Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season

Written by fans, written for fans. That is FAITHFUL in its very essence. And you don't even need to be a Sox fan. What you do need, though, is a rabid love for the game of Baseball. On paper, this book looks to impress. You got two wonderful writers, Stewart O' Nan and Stephen King, both with impressive resumes (O' Nan's not as popular as King, obviously, but he wasn't voted one of the top 20 among young writers in the States for nothing) and a substantial amount of published works between the two of them, they could almost sell this book on pure reputation. But this book is much more than that. It has tons of character, emotion and honesty, which is exactly what a baseball book, any baseball book, should have. Baseball is a passionate game and this book does a good job of that, not because of the duo's skill, mind you, but because of their passion and their brutally honest love for the game of Baseball and, of course, the Red Sox. That's not to say the writing's bad by any means. The writing is what you would expect from the duo. And they have kept the writing fresh and interesting throughout which I find impressive; not often do you see the game of Baseball being portrayed in such vibrancy over so long an account. And not often do you get a full recap of a FULL baseball season done so well, and you're getting all 400+ pages of it. But I believe it's more because of the passion in their veins and not technical skill. So, you're asking, why should I bother? I'm not a Red Sox fan! Well, I dare say this book transcends even that, I dare say that no matter what fan base you belong to, you will come away from the book with a smile on your face, because, although this book is biased towards the Sox, any fan can appreciate the level of content this account of Baseball has. It was a histrorical win after all and the Sox winning the World Series after 80 plus years has got to appeal to us baseball fans because baseball is a historical sport by nature. So I believe, to baseball fans, this book will be an addiction, a celebration of the game of Baseball. It will touch the universal heart of the Baseball fan. So, Baseball fans, get this book will you? I guarantee you will soon be in Baseball heaven.

War ein Geschenk für einen Baseballfan. Er hat sich darüber sehr gefreut und fand es toll.

Livre très intéressant

2004年はボストン・レッドソックスが「バンビーノ（ベーブ・ルース）の呪い」を打ち破り、86年ぶりにワールドシリーズ制覇を成し遂げた年であった。この記念すべき1年の歩みを、春のオープン戦からワールドシリーズ優勝まで、熱烈なレッドソックスファンでニューイングランド在住の二人の作家、スティーヴン・キングとステュワート・オナンが日記として綴ったのが本書である。 前年のリーグ優勝決定最終戦で、宿敵ヤンキースを追い詰めながら延長戦で敗れ、「今年こそは」との思いを込めて二人で書き始めたものであるが、日本の阪神ファンにも喩えられるレッドソックスファンの熱い思いが伝わってくる。 シーズン中盤までは歯がゆい試合が続き、二人の鋭い球団首脳批判も飛び出すが、終盤追い上げてプレーオフ進出を果たす。ところが因縁のヤンキースとのリーグ優勝決定戦では初戦から３連敗を喫し、「また今年もか」と思われたところから、奇跡の4連勝で18年ぶりにワールドシリーズに出場する。そして強豪カージナルス相手に４連勝するのだが、３連勝した後でも、「あと１ストライク」まで迫りながらメッツに奇跡の逆転を許した86年のワールドシリーズの悪夢から、最後まで安心できないファン心理が切なく、また念願の優勝を果たした後の狂喜と虚脱感も良く描かれている。 キングはダークタワー、キャリー、グリーンマイル等、多数のヒット作で知られるベストセラー作家であるが、試合前の選手との交流なども楽しく、大リーグファンにはお勧めの一冊である。

Awesome