Amazon.com
It's difficult to imagine a harder first act to follow than The Kite Runner: a debut novel by an unknown writer about a country many readers knew little about that has gone on to have over four million copies in print worldwide. But when preview copies of Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, started circulating at Amazon.com, readers reacted with a unanimous enthusiasm that few of us could remember seeing before. As special as The Kite Runner was, those readers said, A Thousand Splendid Suns is more so, bringing Hosseini's compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope.
We wanted to spread the word on the book as widely, and as soon, as we could. See below for an exclusive excerpt from A Thousand Splendid Suns and early reviews of the book from some of our top customer reviewers.--The Editors
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An Exclusive Excerpt from A Thousand Splendid Suns |
We have arranged with the publisher to make an exclusive excerpt of A Thousand Splendid Suns available on Amazon.com. Click here to read a scene from the novel. It's not the opening scene, but rather one from a crucial moment later in the book when Mariam, one of the novel's two main characters, steps into a new role.
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Early Buzz from Amazon.com Top Reviewers |
We queried our top 100 customer reviewers as of March 6, 2007, and asked them to read A Thousand Splendid Suns and share their thoughts. We've included these early reviews below in the order they were received. For the sake of space, we've only included a brief excerpt of each reviewer's response, but each review is available for reading in its entirety by clicking the "Read the review" link.
Joanna Daneman:
"His style is deceptively simple and clear, the characters drawn deftly and swiftly, his themes elemental and huge. This is a brilliant writer and I look forward to more of his work." Read Joanna Daneman's review
Seth J. Frantzman:
"Khaled Hosseini has done it again with 'A Thousand Splendid Sons', presenting a new, dashing and dark tale of two generations of women trapped in a loveless marriage, bracketed by great events." Read Seth J. Frantzman's review
Donald Mitchell:
"Khaled Hosseini has succeeded in capturing many important historical and contemporary themes in a way that will make your heart ache again and again. Why will your reaction be so strong? It's because you'll identify closely with the suffering of almost all the characters, a reaction that's very rare to a modern novel." Read Donald Mitchell's review
Lawrance M. Bernabo:
"All things considered, following up on a successful first novel is probably harder than coming up with the original effort and Hosseini could have rested on his laurels in the manner of Harper Lee, but as "A Thousand Splendid Suns" amply proves, this native of Kabul has more stories to tell about the land of Afghanistan." Read Lawrance M. Bernabo's review
Amanda Richards:
"There are parts of this book that will have grown men surreptitiously blotting the tears that are on the verge of overflowing their ducts, and by the time you get to the middle, you won't be able to put it down. Hosseini's simple but richly descriptive prose makes for an engrossing read, and in my opinion, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is among the best I have ever read. This is definitely not one to be missed." Read Amanda Richards's review
N. Durham:
"All that being said, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a bit more enjoyable than Hosseini's previous "The Kite Runner", and once again he manages to give we readers another glimpse of a world that we know little about but frequently condemn and discard. However, if you were one of the many that for some reason absolutely loved "The Kite Runner", chances are that you'll love this as well." Read N. Durham's review
John Kwok:
"Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a genuine instant literary classic, and one destined to be remembered as one of 2007's best novels. It should be compared favorably to such legendary Russian novels like "War and Peace" and "Doctor Zhivago"." Read John Kwok's review
Thomas Duff:
"Normally I'm more of an action-adventure type reader when it comes to novels and recreational reading. But I was given the chance to read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner), so I decided to try something out of my normal genre. I am *so* glad I did. This is a stunning and moving novel of life and love in Afghanistan over a 30 year period." Read Thomas Duff's review
Charles Ashbacher:
"This book manages to simultaneously capture the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years and how women are treated in conservative Islamic societies.... In many ways it is a sad book, your heart goes out to these two women in their hopeless struggle to have a decent life with a brutal man in an unforgiving, intolerant society." Read Charles Ashbacher's review
W. Boudville:
"Hosseini presents a piognant view into the recent tortured decades of the Afghan experience. From the 1970s, under a king, to the Soviet takeover, to the years of resistance. And then the rise and fall of the Taliban. An American reader will recognise many of the main political events. But to many Americans, Afghanistan and its peoples and religion remain an opaque and troubling mystery." Read W. Boudville's review
Mark Baker:
"I tend to read plot heavy books, so this character study was a definite change of pace for me. I found the first half slow going at times, mainly because I knew where the story was going. Once I got into the second half, things really picked up. The ending was very bittersweet. I couldn't think of a better way to end it." Read Mark Baker's review
Grady Harp:
"Hosseini takes us behind those walls for forty some years of Afghanistan's bloody history and while he does not spare us any of the descriptions of the terror that continues to besiege that country, he does offer us a story that speaks so tenderly about the fragile beauty of love and devotion and lasting impression people make on people." Read Grady Harp's review
Robert P. Beveridge:
"When I was actively reading it, the pages kept turning, and more than once I found myself foregoing food or sleep temporarily to get in just one more chapter. When I had put it down, however, I felt no particular compulsion to pick it back up again. It's a good book, and a relatively well-written one, but it's not a great book. Enjoyable without leaving a lasting impression." Read Robert P. Beveridge's review
B. Marold:
"While the events in Afghanistan and the wider world create a familiar framework for the stories of these two women, it is nothing more than a framework. The warp and weft of everyday life, and the interaction of the two women and their close relatives is the heartbeat of the story." Read B. Marold's review
Daniel Jolley:
"Khaled Hosseini has written a majestic, sweeping, emotionally powerful story that provides the reader with a most telling window into Afghan society over the past thirty-odd years. It's also a moving story of friendship and sacrifice, giving Western readers a rare glimpse into the suffering and mistreatment of Afghan women that began long before the Taliban came to power." Read Daniel Jolley's review
Book Description
After 103 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and with four million copies of The Kite Runner shipped, Khaled Hosseini returns with a beautiful, riveting, and haunting novel that confirms his place as one of the most important literary writers today.
Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.
Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.
A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.
Customer Reviews:
A Moving Tale of Love and Sorrow.......2007-10-11
I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I'm still blotting the tears from my eyes. I don't want to give away too much of the story, because I hate it when people do that in their reviews, so I'll try to be careful about what I write...
