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A review by chrissie_whitley
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
5.0
Six years after her retirement, Carrie Soto makes the brutal decision to come back and reclaim her record for total Grand Slam wins. So, at age thirty-seven, Carrie returns to the world of professional tennis for the 1995 Grand Slam season. With her father returning as her coach, Carrie's journey is set to be a powerhouse move.
With Carrie Soto Is Back, Reid returns to a form of perspective with the titular Carrie at the helm the entire way. Aside from the sport commentary included, print or on air, there is no other perspective featured than Carrie's. It's odd to say so, considering novels for so long generally only featured one character's perspective, but this felt refreshing and new — despite it being a return to an older form. Reid takes the length of the book and the breadth of the path to the majors to really get down deep and explore Carrie's entire character. And, with Carrie as the first-person narrator, it is ultimately Carrie's own time getting to know her self again, allowing herself to evolve — not only in tennis but as a person. It's an engaging journey and one that Reid handles extraordinarily well, but not unexpectedly so considering her ability to create characters that demand attention.
My only real complaint about this book will surprise no one who knows anything about me. The present tense. While it was definitely tolerable — beyond tolerable, if I'm being completely honest — and blended well enough with the tone of the Comeback portion, it never quite shook off the vestiges of feeling gimmicky. Pulling the past into the present for the reader, by means of locking onto the now, will almost always feel needlessly and pointedly clever.
That being said, I love it for the match commentary. This is where that belongs. It brings a meditative moment of stillness to the tension of the game. It works beautifully, especially considering I’ve likened the sound of present tense to golf commentary. But it does tend to make the other parts of Carrie’s day feel thin and flimsy. While it adds to the drama of the game, forcing it to feel undecided (despite the pages already written), it chips away at the underlying emotions of the other scenes and makes them dull and less vibrant.
Regardless of this personal nitpicking, which I can admit this to be, this is a beautiful book. An outstanding story of excellence, complete with its flaws — few though they are. Carrie is a powerfully dynamic character, and it's no surprise to me that, if Reid knew anything about this character when she created her for a bit part in [b:Malibu Rising|55404546|Malibu Rising|Taylor Jenkins Reid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618293107l/55404546._SY75_.jpg|74581401], it was that she had what it takes to be the star of her own story. One of the rare TJR books where I wouldn't say no to a sequel, Carrie Soto Is Back brought all I love about Reid's writing and more.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
With Carrie Soto Is Back, Reid returns to a form of perspective with the titular Carrie at the helm the entire way. Aside from the sport commentary included, print or on air, there is no other perspective featured than Carrie's. It's odd to say so, considering novels for so long generally only featured one character's perspective, but this felt refreshing and new — despite it being a return to an older form. Reid takes the length of the book and the breadth of the path to the majors to really get down deep and explore Carrie's entire character. And, with Carrie as the first-person narrator, it is ultimately Carrie's own time getting to know her self again, allowing herself to evolve — not only in tennis but as a person. It's an engaging journey and one that Reid handles extraordinarily well, but not unexpectedly so considering her ability to create characters that demand attention.
My only real complaint about this book will surprise no one who knows anything about me. The present tense. While it was definitely tolerable — beyond tolerable, if I'm being completely honest — and blended well enough with the tone of the Comeback portion, it never quite shook off the vestiges of feeling gimmicky. Pulling the past into the present for the reader, by means of locking onto the now, will almost always feel needlessly and pointedly clever.
That being said, I love it for the match commentary. This is where that belongs. It brings a meditative moment of stillness to the tension of the game. It works beautifully, especially considering I’ve likened the sound of present tense to golf commentary. But it does tend to make the other parts of Carrie’s day feel thin and flimsy. While it adds to the drama of the game, forcing it to feel undecided (despite the pages already written), it chips away at the underlying emotions of the other scenes and makes them dull and less vibrant.
Regardless of this personal nitpicking, which I can admit this to be, this is a beautiful book. An outstanding story of excellence, complete with its flaws — few though they are. Carrie is a powerfully dynamic character, and it's no surprise to me that, if Reid knew anything about this character when she created her for a bit part in [b:Malibu Rising|55404546|Malibu Rising|Taylor Jenkins Reid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618293107l/55404546._SY75_.jpg|74581401], it was that she had what it takes to be the star of her own story. One of the rare TJR books where I wouldn't say no to a sequel, Carrie Soto Is Back brought all I love about Reid's writing and more.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.