Billy Boy: A Novel [Paperback]

Bud Shrake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 2002

There are tough times ahead for sixteen-year-old Billy. After his mother dies, he goes to Fort Worth with his father, whose drinking and gambling leave them all but penniless. Desperate to make a life for himself, Billy heads over to Colonial Country Club, where he hopes to get work as a caddie. He finds much more than he bargained for.

Before long, Billy makes a place for himself behind the privileged walls of Colonial. His attitude draws the approval of an eccentric millionaire club member, while his looks draw the attention of the millionaire's beautiful granddaughter--much to the displeasure of her boyfriend, the club champion. But Billy's run of luck is short-lived, as he confronts the hard realities of the world and of human nature both on and off the golf course. Now, Billy must face down his fears and doubts about where he comes from, where he wants to go, and who he really is. Bud Shrake's Billy Boy is an unforgettable coming-of-age tale of life, love, and beating the odds, set against the far-reaching horizons of the American West.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Fort Worth, 1951, is the setting for this coming-of-age novel in which Billy learns about life and love through the Zen of golf. Having just lost his mother to cancer, the 16-year-old and his handsome, drunken, irresponsible father leave Albuquerque, NM, and settle in Texas. Within a short period of time, Billy is on his own, his father having first gambled away everything they owned and then gotten killed in an accident. Shrake weaves real personalities into this novel-champion golfer Ben Hogan, deceased golf-course builder John Bredemus (taking the form of an angel), and famed golf instructor Harvey Penick. Billy learns to confront his poverty, his parents' deaths, and his future through the wise intervention of the eccentric angel and fortuitous opportunities. Having landed a job as a caddie at the famed and prestigious Colonial Country Club, the teen has to earn his place in the caddie yard, deal with class-conscious members, a snooty beauty, and the club's junior champion. Through Hogan and Bredemus, Billy learns to apply the skills of a talented golfer to the business of life. This is really a fairy tale with a feel-good ending, but there is enough teenage angst and golf to appeal to reluctant young adult readers.

Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Is it so much to hope for? A golf novel in which none of the characters turns out to be sent from heaven? Shrake, coauthor of the best-selling Harvey Penick's Little Red Book, nearly avoids the heavenly curse in what might have been a straightforward coming-of-age novel set at Fort Worth's legendary Colonial Golf Club in the years just after World War II. Sixteen-year-old Billy, reeling from the death of his mother, lands in Fort Worth with his hard-drinking father. Billy gets a job caddying at Colonial, home course of the great Ben Hogan. So far, so good; then Billy finds a pristine seven-iron in the weeds and makes the acquaintance of a mysterious stranger who seems to know a lot about golf (watch for the halo). Soon enough, Billy has caught Hogan's eye and incurred the wrath of one of Colonial's young hotshot players. The plot is predictable, and the heavenly intervention irritating, but along the way, there is some accomplished writing here: fine Texas ambience, way better than average golf scenes, and a good feel for the postwar era. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (September 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743227484
• ISBN-13: 978-0743227483
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,335,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A whiff of magic in the Texas air, July 2, 2008

By 

Art Tirrell - "The Vitaman Effect" (upstate ny) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Billy Boy: A Novel (Paperback)

When sixteen-year-old caddie Billy Boy, who's lost his mother to cancer and his gifted but war-damaged father to an explosion, finds a very old Bobby Jones seven iron in a roadside ditch, a whiff of magic drifts in on the 1950 Forth Worth, Texas air. The club belongs to famous golf course designer John Bredemus, who soon arrives in search. Bredemus seems to know a little too much about Billy Boy, but the lad needs someone to lean on while he gets his feet under him and the two quickly form an alliance.

By way of reward for finding the club, Bredemus buys supper, and the next morning loans the club to Billy, insisting that he bring it to the Colonial Golf Club, where he's trying to establish himself as a caddie. "It's a very lucky club," Bredemus says.

Sure enough, Colonial Golf Club's most famous member, the legendary Ben Hogan, notices the club and asks Billy Boy if he'd like to carry his bag for a quick nine holes, setting in motion a series of events that culminate in Billy Boy's winner-take-all match with Sonny Stonekiller, the club champion and rival for Billy Boy's flame Sandra Sandpaster.

If all this seems a little too pat, never fear. "Billy Boy" is great fun and a terrific golf read and Shrake's plot beautifully set up. You'll find yourself rooting hard for Billy Boy to win out. I recommend it for those who love sports adventure themes.

Art Tirrell is the author of The VITAMAN Effect a baseball yarn with a special twist. Available on Kindle now, and in print August 2008.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Golf Book, March 8, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Billy Boy: A Novel (Paperback)

This is a fabulous book. I could not put it away. It was a great story and was very dramatic. It was the ideal book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Bagger Vance comes to Ft Woath, TX, July 30, 2011

By 

An Observer (Texas, Deep in the Heart Of) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Billy Boy: A Novel (Paperback)

A short easy to read novel by one of Texas' premier sportswriters (Bud Shrake). I found this in a 5 for $25.00 used book sale and the cover intrigued me. It had liner notes from Larry McMurtry, Dan Jenkins, Darrell Royal and Don Meredith; four Texans for whom I hold admiration. It was even better than I had anticipated or liner notes might suggest.

If you've read Bagger Vance it doesn't take too long to see one John Bredemus as a Bagger Vance type, helping out Billy. There's also a coming of age portion of the book which echoes a bit of "The Last Picture Show", with a little bit of Dan Jenkins' golfing fiction thrown in for good measure. The descriptions of Colonial Country Club, Ben Hogan and others ring true to the time and place in which the story is set.

As a writer Bud Shrake is known for his humor, much the same as his friend Dan Jenkins. There is humor in the book, but more so will you find redemption. Particularly between Billy and his Dad, and perhaps that's why I enjoyed it as much as I did.