On my shelf since:
The kids were about the age to enjoy this. Really wanted at least one of them to read it, but now that I have, don’t feel bad that they didn’t
My copy’s origin story:
(Hardback 2002 1st Ed.) Pretty sure I just regular bought this somewhere
Why not until now:
I didn’t think of this as a book for me to read, but now that the kids have moved out someone ought to.
Review:
I really wanted to love this book. I love baseball, fantasy, and the islands of Puget Sound, so this book should be right up my alley. The overall concept is good, and I did finish it, so that’s something. But this book is trying to do way too much and much of it not well. There are so many words, backstories, lore-explaining, descriptions of places, and not enough interesting action or compelling characters to make it worth-while. Is this a book for kids? I’m not sure I know many kids that would sit through all these pages of grown-up-talking-at them. Kavalier and Clay is one of my all time favorite books. What happened? (Finished Sept 18, 2025)
Payoff (pages per stars):
500/2 = 250 (Reading this book was a slog)
Misc Ratings (Out of 5):
- Meeting expectations: 0
- Questioning who this book is for: 5
- Feeling guilty saying all this about an author I adore: 5 (wait, is 5 good here or bad? It’s unclear, but you know what I mean)
Off The Shelf 
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