Customer Reviews

Shoeless Joe

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

After reading all the reviews of Shoeless Joe, I think the title I chose for this review is perfect.

First, let me state the obvious: most of the people who panned this book outright had to read it for school, and write a report on it. I can honestly say that, in my opinion, this book is not for your average high school student. The ideas and themes in this novel, not to mention the ideals and dreams, are very difficult to comprehend if you're still in high school. Some of the life experiences, that are are required to understand what Mr. Kinsella is saying, are still years away. It's a shame that these students are forced to read something that, in my opinion, they are not yet ready for. If they waited until they were older, they would understand. And they would love the book.

This is not Field of Dreams. That movie is the result of Hollywood taking this story, clipping here and editing there, and coming up with a screenplay that, while outstanding in its own way, is severely lacking in the substance of what this book is about.

It's about life. It's about dreams and realities. It's about injustice and redemption. But most of all, it's about love and family.

Ray Kinsella is an anomaly in today's society. He is a 1960s dreamer in a world full of pragmatic realists. He sees things that most people overlook. He remembers things that most people consider insignificant. But, most of all, he hears things that others cannot hear.

"If you build it, he will come." A raspy, baseball announcer's voice in the middle of an Iowa cornfield says those seven words, and Ray Kinsella knows exactly what they mean. Build a baseball stadium, and Shoeless Joe Jackson, the falsely accused and disgraced 1919 Chicago White Sox star, will return to play again. If that sounds hokey, or corny, it's because, to most people, it is. But not to Ray. Shoeless Joe Jackson was the favorite player of his father, John Kinsella. Ray grew up hearing stories of the 1919 White Sox, and Shoeless Joe. As the story progresses, the pure love Ray feels for his father becomes more and more evident. While the movie makes it something different, in the book it is all about love and memory.

The love between Ray and Annie is as close to a perfect love as humanity can get. And if some find that unreal, it's because it is so rare that it seems unreal. This is the love we all dream about. This is the love we feel we all have. But in reality, this love is the ideal love. And though in many ways it is hard to believe such a love could ever exist, in some very rare and special circumstances, it can, and it does.

Why does Ray follow the voice he hears? Why does he plow under his cornfield, risking his farm, his home, and possibly even his family? Because Ray knows that sometimes you have to follow the voices you hear. He knows Annie will understand. Or if not understand, realize that he has to do what he has to do. From the first time Shoeless Joe appears in his field, Ray starts to dream. He dreams of seeing his father again. Seeing him in a way he never knew him: young and playing baseball, the game he loved. Shoeless Joe tells him to finish the field, to make it possible for all of the disgraced White Sox to come and play again. Then, and only then, he promises, will they consider having his father on the team.

So Ray begins his long, slow journey, finishing the field, learning the tricks of the trade from the experts, creating a perfect ball park. And still he waits.

And then the voice comes back. And Ray is off on a journey to take one of the most famous reclusive authors of our time to a baseball game. He plans his trip carefully, preparing himself so he will be ready to share his dreams, to open his heart and soul to a man who he is convinced needs him to come take him to a baseball game.

Along the way, we also meet Eddie "Kid" Scissons, the oldest living Chicago Cub (or is he), and learn the short, but poignant tale of Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham. The playing out of these stories, and the love of baseball, and all things pure and simple, tug at our hearts, and make us want to believe in the dreams.

And we do. And when Ray finally comes back to the farm, accompanied by a ghost from the past, and a mystery from the present, he discovers his long-lost twin brother has shown up, confusing Annie and their daughter. The differences between the identical twin brothers are enormous, but slowly, they begin to disappear as the dream, Ray's catcher, his father, finally makes his appearance.

The threats of losing everything to Annie's scheming brother, and his business partner, the reality of "Kid" Scissons, and the tragic heroics of Moonlight Graham bring the book ever closer to its climax, as we realize that some dreams, no matter how precious, are sometimes less important when the glare of reality blinds us, forcing us to make choices we thought we would never have to make.

This is a story of love, dreams and life that is worthy of any book collection. Read it. You will come away better for having done so.

W.P Kinsella. Shoeless Joe. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1982. 265 pp. $22.95.

When was the last time you tumbled onto cool, moist grass, looked up at the robin's-egg blue sky, and imagined that the clouds were forming shapes of various animals? Or the last time you felt total freedom while lifting yourself skyward on an old tree swing, back when summer never seemed to end?

