Rating: 
Summary: This book sucks you in.......
Review: What a wonderful book!!! I read the first page in the bookstore and the minute I walked into my house, I didnt put it down until I was finished!!! I literally laughed out loud, and then cried a little later. I passed it to my mother, who passed it to a friend and so on and I NEVER got it back. This has become one of my favorite all time books. The characters are so likeable and real. I wish I had luck like this at the bookstore all the time. I really loved this story. It sucks you in and never lets you go. It is a touching, heartwarming, funny little story and a book that I will always have in my collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Smokes! I wish Kluger would have left out the fantasy.
Review: I have always been a sucker for "coming of age" stories, even those in which the main character and I have little in common. Although I am not Jewish and have never lived in Brooklyn, I saw many similarities between my own adolescence and that of the main character, Joey Margolis: an absent father, feelings of vulnerability and all the other chaotic feelings common to any thirteen year old boy. And then there was baseball. Sometimes I think that those turbulent years were measured out by box scores and radio broadcasts of summer afternoon games. The author is well aware of the importance of the game to 1940s America and weaves in just enough baseball to give his story a good realistic foundation.Charlie Banks is the up and coming star of the New York Giants, and the kind of person that offers Joey the model of the perfect hero. But whereas most boys would be satisfied with a simple autograph or photo, Joey wants Charlie to become his friend. Kluger is very successful in developing this friendship. Joey is shown as a confused and vulnerable kid who is dealing with the perils of growing up, and Charlie as a somewhat surly and reluctant hero who is running from his own demons. Joey uses every trick in the book to get what he wants and the friendship that comes out of a simple exchange of letters is completely believable. However, after Joey and Charlie become friends, the book becomes obsessed with the totally unbelievable antics of a thirteen year old. Joey sings with a broadway star, dances with Eleanor Roosevelt, sneaks across country in an army convoy, plays with Louis Armstrong, and hobnobs with Hollywood stars; greatly damaging, I think the feeling of reality that the author so painstakingly developed. When I made this remark to my surrogate son in Phoenix, he replied: "Hey, it's fiction!" True, but there is a point where fiction turns to fantasy and the latter part of the book unfortunately borders on the fantastic. Much has been made about the epistolary nature of the novel, and while the style is not completely original (Ring Lardner did essentially the same thing in 1914), Kluger uses this technique to create an emotionally satisfying reading experience. Counterbalancing Kluger's fits of fantasy are episodes in the novel that, without using traditonal narrative description, create characters that are absolutely believable, especially some of the secondary characters. I thought the exchange of letters between Charlie and "Rabby" Lieberman was brilliant and the two characters thus described were more lifelike than any six page narrative description could have achieved. Although I don't share the extraordinary high opinion of this novel that other reveiwers have, I did enjoy the book and think it made perfectly clear one major point: that true friendship can occur even between persons of considerable age difference.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story
Review: I have no idea what originally drew me to this book, but it just seemed to be calling my name from the bookshelf. Baseball is a topic about which I would normally not choose to read. Was I in for a terrific surprise! This book harnessed my attention and put my emotions in a sling. Not only did I pass this book along to my son (13 years old), I bought two more copies for friends.
Rating:
Summary: A Favorite for Sure
Review: As a 16 year old girl I wasn't sure that this book would capture me. I grabbed it off the shelf one day at school when I was in a pinch and needed something to read. Since that fateful day I have not only purchased the book so I would be able to read it over and over again, but I actually have read it over and over again. I reluctantly lent it to my mom to read, and she refuses to finish it because she is in love with it. She reads about a page a day just so it doesn't end, and I have read it twice in the time that she has not finished it. I would reccomend this book to anyone who needs a book that will not only make them laugh out loud but cry like a baby too. You don't even need to like baseball to enjoy it, but this heartwarming and humorous story will appeal to anyone from age 5 to 105.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Delightful and Hilarious
Review: I almost NEVER post reviews on this site, but this book deserved to be praised. Only rarely do I read a book that is laugh-out-loud funny; that captures the speech and sounds of a certain place in time perfectly; that tells a great story; that makes you care about the characters; that makes you cry; that develops protagonists who will live in your memory. This is one of those books. I'm no great fan of the epistolary novel generally, but having read this book, I can't even imagine it written in a different style. A triumph.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful story, unique storytelling style!
Review: I have no idea why I picked this book off the shelf in the bookstore, but I'm certainly glad I did! Among the more standard literary fare available these days, "Last Days" stands out as the compelling story of a young boy and the unique relationship he develops with his imperfect baseball-idol hero. Amazingly, the entire story is told in a completely non-traditional fashion; through newspaper clippings, ticket stubs, telegraphs, letters between characters, etc. It's an refreshing, inventive, and remarkably effective technique, and I found it amazing that the author was still able to bring the characters so thoroughly to life using this arguably indirect method. "Last Days of Summer" is a sweet and humorous tale that's hard to put down, and a book that I will always remember. It's become my new favorite gift to give to other avid readers; they invariably seek me out to tell me what a great book it is!
Rating:
Summary: a winner!
Review: Reading "Last Days of Summer" reminded me of watching the movie "Radio Days" and gave me the same feeling: A warm, intense sense of nostalgia for a time and place I've never experienced. Nothing could beat sitting out on your porch or deck on a summer day, being transported back in time through this book. It's terrific.
Rating:
Summary: Laugh-Out-Loud Page Turner
Review: This book is now at the top of my all-time favorite reads. I literally could not put it down. I laughed out loud on nearly every page. If you like baseball, politics, history, or children, you HAVE to read this book. (I think that covers just about everyone). Buy it. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: The best book ever written.
Review: I work in a bookstore, and have liteally read thousands of books, but Last Days of Summer is ultimately the best book out there. The characters are all well developed and lovable, (unless you're not supposed to like them), the story is moving, hysterical, and original. Even after finishing this incredible book, you keep thinking about it. I made my book club read it and gave it to my entire family for Christmas last year.
Definetly a must have for any personal library.
Rating:
Summary: You MUST read this book
Review: I had never heard of this book when I met the author in the book store where I used to work, but my colleagues were so excited to meet him that I reluctantly bought the book and had him sign it. I took it home not expecting much, but as soon as I had read the first chapter, I was hooked. I stayed up all night reading it. Very rarely has a book made me laugh out loud AND cry so hard (I actually called my friend who had also read it, seeking consolation). Kluger writes so well, and really has a strong grasp on human nature, survival, and child's spirit. The book is thoroughly researched, and the characters richly developed. The result is a hilarious, moving, human, poignant (enough adjectives, here?) tale that no one with half a brain should miss.
BTW, I'm really glad I got to meet Steve Kluger; a really nice guy. I only wish I had already read the book so I could have picked his brain and tell him what a masterpiece the book is...
|
