Customer Reviews

Rough & Tumble: A Novel

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A fast paced funny, witty, thought provoking and shocking look at life of an aging NFL player. You think you had a bad week, try this one on for size..A great book for the traveling commuter, vacation read or for enjoyment..no self respecting sports fan should miss Bavaro's book. For a quiet guy that scared the likes of the Big Tuna he has a lot to say with a style and eloquence the reader wouldnt expect from a first timer. If you like Dan Jenkins Semi-Tough this has much more substance and is nearly as funny without the "colorful" language. Couldnt put it down..

4.5 stars
I am not a football fan of any sort. I only understand the bare rudiments of the game. I had never heard of the author as a football player. I picked up the book because I liked the cover and I try to read a wide range of genres. I really enjoyed the book. I felt that the scenes that took place on the playing field were very well written and conveyed the essence of the game in a very clear style to a non football fan. In addition I liked the story of a man who has more or less lost his way who knows it and tries to find himself again and correct some of the errors he's made. The writing was very good for a first time author, spare and clear even if some of the things that happen were not huge surprises. I definitely will try Bavaro's next book.

This is an excellent first book from one of the game's best Tight Ends to have played the game. My sons and I were fortunate to see Mark play as a Giant and both of us have now read his first book on The Game. Excellent insight and we hope Mark Continues to develop more stories from an insiders perspective. Great read for sports fans!!

Super read! I couldn't put it down. I am a longtime football fan and I enjoyed the descriptions of the real life of a pro football player. The words "gritty" and "realistic" describe this book perfectly. I am currently wrapping up a romantic comedy novel with a football player hero...my guy plays Center, and the story is much more light hearted, but any descriptions of a real pro football player and his struggles were most enjoyable to read. Thanks! Lots of women enjoy the game too!

Rough and tumble is a must read for anyone who has played sports or has any interest in the life of a professional athlete. Mark Bavaro's character "Dom Fucillo" is a prototypical tight end; tough, silent, and strong. His morality and character win out over the odds, in a game of performance enhancing drugs, with mobster and gamblers hanging on. Plus lots of laughs when he describes the 300lb defensive monster playing across from him in "clean size 17 shoes." Give this book to your boyfriend or husband for Valentine's Day !!!
Louis V. Angioletti MD

The other five star reviews on this site are certainly justified. Previous to this novel, we knew Mark Bavaro as a quiet man who played football with passion; he never quit on his teammates, his fans, or himself - the consummate team player in an era of ego-driven stars. Now, we see that Bavaro was a keen listener who has a good command of language, and an amazing ear for dialog. The comparisons to Peter Gent's "North Dallas Forty" are legitimate, and in interviews Mark has acknowledged his admiration for Gent's groundbreaking novel.

The two books intersect, not just in their insiders, helmet's off view of the world of the NFL. Like Gent, Bavaro is a real writer, and uses a craftsman's skills to unravel a compelling, highly believable story that stays with you (I won't reveal much of the plot as it reads best without prior clues). Peter Gent is clearly one of the most underrated author's around, although he has never been forgotten for "North Dallas Forty," his equally strong books: "The Franchise," "The Conquering Heroes," and "Magic Last Summer" are jewels that have never gotten their just due. It remains to be seen if Bavaro can follow this fine novel and maintain the kind of artistic consistency that Gent did, but I would never bet against Mark. His has shown the ability to create real characters (some of them with just the right amount of fragments of his former mates), and to mix a sense of spirituality and suspense into a novel. That's quite an accomplishment! Do yourself a favor and read a real novel that happens to deal with America's Pastime, you won't be disappointed nor will you forget it.

I am a commuter train reader who reads mostly fiction (Grisham, Connelly, Koontz, DeMille, Flynn). This book was recommended to me, but as a Patriots and Cowboys fan I was reluctant to read something written by a Giant. However, I gave it a shot as it IS about football. Boy, am I glad I read this book. Bavaro really did a great job conveying the finer points of being an NFL player while telling a great story. This author does a great job of bringing the reader into the locker room and showing us the NFL behind closed doors. Additionally, the reader is shown what life is like for an NFL star when he leaves the confines of the stadium and is vulnerable to the fringes of the fooball life. Only somebody who had starred in the NFL could have written this book so well. I also recommended this book to my 73 year old mother and she loved it and read it in two days.

This is the ultimate book about the life of an NFL player. Written with gusto and style, Bavarro not only takes you on the playing field and the locker room, but takes you inside the head of a end of the line football player. Not since North Dallas Forty has there been such a fine novel.

Dominick is a troubled football player- alcoholic, pill popper, temper issues and bad relationships with women. He is a wounded guy, with many faults, but a guy with a heart and man who is tortured by the game he plays and the football life that could soon be over for him due to age, bad knees and bad decisions. Spending time with Dom and his story is a guilty pleasure, that all should take. I loved this one.

As a longtime book reviewer, book editor and copyeditor, a mystery-lover and a fervent football fan, I recommend "Rough & Tumble" unreservedly. This one is definitely in the don't-miss category, a well-written, fast, entertaining book that puts the reader on the 10-yard-line along with the players. I doubt that those outside the arena will be able to view a football game in the same way after reading this book. I hope Hollywood takes note, and does right by it.

More than just a football story, it's a journey of a man, loving and breathing the only life he knows, who is trying to make sense of his world (and how he relates to it) as it shifts and turns and crumbles.

This novel enlightens even the non-football persona (like myself), who is curious to understand the psychology of anything not inately understood, while couched in a fictional setting. It's a real eye-opener to the sacrifices and struggles endured. Although fictitious (yes, it reads like a real life story, hence the argument between what's referred to as "artistic license" and what some true sports enthusiasts may find unrealistic), it makes for very compelling reading. I couldn't put the book down.

Through well-written story-telling (in layman's terms for folks like me! Thank you!), vivid characters, and character development, we come to appreciate the emotional dynamics off the field, and understand the toll of physical brutality on it, in the name of a singular, hard-driven goal (I will never take bed sheets for granted again! -- you'll see what I mean, if you read it!).

A wonderful story, from beginning to end. Bravo, Mr. Bavaro! I'm looking forward to your next novel!