Brilliant, 13 Aug 2008
Most people will come to this book through the Redford film and will be surprised and intrigued by the view that the movie takes of the text. In the film the key event of the protagonist's life, Roy Hobbs, is seen as a random event of chance which changes an otherwise good man's chance of fame and greatness and through his love of baseball he is redeemed; the book's view is that Roy, while a genius, has flaws that mean he will never be redeemed and will always struggle with his inner demons. If we look at our real life sporting heroes we will see that this is the true picture of sporting genius and what makes many sportsmen great (confidence, self-belief and skill) will, often be the very thing that causes their destruction, in one telling line that defines Roy's character and fate, the team mamanger expresses concern that Roy can "never leave a bad ball alone".

This is the reason for Roy's fall, not a random event of fate but a man struggling with his talent and with the dark side of his talent.

The book has an epic feel to it, Roy is a hero in the mould of Odysseus or Jason, he is tempted, fails and is constantly antagonising the gods that gave him his talent; as a result those gods beset him with trials and tests, many of which he fails. It is therefore not a story more of an extended fable. The mythic quality that the film draws upon is much darker and forboding in the book and, most tellingly there is no happy ending.

This is an evocative book, the smell and feel of baseball is captured with startling clarity and the nature of skill and luck in any game is brought vividly to life. It is not a comfortable book to read and there are some stark contrasts with key moments in the film which are also key moments in the book but from an entirely different perspective.





A Flawed Classic, 02 Feb 2004
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys humour and melodrama to unbalance and confound the reader. Early on, after an exhilaratingly impromptu confrontation between the Whammer (a batter approaching retirement) and Roy (the "natural" of the title), two shock blows are delivered in quick succession. These events form a loose prologue and shape the rest of the tale; they also define Malamud's antagonistic relationship with the reader: brutal scenes bump unpredictably against farcical episodes in a narrative that is confusingly inchoate. Problematically, the novel's turbulent voice - sometimes laid-back, sometimes flippant - dislocates us from Roy: we see his pain, but don't, in the final stretch, feel for him strongly enough. But, problems aside, the passages about baseball, and the evocation of sporting ambitions, make it a memorable read.

A Flawed Classic, 02 Feb 2004
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys humour and melodrama to unbalance and confound the reader. Early on, after an exhilaratingly impromptu confrontation between the Whammer (a batter approaching retirement) and Roy (the "natural" of the title), two shock blows are delivered in quick succession. These events form a loose prologue and shape the rest of the tale; they also define Malamud's antagonistic relationship with the reader: brutal scenes bump unpredictably against farcical episodes in a narrative that is confusingly inchoate. Problematically, the novel's turbulent voice - sometimes laid-back, sometimes flippant - dislocates us from Roy: we see his pain, but don't, in the final stretch, feel for him strongly enough. But, problems aside, the passages about baseball, and the evocation of sporting ambitions, make it a memorable read.

Brilliant, 13 Aug 2008
Most people will come to this book through the Redford film and will be surprised and intrigued by the view that the movie takes of the text. In the film the key event of the protagonist's life, Roy Hobbs, is seen as a random event of chance which changes an otherwise good man's chance of fame and greatness and through his love of baseball he is redeemed; the book's view is that Roy, while a genius, has flaws that mean he will never be redeemed and will always struggle with his inner demons. If we look at our real life sporting heroes we will see that this is the true picture of sporting genius and what makes many sportsmen great (confidence, self-belief and skill) will, often be the very thing that causes their destruction, in one telling line that defines Roy's character and fate, the team mamanger expresses concern that Roy can "never leave a bad ball alone".

This is the reason for Roy's fall, not a random event of fate but a man struggling with his talent and with the dark side of his talent.

The book has an epic feel to it, Roy is a hero in the mould of Odysseus or Jason, he is tempted, fails and is constantly antagonising the gods that gave him his talent; as a result those gods beset him with trials and tests, many of which he fails. It is therefore not a story more of an extended fable. The mythic quality that the film draws upon is much darker and forboding in the book and, most tellingly there is no happy ending.

