Customer Reviews

Magic Time Signed Edition

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
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The Publisher's Weekly review above pretty much misses the central thesis: Does Mike Houle want to live an assured life "in the fairway" or take his chances that he might "drive out of bounds?" It's classic risk/reward that we all face in our lives, written eloquently in a well told tale. The mini-stories within about the conflicted slugger Barry McMartin, the rules- bending Roger Cash, and the protaganist's father Gil Houle are rich and imaginative. Between the covers, this one is better than Shoeless Joe.

[Incidently, I am a big Kinsella fan ever since he flew across the continent to appear at openning day of Pupque Park...a miniature replica of Fenway built by 2 enterprising high school boys in their backyard in Wayland, MA. A great day, Kinsella was the star of this Jimmy Fund event despite appearances by Spaceman Bill Lee and Rich Gedman. Thanks for coming,WPK!]

While I'm normally a fan of W.P. Kinsella, I found this book to be very disjointed. Its important for potential readers to know that the book is built around various short stories that Kinsella has written at various times. The central story itself is an expansion of an earlier short story, "The Dixon Cornbelt League". While I found the central story fascinating, the whole experience of the book suffered because entire chapters are devoted to old short stories that have nothing to do with the central plot of the novel. While I recommend this book, I think potential readers should beware that instead of getting an independent novel, you're getting a group of repackaged short stories.

W.P. Kinsella, transplanted from Canada to Iowa, writes about two of his favorite topics in Magic Time: Iowa and baseball. As those are two of my more favorite subjects, I read Magic Time and came away a little less satisfied than I would have hoped to be. The story opens with the background/childhood of Mike Houle, hustling baseball player (in a good sense). The first few chapters are consumed with an oft-told story concerning baseball distances; if you haven't heard the story before, I won't spoil it for you except to say that it has been around and used in stories over the years. Mike goes on to make himself into a minor star in college but didn't quite have enough "talent" to be drafted into the minor leagues, to put it politely. His agent lands him a spot in the Cornbelt League in Iowa, with the Grand Mound team. The other teams in the league, spread out along U.S. 30 in eastern Iowa, also appear to draft players, give them day jobs and have plenty of time for the players to practice. Eventually, though, the secrets of the Cornbelt League are discovered: there's more sociology taking place here than league baseball games. While the book does have its moments of disjointedness and pleasure, I found the most enjoyable part of the book was in considering the notion of what the people of Grand Mound were trying to do, and what a baseball player would do in the same situation: stay or go? Accept what I was or prove everyone wrong? Having lived in a small town in eastern Iowa up the road aways from U.S. 30, and having loved living there, I think Mike was getting a heck of a deal - if he could appreciate it. But then, that's part of the fun of reading, placing ourselves in the character's position. Magic Time can certainly give you the opportunity to do that - and it does it pretty well.

Mike Houle is a baseball player who, unaccountably choked in his senior year at LSU and is left undrafted by the major leagues. When his agent calls with a chance to play in semi-pro ball in Iowa, Mike agrees although he's never heard of the team or the league. At least, his agent assures him, the major league scouts will have a chance to see him play.

What Houle finds in Grand Mound Iowa comes as a complete surprise to him. Families take in ball players--especially families with young and attractive daughters. Is that normal? And Grand Mound, according to his sponsor, is one of the few towns in Iowa which is actually growing. The entire town shows up for the regular inter-squad matches held by the local semi-pro team and Houle, the pressure off, finds himself playing the best baseball of his life.

He may be playing great baseball but he isn't stupid. There's something going on in this town, and with this team, that just doesn't make sense.

Author W. P. Kinsella creates an ode to baseball as the solution to the world's problems. In a strange, fairy tale part of Iowa, baseball has become the savior of a town, and the town in turn has become the salvation to a number of players who had somehow lost touch with the love of the game. Kinsella's lyrical writing makes MAGIC TIME an intriguing and compelling read. Although the plot itself is somewhat slow moving (but then, people say the same thing about baseball), Houle's coming of age and his growing realization of the mystery of Grand Mound made me keep turning the pages.

Kinsella does it again! As in Shoeless Joe and Iowa Baseball Confederacy, he returns to the theme of Iowa, baseball, and true love. A solid triple, not quite the grand slam of previous novels, but fun. You know where it is going, and yet you enjoy the ride.
Mike Houle is a great college player who had a terrible senior year...and yet reports to Grand Mound, Iowa, for Cornbelt League. Or does he...............? If you love baseball, small towns, the feeling you have stepped back into a world of no pc's, cell phones, and terrorism, than this is for you....not a lot of brain power required, but a great escape!

I liked the book. The story is one of a young baseball player overcoming his personal denial in his search for happiness and purpose to his life.

Mike Houle, a ballplayer fresh out of college with a business degree (a rarity) waits for the chance to get drafted but gets passed over because of a dismal senior season. He had always been an excellent second baseman, leadoff singles hitter and base stealer, but now finds himself waiting by the phone. His agent sends him to an obscure league in Iowa where things are not quite as they see.

Think - "Shoeless Joe (or Field of Dreams)" meets "The Stepford Wives" only not as sinister.

The character Mike holds the story together. His voice, motives and emotions are believable and while he's smart enough to know better he sometimes chooses the wrong path. He holds to his dream.

I enjoyed Kinsella's writing. The dialogue is great and there are many interesting stories within the story, like the Roger Cash episode where he bests the town's top team with only a group of high schoolers to back him up. It's all about the distances.

Emmett Powell and his family were a hoot and there are a number of quirky characters in the mix.

My critiques: A lot of telling and not enough showing. There are scenes where someone is relating a story and I lose sense of where I am, especially when the storyteller basically drops out of the novel. The imagery is vivid but I wanted more substance.
Going with the previous comment, I felt many of the characters were not fully developed. We never really get to know Mike's brother, Byron. Nor do we get much insight into Daniel Morganstern's issues with the team. Stanley Wood disappears about halfway through, as does Crease. McMartin has an episode then reappears later.

Would I recommend the book? Yes, it's a pleasant summer read.

This is the first book I have read by W.P. Kinsella, although I know the story of Shoeless Joe, and have seen 'Field of Dreams'. I really enjoyed this book - read it in 2 days! I loved the mystery/twist to the story.

the sports story has had a profound influence on me. this baseball drama rates with the shoeless joe jackson book of 1982. how could i approach w.p. kinsella with a script ready for book publication along the same idea lines? john moran