Legend Of Bagger Vance: Amazon.ca: S Pressfield: Books

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Set in the 1930s, this somewhat mystical novel concerns a pair of golf legends, a war hero and a mysterious and gifted caddie.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

Pressfield's mix of golf and mysticism centers on a mythical 1931 match between Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and a Savannah, GA, champion. The local hero, a shell-shocked World War I survivor, plays the two legends head to head and meets the gallery's scorn and praise with the assistance of a young boy and the wise and mysterious caddie Bagger Vance. Through the ups and downs of the game, Vance uses golf to enlighten the hero, allowing him to find his true self through the "authentic swing." In turn, the grown boy uses the story to help a troubled young man. Read by Barrett Whitener, this excellent audiobook is recommended for all collections. Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. at Parkersburg
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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"HAVE YOU EVER had blackjack tea, Michael?" Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

85 Reviews

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
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Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (85 customer reviews)

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2.0 out of 5 stars WELL...MAYBE NOT., April 20 2004

By	D. McAllister "MRD" (Somewhere in the Field) - See all my reviews

Ce commentaire est de: The Legend Of Bagger Vance: A Novel Of Golf And The Game Of Life (Paperback)

The title, THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE, is a very loose tie between the movie and this book. Beyond that, things get a little dicey and I am not sure that I can give the book the same rave reviews that I gave the movie.

Well, actually, it's a lot easier than that. The book falls considerably short of what the movie became under the masterful touch of Robert Redford. Like his work on THE HORSE WHISPERER, Redford was able to make a movie that improves upon a book and get to the nugget of a great story, leaving out stuff that seems sometimes to ooze from the imagination of an author who gets too caught up in and excited about the supposed profoundness of his own story.

In the end that's the real problem with THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE (the book). Pressfield, obviously an individual who feels much for the game of golf and its parallels with life, gets sucked into the out-of-control upward spiral of his awe for the game. He likely collapsed after writing several of the more revved up passages. It wasn't enough to call golf a game, Pressfield had to take the next step and try to build a case for golf as the basis for a lost and resurgent religion. Bagger Vance as a wild pagan god of war? Junah as a bizarre victim of what can best be described as Jack Nicklaus on a bummer trip? The golf swing--the Authentic Swing--as an essential component of and precursor to achieving a peaceful and happy existence? All way too weird and ethereal for me!

But there are many redeeming factors to this book. Read chapter 11 with its descriptions of the golf swing as a metaphor. Read chapter 12 with its descriptions of the game in comparison to other sports and the sheer difficulty of the game. Read chapter 16 with its wonderful wordsmithing about the importance of a good grip, more on the game's difficulty and the individual nature of golf competition. Finally, the beginning paragraphs of chapter 20 speak briefly, but eloquently, about the need for a golfer to be keenly aware of the clubhead and the power that comes in the golf swing from a deliberately wide swing arc. Other than these references you are on your own.

Rent of buy the movie and enjoy its simple but profound appreciation for golf as probably the greatest game ever devised by man and leave most of the book to the arena of too much information or, perhaps, to too much imagination.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Overrated., Dec 18 2003

By A Customer

Ce commentaire est de: Legend Of Bagger Vance (Hardcover)

This book reminds me of "Field of Dreams" in that both books (or films) inspired a sort of religious fervor among some readers/viewers. Look, this is only a fantasy story. Nothing more. It's fun to read historical fiction about Jones and Hagen, about golf and life in the '30's, etc. But let's not get carried away by the metaphysical stuff, okay?

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5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING!!!!, Dec 14 2002

By	M.B. (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

Ce commentaire est de: The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of those rare fiction books that you want to believe every word of and make last forever. Author Steven Pressfield has given the world a delightful classic which thanks to the phenomenal movie, should have a very long shelf life. Admittedly, the book takes a while to gain momentum, but once it does it grabs hold of you and won't let go until the last page. People who love the game of golf will really love this book and the lessons it offers on golf as a metaphor for life. I don't give many books 5 stars, however, this book actually deserves even more! Additionally, it can be reread many times and new messages appear that were previously overlooked. A real gem!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Game of Life
The Legend of Bagger Vance, an unbelievable historical fiction book by Steven Pressfield, is a mystical story that won't stop surprising you until the last word. Lisez davantage

Published on Nov 25 2002

3.0 out of 5 stars Retelling the Bhagavad Gita
Bagger Vance is actually an interpretation of the Indian classic, the Bhagavad Gita, which is essentially a long conversation between Arjuna (Get it --Arjuna -- Randolph Junah)... Lisez davantage

Published on Sep 27 2002 by David H. Eisenberg

4.0 out of 5 stars Magical story of one man's redemption through golf.
"The Legend of Bagger Vance" is a wonderful story of a damaged man's personal redemption through the magical game of golf. Lisez davantage

Published on Jul 12 2002 by Patrick L. Randall

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Much Supernatural, Not Enough Story
I suppose if you like golf and you understand Eastern philosphy, Bagger Vance will seem like a good read. Lisez davantage

Published on Jun 22 2002 by BJ Fraser