This is an evocative book, the smell and feel of baseball is captured with startling clarity and the nature of skill and luck in any game is brought vividly to life. It is not a comfortable book to read and there are some stark contrasts with key moments in the film which are also key moments in the book but from an entirely different perspective.





A Flawed Classic, 02 Feb 2004
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys humour and melodrama to unbalance and confound the reader. Early on, after an exhilaratingly impromptu confrontation between the Whammer (a batter approaching retirement) and Roy (the "natural" of the title), two shock blows are delivered in quick succession. These events form a loose prologue and shape the rest of the tale; they also define Malamud's antagonistic relationship with the reader: brutal scenes bump unpredictably against farcical episodes in a narrative that is confusingly inchoate. Problematically, the novel's turbulent voice - sometimes laid-back, sometimes flippant - dislocates us from Roy: we see his pain, but don't, in the final stretch, feel for him strongly enough. But, problems aside, the passages about baseball, and the evocation of sporting ambitions, make it a memorable read.

A Flawed Classic, 02 Feb 2004
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys humour and melodrama to unbalance and confound the reader. Early on, after an exhilaratingly impromptu confrontation between the Whammer (a batter approaching retirement) and Roy (the "natural" of the title), two shock blows are delivered in quick succession. These events form a loose prologue and shape the rest of the tale; they also define Malamud's antagonistic relationship with the reader: brutal scenes bump unpredictably against farcical episodes in a narrative that is confusingly inchoate. Problematically, the novel's turbulent voice - sometimes laid-back, sometimes flippant - dislocates us from Roy: we see his pain, but don't, in the final stretch, feel for him strongly enough. But, problems aside, the passages about baseball, and the evocation of sporting ambitions, make it a memorable read.

This book is a sheer jewel, 21 May 1999
Since this book won the 1959 National Book Award, and I had not read it, I found a copy and was amazed at the power of the stories. I usually am not too enamored of short story collections, since I don't appreciate starting anew every few pages in a book. But this book is an exception. I was amazed at how quickly one became caught up in each story. The first story is The First Seven Years, and is a most touching story, setting the reader up most felicitously for enjoyment of each of the following 12 stories.

Brilliant, 13 Aug 2008
Most people will come to this book through the Redford film and will be surprised and intrigued by the view that the movie takes of the text. In the film the key event of the protagonist's life, Roy Hobbs, is seen as a random event of chance which changes an otherwise good man's chance of fame and greatness and through his love of baseball he is redeemed; the book's view is that Roy, while a genius, has flaws that mean he will never be redeemed and will always struggle with his inner demons. If we look at our real life sporting heroes we will see that this is the true picture of sporting genius and what makes many sportsmen great (confidence, self-belief and skill) will, often be the very thing that causes their destruction, in one telling line that defines Roy's character and fate, the team mamanger expresses concern that Roy can "never leave a bad ball alone".

This is the reason for Roy's fall, not a random event of fate but a man struggling with his talent and with the dark side of his talent.

The book has an epic feel to it, Roy is a hero in the mould of Odysseus or Jason, he is tempted, fails and is constantly antagonising the gods that gave him his talent; as a result those gods beset him with trials and tests, many of which he fails. It is therefore not a story more of an extended fable. The mythic quality that the film draws upon is much darker and forboding in the book and, most tellingly there is no happy ending.

This is an evocative book, the smell and feel of baseball is captured with startling clarity and the nature of skill and luck in any game is brought vividly to life. It is not a comfortable book to read and there are some stark contrasts with key moments in the film which are also key moments in the book but from an entirely different perspective.





A Flawed Classic, 02 Feb 2004
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys humour and melodrama to unbalance and confound the reader. Early on, after an exhilaratingly impromptu confrontation between the Whammer (a batter approaching retirement) and Roy (the "natural" of the title), two shock blows are delivered in quick succession. These events form a loose prologue and shape the rest of the tale; they also define Malamud's antagonistic relationship with the reader: brutal scenes bump unpredictably against farcical episodes in a narrative that is confusingly inchoate. Problematically, the novel's turbulent voice - sometimes laid-back, sometimes flippant - dislocates us from Roy: we see his pain, but don't, in the final stretch, feel for him strongly enough. But, problems aside, the passages about baseball, and the evocation of sporting ambitions, make it a memorable read.

