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The Natural
The Natural
Author: Bernard Malamud
Biting, witty, provocative, and sardonic, Bernard Malamud's The Natural is widely considered to be the premier baseball novel of all time. It tells the story of Roy Hobbs--an athlete born with rare and wondrous gifts--who is robbed of his prime playing years by a youthful indiscretion that nearly consists him his life. But at an age when ...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780380506095
ISBN-10: 0380506092
Publication Date: 8/1995
Pages: 272
Rating:
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 25

3.2 stars, based on 25 ratings
Publisher: Avon Books
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Natural on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Powerful, mythic, wonderful use of language.
reviewed The Natural on + 552 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
THE FINEST NOVEL ABOUT BASEBALL SINCE RING LARDNER LEFT THE SCENE.
reviewed The Natural on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Malamud's prose does a wonderful job capturing the essence of what baseball is: brief moments of chaotic action amid long stretches of patient passivity.
reviewed The Natural on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
As a fan of baseball I eagerly anticipated reading "The Natural" by Bernard Malamud. I, personally, was disappointed. Not that the writing was bad, it wasn't but I do not believe that the author has ever watched a game of baseball or if he has then he doesn't know enough about the game to write intelligently about baseball. There are just too many instances where the story lost me because the time wasn't taken and experts consulted to get the rules of the game straight.
nursenancy avatar reviewed The Natural on + 51 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Liked the movie so much better, which is not usually the case for me.
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reviewed The Natural on + 29 more book reviews
This is supposed to be a classic novel. I just couldn't get into it. Probably because I have the edition w/movie stills plastered all over it and that really turned me off to the book.

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