Fiction

Shoeless Joe

Shoeless Joe

  • Downloads：7370
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-14 00:21:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：W.P. Kinsella
  • ISBN：0395957737
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Summary

The inspiration for the beloved film Field of Dreams， Shoeless Joe is a mythical novel about “dreams， magic， life， and what is quintessentially American” （Philadelphia Inquirer）。

“If you build it， he will come。” These mysterious words， spoken by an Iowa baseball announcer， inspire Ray Kinsella to carve a baseball diamond in his cornfield in honor of his hero， the baseball legend Shoeless Joe Jackson。 What follows is both a rich， nostalgic look at one of our most cherished national pastimes and a remarkable story about fathers and sons， love and family， and the inimitable joy of finding your way home。

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Reviews

Jenny ，

Ray Kinsella hears a voice telling him to build a baseball field in his cornfield， which then starts a domino effect of tasks he has to do to make the dream all come together。My word， was this book boring。 This is one of those rare instances when the movie is way better than the book。 The screenwriter who simplified and cleaned up this book did a really good job。 There were a number of storylines in this book that were kind of pointless to me， like the twin brother and Eddie Scissons。 In retrosp Ray Kinsella hears a voice telling him to build a baseball field in his cornfield， which then starts a domino effect of tasks he has to do to make the dream all come together。My word， was this book boring。 This is one of those rare instances when the movie is way better than the book。 The screenwriter who simplified and cleaned up this book did a really good job。 There were a number of storylines in this book that were kind of pointless to me， like the twin brother and Eddie Scissons。 In retrospect， this should have been one of those book I abandoned at 100 pages。 。。。more

Louis ，

Reading this book was a great surprise to me。 I am a great fan of "Field of Dreams，" the movie version of this novel， and looked forward to reading the book as well。 Now that I'm done I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed。 Shoeless Joe feels more like an early draft， having additional characters who were cut out of （and never missed by） the movie。 Also， I did not get why J。D。 Salinger was a character; his change to the fictional Terrence Mann in the movie was one for the better。 Finally， Kinsel Reading this book was a great surprise to me。 I am a great fan of "Field of Dreams，" the movie version of this novel， and looked forward to reading the book as well。 Now that I'm done I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed。 Shoeless Joe feels more like an early draft， having additional characters who were cut out of （and never missed by） the movie。 Also， I did not get why J。D。 Salinger was a character; his change to the fictional Terrence Mann in the movie was one for the better。 Finally， Kinsella picks the wrong moment for the end of his book; did he not understand what the story was about？ The writing often entrances but Kinsella would have been better served with a stronger editor。 Three and a half stars， more for writing than for story。 。。。more

Curtis ，

31 years after Field of Dreams first touched me， I thought it was about time I read the book it was based upon。 The movie adaptation was a better， more effective execution of Kinsella's narrative - rearranging events of the climax， and eliminating some of the book's characters - but the magic of the book is still worthwhile on its own， and much of the film's wonderful dialog is lifted intact。 Side note: what REALLY puts the film over the book as an emotional journey is the musical score by James 31 years after Field of Dreams first touched me， I thought it was about time I read the book it was based upon。 The movie adaptation was a better， more effective execution of Kinsella's narrative - rearranging events of the climax， and eliminating some of the book's characters - but the magic of the book is still worthwhile on its own， and much of the film's wonderful dialog is lifted intact。 Side note: what REALLY puts the film over the book as an emotional journey is the musical score by James Horner。 It was the secret ingredient to the film's magic that is glaring in its obvious absence from the book experience。 。。。more

Grace H。 ，

I've always loved the movie， "Field of Dreams，" which was based on this classic WP Kinsella novel in which disgraced ball player "Shoeless" Joe Jackson returns to play again on a baseball diamond cut into the corn fields owned by farmer Ray Kinsella。 This magical book follows Ray as he first hears the "voices" in the field， urging him to "build" the diamond。 As he progresses in his construction， more and more ball players begin to appear。 But the "voice" is not done with Ray yet， and he is urged I've always loved the movie， "Field of Dreams，" which was based on this classic WP Kinsella novel in which disgraced ball player "Shoeless" Joe Jackson returns to play again on a baseball diamond cut into the corn fields owned by farmer Ray Kinsella。 This magical book follows Ray as he first hears the "voices" in the field， urging him to "build" the diamond。 As he progresses in his construction， more and more ball players begin to appear。 But the "voice" is not done with Ray yet， and he is urged to find reclusive "Catcher in the Rye" author J。 D。 （"Jerry"） Salinger and take him to a baseball game。 Jerry follows Ray as they seek out "Moonlight" Graham， a real player who played one inning and retired to become a small town doctor。 Graham returns with Kinsella and Salinger to play on the field Ray constructed in Iowa， and where he gets his own personal dream of playing with the majors。 Along the way， Ray reconnects with his twin brother， and together they battle his wife's， Annie's， ultra-conservative， pushy family members for possession of the farm。 "Shoeless Joe" is an amazing story of magic， baseball， hope and reconnection。 Kinsella's ability to paint pictures with words is unique and amusing。 A great read！ 。。。more