This is an incredibly heart wrenching tale of two Afghan women brought together by horrible circumstances, and how they become better people for having known each other. Like he did with the Kite Runner, Hosseini paints a detailed portrait of the horrors that fell over Afghanistan from the time the Soviets invaded, to the fall (for now) of the Taliban. I guess it's a testament to his beautiful writing that more than once as I was reading the novel, I stopped to think of how thankful I was to be living in America, where I don't have to wear a burqa, can have a job, and don't have to be in the company of a male relative when I want to leave the house. It's hard to understand how the Taliban got away with enforcing their abhorrent rules and unfathomable treatment of women, and it makes it even harder to comprehend when you become invested in the main characters, and see them and the people they love having to suffer these kind of injustices on a daily basis.
I saw a lot of reviews here that mention they think The Kite Runner is a superior novel. While I highly enjoyed that one as well, I think as an independent woman, I really liked A Thousand Splendid Suns and could identify with it more. For being a man, Hosseini did an amazing job of capturing the female spirit and sense of motherhood. For the first time in a while, I found myself staying up late at night because I couldn't stop reading, and thinking about the characters while I was going about my daily business, wondering what was going to happen to them.
There are scenes in the book that detail the horrors of abuse, murder, destruction, etc... that may be hard for some readers to handle. However, I think that we, especially us Americans that live cushy lives that we take for granted sometimes, need to be educated about the injustices that people in other countries have to endure, otherwise we could very easily end up with another Holocaust someday. If you can stomach the darker parts, the overall theme of love and redemption more than balance it out in the end.
While the women suffer greatly throughout the piece, this is really a tale of love. Love between friends that grows into something more. Love between women that originally, are fatefully thrown together under strange circumstances, but somehow grow to be each other's saving graces. Love between parents and children that reign over all else. Love for a country and culture that has been needlessly destroyed, but will rebuild and flourish once again.
A Thousand Splendid Suns.......2007-10-10
This book was excellent; even better than The Kite Runner. What an eye opener to the series of horrific acts that befall women in the middle east.
A vibrant, intense, and emotionally wrenching book.......2007-10-09
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a gripping novel that left me with a profound respect for women who struggle and flourish under restrictive regimes and repressive religions. I could almost feel the pain, fear, anger, frustration, hope and courage these women endure each and every day. The author faithfully delivers an emotionally taut epic that will strike a chord with many. I hated and loved this story all at the same time.
Tragic Journey of Love.......2007-10-08
A Thousand Splendid Suns is an absolutely wonderful story about the things that keep us going, even when our world falls apart. You will find yourself pulled into this tragic story, unable to put the book down. This book will touch your heart on a very real level. I can't wait to read it again.
terrific book, but left with some mixed feelings.......2007-10-08
I just finished this audiobook in a straight 10-hour period while I listened to my iPod as I refinished my deck. This book certainly does not leave your emotions untouched and most certainly gets you involved intimately with the characters that Hosseini develops. It is difficult at this point to catalog the full range of emotions that I felt while reading this book. Righteous indignation may be the main emotion I can recall from most of the pages. How much I, as a man, wanted to swoop in and solve away all of their problems with my western life of abundance. On examining this particular desire, perhaps the true message of this book comes out. It is written completely and totally in a worldview that is very different from us Western readers. The themes of survival, fate, endurance, are not ones that come to the fore in our minds. Concepts so important to us in this part of the world such as ambition, achievement, and discovery of dreams keep a place in the forefront of our minds.
This is particularly pointed in my mind, since I had just visited DisneyWorld days before reading this book. Their theme is that every girl wants to be a princess and at one point they had the audience chant that "Dreams come true" and remarked how every boy wants to be a pirate and every girl a princess. The interesting thing is what our dreams are. They are not the dream shared by the characters in the novel of independence, a motherhood, and freedom from fear. This disney dream is the idea that we will be exalted above our peers, that our extreme abundance will be greater than the extreme abundance of those around us. That our difference, our individuality will give us significance, only possible at the expense of others.
This is perhaps why the novel hit me as such an unfamiliar, foreign thing. I was depressed by how everything seemed to go bad for the characters on how there was not a hero -- not a constant juxtaposition of good and bad, of hope and disappointment, that is such a similar genre or phrase used in our modern stories. Eventually as the story waged on, it seemed that surely the scars created in the characters must be too deep, too unrecoverable for there to be a happy, Disney style ending. So at some point in reading this book I became very frustrated with the seeming desolateness of the emotional landscape, the lack of a knight in shining armor that I wanted to project myself in to the story.
In the end, however, I found that redemption was there. When Lila thought of Miriam as a young girl and I thought of the hopes and dreams of a young girl and how tragically shattered they were, this touched deep inside me and created a desire to be a father who nurtured and protected the sanctity of his child's dreams. Not dreams to be a princess, but dreams to be a mother themselves dreams to be free from fear and dreams to hope and a future. I closed the book resolute to make these dreams a reality for all daughters.
Amazon.com
In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.
The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")
Some of the plot's turns and twists may be somewhat implausible, but Hosseini has created characters that seem so real that one almost forgets that The Kite Runner is a novel and not a memoir. At a time when Afghanistan has been thrust into the forefront of America's collective consciousness ("people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz"), Hosseini offers an honest, sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always heartfelt view of a fascinating land. Perhaps the only true flaw in this extraordinary novel is that it ends all too soon. --Gisele Toueg
Book Description
The timely and critically acclaimed debut novel that's becoming a word-of-mouth phenomenon...
Download Description
"Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan nonetheless grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan , the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara, member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him. The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of their lies. Written against a history that has not been told in fiction before, The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But with the devastation, Khaled Hosseini also gives us hope: through the novel's faith in the power of reading and storytelling, and in the possibilities he shows for redemption."
Customer Reviews:
Kite Runner.......2007-10-11
Wow! So many opinions.....coming from a horrific back ground myself, I totally immersed myself in the book. It was more about the rape, but the deceit, the loyalty, the culture, friendship and family. We all have pain somewhere in our lives, needless, to say in a country such as the author's, there seems to be such emotional, physical and mental pain. Thank you so much for sharing this incredible journey. I did not assume what would happen next as I don't do that with real life either. I can't wait until the movie!!!
