When was the last time you tumbled onto cool, moist grass, looked up at the robin's-egg blue sky, and imagined that the clouds were forming shapes of various animals? Or the last time you felt total freedom while lifting yourself skyward on an old tree swing, back when summer never seemed to end?

These and many more childhood memories will come alive while reading Shoeless Joe. W.P. Kinsella's fictional accounting centers on baseball legend Joe Jackson, one of the Chicago "Black" Sox 8, who was permanently banned from baseball. Joe's magical appearance in an Iowa cornfield initiates a journey for main character Ray Kinsella, to not only fulfill his dreams, but those of many extraordinary characters, too.

At first glance, the book is about baseball and Ray's journey to fulfill the request of the voice, "If you build it, he will come." But as Ray ventures across the country the reader begins to sense that, as in The Wizard of Oz, anything is possible, simply by believing. As the plot develops, Ray's acceptance of the mystical, almost religious aspects of baseball, allows the reader to revisit dreams from his own past, too. Ray says, "Your secret dreams grow over the years like apple seeds sown in your belly...sprout through your skin, gentle and soft and wondrous, and they breathe and have a life on their own...."

Though most of the characters are as refreshing as a Popsicle or as rich as a Fudgsicle on a summer's day, Ray's wife, Annie is far too loving and weak. Female readers, in particular, may have difficulty connecting to Annie's life, with her lack of protest when her husband plans to plow under their crops to construct a ball-field. But, many readers can relate to Ray's efforts directed toward repairing his relationship with his dad, and may realize how profoundly this book mirrors their own relationships, too.

Upon deeper reflection, a reader realizes the importance of Moonlight Graham's statement that "hardly anybody recognizes the most significant moments of their life at the time they happen." While reading this book, a reader may experience a deep desire to turn back the hands of time for a chance to relive his childhood, or to take back words spoken in anger, or to reawaken in the arms of a love from long ago.

The story rides on dialogue, rhythmically slow like baseball, as Ray tiptoes beyond the realm of this world. Threading the timelessness of baseball throughout the book suggests immortality to the reader, as Ray tries to answer the question "Is this Heaven." The reader is drawn in and realizes that looking at this world is not the same as seeing it. Miracles happen everyday and can be taken for granted when viewed only with the eyes, and not appreciated with the heart, as well. Sacred events of planting and harvesting fertile farmland, the changing seasons, and the glorious birth of children are connected to the repeating cycle of baseball.

Author W.P. Kinsella's strength is mastery of the metaphor, with similes stunning our senses with vivid descriptions, conjuring up precise, almost tangible images. He writes, " Moonlight butters the whole Iowa night. Clover and corn smells are thick as syrup." A reader can almost taste a big stack of pancakes. W.P. Kinsella draws in the reader with the familiarity of baseball, while challenging him to rekindle his dream. Each time a batter is up in Shoeless Joe, the renewal of hope hangs as crisp and fresh as sheets on the line to dry. When Ray's twin brother, Richard, returns to the family, and J.D Salinger is reunited with his first love, the reader comes away believing that it is truly possible to start over again.

Like meeting an old friend at a favorite ballpark, the reader can escape the routine of schedules and deadlines, while enjoying this book based on a summer ritual. W.P. Kinsella satisfies the reader with a significant amount of baseball facts, sifted through the Chicago scandal. He successfully concludes when the reader's nostrils are filled with nostalgia of glove oil and leather, freshly cut grass, and home-baked apple pie. Kathie Mueller

17 of 17 found the following review helpful:

A beautiful poetic fable. Ten stars if you love baseball.  Apr 23, 2004
By M J Heilbron Jr. "Dr. Mo"
For those of us who love baseball, who love the history of baseball, this book explains ourselves to ourselves. You will have complete and total empathy with the majority of the characters populating this tale.
If you don't "get" baseball, this book may provide some insight.

Mr. Kinsella has written a highly original story, written so well some passages seem to sing, that addresses such human conditions as parental loss, unreserved trust, unquestioning love.
And baseball.
The line between reality and fiction is playfully drawn. The author and the protagonist have the same last name. J.D. Salinger and Shoeless Joe are real people.

The action such that it is centers around a magical ballfield created in the midst of a small Iowa farm.
The book is filled with so many wonderful moments that listing them would be insulting to the book.

If you're familiar with the film, "Field of Dreams", then you know the story...but the book is so much fuller. Richer. They actually complement each other well.

This is a perfect book to read during this time of year...

30 of 33 found the following review helpful:

Compares only slightly to the movie "Field of Dreams"  Dec 02, 2000
By Corinne H. Smith
"Never judge a book by its movie," they say, and in this case the adage holds true. "Field of Dreams" has been around since 1989 and is not merely a baseball flick, or a Kevin Costner starlight -- it's the depiction of a spiritual journey for both Ray Kinsella and the audience. The book "Shoeless Joe," on the other hand, provides more food for thought and additional storylines. If you simply see the movie, you'll miss out on meeting Kid Scissons, the oldest living Chicago Cub, who rented his farm to Ray and Annie. You won't know that Ray has a twin brother Richard who left home at 15, never to be seen or heard from again, until the time that Ray built his baseball field. And though there are times when the novel's characters share the same script with their movie counterparts, there are many more instances when they don't.

If you are the kind of person who has to watch "Field of Dreams" at least once a year, then you should jump back a step and read "Shoeless Joe." Better yet, you should make the trip to Dyersville, Iowa, where the field and the farmhouse still exist and look just as they did in the movie. If you can stand on that baseball field without any emotion or without a chill moving along your spine, then someone better check your pulse.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:

A literary masterpiece...  Feb 23, 2000

There is a famous quote floating around out there that conveys the essence of baseball and this novel: "Many attend, but few understand." Put simply, this book is a work for true lovers of the game. If you heart doesn't skip a beat on opening day, or you don't appreciate the smell of old leather and fresh cut grass, then this book is not for you. If you look down upon people who are oversentimental and nostalgic, then this book is not for you. But if you do understand the game and how it is a symbol of America and of youth and memory and peace and beauty, then buy a copy of this book. There are passages in "Shoeless Joe" that continue to amaze me. Prose in the form of poetry. The best baseball novel ever written. No contest.

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