3 out of 4 stars
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The great American game (Baseball that is) flows through the veins of 28 year-old Willy Mae Beal, seriously. Countless afternoons spent playing ball with her grandfather and learning the bits and pieces of the game from a former pro, combined with genetics and drive, shaped Willy into a potential phenom. But, like any worthwhile story, things won’t immediately fall into place for our Major League hopeful.
Willy’s Ballgame by Dennis N. Ricci is a sports fiction title. I would say that this is the first installment in the series since the conclusion of the book points to a continuation. One thing’s for sure, if you watch Baseball and could keep up with the flow of it, this is the title to read. I wasn’t as familiar with the sport as I was with Basketball and Football so I still had to do a little digging but I settled in nicely.
I, personally, felt that the book was pretty straightforward as far as the flow of the story was concerned. Game after game after game with some off-field parts that, for the most part, didn’t stick much with me. It’s a story centered around Baseball so naturally, games make up a portion of it. I would have preferred a few more off-the-field scenes, from what was presented, to use as a breather from the games, as well as to get to know and relate with the characters better. Maybe the non-baseball scenes could have used a touch more detail to project a better image while reading.
Speaking of characters, I found Willy to be just a little superhuman. I wouldn’t say she’s flawless but I have a hard time remembering parts where she showed much vulnerability. She was presented as the prototypical athlete, possessing all the qualities to enable her to take up any sport with more capability than others. Because of said capability, I thought that it was just a matter of time before she accomplished the first part of her goal, and that the outcome wasn’t in question. It was cool to have a superhero-like protagonist but like all other heroes, I was looking for that one drawback that could make the difference between just thinking about breaking the glass ceiling and actually breaking through.
With that being said, I did feel happy for her when she realized that she would be pitching in the big time, so there’s that. She also had the motivation of realizing her and her grandfather’s dream which drove the story forward, always appreciate character motivations.
I appreciated the attention to detail when it came to Baseball games, as well as the terminologies which were helpful for someone who is not that familiar with the sport. Willy Beal doesn’t resemble much of a flawed character but that doesn’t take away from her likeability which comes from her good-naturedness and inherent ability, I liked her a lot and I’m sure others would too. After all of this, I have decided to give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars.
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Willy's Ballgame
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Great job on the review.