Review of The Kite Runner.......2007-10-10
The plot line of this novel is AMAZING however the author chooses at times to bludgeon us with language at the moments when he should pull back and let the horror of what he's describing speak for itself. Especially at the conclusion whichis the coincidence of all coincidences - I almost ended the book early as the writing fell apart and was so melodramatic. Howver the descriptions of daily life are vivid and sensitive and I recommend the book for this alone.
good book.......2007-10-09
i had to read this book back when i was in high school and i was really surprised to find this book to be good. I personally really like this book and finished reading it in no time. I don't know what it is, but this is one book you will always get mixed reviews. It all depends on what kind of books you like,There were some parts of the story that were overrated or unnecessary.
Plot device after plot device after plot device.. .......2007-10-08
The Kite Runner isn't "brilliant" nor it is a "work of genius" Rather, quite simply, The Kite Runner is good story about a boy named Amir and his "friend" Hassan. Oh, and Amir's father, Baba, too. Oh, and Afghanistan.
After hearing rave reviews about this book for years, I decided to pick up a copy to read while between classes. What I found was nothing more than a story that perhaps would have been better if it were told around a campfire or when your Afghani uncle comes over for a visit. The writing style I could let slide - hey we're all not Hemingway. What I could not let slide, however, were the ridiculous plot devices that the author employed (and the 5-star reviewers call "brilliant") to "move" the story along..
Soon after I began reading, it became painfully obvious to me that the author is well aware, I mean WELL AWARE of the plot device known as "Chekhov's Shotgun" (which basically states that if there is a shotgun hanging on the wall in one scene, it had better be used in a later scene).. It is an amateur move and the more I read, the more and more frustrated I became by this and the other unbelievable predictable "twists" that kept popping up. Eventually, I had to put the book down and walk away for a while because I knew what was going to happen - we all knew what was going to happen.
All in all, plot twist, prediit is a good story. But I don't believe it to be worthy of the critical acclaim that it received when first released. Perhaps there is a feeling of guilt because it is about a country we are not occupying that led to so many jumping on board the "brilliant" bandwagon.. The narrator is an unlikable wimp and it was completely ridiculous to think for a second that he would suddenly "man up" and face Assef (or even go to Kabul for that matter). I say this only because we as readers "knew" him from birth and all throughout his life nothing gave any indication that he would have it in him to do what he did. Ugh. I feel as though I need something to cleanse my reading palate.
It Involves Afghanistan .......2007-10-08
I read many books and write many Amazon reviews, but there's not much I can add that the previous 2,042 other reviewers have not already said. I picked up `The Kite Runner' a year ago at a used book sale for the local library, but put it on my stack of TBR's (to-be-read). Frankly, the gushing acclaim and high-powered publicity put me off the book (e.g. the back jacket has plugs from Diane Sawyer and People magazine, not sources I rely on for book suggestions). A debut novel getting that much praise put me on guard.
News of the movie adaptation's imminent release finally got me to give it a go. I finished less than 24 hours later. Few books grab this reader by the collar and demand absorption. `The Kite Runner' did and I simply can't recommend it highly enough.
I will skimp on a summary of the book - to paraphrase Woody Allen after speed-reading War and Peace, it involves Afghanistan. While Hosseini does wonderfully create a sense of place (or rather two Afghanistans separated by 25 years and a millennial view), this tale involves much more. `The Kite Runner' is a powerful roller-coaster of human drama: love, joy, hate, cruelty, fear, betrayal, abandonment, commitment, loyalty, pride, shame, happiness, pain. Hosseini delivers several powerful gut punches (perhaps not all of them entirely fair or necessary) along the way.
Tom Wolfe has commented that many good young writers only ever write one really good book because that first effort is largely autobiographical and they can only tell that's story once. Reviews of Hosseini's second book A Thousand Splendid Suns suggest he is the real deal.
Book Description
Matt Stromsoe has come a long way since his wife and son were killed in an explosion meant for him. Wounded severely in both body and spirit, Stromsoe gave up the last thing that held any meaning for him—his job on the police force—and proceeded to hit rock bottom, hard.
That was a lifetime ago, and finally the spiral of personal destruction and despair seems to have come to an end. The man responsible for the murders—Stromsoe's best friend from childhood and his wife's old lover—is behind bars and Stromsoe has put the past behind him, rescued from the abyss by a former colleague who offers him a job at his private security firm. Stromsoe's first assignment is to protect local television personality Frankie Hatfield from a stalker. But the further Stromsoe is drawn into this case, the more he finds that the net of intrigue is wide and ultimately leads back to the man who killed his family. As events conspire against him, Stromsoe learns that prison is no safeguard against revenge.
T. Jefferson Parker has been hailed as belonging "in the first rank of American crime novelists" (Washington Post Book World) and praised for "some of the finest writing you'll ever read" (Chicago Sun-Times). Superbly crafted, emotionally complex, and filled with heart-stopping action, Storm Runners proves why the novels of T. Jefferson Parker are impossible to resist.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-10-01
This was a great book by T Jefferson Parker. His knowledge of the Spanish Gang called La Emme is very insightful and believable. He also takes you back and gives you history of the LA DPW. Very good book from start to finish.
SHOWDOWN IN THE VALLEY.......2007-09-20
The story of these two individuals is tied together with the lives of first one woman, who eventually married the cop, and one of the drug lord's lovers, who was killed by the actions of the cop. After the killing of the Ofelia, Mike Tavarez's lover, he tries to kill the cop, Matt Stromsoe, but ends up killing Matt's wife and young son instead. Matt himself is injured in the bomb blast and spends years recuperating and rehabilitating. He also spends time just trying to kill himself through drinking and pity.
But another friend of Matt's, Dan Birch pulls him back from the brink of self-destruction and gets him into rehab, then offers him a job working security with Dan's firm.
Here is where the stories start to intertwine. The person Matt is assigned to be a bodyguard for is a Fox News Weather Lady whose high-profile life has attracted a stalker. She has asked for protection and for Dan's company to stop the stalker.
Of course there are layers and layers of lies and deception and eventually the threads of the plot lead us back to Tavarez. Even though he is in prison, he still maintains a lucrative and vast network of corruption in the Southwest.
Throw in a formula for making rain, corrupt utility executives, scared innocents, and a little romance and you have a formula for a good read that keeps you turning the pages.
