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tomstbr's review against another edition
5.0
A truly charming book. Beautifully written, all about fame and how people perceive others and events. More fiction than non fiction and all the better for it.
charleslambert's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely, surprising book, and one I didn't expect to enjoy anywhere near as much as I did. I'm no fan of team sports and a book that's ostensibly about the 1905 All Blacks tour to Europe and the US only found its way onto my shelves because I'd enjoyed Mister Pip a couple of years ago and saw it remaindered. Well, I'm glad I bought it. As the title suggests, it's as much about fame and the effects of fame as it is about rugby, but it's also about friendship, nostalgia, pain, desire. It's filled with moments of great lyricism, and not only because the list, arranged in a sort of fee verse, is a characteristic device within the novel. the use of the first person plural as the narrative voice is remarkably effective, creating a sense of the group, and of group identity, as befits a novel about a team. I found it moving and delicate, without losing sight at any point that it's a novel about a rugby team on tour.
cultchahack's review against another edition
3.0
This is a wonderfully human and observant semi-fictional account of a rugby tour. It might sound niche, but it is frequently deeply profound and universal. However a good grounding in rugby union vernacular would certainly be handy!
As a storyline, and the book is not just a story but nonetheless, it is repetitive. A team of rugby players travel from place to place, there are detailed commentaries on the matches played and the sights seen. New place, new game and new observations. Repeat.
We are told this is not a wholly non-fictional account which makes this so much more than the surface detail. It is therefore a historical document; a project from the author to draw together resources, contemporary accounts and inferred details. It is a time capsule - if perhaps very specifically ovoid in shape.
All of this is wonderful in the abstract, but it doesn't hide the fact it isn't always easy (or dare I say, enjoyable) to read as a piece of literature. There are tonnes of names on the tour and however many observations or reported remarks, it's just very hard to get under many of their skins. Some are bombastic, some are poetic; they are all great rugby players it seems and hold themselves to exceedingly high standards.
The gentle commentary on celebrity, perception, clamour feeding clamour, newspaper columns and expectations is perhaps the clearest take-away. As they travel, it's almost as though we are told about the birth of the phenomenon and the triumphs and struggles we know all too well anecdotally today.
Perhaps for the die hard rugby fan with knowledge of this trip or a deep investment in New Zealanders going out to export the national sport there is a more engaging through-line. As a fairly knowledgeable fan of the sport in recent times it just felt like a bit of a slog with some highlight witticisms, perceptive human condition observations and an admiration for the book as more than what appears on the page.
As a storyline, and the book is not just a story but nonetheless, it is repetitive. A team of rugby players travel from place to place, there are detailed commentaries on the matches played and the sights seen. New place, new game and new observations. Repeat.
We are told this is not a wholly non-fictional account which makes this so much more than the surface detail. It is therefore a historical document; a project from the author to draw together resources, contemporary accounts and inferred details. It is a time capsule - if perhaps very specifically ovoid in shape.
All of this is wonderful in the abstract, but it doesn't hide the fact it isn't always easy (or dare I say, enjoyable) to read as a piece of literature. There are tonnes of names on the tour and however many observations or reported remarks, it's just very hard to get under many of their skins. Some are bombastic, some are poetic; they are all great rugby players it seems and hold themselves to exceedingly high standards.
The gentle commentary on celebrity, perception, clamour feeding clamour, newspaper columns and expectations is perhaps the clearest take-away. As they travel, it's almost as though we are told about the birth of the phenomenon and the triumphs and struggles we know all too well anecdotally today.
Perhaps for the die hard rugby fan with knowledge of this trip or a deep investment in New Zealanders going out to export the national sport there is a more engaging through-line. As a fairly knowledgeable fan of the sport in recent times it just felt like a bit of a slog with some highlight witticisms, perceptive human condition observations and an admiration for the book as more than what appears on the page.
shikara's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
mogilvie's review against another edition
4.0
Paints characters Van Gogh did landscapes - vivid brush strokes capturing the essence
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