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- The Comeback Season
The Comeback Season
Author(s)
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
12+
ISBN
1416938478
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Editor reviews
2 reviews
The Comeback Season - 5 Stars All the Way
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
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Well, here's another book that I expect will be included in my Top 10 favorites of 2008. In The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith, we are introduced to fifteen year old Ryan Walsh. It's been five years since her father died in a white water rafting accident. It's been five years that she's been remembering him and idolizing him; his jokes, his words of wisdom, his optimism.
They were avid Chicago Cubs fans, the team that hasn't won a World Series in 100 years. So, it's appropriate that she should meet Nick on an April day she's cutting class to go to a game. Nick is new at school, having been there a month. He's popular and has lots of friends. She, on the other hand, has become more of a loner over the past few years. Her childhood friends have moved on while Ryan has stayed static, reliving the days with her father. To add to her pain, on the anniversary of her fathers death, her mother and step father announce that they are expecting a child.
Ryan and Nick's relationship quickly develops into more than just a friendship. It's an easy going relationship, lots of quiet times, lots of understanding, lots of good times. So it comes as a shock when he tells her that he won't be seeing her during the summer. After watching a Cub winning game on TV in late June, she runs to Nicks house to celebrate. It is then that she learns why he wasnt planning on seeing her.
Avid Cubs fans have a lot of faith that next year will be different; that next year they will come back to victory. The Comeback Season is a book about faith and hope and love; family and friendship.
The Comeback Season is extremely well written. It conveys the devotion of Cubs fans. It conveys the love between Nick and Ryan. It confirms the importance of family and friends. I won't deny it. I got misty-eyed towards the end of the book, but then again, I'm a softy. I loved this debut novel and will be first on line to get Smiths next offering.
They were avid Chicago Cubs fans, the team that hasn't won a World Series in 100 years. So, it's appropriate that she should meet Nick on an April day she's cutting class to go to a game. Nick is new at school, having been there a month. He's popular and has lots of friends. She, on the other hand, has become more of a loner over the past few years. Her childhood friends have moved on while Ryan has stayed static, reliving the days with her father. To add to her pain, on the anniversary of her fathers death, her mother and step father announce that they are expecting a child.
Ryan and Nick's relationship quickly develops into more than just a friendship. It's an easy going relationship, lots of quiet times, lots of understanding, lots of good times. So it comes as a shock when he tells her that he won't be seeing her during the summer. After watching a Cub winning game on TV in late June, she runs to Nicks house to celebrate. It is then that she learns why he wasnt planning on seeing her.
Avid Cubs fans have a lot of faith that next year will be different; that next year they will come back to victory. The Comeback Season is a book about faith and hope and love; family and friendship.
The Comeback Season is extremely well written. It conveys the devotion of Cubs fans. It conveys the love between Nick and Ryan. It confirms the importance of family and friends. I won't deny it. I got misty-eyed towards the end of the book, but then again, I'm a softy. I loved this debut novel and will be first on line to get Smiths next offering.
User reviews
4 reviews
Overall rating
4.3
Plot
4.3(4)
Characters
N/A(0)
Writing Style
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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
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Much more than I expected
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Sara
From book jacket: The last place Ryan Walsh should be this afternoon is on a train heading to Wrigley Field. She should be in class, enduring yet another miserable day of her first year of high school. But for once, Ryan isnt thinking about what she should be doing. Shes not worried about her lack of friends, or her suffering math grade, or how its been five whole years since the last time she was really and truly happy. Because shes finally returning to the place that her father loved, where the two of them spent so many afternoons cheering on their team. And on this the fifth anniversary of his death it feels like theres nowhere else in the world she should be.
Ryan is once again filled with hope as she makes her way to the game. Good luck is often hard to come by in place like Wrigley Field, but its on this day she meets Nick, the new kid from her school, who seems to love the Cubs nearly as much as she does. But Nick carries with him a secret that makes Ryan wonder if anyone can really escape their past, or believe in the promise of those reassuring words: Wait till next year. Is it too much for Ryan to hope that this year, this season, might be her comeback season?
Favorite characters, quotes/lines: Ryan: I thought her actions were believable for someone who had lost their father, it was inspiring to see her transformation; Nick: he was an amazing character, such a full character (it makes me tear up jus to write about him)
When I finished this book I felt: It wasnt at all what I expected, but it was amazing. It was a little bit romantic, a little bit angsty, a little bit heartbreaking, and a lot of awesomeness. It was an amazing breakout novel from Smith and I felt like she ended it on just the right note, but I wish that it could have gone on. And the ending wouldnt have happened.
Other books to read by this author: This is Smiths first book.
I would recommend this book to: Young Adult fans, with a passion for baseball and life lessons
From book jacket: The last place Ryan Walsh should be this afternoon is on a train heading to Wrigley Field. She should be in class, enduring yet another miserable day of her first year of high school. But for once, Ryan isnt thinking about what she should be doing. Shes not worried about her lack of friends, or her suffering math grade, or how its been five whole years since the last time she was really and truly happy. Because shes finally returning to the place that her father loved, where the two of them spent so many afternoons cheering on their team. And on this the fifth anniversary of his death it feels like theres nowhere else in the world she should be.