A Flawed Classic, 02 Feb 2004
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys humour and melodrama to unbalance and confound the reader. Early on, after an exhilaratingly impromptu confrontation between the Whammer (a batter approaching retirement) and Roy (the "natural" of the title), two shock blows are delivered in quick succession. These events form a loose prologue and shape the rest of the tale; they also define Malamud's antagonistic relationship with the reader: brutal scenes bump unpredictably against farcical episodes in a narrative that is confusingly inchoate. Problematically, the novel's turbulent voice - sometimes laid-back, sometimes flippant - dislocates us from Roy: we see his pain, but don't, in the final stretch, feel for him strongly enough. But, problems aside, the passages about baseball, and the evocation of sporting ambitions, make it a memorable read.

This book is a sheer jewel, 21 May 1999
Since this book won the 1959 National Book Award, and I had not read it, I found a copy and was amazed at the power of the stories. I usually am not too enamored of short story collections, since I don't appreciate starting anew every few pages in a book. But this book is an exception. I was amazed at how quickly one became caught up in each story. The first story is The First Seven Years, and is a most touching story, setting the reader up most felicitously for enjoyment of each of the following 12 stories.

Malamud's Dubin's Lives, 01 Jan 2007
At forty, my friends and I still play variations on that old art student game : the house is on fire, which ten paintings would you save? Which is where this book comes in. On that final trip, I would like to see this book in my case, reminding me how the very best writing defines life, gets close to the bone, makes you relive it. His examination of marriage is exacting, uncomfortable. The reader lives middle-aged Dubin's yearning : wife, mistress, his work - the web bringing him solace. The book's a masterpiece. Read it.
And into the case go too anything by Coetzee, definitely his Lives of Animals. The autobiographies of Doris Lessing and Rousseau's Confessions. Hardy's Jude the Obscure. The list might change, I have a feeling Malamud's Tenants will be on it too.

Brilliant, 13 Aug 2008
Most people will come to this book through the Redford film and will be surprised and intrigued by the view that the movie takes of the text. In the film the key event of the protagonist's life, Roy Hobbs, is seen as a random event of chance which changes an otherwise good man's chance of fame and greatness and through his love of baseball he is redeemed; the book's view is that Roy, while a genius, has flaws that mean he will never be redeemed and will always struggle with his inner demons. If we look at our real life sporting heroes we will see that this is the true picture of sporting genius and what makes many sportsmen great (confidence, self-belief and skill) will, often be the very thing that causes their destruction, in one telling line that defines Roy's character and fate, the team mamanger expresses concern that Roy can "never leave a bad ball alone".

This is the reason for Roy's fall, not a random event of fate but a man struggling with his talent and with the dark side of his talent.

The book has an epic feel to it, Roy is a hero in the mould of Odysseus or Jason, he is tempted, fails and is constantly antagonising the gods that gave him his talent; as a result those gods beset him with trials and tests, many of which he fails. It is therefore not a story more of an extended fable. The mythic quality that the film draws upon is much darker and forboding in the book and, most tellingly there is no happy ending.

This is an evocative book, the smell and feel of baseball is captured with startling clarity and the nature of skill and luck in any game is brought vividly to life. It is not a comfortable book to read and there are some stark contrasts with key moments in the film which are also key moments in the book but from an entirely different perspective.





A Flawed Classic, 02 Feb 2004
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys humour and melodrama to unbalance and confound the reader. Early on, after an exhilaratingly impromptu confrontation between the Whammer (a batter approaching retirement) and Roy (the "natural" of the title), two shock blows are delivered in quick succession. These events form a loose prologue and shape the rest of the tale; they also define Malamud's antagonistic relationship with the reader: brutal scenes bump unpredictably against farcical episodes in a narrative that is confusingly inchoate. Problematically, the novel's turbulent voice - sometimes laid-back, sometimes flippant - dislocates us from Roy: we see his pain, but don't, in the final stretch, feel for him strongly enough. But, problems aside, the passages about baseball, and the evocation of sporting ambitions, make it a memorable read.

