Rating: 
Summary: Oh, bliss...Eddie's back!
Review: I was apprehensive at the appearance of this book -- how could Troon McAllister possibly top, or even match, his timeless classic THE GREEN and its wonderful sequel, THE FOURSOME? Well, great news for fans of Eddie Caminetti, one of the most memorable characters in all of fiction: SCRATCH explodes out of the gate and never quits. McAllister takes us on a roller coaster ride through the hypocrisy of brand marketing and modern media in that grand and keenly insightful style he owns the patent on. A dizzying, dazzling tour de force that should be required reading for anyone who suspects he's being ripped off but can't quite put his finger on why or how.
Rating:
Summary: Top of the class
Review: There are only a few who do golf fiction really well (Jenkins, Reilly, Pressfield) and McAllister has been consistently among that pack. This is a whopping great read and a sure-fire recommendation to even your most finicky friends. All those things that drive the rest of us nuts drive McAllister nuts, too, only he expresses it far better than we ordinary folk ever could. Eddie Caminetti is one of the most memorable characters you're ever likely to meet in a book.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific read -- highest recommendation
Review: A truly wonderful book, full of memorable characters, practical insights, delicious plot twists and out-of-this-world yet down-to-earth dialogue. No way you won't enjoy it, and no way it won't be an appreciated gift. TRY IT -- YOU'LL LIKE IT!
Rating:
Summary: There's more to it than just Eddie
Review: Eddie Caminetti, sure: he's everything he's cracked up to be. But for me the joy of reading Troon McAllister is the cast of fully-realized "lesser" lights, like an omni-constipated detective, a redneck judge who out-Ervins the original Senator Sam, a supremely arrogant corporate CEO and a toweringly obnoxious low-life named Wayne Chemincouver who reminds me of every gratingly annoying jerk I've ever met. McAllister's uncanny eye and eerily dead-on ear for these characters, not to mention a definite trace of affection, create a world so real and immediate it feels like you're living it rather than reading about it. Even an ostensibly invisible accounting wonk named Oscar Petanque turns out to be a finely-wrought human being who demands that we acknowledge his existence. *HIGHLY* recommended for anyone who loves great writing, whether he can tell a golf ball from a pinball or not.
Rating:
Summary: A Diamond in the "Rough"
Review: Have never swung a club in my life, but can't get enough of Troon MacAllister's golf novels. Like all great literature, the setting is less important than the other elements: character, plot, pace and humor. Scratch is right up there with the best of them, and I for one believe it's the equal of The Green, which is saying a lot. Even both my teenage kids ate it up, and all they read is CD liner notes. Am recommending it to everybody I know.
Rating:
Summary: Great book - highly recommended
Review: I haven't read this author's other books but I am going to very soon. I got Scratch for father's day and went nuts over Eddie Caminetti. The writing is absolutely excellent and the story is great. I recommend it very much to anybody, not just golfers.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, profound, important and great fun
Review: I love books that are not only terrific fun to read but also have something meaningful to say. SCRATCH puts me in mind of any number of classic novels that are cautionary tales about how easily manipulated we are. Even while laughing my head off I got uneasy at how marketers and the media conspire to treat us all like sheep...and how it's ultimately our own fault for failing to look critically at what's going on around us. But most important is the "laughing my head off" part. This is a rollicking good story with an incredible, intricate plot and one of the most delightful main characters (Eddie Caminetti) you'll ever meet.
Rating:
Summary: A Return to Form
Review: I loved McAllister's first golf book, The Green, when it came out a few years ago because the focus was on Eddie Caminetti and his insights into the frail nature of golfers. When his second book, the Foursome, hit the shelves, I eagerly anticipated it, but walked away a bit dissapointed because the focus strayed from the most interesting characters and lost a bit of steam. With Scratch, McAllister has returned to firm. Compared to the first two books, this one shifts the primary locus of the activity from the golf course to the courtroom, but Eddie Caminetti, who although fictional is a remarkable judge of human nature, comes back to the forefront. I was pleased with both the plot development and the characters. Most frighteningly, I fear that the conclusion (which I shall not spoil) is right on-point, which is a blow to my ego and my wallet.
Rating:
Summary: A Return to Form
Review: I loved McAllister's first golf book, The Green, when it came out a few years ago because the focus was on Eddie Caminetti and his insights into the frail nature of golfers. When his second book, the Foursome, hit the shelves, I eagerly anticipated it, but walked away a bit dissapointed because the focus strayed from the most interesting characters and lost a bit of steam. With Scratch, McAllister has returned to firm. Compared to the first two books, this one shifts the primary locus of the activity from the golf course to the courtroom, but Eddie Caminetti, who although fictional is a remarkable judge of human nature, comes back to the forefront. I was pleased with both the plot development and the characters. Most frighteningly, I fear that the conclusion (which I shall not spoil) is right on-point, which is a blow to my ego and my wallet.
Rating:
Summary: McAllister is Playing From the Back Tees
Review: I was wondering what to expect when I ordered this book as I had loved the first book in the Eddie Caminetti series, The Green and been very disappointed by the sequel, The Foursome. Well, the third time was a charm and Scratch comes through on all counts. It is funny, incisive, educational and thoroughly entertaining. The chapters that deal with the trial over the suit by the Medalist Golf Ball Company against Caminetti's golf ball company are as funny as anything I have encountered along those lines since My Cousin Vinny. Their is a lot of common sense wisdom imparted in the book about the gullibility of golfers
who just have to have the latest golf ball or the most advanced club in order to play up to their maximum ability. All I can say about that is read and learn. To tell the whole story line would be to give too much away. Just trust me. It is a hoot!
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