Ryan is once again filled with hope as she makes her way to the game. Good luck is often hard to come by in place like Wrigley Field, but its on this day she meets Nick, the new kid from her school, who seems to love the Cubs nearly as much as she does. But Nick carries with him a secret that makes Ryan wonder if anyone can really escape their past, or believe in the promise of those reassuring words: Wait till next year. Is it too much for Ryan to hope that this year, this season, might be her comeback season?
Favorite characters, quotes/lines: Ryan: I thought her actions were believable for someone who had lost their father, it was inspiring to see her transformation; Nick: he was an amazing character, such a full character (it makes me tear up jus to write about him)
When I finished this book I felt: It wasnt at all what I expected, but it was amazing. It was a little bit romantic, a little bit angsty, a little bit heartbreaking, and a lot of awesomeness. It was an amazing breakout novel from Smith and I felt like she ended it on just the right note, but I wish that it could have gone on. And the ending wouldnt have happened.
Other books to read by this author: This is Smiths first book.
I would recommend this book to: Young Adult fans, with a passion for baseball and life lessons
A baseball love
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by c-alexis
So here's the honest truth, perhaps to the disappoint of baseball-fan Jennifer Smith, I don't watch baseball. At all. Honestly, I don't watch sports at all. Besides the Olympics. But that's different. Despite this fact though, I loved the novel. I loved the characters, and practically fell in love with Nick myself. As for Ryan, well, though I'm not a baseball fan like her, or have suffered the loss of my father, I found myself relating to her in other ways. Those feelings when friends turn their back on you. Those feelings of feeling like you don't belong. Those conflicted feelings regarding doubts and belief. The story and plot was emotional and moving. It was an amazing and inspirational novel about believing despite everything that might contradict you.
Reprinted here with author's permission.
So here's the honest truth, perhaps to the disappoint of baseball-fan Jennifer Smith, I don't watch baseball. At all. Honestly, I don't watch sports at all. Besides the Olympics. But that's different. Despite this fact though, I loved the novel. I loved the characters, and practically fell in love with Nick myself. As for Ryan, well, though I'm not a baseball fan like her, or have suffered the loss of my father, I found myself relating to her in other ways. Those feelings when friends turn their back on you. Those feelings of feeling like you don't belong. Those conflicted feelings regarding doubts and belief. The story and plot was emotional and moving. It was an amazing and inspirational novel about believing despite everything that might contradict you.
Reprinted here with author's permission.
Falls short
Overall rating
2.0
Plot
2.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by bookworm9
As a baseball fan, I looked forward to reading this book, and was thoroughly disappointed. The story revolves around a girl named Ryan, who is still dealing with her dad's death several years ago. Her dad was a huge Cubs fan, and they'd go to games together, so she skips school to see the Cubs opener. There she meets Nick, a new boy at school, and avid Cubs fan. Eventually, they become friends-- and more-- despite the fact that Ryan has to deal with the fact that she may lose Nick, who has cancer.
The love story is so-so. The characters never felt quite real to me. Worst yet, though, is the baseball part. Smith talks down to her readers at times, as though assuming they know nothing about baseball. Also, despite the fact that there are numerous scenes revolving around Cubs games, there are never any real details, players' names, etc. The book is set during the 2008 season, and at first I thought Smith's vagueness might have to do with the fact that she was planning a specific ending... but that ending never came. I really don't get why she had to specifically mention it was set in 2008 (OK, I sort of know what she was going for, what with the vague ending and all, but it really didn't work. At all). Why not make it some future "any year"? Or set it in 2007, and actually use real details, names, etc. It just was not working for me.
But, go Cubs!
As a baseball fan, I looked forward to reading this book, and was thoroughly disappointed. The story revolves around a girl named Ryan, who is still dealing with her dad's death several years ago. Her dad was a huge Cubs fan, and they'd go to games together, so she skips school to see the Cubs opener. There she meets Nick, a new boy at school, and avid Cubs fan. Eventually, they become friends-- and more-- despite the fact that Ryan has to deal with the fact that she may lose Nick, who has cancer.
The love story is so-so. The characters never felt quite real to me. Worst yet, though, is the baseball part. Smith talks down to her readers at times, as though assuming they know nothing about baseball. Also, despite the fact that there are numerous scenes revolving around Cubs games, there are never any real details, players' names, etc. The book is set during the 2008 season, and at first I thought Smith's vagueness might have to do with the fact that she was planning a specific ending... but that ending never came. I really don't get why she had to specifically mention it was set in 2008 (OK, I sort of know what she was going for, what with the vague ending and all, but it really didn't work. At all). Why not make it some future "any year"? Or set it in 2007, and actually use real details, names, etc. It just was not working for me.
But, go Cubs!
Unexpected Turns
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by dykehalo
I was recommended this book on this website and started reading it in a Borders one day and then ordered it online. I LOVE this novel. IT was absolutely amazing and a great summer read. I could really relate to most of it-having used to have season tickets to the Detroit Tigers with my dad. It brought up a lot of emotions I hadn't felt in awhile.
You must read this book!!!!
I was recommended this book on this website and started reading it in a Borders one day and then ordered it online. I LOVE this novel. IT was absolutely amazing and a great summer read. I could really relate to most of it-having used to have season tickets to the Detroit Tigers with my dad. It brought up a lot of emotions I hadn't felt in awhile.
You must read this book!!!!
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