The Natural (Paperback)

by Bernard Malamud (Author), Kevin Baker (Introduction) "Roy Hobbs pawed at the glass before thinking to prick a match with his thumbnail and hold the spurting flame in his cupped palm close..." (more)
Key Phrases: bassoon case, dugout steps, Roy Hobbs, Red Blow, Max Mercy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Roy Hobbs, the protagonist of The Natural, makes the mistake of pronouncing aloud his dream: to be the best there ever was. Such hubris, of course, invites divine intervention, but the brilliance of Bernard Malamud's novel is the second chance it offers its hero, elevating him--and his story--into the realm of myth. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From The Washington Post
"Malamud [holds a] high and honored place among contemporary American writers." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (July 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374502005
• ISBN-13: 978-0374502003
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,559 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #1 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Malamud, Bernard
  #2 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Sports
  #14 in	Books > Sports > Baseball

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Other Roy Hobbs, October 12, 2000

By	David G. Phillips (Jersey City, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Natural (Mass Market Paperback)

I never realized how different the book version is a compared to the popular motion picture version starring Robert Redford. As many of you know the protagonist, Roy Hobbs was a natural at baseball, but his career is sidetracked by a crazed woman that kills famous sports athletes with a silver bulleted gun right before his tryout with the Chicago Cubs. Roy never had a chance to play with a Major League Baseball club until he was in his mid-thirties and well past his prime and was signed to a minimal salary to play for the NY Knights. Despite his age, Roy played better than anyone else during stretches in the baseball season, and raised the expectations of the Knights ballclub from a bunch of losers to true contenders.

In his story, Malamud explains the highs and lows of any sports athlete - being in the zone and hitting slumps. The major differences between Robert Redford performing like Roy Hobbs, and the true Roy Hobbs in Malamud's book, is that Hobbs is not superhuman - or a "Wonderboy" as his bat exclaims. Robert Redford plays a mysterious Herculean athlete that carries his team to a pennant. Whereas, Malamud's Hobbs is a normal guy with exceptional ballplayer skills - but he makes human mistakes. I think what most readers of `The Natural' will be most surprised at is the ending of the book - it builds up climatically just as the movie does, however the end is much different. I liked the book very much, and I am an admirer of Malamud's writing style. I recommend the book; I loved the movie, and I comparatively loved the book - but in a different way.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Malamudian hero, May 11, 2000

By	Bill Besancon (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Natural (Mass Market Paperback)

In his 1952 novel, Bernard Malamud comments on the role of the hero in the modern world. In order to do so, he parallels Roy, the baseball natural and protagonist, with Percival the Arthurian knight. Roy is on a quest to join the game of baseball at the beginning of the novel. His first failure comes when he answers Harriet Bird's question wrong. When asked what he wants to become as a ballplayer, Roy can think of nothing more than personal gain. By inserting this in his book Malamud implies that many stars are in the game only for themselves. This refers to Percival asking the Fisher King the wrong question and being turned away. After a lapse of about fifteen years, Roy tries again to make it big in the pros. He joins a team called the New York Knights, an obvious relation to Arthurian legend, with the team coach Pop Fisher. Pop not only serves as a parent figure for Roy but he also resembles the Fisher King in the tale of Percival. Roy, who started out as a pitcher and is now a slugger, a reference to Babe Ruth, has made his own bat and dubbed it "Wonderboy". Roy's hitting is unbelievable while using this bat and he quickly becomes the league slugger. Percival, much like Roy, created his own lance with which to do battle. As Roy continues to increase in popularity, he is confronted with a wish from a dying lad at a hospital. His father asks Roy to hit a home run for his son because that is the only way his son will survive. Roy accepts this challenge and does in fact knock one out of the park for the boy and in doing so saving him. This alludes to Babe Ruth hitting a home run for the same reason. Malamud inserts this into his novel to show that even though most ballplayers are playing for personal gain, some also try to give back to the supporters. In a conversation with Iris Lemon, one of Roy's many loves, they discuss the importance of heroes. Iris, and in essence Malamud, states "Without heroes we're all plain people and don't know how far we can go." (167) This shows that Malamud respects heroes and expects them to set examples meant to be followed by all. There are many more examples of the hero motif as well as the Arthurian allusions near the end of the story, but in order to not spoil the ending, I will stop. Malamud does not only use these two motifs in his story but also many others such as color scheme, a bird motif, a train motif, and numerous allusions to events in baseball history. Beware though, this novel contains many scenes involving sexual topics. Malamud's use of these literary devices as well as his brilliant descriptions throughout the book make this story a must read for high school students.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly dark and depressing, but a fascinating read., January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Natural (Mass Market Paperback)

I wish that I would have read the book before I had watched the movie. I went into The Natural expecting to experience an uplifting story of a country boy who makes good, wins over his childhood sweetheart, and lives happily ever after. That, suffice to say, is not the way the book plays out. As a warning, other readers who enter the book with those same sort of narrow expectations will doubtlessly be disappointed somewhere along the way. However, I would be remiss to say that, in spite of the aforementioned let-downs (and perhaps even partly because of them), I found this work to be a facinating read. Malamud details a commentary on life, interspersed with wonderful Arturian allusions, through a saga of the game of baseball. Hobbs' character illustrates that, contrary to the movie's claim, that talent alone is not enough to succeed in life, and the way in which the story unfolds, while admittedly somewhat simple, is entertaining all the same. Once I got into it, I couldn't put the book down. The best advice I could give to readers would be to be open minded of the storyline, and not to limit yourself to preconceived expectations (this assuming you have watched the movie first). In doing so, I expect one will find Malamud's style to be fluid and his tale to be valuable.