Parker takes the time to let us in on the mindset of the characters, he lets us see their flaws and their strengths. He leads us to the final showdown and ties up all the loose ends. Its always a pleasure to read his books.
Parker is on the downswing.......2007-07-20
Sorry Jeff, but I just couldn't get past the unbelievable plot cornerstone: seeding the sky to make it rain. I found that central point, and the manner in which it is presented, to be quite preposterous. Character development was only passable - - not great. I was actually happy when the book ended, so I could move on to DeMille, Lescroart, Coben, et al.
Gripping.......2007-07-18
One of Parker's best. No gruesome ways to kill or torture women as in the sex criminal who practiced taxidermy on them, no people-eating serpents, which had turned me off to his books. Ditto tired jaded cops in all mystery fiction, a boring stereotype. Here a cracking good story. Parker's typical damaged hero rehabilitates to bodyguard a San Diego TV weather woman, the romantic interest--but a bit too convenient. Why do women always fall into the arms of a PI hero with no effort on his part? Too common, unlikely male fantasy. The woman is also more normal vs so often so off-center as to be unbelievable in some of his books, though she has an unusual obsession. Only plot flaw: Why would a major bad guy only decide to break out of prison at the end when he had the means and know-how to do it all along? Again too convenient to the plot. Parker's lyrical and fresh descriptions of nature always illuminate, now that he has dropped sleep-inducing multi-page descriptions of setting. His voice is unique and fresh, the menace in the plot one not explored to my knowledge, and twists of plot and character make STORM RUNNERS a standout, and a fast satisfying read.
Three and a half stars.......2007-07-16
I think I've read nearly all of T. Jefferson Parker's books. I love his fast paced books set in Southern California. I thought this was a good book but not his best. Still worth reading. I look forward to your next one!
Book Description
Athlete. Runner. Marathoner. Are these words you wouldn't exactly use to describe yourself? Do you consider yourself too old or too out of shape to run a marathon? But somewhere deep inside have you always admired the people who could reach down and come up with the mental and physical strength to complete such a daunting and rewarding accomplishment? It doesn't have to be somebody else crossing the finish line. You can be a marathoner. The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer is based on the highly successful marathon class offered by the University of Northern Iowa, which was featured in a Runner's World article titled "Marathoning 101." The class has been offered five times over 10 years, and all but one student finished the marathon. That is approximately 200 students -- all first time marathoners and many with absolutely no running background. This book follows the same 16-week, four-day-a-week workout plan. What makes the success rate of this program so much higher than any other? The special emphasis on the psychological aspects of endurance activities. You don't have to love to run -- you don't even have to like it -- but you have to realize that you are capable of more than you have ever thought possible. One participant in the program explained it like this: "I'm doing this for me -- not for others or the time clock. I just feel better when I run, plus it helps me to cope with things in general. The skills we've learned in this class don't apply just to marathoning -- they apply to life! Just like you never know what the next step in a marathon will bring, so too, you never know what will happen next in life. But if you don't keep going, you're never going to find out. By staying relaxed, centered, and positive you handle just about anything that comes your way." This is marathon running for real people, people with jobs and families and obligations outside of running. The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer has proven successful for men and women of all ages. Now let it work for you.
Customer Reviews:
The Non-runner marathon trainer.......2007-10-11
Grest book! Buy it! if younver run before, this book will give you the motivation to run the marathon...and you will do it!
Useless as a reference.......2007-08-02
I've just started my training program, and this book seems to provide a realistic and successful training program. My beef is with the organization of the material. It's divided into weekly training guides, with general training information book-ended by pep talks in each chapter. The problem is that the training info is not in any particular order. There is no index. The table of contents does not actually describe the contents of the chapters. For example, if you want to find nutrition information before week six you have to page through the whole book to find it. Like I said, no index and the table of contents for chapter six says only "Physical Preparation," just like every other chapter. It would be worth two more stars if the TOC could muster a simple "Physical Preparation: Nutrition."
Perhaps the book is meant to be read in full before the training program. In that case the pep talks and testimonials are voluminous and a bit mind numbing. It really makes more sense to read these to find support as you progress through the training.
Excellent book for beginners.......2007-06-22
I'm scheduled to run my first marathon in October. I've looked at various marathon training programs online and in other books, and so far I like this one the best. The training schedule is 4 days a week, and very manageable. I think it might even be a little easy, but that's a good thing for a beginner. It really is important to acclimate yourself to running to avoid injury. I've been running 5 days a week, and I'm finding problems with shin splints, so 5 days a week might be a bit much.
Focus on running, not on time.......2007-06-13
I love this book. I was not at all concerned about running a fantastic time but just wanted to finish the marathon and this book helped me do it! The chapters are written to make you feel as if you are conversing with the authors. The inspirational stories are written by those who have actually taken the class at UNI. I would recommend this to any beginning runner since most marathon plans start with runners that are comfortable running 3-4 miles but if you aren't up to that level yet there is no plan to get you there. This book provides you with a great way to get started even if you've been a lazy bum for awhile (which I was).
A Great Book for Beginners.......2007-05-31
After reading the reviews of other people who have bought and used this book I took the plunge. I have read a majority of the book and so far it is great. One thing that I have really enjoyed about this book is the way that it motivates. I was running 3 miles every day and did so in reasonable fashion. After reading a few of the chapters my outlook and times have dramatically improved. If you are new to running and are looking for a great training manual, this is your book.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful motivator.......2007-10-07
I will not bother going on and on about the book, since there is already such an overwhelmingly positive collection of reviews.
Suffice it to say, this book really kick-started by love of running, and was filled with everything the beginner needs to know.
While it could use illustrations for good stretches, for example, it is still the classic keystone in any runners library, and strongly recommended!
Probably the only running reference you'll need.......2007-06-04
If you have any sort of interest in running, I can't recommend any book more enthusiastically than this one. Although it may seem strange to get a book about running--I mean, what is there to it, right? But it turns out there are a couple of good reasons to pick up a book on running: one, it's motivating; two, there is a ton of useful information crammed into this book. It will be the only running reference you'll ever really need.
