The Long and the Short of It [Hardcover]

Andy North (Author), Burton Rocks (Author), Chris Berman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2002

After the sudden death of her husband, Minda Hobbs returns to Angel Heights, S.C., the home of her forebears, to seek peace and purpose in her life. Instead, she finds her n'er-do-well cousin Otto as cold and stiff as yesterday's grits in the ladies' room at the historic Minerva Academy.

Shocked by her cousin's murder and still grieving over the loss of her husband, Minda has mixed emotions when she's greeted by her guardian angel, Augusta Goodnight. Shimmering with church window radiance, and smelling of strawberry jam, Augusta is a temp who's come on a double mission-to help Minda solve Otto's murder and to take care of unfinished business from an assignment in 1916.

Even though Otto could be unbearable at times, an annoying laugh is hardly cause for murder. Minda's only lead is a tiny gold pin, found wedged in a Minerva Academy bathroom stall, and its connection to a club called the Mystic Six. Together, Minda and Augusta trace the descendents of this secret society, piecing together clues that lead to a special quilt and the mystery behind Cousin Otto's unfortunate demise.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the entertaining foreword, ESPN personality Chris Berman asks, "So why a book about Andy North?" Why indeed. Granted, winning two U.S. Open championships is a rare accomplishment, achieved by only 11 other players in golf history, and North's work as a commentator for PGA Tour events on ESPN is often humorous and clever. However, North's book is neither, plagued by clumsy structure and rambling asides. Part One recaps North's personal life and career, a subject with variety when about other sports superstars, but, unfortunately, all too familiar about golf personalities. Nothing new here except for the unique fact that North hit his wife, Susan, on the head with his ball three times during tournament play. In Part Two, North shares technical advice on specific shots and situations. In one poignant aside, he observes that you can play golf at five or 85, and thus it is the only sport grandparents can play with their grandchildren. Part Three offers anecdotes and appraisals of some of golf's legends, including Palmer, Nicklaus and Snead, while Part Four features random thoughts and gripes about courses, armchair golfers and the media's lack of appreciation for the LPGA. Unfortunately, coauthor Rocks's (A King's Legacy: The Clyde King Story) text reads as if it had been transcribed verbatim from a tape recorder. Tangential thoughts and disjointed time lines often leave the reader confused. North has some interesting insights into the game of golf, but they might have been better appreciated in several smaller, more specific volumes.

From Booklist

North won the U.S. Open twice, but because he only won one other professional golf tournament in his career, his triumphs are often considered flukes. In a combination memoir and golf instructional, North emerges as a thoughtful man whose love of the game has seen him through not only years of being called the "worst multiple Open winner" but also a plethora of injuries that, more than anything, accounted for his relatively disappointing career. If the prose here is a bit clunky (even for an as-told-to bio) and the sentiments on the syrupy side, the book will still hold the interest of golf fans, both for its solid instructional advice, particularly on the short game (North's specialty), and for the bittersweet portrait of a man whose successes earned him more criticism than his defeats. North, now an ESPN announcer, deserves a more positive footnote in golf history, and this book may help him get it. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312287976
• ISBN-13: 978-0312287979
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,155,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Keep talking, Andy, don't write another book!, January 20, 2005

By 

BenSeattle (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Long and the Short of It (Paperback)

I wasn't expecting brilliant journalism from Andy North, but even with low expectations I got a lot less. North confesses that he was urged to do the book by his co-author, young attorney Burton Rocks. Well, let's put it this way: one plays golf and one practices law -- NEITHER can write! This book is filled with stories of minimal interest, but it's the lame and lackluster way they're told that loses the reader. It's obvious there was no EDITOR even remotely connected with this attempt. The writers do try to make their efforts stand out, however, by liberal use of exclamation points! Nearly every story (no matter how mundane) ends with an exciting piece of punctuation! It gets real old, real fast!!

2.0 out of 5 stars AS DULL AS DITCH WATER!, March 9, 2004

By 

D. McAllister "MRD" (Somewhere in the Field) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Long and the Short of It (Hardcover)

Please don't get me wrong on this one. While the ability of a golfer to win not one but two US Opens is remarkable it doesn't necessarily translate into the ability to put down on paper an interesting book on golf. That seems to be what we have here.

During his career on the PGA Tour Andy North was not known for his on-course flash and pizzazz. At his best he was a steady albeit ho-hum golfer. Still he had the right game at the right time to win US Open Championships in 1978 and 1985.

But that's really where the interest ends in THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT. The chapters in this book about North's being introduced to golf, his learning the game, his college golf and his days on tour are, to borrow an appropriate cliché, "as dull as ditch water." No fireworks. No destiny! No come-from-behind drama. Nothing.

With all due respect, North is necessarily relegated to that long list of golfers about whom we are left to scratch our heads. How did they pull it off? But, hey, such head scratching is one of the great things about golf. On any given Sunday the generic golfer might emerge, garner his fifteen minutes of Warholic fame as a major championship winner--even a double winner--and appropriately fade away. Sadly there will inevitably be those like North who, apparently unable to accept their unadulterated luck, write books and drag all of us through the abject lackluster of their mediocre careers.

Regarding this one, it's time to pick up your ball and move on to the next hole.

THE HORSEMAN

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended reading for all golfing enthusiasts, December 8, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Long and the Short of It (Paperback)

Two-time United States Open champion and ESPN commentator Andy Roth pre-sents The Long And The Short Of It, a candidly personal memoir in which Andy shares his memories of growing up in general and his fond reminiscences on the great sport of golf in particular. Packed with insights to becoming a better golfer, as well as speculations on challenges facing the sport of golfing in the future, The Long And The Short Of It offers insightful commentary on multiple levels and is very highly recommended reading for all golfing enthusiasts from country club duffers to professional tour aspirants.