Flatbellies [Paperback]

Alan B. Hollingsworth (Author), A. B. Hollingsworth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003

"Reads like a combination of American Graffiti and Hoosiers put on pages with humor and wit. It's a wonderful story.... I loved it."—Associated Press

It's not about golf. It's about life. Set in a small Oklahoma town in the mid-1960s—a simple place in a confusing time—Flatbellies is partly about the seemingly unreachable goal of a high school golf team: to win the state championship. But mostly it's about the way Chipper, Jay, L.K., Buster, the unforgettable Peachy, and their friends learn to deal with love, loss, friendship, fear, triumph, tragedy, growing up, and growing together. Fictionalized from the author's teenage years in the heartland of America, Flatbellies is a memorable and moving coming-of-age story.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The quest for a state title has been a staple of sports novels for decades, but first-time novelist Hollingsworth adds some unexpected twists in his sweet tale of five Oklahoma high school golfers growing up in the 1960s. The narrator is Kyle DeHart, who excels in sports and academics but finds a home for his perfectionist tendencies on the golf course. Kyle's fellow underdogs, who compete together to win the state championship, are a diverse and engaging crew: nerdy, dictionary-quoting Jay Justice; brash, macho Peachy Waterman; mercurial Buster Nelson; and "jock supreme-o" L.K. Taylor. Hollingsworth's golf writing is folksy, incisive and funny, but he is less consistent in his descriptions of teenage social life. The major subplot is a clunky romantic triangle in which Kyle is forced to choose between his gorgeous and precocious girlfriend, Amy Valente, and an erratic former childhood friend named Gail Perdue, who resurfaces and claims that destiny has brought them together. Stronger strands of the story describe Jay's effort to cope with the death of his dad in a plane crash and L.K.'s clashes with his own tyrannical father. There's some stock coming-of-age material, and the treacly finale is especially cliched, but Hollingsworth's portraits are vivid and affectionate. A solid effort that will please sports fans.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Call this classic coming of age novel Catcher in the Rough." -- Jack Savage - Foster's Daily Democrat

"Equal parts Stand by Me and Missing Links, Flatbellies is a rollicking, lyrical tale of teenangst, rebellion and redemption..." -- James McCarten - The Canadian Press

"I found myself both laughing and crying... funny, poignant, inspiring, and absolutely terrific!" -- Bob Fagan - Golf Today Magazine

"It's American Graffiti on a golf course, with beautifully drawn characters and memorable scenes... when does the movie come out?" -- San Gabriel - Valley Tribune --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393324206
• ISBN-13: 978-0393324204
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,193,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's About Life, March 27, 2001

By 

Clayton M. Denton (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Flatbellies: It's Not about Golf. It's about Life. (Hardcover)

Growing up in Oklahoma in the 1960s could be like a ride on a rollercoaster. Girls, cars, sports, even bullies - all the things that we teenagers were so involved with. Alan B Hollingsworth has managed to capture every sudden swerve and rolling upturn in his first novel, Flatbellies. Richly populated with characters drawn from his high school years, Hollingsworth has recreated in the not-so-mythical hamlet of El Viento the world as he knew it. I found myself drawn into the lives of his characters, heroes and villains alike. This became one of those books where you say, "I just have to read another chapter, even if I do have to get up in the morning to go to work!" You too will find it was worth it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Golf IS about life, May 13, 2001

By 

R. G. Johnson (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flatbellies: It's Not about Golf. It's about Life. (Hardcover)

What a great weekend read! The struggles of golf do recapitulate the struggles of life, so in slight contradistinction to the subtitle, this book is about golf AND it's is about life. Reminiscent of Dan Jenkins' Baja Oklahoma, but somehow with a more poignant side, A. B. Hollingsworth spins a great story about a small town Oklahoma high school golf team set in in the 1960's. For me the book evokes memories of the hormones, the love, cockiness and the fear that surrounded adolescence. Perhaps it is solely because I grew up in small town America during that era; perhaps because I can identify with several of the characters, but its pages held me close. At times it made me laugh, and at times made me stare right into a passing rain storm. Any book that can do that is wonderful. If A. B. Hollingsworth can find more stories to tell, I'll find time to read them.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flatbellies - growing up, mystery, golf and then some, March 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Flatbellies: It's Not about Golf. It's about Life. (Hardcover)

Flatbellies is a brightly lit trip back to the best side of your last smooth ice. Hollingsworth weaves together the innocence and awakening of a group of friends on the brink of fun, heartbreak and life its ownself. Golf is a great backdrop for a coming of age story that is more about love and faith than a white knuckle six iron from behind the trees. I am no night owl, but I could not put this down until I finished it at 2:58 a.m.