With over 700 pages, this isn't a lightweight book. It truly is about as comprehensive as you can imagine, and will serve most runners more than sufficiently. It is an oddly engaging read, sucking you into the world of running (or jogging) while giving you all sorts of information you never even thought you could need. Everything the beginner could need is covered, from the minutae of day-to-day running (track etiquitte, cold weather clothing, eating, and on and on) to larger topics like training plans and moving into competitive racing. The book will take you all the way through intermediate running--which Glover defines as regular sustained running, maybe with an occasional race thrown in. If you are already an experienced or regular runner, you will probably find this less useful than the true beginner. However, no one but the most experienced coach would be unable to learn something from this book. Just be aware that it is geared towards the recreational runner; if you are looking for a reference specific to competitive running, you should look elsewhere.
There are 42 chapters in the book, divided into 12 major sections: Fitness, Getting Fit, Training, Racing, Equipment, Food and Drink for Health and Energy, The Running Environment, Running Lifestyle, Special Runners, Illness and Injury, Running Form and Supplemental Training, and Wellness. The three chapters in the Fitness section give you basic information about what exercise and fitness are and why all of us ought to get out there and move a bit more. The third chapter outlines various ways to measure your own current level of fitness, providing a useful set of technique that you can come back to as your level of fitness improves (with your running, of course). The chapters in the next continue along this same vein, first dealing with getting started on a fitness regime (rather relaxed or intense) and then keeping yourself motivated enough to stick with it. The principles of exercise are outlined, with an entire chapter devoted to the important three-part model: warm-up, run, and cool-down. The last chapter in the Getting Fit section is called "The Fit Prescription: How Often? How Fast? How Far?" This is an important chapter, since beginners do often struggle with finding the right balance, either overdoing it and burning out, or not working hard enough to get the desired results. The last section in the book, Wellness, goes into more depth on all of these ideas. The chapters cover a holistic approach to health and fitness, the cardiovascular aspects of running, stress and weight management. The final chapter, "Running Inside Your Head", deals more emotional aspects of running: how it can help with depressions, anxiety, self-esteem, and creative thinking, and finally moving onto the infamous "runner's high". It's an interesting read.
Parts III and IV take the ideas of the last chapter of Section II and run with them. In part III, Training, you will learn how to keep a good runner's diary and find three running training programs: beginner's, advanced beginner's (for more running-experienced readers), and intermediate. Glover helps readers identify which program (and where in the program) they ought to begin. He also convincingly argues for patience in building up ability before trying to progress. Then in Section Iv, he talks to both those who may be interested in moving into competitive running, and those who may just like more structured goals. Racing isn't always about competition, for instance. So he addresses both frequent 5k races and marathons, giving the reader many ideas of why they may want to participate in either. Finally, there is a chapter on the importance of speed training, which will be useful to any runner who wants to learn to run faster, for whatever reason. Part XI, Running Form and Supplemental Training, gives four chapters with further training information, and serves as a great supplement to those who have mastered.
Three sections of the book deal with wider running lifestyle issues, including Part VI (Food and Drink for Health and Energy), Part VIII (Running Lifestyle), and Part X (Illness and Injury). The section on food and drink includes chapters on basic nutrition as relates to running, food and drink that serves as running-specific "fuel", and the importance on good hydration in running. The Running Lifestyle part covers safety, running while traveling, managing time (as in life in general, and working running in), and the importance of balancing running with life and work. Part X addresses two issues that we'd rather be able to ignore, but shouldn't . Illness is just a human thing, and sometimes it's best to not run--Glover will convince you whan that's the case. Injury is a similar issue, as we will inevitably get hurt at some point, and while we can sometimes work through things, more often than not we will be better served to allow ourselves to heal.
The remaining sections deal with more specific, and generally pragmatic, issues. Part V, Equipment, discusses running shoes and apparel and how to choose what is best for you. These obviously aren't going to give you extremely personalized information, but the important things for you to consider are all identified. You will feel much more confident the next time you go into a running shoe store. The Running Environment, Part VII, covers environmental issues, which are very import for runners. After all, most of the time, we're running outside. People tend to overdress for cold weather, and Glover gives numerous tips for avoiding this (and he will make you much more comfortable giving cold weather running a shot if you're still a bit intimidated). The chapter on hot weather running is also very important, andprovides readers with better ideas of how to manage hydration and exhaustion in uncomfortable climates. There is also a chapter on handling the unpredictability of weather in general. Finally, the ninth section offers four chapters on specific categories of runners: women runners (including an interesting history of women and running, health issues specific to women that may impact running, like osteoporosis, pregnancy, and menopause); older runners (covering the impact that agining in general can have on running as well as the benefits); runners with specific health or physical limitations (including topics such as chronic health conditions like asthma, arthritis, or diabetes, as well as other phsyical issues such as hearing and visual impairments); and younger (child) runners (covering both running with kids in strollers and health and safety issues specific to child runners, reminding us that "children are not minature adults").
As some of the other reviewers have alluded to, this is a strangely addictive and exciting book. You wouldn't think so (I certainly did not). But the writing is excellent, and a very nice balance between a packed informative tone and an amusing anecdotal style is maintained throughout. Glover knows how to motivate, and if you are like me, you will find yourself reading this entire book in a series of sizable chunks, and then going back later and rereading parts as your running experience expands. You've got to take some breaks to actually run, right? I can sum up my opinion of this book with one simple statement: if you are the least bit interested in running, buy this book and you will soon be a knowledgeable and active runner.
Great "NO-NONSENSE" training concepts.......2007-05-20
I bought this book about six weeks ago, and have been working my way through the routines for exactly 4 weeks as of this post. I have lost 14 lbs simply by following the directions, not pushing myself to injury, and using the proper equipment such as good running shoes and appropriate clothing. The book teaches running and fitness in a manner where most anyone, whom is willing to follow the directions, with the desire and self-determination to increase their fitness levels can see results. I can't say anything else cause the rest is pretty much covered in other user reviews. The book is inexpensive and worth every penny.
Great Resource!!!.......2007-05-15
The Runner's Handbook is a great resource for both the beginner and those of us who have been running for quite sometime (but not part of the elite group). Although I've had it for quite a while now, I constantly refer back to it especially for the nutritional information. I highly recommend this book.
Good value.......2007-03-28
The book is great, it answers most if not all of your questions. Helps you to start up, helps with smooth transition from couch potato to runner. And, most important, prevents you from many mistakes, injuries and wrongdoing.
