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The Natural
 
 
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The Natural (Paperback)

~ (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...)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
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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 the Mass Market Paperback edition.


From The Washington Post

"Malamud [holds a] high and honored place among contemporary American writers." --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
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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 (103 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,910 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

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Bernard Malamud
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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
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 to the lower berth window, but by then he had figured it was a tunnel they were passing through and was no longer surprised at the bright sight of himself holding a yellow light over his head, peering back in. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
bassoon case, dugout steps
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Roy Hobbs, Red Blow, Max Mercy, Otto Zipp, Mike Barney, Knights Field, Dave Olson, Allie Stubbs, Bump Baily, Stuffy Briggs, World Series, Gus Sands, Harriet Bird, Pop Fisher, Doc Knobb, Earl Wilson, Emil Lajong, Empire State Building, King Oscar, Miss Paris, New York, American League, Cal Baker, Gabby Laslow, Jersey City
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Ground Rules by Deeanne Westbrook
 

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Customer Reviews

103 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (103 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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42 of 46 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.

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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.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly dark and depressing, but a fascinating read., January 20, 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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Natural
best baseball novel ever! Roy Hobbs - wonderboy! A lot darker than the movie but captures the spirit of baseball is those days. Excellent!
Published 5 days ago by D. Westrick

3.0 out of 5 stars Hobbs' talent for baseball shines magically, but otherwise a weak book
I expected more from this book. Yes, the part about Roy Hobbs' talent is great--it shines through, and creates something magical. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Daniel Mackler

5.0 out of 5 stars "Yes!" reviewed by former minor leaguer and ENG teacher turned principal and writer
Even if you have already seen the movie, which I happen to consider the greatest sports film of all-time, this book is worth buying. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Joel Katte

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any literate baseball fan
My father was an English teacher who also happened to be a baseball fanatic, and I still have his marked-up copy of "The Natural" somewhere in the basement. Read more
Published 13 months ago by John Nemo

4.0 out of 5 stars Not so sugary sweet
I thought the movie "The Natural" was great. The story the book tells is even better. I think that each of the different tellings works for the different medium in which it is... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Andy Beck

1.0 out of 5 stars A hideously BAD book
I love books. I collect, preserve, protect and treasure books. After reading this one, I immediately threw it in the trash. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Netherwind

1.0 out of 5 stars order never arrived
The book I ordered never arrived. I checked tracking and DHL passed it off to USPS who delivered it somewhere on 12/28/07. The end result is "Sorry Charlie"
Published 21 months ago by Michael E. Osland

5.0 out of 5 stars The Defining Work
The Natural is the very best that baseball novels has to offer. As a reader, one follows the sordid life of Roy Hobbs as he tries to rebound from an indiscretion of youth that has... Read more
Published 24 months ago by William T. Harely

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader
A supremely outstanding baseball player is not supremely outstanding off the field, and ends up having a lot of problems because of his stardom and inability to cope with that in... Read more
Published on September 3, 2007 by Blue Tyson

4.0 out of 5 stars No Hollywood ending here
On the surface, Bernard Malamud's "The Natural" is a book about baseball and the exploits of mythic ballplayer Roy Hobbs. Read more
Published on August 25, 2007 by Cory D. Slipman

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