Chris Loveless ，

An interesting book for anyone loves baseball。 A lot of baseball history and stats。 I can recall having a legend baseball card of 3 finger brown， who had 2 deformed/injured fingers。 He’s in the baseball hall of fame。 Amazing。 Number of differences from the movie field of dreams， this book is based on。 Jd Salinger is the traveling author with ray as opposed to Horace Mann in the movie。 Kinsella’s writing is fairly good with a number of witty sayings like that rattle trap lawnmower。 Enjoyable stor An interesting book for anyone loves baseball。 A lot of baseball history and stats。 I can recall having a legend baseball card of 3 finger brown， who had 2 deformed/injured fingers。 He’s in the baseball hall of fame。 Amazing。 Number of differences from the movie field of dreams， this book is based on。 Jd Salinger is the traveling author with ray as opposed to Horace Mann in the movie。 Kinsella’s writing is fairly good with a number of witty sayings like that rattle trap lawnmower。 Enjoyable story of baseball and pursuing your goals and dreams。 。。。more

Christopher R Chapin ，

Most of the reviews of this book compare it to the movie （Field of Dreams）， which is not quite fair。 The film has a different theme than the book， stressing much more the relationship of Ray and his father， a minor part of the book （and the main story-line in the film）， though the basic plot is the same。 The film is meant to tear at your heartstrings。 There are more characters in the book。 I will try and avoid comparisons， and talk about the book itself。 I originally read the book when it was fi Most of the reviews of this book compare it to the movie （Field of Dreams）， which is not quite fair。 The film has a different theme than the book， stressing much more the relationship of Ray and his father， a minor part of the book （and the main story-line in the film）， though the basic plot is the same。 The film is meant to tear at your heartstrings。 There are more characters in the book。 I will try and avoid comparisons， and talk about the book itself。 I originally read the book when it was first published and decided to re-read it again。 So， what is the theme of the book？ It is a fantasy， of course。 But what kind？ Most of the characters are long dead （all the so-called "Black Sox"， Moonlight Graham， Ray's father）， yet Ray， his family， and some others see and talk to them。 "Shoeless" Joe even swings Ray's young daughter in his hands。 Are they there？ You only seem to see if you believe。 Some characters only see an empty， small baseball field。 Ray hears the voice， as does JD Salinger （Terence Mann in the film）， and they see the message on the scoreboard。 Or do they？ Ray sometimes is suddenly in the past， then back to the present。 Why is he directed to get Salinger， then find the dead Moonlight Graham （whom he never heard of previously）？ Ray's twin brother is himself directed to re-connect with Ray。 Is the book is about believing and following your dreams， even though it may seem crazy to others？ Is it the love Ray has for "Shoeless" Joe that brings him back to life？ Ray fulfills his dream， as does Moonlight Graham， Eddie Scissons （the "oldest Cub"）。 and Ray's father， even JD Salinger seems to。 And what does the public see when they arrive at the field？ Many questions that you must answer yourself after you read "Shoeless Joe"。 But， maybe that is the essence of a good book， it makes you think more。 Kinsella creates great characters （I fell in love with Annie） and makes the historical characters seem realistic。 It makes you love baseball （well， OK， I already did）。 By all means read this book， then try some of Kinsella's other books。 Then read some JD Salinger， too。。。and flip through the Baseball Encyclopedia if you get a chance。。。。 。。。more

Jason P。 ，

This is only the third time where the film based on the book is better than the novel。

Scott Breslove ，

Amazing…just amazing…but like Kinsella， I’m a baseball freak。 Wrought with emotion， exceptionally written， an all over masterpiece。 I need to read more of his work。

