Apr 28 2008
On my recent hiatus involving a couple 5 hour+ plane rides, I decided it was high time to pick up Frank Deford’s recently-in-paperback The Entitled. The bottom line is that I’m glad I did, though it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Here’s a quick overview:
Synopsis
Written from the perspective of Howie, a classic old fart of baseball who never quite made it in the majors but revels in his “grizzled” status, the book revolves around a “right and wrong” decision he must make in regards to his star player, a model which Deford uses as an excellent foil to dissect the personality of this particular star. (No spoilers here…I don’t believe in that.)
The Good
- It’s written by Frank Deford. I can read it and hear his NPR commentary.
- There’s a surprising end…truly didn’t see it coming.
- The heros aren’t all heros and the villians aren’t all villian…well, most of them.
- Deford’s pace and timing are excellent–I found it very difficult to put the book down because there is always a bit of suspense about to be resolved.
The Bad
- Deford’s writing style is choppy. That’s ok, it just bugs me a little bit. Works much better when it’s accompianed by his voice.
- There’s a surprising end. I’m still not sure I agree that the characters he constructed would make those particular decisions.
- Only two of the characters are really well developed (and that’s very well done), but, ultimately, the character the story hinges on hasn’t been as closely considered. I found this troubling.
Other notes
- This is no family book. The tough questions are very adult ones, so don’t expect to have happy time reading this to your kids after tucking them in. Rated R.