A Flawed Classic, 02 Feb 2004
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys humour and melodrama to unbalance and confound the reader. Early on, after an exhilaratingly impromptu confrontation between the Whammer (a batter approaching retirement) and Roy (the "natural" of the title), two shock blows are delivered in quick succession. These events form a loose prologue and shape the rest of the tale; they also define Malamud's antagonistic relationship with the reader: brutal scenes bump unpredictably against farcical episodes in a narrative that is confusingly inchoate. Problematically, the novel's turbulent voice - sometimes laid-back, sometimes flippant - dislocates us from Roy: we see his pain, but don't, in the final stretch, feel for him strongly enough. But, problems aside, the passages about baseball, and the evocation of sporting ambitions, make it a memorable read.

This book is a sheer jewel, 21 May 1999
Since this book won the 1959 National Book Award, and I had not read it, I found a copy and was amazed at the power of the stories. I usually am not too enamored of short story collections, since I don't appreciate starting anew every few pages in a book. But this book is an exception. I was amazed at how quickly one became caught up in each story. The first story is The First Seven Years, and is a most touching story, setting the reader up most felicitously for enjoyment of each of the following 12 stories.

Malamud's Dubin's Lives, 01 Jan 2007
At forty, my friends and I still play variations on that old art student game : the house is on fire, which ten paintings would you save? Which is where this book comes in. On that final trip, I would like to see this book in my case, reminding me how the very best writing defines life, gets close to the bone, makes you relive it. His examination of marriage is exacting, uncomfortable. The reader lives middle-aged Dubin's yearning : wife, mistress, his work - the web bringing him solace. The book's a masterpiece. Read it.
And into the case go too anything by Coetzee, definitely his Lives of Animals. The autobiographies of Doris Lessing and Rousseau's Confessions. Hardy's Jude the Obscure. The list might change, I have a feeling Malamud's Tenants will be on it too.

i love this book, 28 Jun 2008
I love this book, first read it while i was in Romania, i borrowed it off my ex-girlfriends bookshelf and never gave it back. It comprises of 5 or 6 chapters, each telling a different story of Fidelman's adventures in Italy.

This is from memory so bear with me. The first story is of Fidelman as a fresh faced graduate from America, arriving in Italy to write a intellectual/academic paper on art. He gets so far with it and his belongings along with the half written paper are stolen by this strange homeless man who he then pursues throughout the rest of the chapter.

The book reads as if it is a collection of short stories, they dont really follow on from one another and one or two of them are written in completely different styles (which takes a bit of getting used to). But the stories themselves, and the way its written, is inspiring! You just end up falling in love with these very flawed characters, none more flawed and desperate that Fidelman himself.

As with any book, you just have to read it.

Brilliant, 13 Aug 2008
Most people will come to this book through the Redford film and will be surprised and intrigued by the view that the movie takes of the text. In the film the key event of the protagonist's life, Roy Hobbs, is seen as a random event of chance which changes an otherwise good man's chance of fame and greatness and through his love of baseball he is redeemed; the book's view is that Roy, while a genius, has flaws that mean he will never be redeemed and will always struggle with his inner demons. If we look at our real life sporting heroes we will see that this is the true picture of sporting genius and what makes many sportsmen great (confidence, self-belief and skill) will, often be the very thing that causes their destruction, in one telling line that defines Roy's character and fate, the team mamanger expresses concern that Roy can "never leave a bad ball alone".

This is the reason for Roy's fall, not a random event of fate but a man struggling with his talent and with the dark side of his talent.

The book has an epic feel to it, Roy is a hero in the mould of Odysseus or Jason, he is tempted, fails and is constantly antagonising the gods that gave him his talent; as a result those gods beset him with trials and tests, many of which he fails. It is therefore not a story more of an extended fable. The mythic quality that the film draws upon is much darker and forboding in the book and, most tellingly there is no happy ending.