Erinp ，

Oh wow。 This book is just straight up trash。 I'm super impressed that someone picked it up and was able to make a watchable movie。 Not only is Kinsella a terrible author， the plot is so disjointed， the characters are unlikeable and it just goooooes on。 If you're ever wondering if you should read "Field of Dreams" the answer is NO。 Just watch it。 The movie is SO much better its painful。 Granted I am no the demographic for this book but WOOF。 Oh wow。 This book is just straight up trash。 I'm super impressed that someone picked it up and was able to make a watchable movie。 Not only is Kinsella a terrible author， the plot is so disjointed， the characters are unlikeable and it just goooooes on。 If you're ever wondering if you should read "Field of Dreams" the answer is NO。 Just watch it。 The movie is SO much better its painful。 Granted I am no the demographic for this book but WOOF。 。。。more

Adrienne Bodisch ，

It was great until the end， when you could tell he was just trying to end it。 And the logic didn't quite work with Eddie Scissons being able to see himself， but Moonlight Graham not being able to be in both places at once。 It was great until the end， when you could tell he was just trying to end it。 And the logic didn't quite work with Eddie Scissons being able to see himself， but Moonlight Graham not being able to be in both places at once。 。。。more

Mike ，

Kind of a mess - I had enjoyed Iowa Baseball Confederacy and Field of Dreams - but this is all over the place。 Kinsella （both character and author） and other characters in the novel seem to speak in tongues using baseball terms at times。 I don't hate it the way I usually hate two-or-one-stars， but definitely something that was improved by the adaptation。 Kind of a mess - I had enjoyed Iowa Baseball Confederacy and Field of Dreams - but this is all over the place。 Kinsella （both character and author） and other characters in the novel seem to speak in tongues using baseball terms at times。 I don't hate it the way I usually hate two-or-one-stars， but definitely something that was improved by the adaptation。 。。。more

Brian ，

Quick read。 I really enjoyed this book。 I saw Field of Dreams years ago and enjoyed it very much so this was a nice reminder although there are many differences between book and movie。

Ken Tingley ，

The novel that made “Field of Dreams possible。 I love that the screenwriter listed whole sections of dialogue right from the book。 It is that good。

James ，

The movie was a lot better than the book。

Henry Krinkle ，

Not bad， not great。 Some of the language was unbearably corny。 Seemed more like a novella than a full novel。

Amy Abbott ，

I'm such a hard sell for a book that has been made into a movie; I almost always like the book better。 This was certainly the case with "Shoeless Joe。" I love baseball books because baseball is about so much more than the game。 This book didn't disappoint。 I can't say much more or it will be a huge spoiler。 There's one big difference from the film， but it's a spoiler， and frankly， it MAKES the book。 I'm such a hard sell for a book that has been made into a movie; I almost always like the book better。 This was certainly the case with "Shoeless Joe。" I love baseball books because baseball is about so much more than the game。 This book didn't disappoint。 I can't say much more or it will be a huge spoiler。 There's one big difference from the film， but it's a spoiler， and frankly， it MAKES the book。 。。。more

Aaron Matthews ，

When I decided to read this book I thought it was a biography about Shoeless Joe Jackson。 I did not know it was the book based on the movie “Field of Dreams” starring Kevin Costner。 It was an excellent book， especially for an avid baseball fan like myself。

Kyle ，

In light of how much I love Field of Dreams， there was no world in which I wouldn’t love this book。 That said， it really was a great book。

Jim Black ，

This magical book， which inspired the popular movie， Field of Dreams， covers all the bases and touches on every emotion。 Unlike the film version though， the novel treats us to the kidnapping of J。D。 Salinger （Catcher in the Rye）！ Fabulous。

Kate O'Shea ，

Very like the film with lots of baseball thrown in。

Louise ，

Not as good as the film。。。。and I NEVER say that！

James ，

Loved it， but you really do see the power of good screenwriters who I think captured the story better in the movie than in the book。 Still a great read。

Bernadette🌞 ，

This is the book that the movie "Field of Dreams" was based on。 As I was reading it， I could picture the actors in the film。 Not to bad picturing Kevin Costner while reading a book😉 This is the book that the movie "Field of Dreams" was based on。 As I was reading it， I could picture the actors in the film。 Not to bad picturing Kevin Costner while reading a book😉 。。。more

