Love and Other Recreational Sports [Paperback]

John Dearie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 2004

In Love & Other Recreational Sports, John Dearie’s debut novel, Jack Lafferty is handsome, thirty-five years old, a successful Wall Street banker—and miserable. Left at the altar after his fiancée has an affair, Jack has sworn off women. There’s no way he will be snared again, not even by Sarah Mitchell, a bright and beautiful corporate attorney. But just when Jack’s romantic torpor finally lifts and he falls for the sensational Sarah, disaster strikes, pushing her away and seemingly out of reach. Getting her back will require a move so bold, so daring, that cautious Jack isn’t sure he’s up to the task. Or is he?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dearie's debut novel is a contemporary romance with a twist: it's about a man looking for love. Jack Lafferty is a handsome but shy Wall Street banker who is also writing a novel. Seared by an unfaithful fiancee, Jack vows to remain celibate. Then, of course, Ms. Right appears, in the form of Sarah Mitchell, a corporate lawyer who is also an amateur guitarist and photographer. Ignoring the advice of his friends, Jack uses every excuse to avoid pursuing her. As he shuffles through the grim New York singles scene and has a run-in with his ex-fianc‚e, Jack realizes that Sarah is the one-but alas, he may have waited too long. Set in glamorous old-school Manhattan locales-the Metropolitan Museum of Art, West Village apartments and Upper West Side cafes-the novel covers the usual bases, including a romantic moonlit ending and fawning descriptions of stylish women ("she was tall and sleek, with rich chocolate-brown hair parted boyishly on the side... looking positively smashing in her cool, slim black evening dress and pearls"). This isn't the most effervescent entry in the genre. Jack is short on sense of humor, and he has a priggish streak, condescendingly reminding a lovelorn female colleague that "men don't marry women they think are easy." The narration and dialogue can be stiff ("Strange how one's thinking can be determined by a few assumptions," Jack muses at a cocktail party. "We're all prone to that," Sarah replies). Readers won't be swept away, though if they pick up the book for its novel perspective, they'll likely keep reading to the end.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

This lighthearted read revives the rules of dating. (USA Today) A lovely, recreational read. (People)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Plume (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452285240
• ISBN-13: 978-0452285248
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,502,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love quest from a male point of view, May 31, 2005

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love and Other Recreational Sports (Paperback)

After swearing off alcohol & women (due to having his heart broken by a cheating ex 3 weeks before their nuptials), Jack Lafferty suddenly finds himself in unfamiliar territory - he is attracted to Sara Mitchell, a lawyer who keeps popping up in his life. But he wants to remain true to his self-imposed celibacy, and despite the efforts of all his friends (both male and female), he tries to resist her.

Jack is also frustrated with his career. While his true passion is writing, he instead works as a Wall Street banker. He and Sarah have so much in common, as she also is a frustrated artist - she plays the guitar in her spare time.

After biting the bullet, he finally asks her out. Unfortunately, a couple days prior to their date, he runs into his ex, Kim, and after a lot of alcohol, and horniness, they fall into bed together a few nights later. He slinks out he next morning and begrudgingly takes Sarah out that night. To his horror, Kim happens to be at that same restaurant and unceremoniously announces to Sarah where she and Jack spent the night and that they are back together. Sarah decides Jack is not worth the trouble and they part.

Jack is wracked with guilt over what could have been. He still is fighting his demons but knows that it will take a miracle for him to release himself from demons and self-doubt, and to forge a relationship with Sarah. But would it be worth it?

This book is cleverly told from the male point of view with the male as chief protagonist, which makes the story rings so much truer (and is a refreshing change in the normal point of view we usually read about), highlighting the many nuances between the brain activity of men and women. It should be required reading for any gal trying to get into a guy's brain.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Does "Love" score?, September 5, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love and Other Recreational Sports (Paperback)

The setting: Chic urban area. The lead: a single professional with a tumultuous love life and an unobtrusive job. Chick lit? Not exactly -- it's a book for guys. Like "Love Monkey," John Dearie's debut novel is a sort of chick-lit for guys, well-written but too uneven.

Jack Lafferty has no interest in settling down, especially when his beautiful, hypnotic fiancee Kim sleeps with a client three weeks before they were supposed to get married. While attending a pal's wedding, he meets the beautiful Sarah, and starts to form a friendly rapport with her -- and then to develop other feelings as well.

Confused and rapidly falling for Sarah, Jack runs into his ex-fiancee and ends up in bed with her (courtesy of old feelings and alcohol). He's wracked with guilt, but goes on a prearranged date with Sarah anyway. Everything goes well -- until Kim appears, and tells Sarah about what she did with Jack. Now Jack has lost Sarah -- unless he learns to be bold, to take risks with love, and find a way to win her heart and trust back.

If men constantly wonder what women think about, then women think just the same about men. "Love and Other Recreational Sports" is a bit like listening in on a men's locker room conversation, especially since it's written by a guy as well. Some of his "insights" seem a bit cliched -- such as the subplot about the newlyweds -- but quite true to life as well.

Dearie has a fairly pleasant writing style, about on par with average light fiction. But he doesn't quite know how to balance his book. He spends too much time having characters yammer about the intricacies of the male mind. Despite this, the plot itself is fairly interesting as it unfolds, watching as Jack tries to figure out what he wants to do.

Despite having a male protagonist, it's hard to really like Jack until the last quarter of "Love." Then he seems to develop some passion and drive, and drop his cynical, whiny attitude. It's pleasant to see his friendship with Sarah slowly bloom into real love and respect, despite the odds. Kim is a typical temptress type, while Jack's goofy pal Alex provides some welcome comic relief.

"Love and Other Recreational Sports" is a beach read for both sexes -- intriguing to women, sympathetic to men. Fairly entertaining light story, a chick-lit book specifically for guys.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent view of "the dating game" from a male perspective, March 14, 2004

By 

"mecsesq" (Butler, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love and Other Recreational Sports (Hardcover)

This story does an excellent job of putting the reader inside the mind of the protagonist, Jack, as he tries to come to grips with the heartbreak caused by a cheating fiancee and his reluctance to put his heart at risk again. At times I felt like I was eavesdropping on a locker room discussion, confirming my beliefs and (in some ways) my fears about the way men act when we women are not around. But the fact that these conversations ring so true are a credit to the author...he makes Jack flawed, but he is also heartfelt and sincere as well. The book gives you hope that Jack's emotional growth throughout the book continues and is permanent.