About the book
Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.
By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.
But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.
At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the ‘Battle-Axe’ anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.
In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback.
Comments
We meet Carrie six years after retirement, sitting in the crowd at the women’s tennis final of the US Open with her dad, Javier. Up until this point, she held the title of the most ever Grand Slams won. On the court is Nicki Chan. One win away from equally Carrie’s haul. As Nicki hits the winning shot, Carrie decides to come out of retirement for one year, in an attempt to reclaim her title. Her father, who had raised her to be the best tennis player the world has ever seen, will be her coach. We quite enjoyed this book. While we didn’t love Carrie at times, we did admire her tenacity. We liked how she is unapologetically herself, fierce and competitive. She speaks her mind, knows she talented, and doesn’t mind who she hurts on her way to the top. We felt by mixing the story up with newspaper article and scripts from sports TV shows, the author demonstrated the double standards when it comes to male v female athlete. Carrie is often criticised in the media for her confidence on the court and during press conferences while the male players are somewhat praised for theirs. We thought this would make a great holiday read.
Read by Cultcha Club Book Club – 7.5/10