Amazon.com
"Competitive running gives your running life a focus. Competition measures progress. You set a goal and accomplish it." Bob Glover and Shelly-lynn Florence Glover, authors of The Competitive Runner's Handbook, know what they're talking about. Bob has run competitively for nearly 40 years, coached for 30 years, and completed more than 30 marathons, while Shelly-lynn has raced for more than 20 years and is an exercise physiologist with a master's degree from Columbia University. They've coauthored several books on running. Clocking in at over 600 pages, The Handbook covers basic training techniques, gives tips on speed training, and outlines regimens for specific races: short, 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon. There are also sections on motivation and the mental aspects of competitive running, proper running form, nutrition, dealing with illness and injury, and more. In addition, the book includes many helpful charts. Straightforward and authoritative, this is a comprehensive reference guide that's suited to runners of all levels. --Andy Boynton
Book Description
For both runners entering that first neighborhood race and elite marathoners, trainers Bob and Shelly-lynn Florence Glover's completely revised guide is the book on training to compete. A book that's already sold close to 200,000 copies, The Competitive Runner's Handbook will now offer all the latest information needed to design basic training programs; special workouts to increase strength, endurance, and power; schedules and worksheets to develop individual goals; and specifics on preparing for all kinds of races--with an emphasis on the 10K and the marathon.
Informed by their over thirty years of coaching experience, the Glovers give winning tips on alternative training, footwear and diet, and common injuries and illnesses, as well as sensible advice on balancing running with work and home life.
Customer Reviews:
Very thorough but a little dated.......2007-10-03
When I bought this book I was just starting to run longer distances and hadn't been in any races, so I wasn't the target audience. If you are like me. you'll be a little unsure what your 10K pace is, for example, because you may never have run one. But if you think you're going to be in races and care about your time, I would suggest that this book is worth buying and reading even if those are still in your future.
The book is also kind of old-fashioned, based on what I've picked up elsewhere. It focuses on total weekly mileage more than seems to be in fashion these days, for example, and that approach may not work for those like me who are getting into this at an older age (I'm 46). It also talks about calling race organizers on the phone rather than looking at the race's website, which seems kind of quaint in 2007.
What's really good about it is that it covers so much. It gave me a lot of good tips for little things to remember before my first race (the San Francisco Half Marathon). It gives guidance for many different lengths of races. It talks about injuries and other issues that may come up. It even talks about balancing running with the rest of your life.
With a good update this would be a 5 star book, and even as it is, it's well worth your time.
Wonderful book for a novice.......2007-07-26
I absolutely loved this book. After reading it I felt that I was far more prepared to both physically and mentally take on a marathon. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is starting to run and wants to get ready for any length of race.
Be aware that this is not a comprehensive guide, you should look elsewhere for information on nutrition or lifting. But if you are looking for a solid running guide, this is the right book for.
Great book for running any distance.......2007-06-22
This book is great. It has lots of details on training, physiology, diet, recovery, pacing, and everything else you can think of pertaining to running. The charts show you if you finished a race at one distance, how that translates into times for other distances, which is very helpful. This book doesn't give a bunch of feel-good you-can-do-it rah-rah, it gives detailed, specific information on how to run faster, how to run longer, how to run if undertrained, etc, etc. I highly recommend it.
Best book for compettive running.......2007-06-01
Very informative book w/ great programs for all races and all levels.
Improve Your Times.......2007-04-09
Find out how to improve your times on distance running with this helpful book. Various alternatives also account for difference in individuals.
Amazon.com
Ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes claims "There is magic in misery." While it would be easy to write off his habit of running for 100 miles at a time—or longer—as mere masochism, it's impossible to not admire his tenacity in pushing his body to reach one extreme goal after another. Sure, it's gory to read about how he lost one of his big toenails from shoe friction during the Western States Endurance Run. But what registers more is that here's a guy competing in an event that includes 38,000 feet of elevation change--the equivalent of scaling the Empire State Building 30 times.
Despite his considerable athleticism, "Karno" argues that the first half of any race is run with one's body, and the second half with the mind. Without delving into excessively touchy-feely territory, he explores "the possibilities of self" as he completes an ultra-marathon in 120-degree heat in Death Valley, and later the first-ever marathon at the South Pole. It's an odd combination: a California surfer dude contemplating how, as Socrates said, "Suffering leads to wisdom." But Karnazes's self-motivation is utterly intriguing, and it's impossible to read this memoir without wanting to go out and run a marathon yourself.--Erica Jorgensen
Book Description
There are those of us whose idea of the ultimate physical challenge is the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon. And then there is Dean Karnazes. Karnazes has run 226.2 miles nonstop; he has completed the 135-mile Badwater Ultramara-thon across Death Valley National Park-considered the world's toughest footrace-in 130-degree weather; and he is the only person to complete a marathon to the South Pole in running shoes (and probably the only person to eat an entire pizza and a whole cheesecake while running).
Karnazes is an ultramarathoner: a member of a small, elite, hard-core group of extreme athletes who race 50 miles, 100 miles, and longer. They can run forty-eight hours and more without sleep, barely pausing for food or water or even to use the bathroom. They can scale mountains, in brutally hot or cold weather, pushing their bodies, minds, and spirits well past what seems humanly possible.
Ultramarathon Man is Dean Karnazes's story: the mind-boggling adventures of his nonstop treks through the hell of Death Valley, the incomprehensible frigidity of the South Pole, and the breathtaking beauty of the mountains and canyons of the Sierra Nevada. Karnazes captures the euphoria and out-of-body highs of these adventures.
With an insight and candor rarely seen in sports memoirs, he also reveals how he merges the solitary, manic, self-absorbed life of hard-core ultrarunning with a full-time job, a wife, and two children, and how running has made him who he is today: a man with an überjock's body, a teenager's energy, and a champion's wisdom.
Customer Reviews:
Explodes the "overtraining" myth.......2007-09-28
Many other reviewers have discussed high points in this terrific book, so let me just mention one other revelation. Whenever magazines, newspapers, or TV journalists discuss exercise, they alway warn against the horrors of "overtraining." Working out the same muscle groups on consecutive days is always presented as a recipe for disaster.
