Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: A review
Carrie Soto was not a particularly likable character. Single-minded and driven, her one focus in life from the age of two had been tennis. It was at that age that her father, Javier, began training her to be a tennis champion. He, himself, had been a professional tennis player and he was determined that he would make his daughter the best that the world had ever seen.
He succeeded almost beyond his dreams. Carrie had a storied career in which she shattered all records. She earned twenty Grand Slam titles and had every right to rest on those laurels. But then at the age of thirty-seven, six years after her retirement, she watches as a young player named Nicki Chan is on the verge of taking her record from her. Carrie cannot bear it! She makes the unprecedented decision to come out of retirement and try to reclaim her record, once again coached by her father.
Carrie really has nothing in her life besides tennis. She has no friends beyond her father and her devoted agent, Gwen. Other than tennis, "love" for her has only meant a series of one-night stands. She's never had a serious romantic relationship with a man, or, for that matter, with a woman.
Bowe Huntley is one of the men with whom she has a past. He, too, is now a struggling tennis player trying to hang onto the sport after finally getting sober and going through various personal trials in his life. Bowe is being trained by Javier and Carrie, reluctantly, agrees to train with him. She will not become friends with him but they will work together to be the best at the sport that has consumed their life.
Well, of course, you must realize where this is headed. Carrie and Bowie do become friends and much more than that and Carrie learns that perhaps there is more to life than tennis and perhaps she can find happiness and fulfillment in other places than on a tennis court.
In reading reviews of this book, I was reminded that Carrie actually made an appearance in another of Reid's books, Malibu Rising, which also happens to be on my "to-read" list. (For some reason, I thought I had already read it, but when I looked at the link, I realized I hadn't.) Carrie is a terrific - if unlikeable - character and I can understand why Reid would return to her. Over the course of this book, she actually does become somewhat more sympathetic and likable, so will we see her again in future Reid books? I wouldn't bet against it.
So many people have reviewed this one and they all seem to like it; it's one that I've been moving higher up my TBR list. It does sound really good.
ReplyDeleteI feel comfortable recommending it.
DeleteI'm glad for your take on Carrie. I would have liked her to have transformed more as sympathetic character & feeling there's more to life than tennis sooner. I found too long of the book she seemed pretty unlikable, which I did not like reading. But I'm in the minority of not liking this story very much. And I'm a huge tennis player & fan. I realize though that in the highly competitive world of sports and tennis it is likely very cutthroat etc. so Carrie's overall repugnant demeanor perhaps is not an anomaly. (sadly) ... though many on the tour seem friendly with one another.
ReplyDeleteI think often the very best athletes in any sport are consumed by that sport and by constant striving to be the best and perhaps that does not leave much room for development of other aspects of their character.
DeleteI loved loved loved this one so much. I love how the characters pop up throughout the books - Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Risong and Daisy Jones and the Six.
ReplyDeleteI, also, enjoy the fact that Reid has recurring characters in her books.
DeleteInteresting sounding novel! Admittedly, I have yet to read anything written by Taylor Jenkins Reid... I'm not sure why I haven't read any of her novels.
ReplyDeleteShe is a talented writer. I have enjoyed everything of hers that I've read.
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