JULY 2016 - AudioFile
George Plimpton’s experiential sports journalism continues with his stint as a goalie for the Boston Bruins. Narrator Marc Vietor helps put the listener on the ice and in the locker room as he describes the author’s and players’ perspectives. The best aspect of his performance is the articulate, well-enunciated voice he gives Don Cherry, the Bruins coach, who offers his key insights on the sport. Nonfiction, with real characters, can be a challenge for a narrator, but Vietor does a wonderful job with the people who are part of the Bruins’ world. A must-listen for anyone who wants to learn about hockey, this book—published more than 30 years ago—still resonates. M.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Library Journal
In the interest of ``participatory journalism,'' Plimpton joined the Boston Bruins hockey team to learn to play goalie. His sojourn with the Bruins in training camp culminated in a five-minute stint in goal against the Philadelphia Flyers. The book follows the format of Paper Lion and Out of My League , as Plimpton tries valiantly to acquire the skills of the position and comes to his moment of truth with some degree of success. Although Open Net does not have the depth and richness of Paper Lion , it clearly illustrates the difficulty in playing the very physically demanding game of hockey. Jo DeLapo, Queens Borough P.L., New York
From the Publisher
"A season with the Boston Bruins is the basis for Plimpton's absorbing personal report ... A winning entertainment for fans of sports, told with warmth and integrity."—Publishers Weekly
"[Plimpton's] sojourn with the Bruins in training camp culminated in a five-minute stint in goal against the Philadelphia Flyers ... Plimpton tries valiantly to acquire the skills of the position and comes to his moment of truth."—Library Journal
"A delight--more entertaining, if possible, than I remembered... the reader leaves George Plimpton's wide world of sports with deep reluctance.... His prose is as elegant and seemingly effortless as Ted Williams's swing or an Arnold Palmer iron shot.... His teammates recede--like the old baseball players vanishing into the cornfield in Field of Dreams, taking their magical world with them but living on in fond memory."—Edward Kosner, Wall Street Journal
"Sports memoirs, like humor collections, rarely outlive their authors, but Plimpton's books have aged gracefully and even matured. Today they have the additional (and unintended) appeal of vivid history, bearing witness to a mythical era."—Nathaniel Rich, New York Review of Books
JULY 2016 - AudioFile
George Plimpton’s experiential sports journalism continues with his stint as a goalie for the Boston Bruins. Narrator Marc Vietor helps put the listener on the ice and in the locker room as he describes the author’s and players’ perspectives. The best aspect of his performance is the articulate, well-enunciated voice he gives Don Cherry, the Bruins coach, who offers his key insights on the sport. Nonfiction, with real characters, can be a challenge for a narrator, but Vietor does a wonderful job with the people who are part of the Bruins’ world. A must-listen for anyone who wants to learn about hockey, this book—published more than 30 years ago—still resonates. M.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
