Customer Reviews

Cooperstown: A Novel

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Being a baseball fan and having visited Cooperstown several times myself, I was curious about this book, especially since one of the main characters is a psychiatrist (I'm a psychologist). However, during the first half of the novel, I almost gave up on it several times, as the author is prone to providing ecruciating detail in the form of long, rambling prose. The story opens in 1957, when the four members of the town's self-appointed ruling cabal discover something about Coopertown's history that could change their lives forever (the reader doesn't find out exactly what until the very end of the book). The author then fast-forwards to the late 1970s, the summer that Willie Mays was inducted into the Hall of Fame. At this point, two of the town's elders have died, and the village's secret kept by the remaining two--plus a younger, forced-honorary member--is starting to unravel.

Author Pilek presents an interesting cast of characters which spans two generations (namely, the original four keepers of the Cooperstown mystery and their children). However, in the first half of the book, she spends too much time delving into the minds of each character while the reader is compelled to wait patiently for the plot to continue. I stuck it out, and in the second half of the novel, there is definitely more story development and thus much more to hold the reader's interest. However, the final revelation of the town's secret is somewhat disappointing, which sheds some dissatisfaction over the conclusion as well. This is a book best suited to fans of quirky, small-town comedies such as NOBODY'S FOOL, and not necessarily for baseball fans.

hilarious book, great characters and a solid evocation of Cooperstown's true character. (helps that i grew up there.) A worthwhile read

Pilek creates great characters and slapstick situations, like John Irving at his most absurd.