Your basic baseball as a metaphor for life. The baseball sections were OK. Especially the section on the Mets 1986 World Series victory, which gave me goosebumps. And I love anybody who bashes the Yankees. But the life sections were confusing, corny, and contrived. ( )

Thirty-ish Harvard professor Seth Stein was raised by his beloved grandparents when his parents were killed in his youth. Papa Sol suddenly and mysteriously vanished two years ago, leaving his grieving wife and grandson wondering how and why he left the family he'd so loved. One day Seth comes upon an old scuffed baseball and a mysterious poem Papa Sol had left for him. When he grasps the baseball, it whisks him back to Papa Sol's past, each time as an unseen spectator observing Papa Sol at pivotal games in baseball's (and Papa Sol's) past, starting with the Bobby Thomson "Shot Heard Around the World" playoff game, and leading up to the emotionally uplifting final game of the 2004 World Series, in which Papa Sol's beloved Boston Red Sox finally break the Curse of the Bambino. With each journey, Seth learns more about his grandparents, his deceased parents, and himself.

This is "Field of Dreams" stuff, and written to considerable emotional effect, if perhaps a little over-earnestly. The conclusion is satisfying and seems inevitable. I enjoy stories that use a shared love of baseball to help bond family members, and this was a good one. ( )

This pleasant story tells the tale of Seth, who is pining for his missing grandfather -- with whom he shared a passion for baseball. But an unusual gift left for Seth by Papa Sol seemingly transports him through time -- to moments of import in baseball history and in Papa Sol's life. Along the way it explores the nature of history and our understanding of it; the nature of passion (particularly the passion of the rabid sports fan); issues of how well we really know the people around us (even our loved ones); and a number of odd quirks of numbers and words. It seemed a bit corny to me, but there was some food for thought and a decent amount of simple pleasure for the reader -- especially one who is fond of baseball. ( )

Beautifully written and stirring. I enjoyed it so much when I picked up the book at the library that I had to buy my own copy.