Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
For me, that was the strength of the ending. I'd have been disappointed if he'd scored the winning run. But again, with Malamud, the name is destiny; once Youngberry came in to replace Vogelman, the ending was obvious. Youth would beat out age.
And what's with Vogelman? I'm still thinking about names. Harriet Bird shot Roy; did Roy exorcise that when he caught and killed the canary? Was that why he was able to beat the Birdman?
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I just like happier endings better. However, given the direction that he chose to take with Roy’s character, I do think that the ending was very well done. I thought the beginning was great, it started to sag in the middle, and the ending redeemed the book for me. It’s just not the ending I would have preferred for enjoyability, but I can appreciate the writing. If I were a teacher, then I think it would be a fun book to discuss with students.
The names were definitely significant. Since my library only had audio available, I can’t remember many of the smaller characters. Pop was a father figure and that’s basically his final destiny because they don’t win the pennant allowing him greater glory as a coach or redemption for his slump in his player years.