These and many more childhood memories will come alive while reading Shoeless Joe. W.P. Kinsella's fictional accounting centers on baseball legend Joe Jackson, one of the Chicago "Black" Sox 8, who was permanently banned from baseball. Joe's magical appearance in an Iowa cornfield initiates a journey for main character Ray Kinsella, to not only fulfill his dreams, but those of many extraordinary characters, too.

At first glance, the book is about baseball and Ray's journey to fulfill the request of the voice, "If you build it, he will come." But as Ray ventures across the country the reader begins to sense that, as in The Wizard of Oz, anything is possible, simply by believing. As the plot develops, Ray's acceptance of the mystical, almost religious aspects of baseball, allows the reader to revisit dreams from his own past, too. Ray says, "Your secret dreams grow over the years like apple seeds sown in your belly...sprout through your skin, gentle and soft and wondrous, and they breathe and have a life on their own...."

Though most of the characters are as refreshing as a Popsicle or as rich as a Fudgsicle on a summer's day, Ray's wife, Annie is far too loving and weak. Female readers, in particular, may have difficulty connecting to Annie's life, with her lack of protest when her husband plans to plow under their crops to construct a ball-field. But, many readers can relate to Ray's efforts directed toward repairing his relationship with his dad, and may realize how profoundly this book mirrors their own relationships, too.

Upon deeper reflection, a reader realizes the importance of Moonlight Graham's statement that "hardly anybody recognizes the most significant moments of their life at the time they happen." While reading this book, a reader may experience a deep desire to turn back the hands of time for a chance to relive his childhood, or to take back words spoken in anger, or to reawaken in the arms of a love from long ago.

The story rides on dialogue, rhythmically slow like baseball, as Ray tiptoes beyond the realm of this world. Threading the timelessness of baseball throughout the book suggests immortality to the reader, as Ray tries to answer the question "Is this Heaven." The reader is drawn in and realizes that looking at this world is not the same as seeing it. Miracles happen everyday and can be taken for granted when viewed only with the eyes, and not appreciated with the heart, as well. Sacred events of planting and harvesting fertile farmland, the changing seasons, and the glorious birth of children are connected to the repeating cycle of baseball.

Author W.P. Kinsella's strength is mastery of the metaphor, with similes stunning our senses with vivid descriptions, conjuring up precise, almost tangible images. He writes, " Moonlight butters the whole Iowa night. Clover and corn smells are thick as syrup." A reader can almost taste a big stack of pancakes. W.P. Kinsella draws in the reader with the familiarity of baseball, while challenging him to rekindle his dream. Each time a batter is up in Shoeless Joe, the renewal of hope hangs as crisp and fresh as sheets on the line to dry. When Ray's twin brother, Richard, returns to the family, and J.D Salinger is reunited with his first love, the reader comes away believing that it is truly possible to start over again.

Like meeting an old friend at a favorite ballpark, the reader can escape the routine of schedules and deadlines, while enjoying this book based on a summer ritual. W.P. Kinsella satisfies the reader with a significant amount of baseball facts, sifted through the Chicago scandal. He successfully concludes when the reader's nostrils are filled with nostalgia of glove oil and leather, freshly cut grass, and home-baked apple pie. Kathie Mueller

For those of us who love baseball, who love the history of baseball, this book explains ourselves to ourselves. You will have complete and total empathy with the majority of the characters populating this tale.
If you don't "get" baseball, this book may provide some insight.

Mr. Kinsella has written a highly original story, written so well some passages seem to sing, that addresses such human conditions as parental loss, unreserved trust, unquestioning love.
And baseball.
The line between reality and fiction is playfully drawn. The author and the protagonist have the same last name. J.D. Salinger and Shoeless Joe are real people.

The action such that it is centers around a magical ballfield created in the midst of a small Iowa farm.
The book is filled with so many wonderful moments that listing them would be insulting to the book.

If you're familiar with the film, "Field of Dreams", then you know the story...but the book is so much fuller. Richer. They actually complement each other well.

This is a perfect book to read during this time of year...

