Retrato do autor
4+ Works 129 Membros 6 Críticas

Obras por Lucas Mann

Associated Works

Letter to a Stranger: Essays to the Ones Who Haunt Us (2021) — Contribuidor — 61 exemplares

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
male

Membros

Críticas

Luke Mann was 13-years-old when his brother Josh overdosed on heroin. He opens Lord Fear, a memoir of his brother’s life, at Josh’s funeral because, “I once read a Philip Roth novel that begins over a grave,” with a “clenched pack of modern, white-collar American Jews shuffling their feet and talking about a man who died unfinished…” My full review is here.
 
Assinalado
markflanagan | Jul 13, 2020 |
An interesting but frustrating read. A book full mostly of paper people, and pretty weak analysis. Some parts, though, are very good.

I kept wondering how Mann would have portrayed me, had he watched the Lansing team (or, better, Battle Creek, though he'd have to time-shift somehow) instead of Clinton's. I'm not much like the fans he describes, and I'm pretty sure the problem's in his preconceptions rather than the fans' life's shortcomings. Yes, I know people like the character he calls Joyce--but even those folks are more well-rounded and self-aware than the author believes.

And evidently all the players are selfish boors. That doesn't match my experience. Some are; most are just people.

The good parts? Mann's got a good grasp of the town's history, and how the team fits into that.
… (mais)
½
 
Assinalado
joeldinda | 4 outras críticas | Jul 3, 2017 |
I keep wanting to give this four stars, but the book constantly feels as if it's stretching to be more than it ever achieves. The book spends far too much time dwelling on the economics of the small city of Clinton, particularly with the corn processing plant run by ADM. Conversely, it spends far too little on the ostensible theme of the book, baseball, and the playing of it. In the end we are left with a book that sometimes veers into the author's life, sometimes describes the social fabric of a small and dying city, and sometimes captures images of the players.… (mais)
1 vote
Assinalado
librken | 4 outras críticas | Jul 17, 2016 |
Mann followed the Clinton LumberKings for a season and this book is about his experiences and that season. Unfortunately, from my point of view, much of the book concerns Mann's feelings rather than the team's. He does get inside the viewpoints of a few dedicated Clinton fans, and at times he gives the reader a feel for the tensions and character of a minor league team and its members. Overall, the tone of the book is melancholy, partly because Mann is keenly aware of how few minor league prospects make it to the major leagues. Because the Clinton team is a Seattle Mariners farm team, he focuses on two Clinton players, Nick Franklin (now in the starting lineup for the Tampa Bay Rays) and Henry Contreras, a catcher who left baseball without a trip to the majors. Along the way, Mann discusses Erasmo Ramirez, who also made it to the Mariners, and mentions from time to time several others who made the majors, notably James Jones and Yoervis Medina. It's a pity there is no mention in the book of the happy outcomes--Franklin's happy outcome is to be moved up to the AA level. The book left me wanting more.… (mais)
½
 
Assinalado
nmele | 4 outras críticas | Jan 28, 2015 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
4
Also by
1
Membros
129
Popularidade
#156,299
Avaliação
½ 3.4
Críticas
6
ISBN
9

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