It's sheer nonsense, and a book like this proves it. With obesity and Type 2 diabetes rampant in this country, we could all use a fewer warnings about "overtraining" and more encouragement to get out there every day and push ourselves. The human body was designed to be in almost constant motion every day, not stuck in a chair playing video games. The more grueling events Karnazes performs, the better and stronger he becomes. A marathon is not an amazing example of human endurance, it's a rather normal part of a hunter-gatherer's day, which is what we all are, genetically speaking. Thanks, Dean, for showing us the truth about the human body and what it can really do!
highly motivational.......2007-09-14
Well written and very insightful. Details the ways that he motivates himself to keep going even after most rational people would have hung up the towel and cried. I'm glad I read it, and it has helped me to push through my own mental and physical barriers while running.
Interesting, to say the least.......2007-08-06
There is something wrong with Dean Karnazes. In fact, not just him, but there is something wrong with anyone that does what these men and women do and I find it entirely interesting. To train and run these 50 mile hikes/runs or to run Badwater or to do these runs is just not normal and that is why it makes these books so much fun to go through. Its fun because it is hard to understand how someone would have that kind of drive and determination to do it. Karnazes does and tries to explain it.
There are some things that I found confusing or a little lacking. He describes how he re-picked up running again after nearly a decade of not running. You are kind of given the impression that he just picked it up and and worked his way up and that he knows what someone goes thru in starting to run. My experience was nothing like his...I ran 1 mile and then tried to do the same the next day. His first day of running? 30 miles all done thru the middle of the night. I guess we are all wired differently.
I didn't care much for the first marathon at the South Pole. It seemed silly. It seemed to be of little purpose but I guess it gave him the exposure that he needed and so that it was worth it to him.
OK, the parts that I did enjoy? There were many. I loved hearing of his first marathons. I enjoyed hearing how he would run to the marathon (7-10 miles) and get there right when the marathon started. It was very entertaining to hear of his first 50 miler as well as the Badwater runs. He is remarkable and those that do the runs with him or competing against him are remarkable as well.
There can be questions about him taking the time away from his family to do these runs...but is it really our business? I enjoyed the book quite a book and it has inspired me to go out and run 1-2 miles tonight. Impressive, huh?
Amazing!.......2007-07-30
Let me preface my review by stating that I am not an avid reader, in fact, I can not remember the last book I read...
This book is absolutely wonderful! Any runner, or athlete will achieve a sense of motivation from reading this book - not to mention the pointers and learning points along the way. I was enduring a mid-summer burn out, read this book in 2 days, and have a new found appreciation for the sport of running. Whenever I am struggling on a 10-mile jog, I think of Dean's 100 miler and it doesn't seem so bad. This book also includes great nutrition information and advice and is a great starting point for learning to eat the right foods. I can't recommend it enough!
Dean is human.......2007-07-27
Very insightful book by Dean. he reveals not only his motivations but also some common themes for ultrarunners. I used to be one.
Book Description
The story of America's greatest running legend.
For five years, no American runner could beat him at any distance over a mile. But at the age of 24, with his best years still ahead, long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine finally lost. Driving alone at night after a party, Prefontaine crashed his sports car, putting a tragic, shocking end to the life and career of one of the most influential, accomplished runners of our time.
More than 20 years later, Pre continues to influence the running world.
From his humble origins in Coos Bay, Oregon, Pre became the first person to win four NCAA titles in one event. Year after year, he was virtually unbeatable. Instead of becoming one of the new breed of professional track athletes, Pre chose to stay amateur and fight for the adequate funding he felt American amateur athletes deserved.
A man of incredible desire and energy, Pre trained relentlessly. In his drive to be the best, he spurred others to do their best. As one racer said, "He ran every race as if it were his last."
But Pre not only touched runners; his exciting technique as well as his maverick lifestyle made him a favorite of the fans. A race with Prefontaine in it was automatically an event.
His brief but brilliant life is the tale of a true American hero.
This is his story.
"Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative."--Steve Prefontaine
Customer Reviews:
pre book review.......2007-08-23
i am always interested in reading about successful athletes. pre was a great read, simple easy read, some great insight on pre from some of his running partners. i enjoy the statistics and he had many.
Steve Prefontaine.......2007-08-04
Taken too young from us - will always be a hero to us.
Read this motivational book.
Great account.......2007-07-11
This is an excellent read for anyone. You don't have to know who Steve was to enjoy this book. The book has a lot of information and details that were not in the movies.
PRE - Enough said.......2007-04-03
I now own both Prefontaine movies and this book, and I feel that each one has filled in gaps that have been left by the other. Even though I have several different visuals in my mind from the movies, I still feel that hearing this story from one of his teammates gives some great insight into the young man that took the world of running by storm.
It was great.......2006-01-12
This is the best book that I have ever read. His life is just really interesting to me. It might be because im a runner too, but i dont care. All the things that he does. Like how he just starts to run becasue he cant play football with the other kids. Also how he says when he is in high school that he is going to go to the Olympics. He Is an insperation to many runners. With him dying so young just makes his story all the more tragic. His tenacity is what I most like about him. How he says that he doesn't go out to race to win the race, but to see who has the most guts. I always wished that i could be like Pre, but he was just a star beyond me. Every time I race I think of his famous quote, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." That just inspires me to work harder and run faster. It is just a great book to read.
Average customer rating:
- For Novice, novice
- Ok for beginning runners to lose weight
- Not for experienced runners!
- Still reading
- Just what I was looking for
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Runner's World Runner's Diet: The Ultimate Eating Plan That Will Make Every Runner (and Walker) Leaner, Faster, and Fitter (Runners World)
Madelyn H. Fernstrom , and
Ted Spiker
Manufacturer: Rodale Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Diets
| Diets & Weight Loss
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
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Weight Loss
| Diets
| Diets & Weight Loss
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General
| Nutrition
| Health, Mind & Body
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Running & Jogging
| Exercise & Fitness
| Health, Mind & Body
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Running & Jogging
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Runner's World Performance Nutrition for Runners: How to Fuel Your Body for Stronger Workouts, Faster Recovery, and Your Best Race Times Ever (Runners World)
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Accessories:
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Tanita BC554 Ironman Glass InnerScan Body Composition Monitor Elite Series
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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
ASIN: 1594862052
Release Date: 2005-09-15 |
Book Description
A unique eating plan for both novice and experienced runners-to help you achieve optimum performance and keep those unwanted pounds off If you are a serious runner, or are thinking about starting a running or run/walk program to keep fit and help you lose weight, forget about the traditional food pyramid-or today's low-carb diets. As noted dietitian Madelyn H. Fernstrom, Ph.D., C.N.S., explains, the eating plan that best meets the needs of runners at all levels is based on a 50 percent carb, 25 percent protein, 25 percent fat ratio. Here Dr. Fernstrom details a realistic program, individualized for each person's activity level, that will enable runners to maximize their performance while maintaining long-term success at weight control.
