Customer Reviews

Once a Runner: A Novel

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This was a good book and I did a book report on it. I liked it, but I the true stories in Running Forward, Looking Back better. I'm going to get more running books.

This book changed me from a recreational runner who also raced, into a motivated, mileage crazy hermit. If you are ever ran or plan to start running competitivly this book is your gaurenteed motivator. Personally I believe the best chapter is chapter 17. Breaking Down. This chapter clearly removes the competitive runner from all other types and holds the best explanation for why we run.I have read this book as many times as I have had the opportunity to. It serves as a great race day motivator. There is also a sequel coming out soon named, Return to Carthage.

A great book for former (and probably current) competitive runners. Good for all ages but especially if you ran in the 70's and can pick up on some of the historical details. Really takes you back into the mind and fun of a distance runner. Probably not as interesting to a non runner who can't relate to the experiences as described in the book.
Great vacation reading.

I believe that "Once a Runner" is the authors dreamscape. It is a past he wishes on some level he had lived. Quenton Cassidy is the authors archetype of the ultimate runner. Dedicated, single minded, intellegent and most of all filled with boundless potential. The novel is peopled with running greats such as thinly vield John Walker and Jack Bachelor as well as the American running icon Frank Shorter. Once a Runner is every truly competitive runners ultimate fantasy. The question always crosses the runners mind..."what could I do if I really trained myself to the sharpest point possible? What would I be capable of? Once a Runner gives one possible answer to these questions. It is fiction, but contains vast amounts of reality. Read it and go run 10 miles. You'll know what I mean. It is the greatest running novel ever written.

If your family and friends don't understand your running ways, get them this book. They may disown you, but they'll have an idea what it's like. "Once A Runner" is a great story, very well-written, funny and with an amazing climax and wrap-up. There's nothing bad about it. I don't re-read books, but I've re-read this one. As I runner, it inspires me and reminds me there are other people out there who are like me. Really, there are. It's the best book I've ever read. I only wish I knew about it before this summer. It has my highest recomendation. I'd give it six stars if I could. Or more. A great piece of writing even non-runners should enjoy. I don't know why it's not a movie. Oh, wait, yes I do. That'd ruin this little-known, cult classic gem.

I was lent this book by a friend and fellow runner, and he's obviously read it many times. I am planning on buying my own copy, because this book is so inspiring. It's simply and elegantly written, and it captures the heart and soul of a true distance runner. I can't recall a more inspiring passage in any book on any subject than the 400 workout in Once A Runner (you'll know what I mean when you read it). Perhaps this novel can only be appreciated by serious runners, but if you are a runner, I encourage you to buy it and read it, again and again.

`Once a Runner` is a must read for every semi-competitive runner or anyone even remotely interested in running. It elegantly and unconsciously provides the underlying reasons and motivations that lead us runners to torture and torment our bodies and minds for prolonged periods. It may well be the best novel ever written about our sport.

Once a Runner is the best running book I have ever read. Unlike training guides or running stories that spend far too much time explaining the beauty of running and trying to introduce people to the wonders of jogging around, Once A Runner really goes into the life and mind of a runner (though the book uses fictional characters, they are easily recognizable and realistic). It describes the dedication, hard work, and goofiness that is required to be successful and what makes runners a very unique, though cetainly interesting breed. The story itself, of a young college-aged runner and his quest to run the fastest mile he could while in school and after he got kicked out, is extremely well paced and smootly written, just as a good race. It is a fantastic book and I would highly recommend it for beginners, enthusiasts, or someone who just needs a little motivation.

John L. Parker does a fantastic job of capturing the mindset of a serious runner. Anyone who has blacked out in the home stretch, or performed the self mutilation of a twenty mile run will be able to relate to Quentin Cassidy, the book's protagonist.

Only one aspect of the book was obviously unrealistic. While running injuries plagued some of the supporting cast, Cassidy himself never got so much as a shin splint. However, this triviality in no way takes away from the dead on descriptions of the world of balls-out distance running.

Great book for anyone more than mildly interested in the sport.

I am not a runner. I read this book soley to do an essay for my english class, But it is the most phenomenal peice of work I have ever read. No one describes the feel of running or sparks an interest in running better than Parker. After I finished this book, my cat-killing curiosity got the best of me and I went out into the feild behind my house, and I ran.