This is an evocative book, the smell and feel of baseball is captured with startling clarity and the nature of skill and luck in any game is brought vividly to life. It is not a comfortable book to read and there are some stark contrasts with key moments in the film which are also key moments in the book but from an entirely different perspective.





A Flawed Classic, 02 Feb 2004
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys humour and melodrama to unbalance and confound the reader. Early on, after an exhilaratingly impromptu confrontation between the Whammer (a batter approaching retirement) and Roy (the "natural" of the title), two shock blows are delivered in quick succession. These events form a loose prologue and shape the rest of the tale; they also define Malamud's antagonistic relationship with the reader: brutal scenes bump unpredictably against farcical episodes in a narrative that is confusingly inchoate. Problematically, the novel's turbulent voice - sometimes laid-back, sometimes flippant - dislocates us from Roy: we see his pain, but don't, in the final stretch, feel for him strongly enough. But, problems aside, the passages about baseball, and the evocation of sporting ambitions, make it a memorable read.

A Flawed Classic, 02 Feb 2004
'The Natural' is the story of a man striving to become the greatest baseball player who ever lived. It's an astutely observed novel, which readily (often unexpectedly) deploys humour and melodrama to unbalance and confound the reader. Early on, after an exhilaratingly impromptu confrontation between the Whammer (a batter approaching retirement) and Roy (the "natural" of the title), two shock blows are delivered in quick succession. These events form a loose prologue and shape the rest of the tale; they also define Malamud's antagonistic relationship with the reader: brutal scenes bump unpredictably against farcical episodes in a narrative that is confusingly inchoate. Problematically, the novel's turbulent voice - sometimes laid-back, sometimes flippant - dislocates us from Roy: we see his pain, but don't, in the final stretch, feel for him strongly enough. But, problems aside, the passages about baseball, and the evocation of sporting ambitions, make it a memorable read.

This book is a sheer jewel, 21 May 1999
Since this book won the 1959 National Book Award, and I had not read it, I found a copy and was amazed at the power of the stories. I usually am not too enamored of short story collections, since I don't appreciate starting anew every few pages in a book. But this book is an exception. I was amazed at how quickly one became caught up in each story. The first story is The First Seven Years, and is a most touching story, setting the reader up most felicitously for enjoyment of each of the following 12 stories.

Malamud's Dubin's Lives, 01 Jan 2007
At forty, my friends and I still play variations on that old art student game : the house is on fire, which ten paintings would you save? Which is where this book comes in. On that final trip, I would like to see this book in my case, reminding me how the very best writing defines life, gets close to the bone, makes you relive it. His examination of marriage is exacting, uncomfortable. The reader lives middle-aged Dubin's yearning : wife, mistress, his work - the web bringing him solace. The book's a masterpiece. Read it.
And into the case go too anything by Coetzee, definitely his Lives of Animals. The autobiographies of Doris Lessing and Rousseau's Confessions. Hardy's Jude the Obscure. The list might change, I have a feeling Malamud's Tenants will be on it too.

i love this book, 28 Jun 2008
I love this book, first read it while i was in Romania, i borrowed it off my ex-girlfriends bookshelf and never gave it back. It comprises of 5 or 6 chapters, each telling a different story of Fidelman's adventures in Italy.

This is from memory so bear with me. The first story is of Fidelman as a fresh faced graduate from America, arriving in Italy to write a intellectual/academic paper on art. He gets so far with it and his belongings along with the half written paper are stolen by this strange homeless man who he then pursues throughout the rest of the chapter.

The book reads as if it is a collection of short stories, they dont really follow on from one another and one or two of them are written in completely different styles (which takes a bit of getting used to). But the stories themselves, and the way its written, is inspiring! You just end up falling in love with these very flawed characters, none more flawed and desperate that Fidelman himself.

As with any book, you just have to read it.


a great historical novel, 02 May 2001
This is one of the few novels to win both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. It focuses on a poor Jewish man imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Malamud does a great job in recreating czar era Russia. He also does a great job in showing the physical and mental struggles the main character goes through. This is one of the best American novels to come out of the 20th century and I give it my highest recommendation.