Customer Reviews:
For Novice, novice.......2007-04-26
I've been running marathons for about 10 years now and never focused my training on diet. I picked up this book in the hopes on finding tips about dieting for runners, but obviously, this book is for walkers, runners. I'm running anywhere between 70 to 100 miles a week and this book is clearly for runners averaging about 15 miles a week. Good book if you're in that camp.
Ok for beginning runners to lose weight.......2006-11-02
I was looking for a book to give me meal plans and snacks to help fuel my runs. This is more of a diet book for those who want to lose weight.
Not for experienced runners! .......2006-10-17
I was looking for a book to help me make better choices with my diet that would help me tone up and energize my runs. This book is geared toward people who used to run and would like to get back to it or people who want to run. I am currently pulling down 30+ miles per week and most of the examples were running 16 miles per week.
This book is not a bad read. It is easy and straight to the point. It is just not for people wanting to tweak their game. It is for people that want to start or rekindle their game.
Still reading.......2006-10-09
I'm still reading the book but this seems to be a book suited for novice runners or even walkers. The "running" plans described in the book are really plans for walking and walking/running. When you have gotten to where you are running, she leaves you hanging.
I've also noticed typos or flaws in computing. For example, in one example she says that a person is eating 2250 calories per day and would need to reduce calorie intake to 1450 to lose one pound per week. Earlier it was clearly stated that cutting 500 calories a day would result in a one pound per week weight loss. According to my math, 2250-500 does not equal 1450.
Just what I was looking for.......2006-08-16
I wanted a simple plan to follow with simple tips to help me feel my strongest when running and this book was perfect for that. It's also great for anyone who runs and may want to lose a few pounds.
Average customer rating:
- Simply the best...
- Simply Amazing!!
- Great Entertainment for Runners
- Do not let the bad cover fool you
- Once A Runner by John Parker
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Once a Runner: A Novel
John L. Parker
Manufacturer: Cedarwinds
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Running & Jogging
| Exercise & Fitness
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
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Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
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Running & Jogging
| Individual Sports
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Accessories:
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Tanita BC554 Ironman Glass InnerScan Body Composition Monitor Elite Series
ASIN: 0915297019 |
Book Description
This is the inspirational cult classic that Runner's World (and many others) have called "the best novel ever written about running".
The Reno Gazette-Journal has also called it "a book so good, people will steal it."
How often do you hear about someone borrowing a friend's book, then later buying their own copy because they liked it so much? Or a book so treasured that it gets passed from friend to friend until it simply falls apart from so many readings? Once a Runner is such a book. It has become a cult classic and our all-time best seller. It's been acclaimed over the years by Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar and many other top runners.
Many regard the story of Quenton Cassidy's battle to the top as the most accurate portrayal yet written of the tiny universe of world class runners. And it's a great source of training inspiration and wisdom as well. Many readers say they learned more about running from this novel than from all the training books they have read.
It has won Running magazine's award as the best book of the year, and has been highly acclaimed by Runner's World, Running Times, Racing South, and Track & Field News, as well as by writers like Don Kardong, Kenny Moore Tom Jordan and Hal Higdon.
Customer Reviews:
Simply the best..........2007-05-28
This book captures the essence of distance running... A must read for anyone who runs.
Simply Amazing!!.......2007-04-12
I am an avid runner and this book defines what it is to be a runner. It is a cult classic and i've read it 10 times and always lend it out for other people who are just starting to get into running. The major motion picture based on the book is set to be released on July 22 by Universal Pictures. The sequel to this book "Again to Carthage" is also set to be due in July 2007 as well.
Great Entertainment for Runners.......2007-04-10
The running tidbits are an integral part in this story about a young man and his life in college. It's an entertaining read for runners and non-runners alike.
Do not let the bad cover fool you.......2007-03-01
When I saw this, it looked dated, like a book from the 70s. However I have to echo other reviewers here when I saw it is the best running fiction book I've read. Parker's "Once a Runner" is a great escape from all of the training manuals and guides that runners are forced to read for entertainment. While the main focus on the book is on running, it is cleverly hidden by the story the protagonist, Quenton, and his quest for a sub 4:00 mile. Parker doesn't spend the whole book focusing on things like pace, training regimen, mileage, etc. He hardly ever directly mentions those things, yet they're there, just below the surface. Running almost seems like just a hobby for Quenton as he focuses on his girlfriend and college, but 3/4ths of the way into the book it all comes together and the reader realizes just how important running is to him and just how good he is at it.
I would highly recommend this book to non-runners as well. Running is a fairly boring event. Unless someone is really into it, I cannot imagine they would want to actually read a book about it. But as I said, Parker carefully disguises the running aspect of it. For the non-runner, there's a pretty decent story and they won't become bored with the technical aspects of running. For the serious runner however, this book has some really inspirational moments, and you will find yourself inspired to get up and get moving. The runner understands when they read about Quenton running thirty miles through the rain to his girlfriend's house, and I really felt a small rush in the chapter where Quenton is training with classmates and breaks away from their pace to finish well before them.
"Once a Runner" is such a great book mainly because Parker downplays the running aspect of it, but for those "in the know," it is all there, waiting to be discovered.
Once A Runner by John Parker.......2007-01-19
Our son is an avid runner and has wanted this book for sometime. We were able to purchase it through [...] from Tom Raynor. He was wonderful to work with. He definitely went the "extra mile" to make sure that we received this in time for Christmas. Our son was thrilled!
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- Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy
- The Bat House Builder's Handbook, Completely Revised and Updated
- Mountains in the Mist: Impressions of the Great Smokies
- Little Mother of Russia: A Biography of Empress Marie Fedorovna
- International Market Research: A Financial Perspective
Water for Elephants: A Novel
The Kite Runner
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
Suite Francaise
