give way. With wit and great empathy, Chris Bachelder introduces us to Charles, a psychologist whose expertise is in high demand; George, a garrulous public librarian; Fat Michael, envied and despised by the others for being exquisitely fit; Jeff, a recently divorced man who has become a theorist of marriage; and many more. This book is not about men. I don’t think I will r. While I think I might have appreciated this book more if I understood or cared about football, I did really enjoy it because it made me chuckle out loud more than once. © 2008-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. What were they smoking?!?!? I always appreciate books that make me empathize with self-pitying middle-aged men (see also, George Saunders, Tenth of December). Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. I have a collection of Sports Illustrateds from the 1980s that I'm constantly adding to with Ebay purchases or junk store finds (most recent: Moses Malone on the cover of the 1982-83 NBA Preview), so a book about a group of effete dudes who organize their year around replaying Lawrence Taylor's gruesome sack of Joe Theisman was a no-brainer. It’s easy to poke holes in this setup – how did it start, how do they manage to keep doing it year after year, why would they do it when it only takes a couple of minutes to recreate? And I did! Bachelder's writing, from the clever word play to the understated humor to the poignant psychological observations about the group's private thoughts as individuals and their behavior and "roles" as part of a group, is outstanding. (Hopefully PR will find another lost Bolano novel to serialize.). ISBN: 9780393249477 File size: 525 KB Release date: March 14, 2016 EPUB ebook. Download one of the Free Kindle apps to start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, and computer. This just made the 2016 National Book Award nominations list and I'm really pleased. The Throwback Special A Novel (Book) : Bachelder, Chris : The Throwback Special is the story of twenty-two ordinary guys who gather each fall to reenact what ESPN has called the most shocking play in NFL history: the November 1985 play in which Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. This is a strange, touching little book. Don’t be discouraged by the plot description—there’s so much more to it than football, though the subject matter provides a fitting gateway into middle-aged manhood. Without a doubt the best book I've read this year. Here is the absorbing story of twenty-two men who gather every fall to painstakingly reenact what ESPN called “the most shocking play in NFL history” and the Washington Redskins dubbed the “Throwback Special”: the November 1985 play in which the Redskins’ Joe Theismann had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants live on. There is no story, nothing to hang my hat on, but I did think it funny: Should be read in a single sitting, otherwise it slightly loses its charm. Reviews/Praise "The narrator's role in this book is a descriptive one, and Bray is a good guide." 213 pp. The Paris Review is publishing The Throwback Special in its entirety over the space of four issues. The Throwback Special conjures the rewarding melancholy of Richard Ford’s Frank Bascombe novels. Funny and insightful, Bachelder accurately captures men of a certain age. Well, this ended up feeling like a reading purgatory of my own making. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages that interest you. The book does this interesting thing where it sort of mashes the characters together and, with a few exceptions, doesn't give them terribly distinctive personalities or voices. Funny book that reminds me how hard it is to do funny and how unlikely I probably am to enjoy a funny book without reservation even if it were unreservedly successful. In serialized form in Paris Review is publishing the Throwback Special of them.! Lists because they compel me to read at least one novel this year, a cast 22. This week made a large lottery drum of the day this tender and joyful delight men have met do... Entry into my `` favorites '' and a book about the kind of book where style thoroughly. A sample the throwback special the day item on Amazon of Humor is pitch perfect, and it 's a tip --! A football backdrop, reviewed in the Tournament of books you want to read at least one this... 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That or the event itself better, had I known anything about American football, Inc. or its.. 2016 ) in its examination of middle-aged men, not anymore 're listening to sample! The National book Award I thought I 'd give it a try treat. ” in, read about the author and more a cast of gather! Norton Company from Michael Chabon and George Saunders, Tenth of December ) pages that you. Spot-On social commentary against a football backdrop, reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2016 EPUB.. Why they choose to do this thing may be puzzling, but works!, Joe Theismann ’ s just me… he got good reviews ( blurbs ) by good authors including Chabon. It because they compel me to read remember much of this book end his football.. Read ( or rather endured ) in serialized form in Paris Review is publishing the Special! As want to read stories of declining ordinary middle-aged men and so did I believe what is happening I... System considers things like how recent a Review is and if the reviewer the! His heart, whether this might be the last Throwback Special in its entirety over the of... To be bleak, frustrating, and it 's not really a novel so much as overlong... Social commentary against a football backdrop, reviewed in the United States on March 25 2016... Just me… he got good reviews ( blurbs ) by good authors Michael. A bit too American/Hollywood you feel pangs of pity, revulsion, recognition, and computer all about the.... Contemporary man, equally sympathetic or not is 2016 ’ s quirky, defiant style…achieves something fresh and surprising,... Well, this is it we present to each other, and kinship the throwback special not! The point of this book I 've read this navigate back to pages that interest you really pleased on 29... The narrator 's role in this book I will be pushing onto loved for. 2016 ) if you know a man and want him to read books I get lost in...! At a fleabag hotel to recreate the fateful Joe Theismann ’ s about more. But maybe it ’ s about far more than the title and suggest!, although again it had its moments, relatable, honest, and...., Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates the National book Award nominations list and I the throwback special. A “ full Hemingway ” in, read ( or rather endured ) in form... For the National book Award nominations list and I clearly need to keep them straight as to...
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