Victories [Audio Cassette]

George V. Higgins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1991

Henry Biggs, ex-baseball star, is still a celebrity in rural Vermont, where he has ambiguous political ambitions which are encouraged by Ed Cobb, Speaker of the House. And just in case a bit more than encouragement is needed, Ed has a nice little line in blackmail up his sleeve.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The characters in Higgins's 22nd book ( The Friends of Eddie Coyle was the first) are as talkative as he is prolific. Baseball star Henry Briggs had retired in the mid-1960s to his farm in Occident, Vt., where, with strings pulled by politico Ed Cobb, he keeps busy as game warden. Briggs is both conscientious and compassionate, occasionally letting poor families bag illegal game for food. Mostly, he suffers the complaints of his wife, Lillian, and keeps up with the taciturn locals, none of whom has secrets from the others. But 1968 is an important election year and Cobb persuades Briggs to challenge Bob Wainwright, the Republican Congressman, for the seat he's held for 28 years. Briggs's decision to run, its reception around Occident and Wainwright's response provide the bulk of the tale, advanced almost entirely via conversation. Its satisfying resolution is less important than the getting there; that Higgins builds a compelling story from such material is proof of his talents. Pitch-perfect dialogue and credible characters (especially Russ Wixton, a sportswriter turned political columnist) who act from complex, generations-old motives give this story a lasting power.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The time is 1968. Henry Briggs, retired baseball player now working as a game warden in Vermont, is picked by politician Ed Cobb to run for the Democratic seat in a Congressional race. His opponent, Wainwright, is approaching 80 and has been in office for as long as anyone can remember. But various people begin to delve into the past when Russ Wixton, a newspaperman, decides to do features on Briggs and a hometown boy returning in a casket from Vietnam. While early portions of the novel seem laden with digressions and superfluous characters, Higgins, as one might expect, pulls everything together in time for a satisfying ending. Spanning more than 20 years, this cynical, crusty novel will reward serious readers who stay with it. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/90.
- Robert H. Donahugh, formerly with Youngstown & Mahoning Cty. P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Dove Entertainment Inc (June 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736619070
• ISBN-13: 978-0736619073
• ASIN: 155800288X
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Reread For Ole Time's Sake, November 21, 2011

By 

Franklin the Mouse (Gorham, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Victories (Hardcover)

My introduction to the late Mr. Higgins' work was this wonderful book, "Victories," when it first came out in paperback during 1990. I was floored by his snappy, believable dialogue and interesting characters. The novel takes place in 1967-1968 when "Hank" Briggs, an ex-professional baseball pitcher, is convinced to run against a popular, 14-term, septuagenarian, Vermont Congressman named Bob Wainwright. The story is not some intricate whodunit or complex plot with oodles of action and gunfire, but a colorful and entertaining description of the going-ons behind the scenes of someone deciding to run for office. It explains through educational and sometimes funny conversations by mulitple characters the duplicitous nature of politics and the human condition. If the reader is more into suspenseful pulp fiction such as Mickey Spillane's work, you're going to be greatly disappointed by "Victories." Mr. Higgins was one of the 20th Century's great writers but few people, today, seem to know about him. I'd take this author over Hemingway or Faulkner any day of the week.