Karen ，

Let's get something straight: Field of Dreams is one of my favourite movies。 Maybe。。。 my very favourite movie。 I've always known it was based on this book， but for whatever reason it has taken me over 20 years to actually read this book。 It is weird， reading a book that you've already seen a movie adaptation of。 I usually do it the other way around。 So， not much of this story was a surprise to me。 However， there is a LOT in this book that never made it to the movie。 The thing about movies based Let's get something straight: Field of Dreams is one of my favourite movies。 Maybe。。。 my very favourite movie。 I've always known it was based on this book， but for whatever reason it has taken me over 20 years to actually read this book。 It is weird， reading a book that you've already seen a movie adaptation of。 I usually do it the other way around。 So， not much of this story was a surprise to me。 However， there is a LOT in this book that never made it to the movie。 The thing about movies based on books is that movies get cluttered much faster than books do， so they need to be distilled， to get the essence of the narrative and apply cinematic principles to it。 So， some of the key characters in the book （Ray Kinsella's twin brother， and Ray's buddy， "the oldest living Cub" for example） never made it to the movie， though they are constants throughout the novel。 There is a scene in the movie where Ray's wife， Annie， stands up to a conservative crowd in a town hall meeting， defending a controversial book by Terence Mann， the fictional author who stands in for J。 D。 Salinger。 Never happened in the book （and Salinger appears as himself there also）。 So， my point is that at times I was tempted to jump ahead or skip things as I was reading this book， because I knew how it was going to go。 But， enough was different from the movie version that I actually couldn't be confident it WOULD go how it did in the movie。 There is no reason the story should turn out the same in the movie as it does in the book。 I won't tell you， dear reader， whether I was right or not -- you'll have to find out for yourself。 Kinsella wrote a lot about baseball， and a lot about the Indigenous peoples of Canada （which maybe would be considered a big appropriation no-no nowadays， since he was a white guy）。 He mostly wrote short stories， which is not my genre of choice， so I doubt I'll dip much further into his bibliography， but I may pick up another of his baseball novels someday。 He was a good writer， and I'm sure Field of Dreams is a great film because it had great source material。 。。。more

Mac ，

W。P。 Kinsella's Shoeless Joe is the perfect baseball novel。 It captures the allure of my favorite game and its rich history， as well as the joys of watching a game in action。 Baseball is the means of redemption for several characters in the novel。 All I can say is， this book is even better than the movie adaptation （"Field of Dreams"）。 Highly recommended！ W。P。 Kinsella's Shoeless Joe is the perfect baseball novel。 It captures the allure of my favorite game and its rich history， as well as the joys of watching a game in action。 Baseball is the means of redemption for several characters in the novel。 All I can say is， this book is even better than the movie adaptation （"Field of Dreams"）。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more

Melanie ，

This is one of the rare cases in which， in my opinion， the movie is an improvement on the book。 Kinsella has a way with words--much of the film's dialogue is straight from the book--but the plot meanders， and the story isn't as tightly focused。 The movie cuts characters that I didn't see the point of including （I'm still baffled by Ray's twin brother）， and adds the falling out between Ray and his father which makes the ending of the film pack such a punch。 The movie also has a lot of visual come This is one of the rare cases in which， in my opinion， the movie is an improvement on the book。 Kinsella has a way with words--much of the film's dialogue is straight from the book--but the plot meanders， and the story isn't as tightly focused。 The movie cuts characters that I didn't see the point of including （I'm still baffled by Ray's twin brother）， and adds the falling out between Ray and his father which makes the ending of the film pack such a punch。 The movie also has a lot of visual comedy that the book doesn't。 Still， the book is a pleasant bit of Americana and I enjoyed it。 。。。more

Jessica ，

My all-time favorite movie and the book did not disappoint。

Brenda DeMartini- Squires ，

I adored this book when it came out。 On rereading decades later， in the midst of the dystopia we've woken up in， its sweet innocence and magic feel like a message from my former self。 She's urging me to go out and smell the grass and to bring my radio。 I adored this book when it came out。 On rereading decades later， in the midst of the dystopia we've woken up in， its sweet innocence and magic feel like a message from my former self。 She's urging me to go out and smell the grass and to bring my radio。 。。。more

Craig Adamson ，

Fun read！ The movie follows fairly closely to the book。 But I will see the movie treatment was an excellent upgrade。 Especially when related to the finish of the book。I did enjoy the fact that the book goes into greater detail about Ray’s past and his family。 The appearance of his brother is even more intriguing。This is one instance where the movie is better than the book from my perspective。 But I’m pleased that Kinsella wrote this book as it’s made a wonderful movie for millions to enjoy。

Shane Schirmer ，

As an unabashed fan of Field of Dreams， I can’t believe it took me so long to get around to reading this book。 Maybe it was my fear that it wouldn’t live up to the movie。 At any rate， I found the book to be very entertaining。 While I had a hard time not imagining Kevin Costner as Ray， there are certainly enough differences from the movie to keep the reader wondering what will happen next。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Shoeless Joe

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Shoeless Joe&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Shoeless Joe&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0