"Never judge a book by its movie," they say, and in this case the adage holds true. "Field of Dreams" has been around since 1989 and is not merely a baseball flick, or a Kevin Costner starlight -- it's the depiction of a spiritual journey for both Ray Kinsella and the audience. The book "Shoeless Joe," on the other hand, provides more food for thought and additional storylines. If you simply see the movie, you'll miss out on meeting Kid Scissons, the oldest living Chicago Cub, who rented his farm to Ray and Annie. You won't know that Ray has a twin brother Richard who left home at 15, never to be seen or heard from again, until the time that Ray built his baseball field. And though there are times when the novel's characters share the same script with their movie counterparts, there are many more instances when they don't.

If you are the kind of person who has to watch "Field of Dreams" at least once a year, then you should jump back a step and read "Shoeless Joe." Better yet, you should make the trip to Dyersville, Iowa, where the field and the farmhouse still exist and look just as they did in the movie. If you can stand on that baseball field without any emotion or without a chill moving along your spine, then someone better check your pulse.

There is a famous quote floating around out there that conveys the essence of baseball and this novel: "Many attend, but few understand." Put simply, this book is a work for true lovers of the game. If you heart doesn't skip a beat on opening day, or you don't appreciate the smell of old leather and fresh cut grass, then this book is not for you. If you look down upon people who are oversentimental and nostalgic, then this book is not for you. But if you do understand the game and how it is a symbol of America and of youth and memory and peace and beauty, then buy a copy of this book. There are passages in "Shoeless Joe" that continue to amaze me. Prose in the form of poetry. The best baseball novel ever written. No contest.

It was in the summer of 1987 that I wandered into a bookstore in Rockport, Mass. To this day, some 17 years later, I have no idea what drew me to the second floor of that bookstore. There, among the stacks, I found a fantastical book called the Iowa Baseball Confederacy by a W.P. Kinsella. It was summer outside and yet, I was drawn to this obscure book. I read it and fell in love. Two years later, Field of Dreams was released and it was based on Shoeless Joe by this Kinsella fellow. And I feel in love with that movie too. Life moved on and I never read the book, Shoeless Joe. I read a few Kinsella stories, but never had the chance to read his only other novel. THen, I was finally drawn to the book. Perhaps it was the 15th anniversary of "Field of Dreams." Nevertheless, I read Shoeless Joe in a single day (and what a pleasure it was). The book is indeed different from the movie. And that makes it a pleasure. The movie stays close to the spirit of the book, and works beautifully as a motion picture. The book is deeper, sweeter, and more magical. J.D. Salinger, Ray's twin brother, and others populate the cast. Annie is sweeter and more dreamy than in the Amy Madigan's protrayal. Enough about the film though. This is a story about life, love, dreams, and baseball (although baseball is indeed all of those things). It is, as Salinger says,the one constant in our lives. The books explores Ray's mania a bit more. The magic of Kinsella will touch anyone who reads the book. While I'm sorry I took so long to read it, I'm sure as heck glad I did. I read somewhere that Kinsella is no longer writing. I respect that of course, but we sure as hell miss him.

