Customer Reviews

Fenway Saved

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

About the new Fenway book - never mind what Humphrey Bogart said about the Maltese Falcon - this is the stuff that dreams are made of. The photos are excellent - none of the run-of-the-mill shots of dugouts and locker rooms. This is all about the mystique of Fenway - what makes it as Roger Angell has described it "the best place in the world to watch baseball." Good stories abound. The book connects beautifully with all the nostalgia that mightily surrounds the place.

I recently received this book from an avid Red Sox fan and was gratefully surprised. Being a Red Sox fan myself since childhood, I quickly found myself back experiencing the sights and sounds and smells of Fenway and recall sitting in the bleachers, the smell of beer and cigars, the Wall, Carl Yastrzemski... I was there, too, at the Impossible Dream game and it brought back memories of the high pitched excitement, the fans running onto the field to get close to their heroes and driving home yelling out the window of the car "we're #1" to all of Boston who was doing the same.

I enjoyed learning about Fenway's history, what makes Fenway tick and the passion of the people who take pride in their work and do what it takes to make this baseball stadium feel like home. For I still make my yearly visits to Fenway and it always feels like home.

Though this book is about Fenway Park, it captures the essence of the "baseball experience" that so many people love and what makes it so.

I had just finished reading another recent book called just FENWAY, and then I found this one. I'm not sure which I like better. Both are very colorful gift-type books, crammed with loads of first-rate photos. I think they're pretty comparable overall. This book had more interesting photos of parts of Fenway Park itself, and certainly the text was stronger about the park, how unique it is, and how it affects the way baseball is played there. The other book had more pretty, romantic shots of fans in the stands and that sort of thing, plus the terrific cover shot. I give them both 5 stars.

I have to say, I was not impressed with this book. I come from a long line on Bostonians and thus value Boston history. In contrast to "Fenway: A Biography in Words and Pictures," I found this book to be completely mediocre in quality and style. There is a reason Stan Grossfeld (the photographer from Fenway) won 2 Pulitzer Prizes for his photographic expertise and artistic sense. I encourage you all to look at both books before purchasing as I did. The difference will be readily apparent. This book is clearly a knockoff of the "real thing."

Nowlin's Fenway Saved is a pretty good collection of photos and writings, and a good gift for a Sox fan, but it does not compare to Shaughnessy's book. The photos in the "rival" book are far superior. Although Fenway Saved does include some interesting shots / angles, overall, its photography is mediocre. Similarly, Shaughnessy's offering possesses far superior writing. Finally, Nowlin's book also had some glaring errors as well as odd omissions.

Again, a good gift or purchase for any fan, but only after purchasing the other book.

This is fun. First time I've seen two authors condemn each other in print on Amazon. Maybe they are trying to stir up sales. I guess Nowlin doesn't condemn Ross but Ross sure needs a Valium. Maybe this is an example of the dialectical method at work - authors fight and something good comes out of it. The book itself is top shelf even if one of the authors seems a little loopy.