What Houle finds in Grand Mound Iowa comes as a complete surprise to him. Families take in ball players--especially families with young and attractive daughters. Is that normal? And Grand Mound, according to his sponsor, is one of the few towns in Iowa which is actually growing. The entire town shows up for the regular inter-squad matches held by the local semi-pro team and Houle, the pressure off, finds himself playing the best baseball of his life.
He may be playing great baseball but he isn't stupid. There's something going on in this town, and with this team, that just doesn't make sense.
Author W. P. Kinsella creates an ode to baseball as the solution to the world's problems. In a strange, fairy tale part of Iowa, baseball has become the savior of a town, and the town in turn has become the salvation to a number of players who had somehow lost touch with the love of the game. Kinsella's lyrical writing makes MAGIC TIME an intriguing and compelling read. Although the plot itself is somewhat slow moving (but then, people say the same thing about baseball), Houle's coming of age and his growing realization of the mystery of Grand Mound made me keep turning the pages.
Mike Houle, a ballplayer fresh out of college with a business degree (a rarity) waits for the chance to get drafted but gets passed over because of a dismal senior season. He had always been an excellent second baseman, leadoff singles hitter and base stealer, but now finds himself waiting by the phone. His agent sends him to an obscure league in Iowa where things are not quite as they see.
Think - "Shoeless Joe (or Field of Dreams)" meets "The Stepford Wives" only not as sinister.
The character Mike holds the story together. His voice, motives and emotions are believable and while he's smart enough to know better he sometimes chooses the wrong path. He holds to his dream.
I enjoyed Kinsella's writing. The dialogue is great and there are many interesting stories within the story, like the Roger Cash episode where he bests the town's top team with only a group of high schoolers to back him up. It's all about the distances.
Emmett Powell and his family were a hoot and there are a number of quirky characters in the mix.
My critiques: A lot of telling and not enough showing. There are scenes where someone is relating a story and I lose sense of where I am, especially when the storyteller basically drops out of the novel. The imagery is vivid but I wanted more substance.Going with the previous comment, I felt many of the characters were not fully developed. We never really get to know Mike's brother, Byron. Nor do we get much insight into Daniel Morganstern's issues with the team. Stanley Wood disappears about halfway through, as does Crease. McMartin has an episode then reappears later.
Would I recommend the book? Yes, it's a pleasant summer read.