Daydreams, visions, and hopes all come together in the magical novel Shoeless Joe, written by WP Kinsella. In Kinsella's compelling novel, Ray Kinsella, an Iowa insurance agent turned farmer, is changed from a dreamer into a creator. At first, he is a dreamer, hoping to keep his farm while not making enough money off of it to pay off the mortgage. His brothers-in-law constantly attempt to buy his farm from him in order to complete a scheme to make them a load of money. Regardless, he keeps his farm and hopes for a way to pay for it. There, he enjoys life with his wife Annie and his daughter Karina. Annie and Karina support Ray throughout the book, giving him good advice and lifting his spirits when he needs it most. His love of baseball, dreaminess, and determination send him on a journey to both past and present to search for the greatest baseball game that he will ever see. It starts when, one summer evening, Ray hears an incorporeal voice say, "If you build it, he will come." Ray immediately knows that `he' is Shoeless Joe Jackson, a man banned from baseball for life as a result of the infamous Black Sox scandal of 1919. The `it' is a baseball field, to be constructed in Ray's cornfield. With care and diligence, Ray builds a stadium, with left field (Shoeless Joe's position) a veritable heaven. He waits for Shoeless Joe to appear, and in time he does and plays ball there every night. Then Ray perfects the rest of the field, and the other members of the Black Sox come to play for him. The fantasy appeared perfect, but it didn't last. Then, "Ease his pain." Ray hears those words from the immaterial voice after his completion of the stadium. Instinctively, he knows that the `pain' is that of JD Salinger, the famous yet hermit-like author of Catcher in the Rye. He realizes that he must go cross-country and get Salinger to come with him to a baseball game, getting Salinger to stop being a hermit and go back to loving baseball. Ray effectively kidnaps an unwilling Salinger and takes him to Fenway Park for a game. Though at first stubborn, Salinger comes around, finally agreeing to go with Ray back to Iowa to see the magical field. On the way back to Iowa, other characters are encountered. They are Archibald `Moonlight' Graham, a baseball player for the New York Giants (albeit only as a defensive replacement for an inning), Richard Kinsella, Ray's twin brother who has not been seen by Ray for many years but has been drawn back to Iowa by some freakish coincidence (or is it a coincidence?), and Eddie Scissons, an old man who loves to tell tales of his `baseball days' with the Cubs, and how he will be buried in a Cubs uniform (although he never played for them). Both Scissons and Graham are former ballplayers who succumbed to everyday life, and all of the above men have something that they need to do; something that only Ray's ballfield can do for them. Through Ray and his field, they can regain a bit of the past, and part of their lives is reopened to them. From Salinger's invitation to visit with the phantom ballplayers to one of Ray's lifelong family dreams coming true to the revealing of Eddie's secrets to the transformation of Graham, each character has a unique and important role. Kinsella writes in detail about the characters, their problems, journeys, and successes. He mixes in trivial details with the important information and makes the book seem shorter than it really is. With clever imagery and a gripping storyline, Shoeless Joe is wonderfully written. It reads like a true story that happens to have some elements of a novel. This book is one of the better ones that I have read, because of both the great characters and the plot. Ray's dreams and journey stick with you after you have finished reading. One scene that captures the feeling of the book is this, at the end of the story; "On the porch, we turn to look at the silent, satiny green of the field. I press the switch, and, like a candle going out, the scar of lights disappears. Above the farm, a moon bright as butter silvers the night as Annie holds the door open for me." It shows how Ray loves the field, and how Annie has been a strongly supporting member of his family for him. The passage also shows how WP Kinsella describes with words (the silent, satiny green of the field) the beauty of the field and without words (as Annie hold the door open for me) how Annie has supported Ray throughout the book. By reading Shoeless Joe, one can understand what true baseball fandom is about, and how dreams can fade into reality.

There is an element of perfection W.P. Kinsella captures in his book Shoeless Joe. Remember the scenes in the book as being vivid? The players in the field, the rustling of the corn stalks, the fans on the left field bleachers and Annie on the porch swing on a beautiful Iowa day? Kinsella captures all that.

It was tough reading the book after seeing Field of Dreams, but I still enjoyed it. Kinsella captures both the zen of baseball and its mystique and the strive for perfection.

How many of us would shuck the responsibilities of a farm/home mortgage/job etc., to follow our heart? Not many. Kinsella did and the book is a testament to the heart. A great book; read it just before baseball season opens in April to get the full flavor.

At first glance, Shoeless Joe appears to be a book about baseball. However, as you read on, you realize the author is using baseball, a game of magic to describe the beauty of everyday life. The way Ray Kinsella describes his family, his baseball field when its completed, baseball itself gives you a sense that the world is a beautiful thing. It is a book about magic, love, and realizing deep down who you are. Ray feels guilty about his fathers death and it is very emotional when they meet at the end. Even though it seems fanciful and all that, you still feel that it is real and the book allows YOU to believe in the magic of miracles. I recommend the movie, Field of Dreams as well because you can actually see everything happening as it becomes more real. My favorite part of the movie is when Ray says "Dad, do you want to have a catch?" and Ray and his father throw the baseball to and fro. Baseball is a game of legacy, a game that has lasted through the generations, that loves to be passed on from father to son. The book should definitely be read!!!!!!!

I'm not a baseball fan. I'm not even a sports fan. But I am a Shoeless Joe fan, and for this book I go to Red Sox games, and for this book I cheer on my dinky little highschool team, one of the few fans beside a field without bleachers. This book is beautifully written and paced, and wonderfully lyrical. It catches you at odd moments and makes you cry. And you're not sure why or how, but you're glad it did. This book is about baseball. Can you believe that?