Home Ice: Reflections on Backyard Rinks and Frozen Ponds [Hardcover]

Jack Falla (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2000

"It's wonderful how ice can be so warm..." Bobby Orr, from the foreword

This is a book about family, caring, the values we cling to, the people we love. In this collection of essays, writer Jack Falla's backyard hockey rink unexpectedly becomes a vital bridge to family and friends, a lens through which he looks at this life in a game he loves, a road leading back to the frozen ponds of a New England childhood and a mirror in which he stares down middle age. Or tries to.

Home Ice goes beyond being a sports book. It is a book for readers as interested in family, friends, and relationships as they are in last night's hockey scores.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

There is no shortage of books that describe how participating in a particular sporting activity strengthens bonds between people. Falla's book accomplishes this feat through a collection of essays on backyard skating rinks and frozen ponds and how these local skating venues allow their participants to get in touch with the game of hockey in addition to building relationships with family and friends. The author, a sportswriter and author of Sports Illustrated Hockey, is the architect and CEO of his full-scale backyard rink, the Bacon Street Omni, around which neighborhood life seems to revolve during the long, cold months. Each essay is short and provides for excellent recreational reading for people interested in skating in general and hockey in particular. Throughout, the author's love for winter sports is clear, especially as a link between his New England childhood and his current life, but readers who have never put on a pair of skates may have trouble connecting with this well written book. Recommended for public libraries already stocked with a strong collection of winter-oriented sports books.DPatrick Mahoney, Off-Campus Lib. Svcs., Central Michigan Univ.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Falla`s rink is a place that enlivens the darkness and cold and pays homage to the New England cultural heritage. -- Christian Science Monitor

The literary hot chocolate that will warm your heart. -- Robert Lipsyte - The New York Times --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 190 pages
• Publisher: Mcgregor Hill Pub (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965384624
• ISBN-13: 978-0965384629
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,004,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Winter Sports > Ice Skating & Figure Skating

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Home Ice truly takes us home., November 20, 2000

By 

Mark H. Kelly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home Ice: Reflections on Backyard Rinks and Frozen Ponds (Hardcover)

Home Ice is one of those books you want to read in one sitting without putting it down. Even if you have never skated on natural ice, or never skated at all for that matter, you will relate to this book. In building his own backyard rink several years ago, Falla discovered a venue which brings family and friends together time and time again. Just as a campfire in the woods draws people to it, the rink has drawn family and friends to his home. It is a place where differences are forgotten, where strangers become companions, where a rhythm of living takes over, and where a natural order pervails. Falla has been able to capture the anticipation of looking forward to that first ice, that first time of the season when you lace up the blades, step onto the ice, and find that you have come home. This book should be on everyone's shelf.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart Warming thought, January 3, 2003

By 

Brent Burton (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home Ice: Reflections on Backyard Rinks and Frozen Ponds (Hardcover)

I have to say in my 28 years of being alive I can count on one hand the amount of books I have read on my own. But I recieved this book from my wife for christmas this year. I guess she had hopes on me reading more. Well she was right. I picked up the book thrusday morning about 11:00 am and finished it that afternoon. I really enjoyed reading this book. It actually took me back to when I was really young and skated on a small lake my grandparents lived on in Kinston Ontario. I feel almost compelled to build my own rink in my back yard this winter. I won't but it would be great to do it.
Thanks

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure delight, February 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Home Ice: Reflections on Backyard Rinks and Frozen Ponds (Paperback)

I have been enchanted by this book. A newcomer to hockey, as both fan and player, I have been soaking up information and lore eagerly. This book satisfies both the urge to learn about hockey, and my wish to experience more of the true joy of the game. Taken out of the huge arenas with the expensive nachos and plentiful beer, there is a game that generations have loved to play and perfect. There are kids playing here, and adults, men and women. There are friends who help shovel the backyard rink, and those who show up later. And there are stories of other backyard rinks, of ponds, and of pros. If you like hockey, I don't see how you could go wrong with this book.