The Natural

Bernard Malamud’s “The Natural” is not a great novel, but is at least a good one. Little did Mr. Malamud suspect that just over 30 years later, his story was doomed to be constantly compared to the movie of the same name, and probably found by most to be wanting.

The book, despite being a full-length novel, often leaves the reader wanting when it comes to fleshing out its characters. We get to know Roy better than most of the others, and he comes across almost as a lost soul whose pursuit of baseball greatness has been kept alive only by an unthinking momentum that carried it farther beyond his early adulthood than it should have. The part of him that is not joined to his baseball is earthy and often decidedly non-heroic. Most of the other characters are fleshed out just enough to provide the necessary backdrops to Roy’s tale.

My own expectations of the characters were shaded by my comparisons with what I had seen in the movie of the same name, and anyone coming to this novel expecting something similar to the film (which really liked) will probably be disappointed. The movie feels very fairy-tale-like and heroic, which the book definitely is not. All of the book’s supporting characters are there—Memo, Iris, Pop, Red, Gus the bookie, Max Mercy, the Judge, Bump Bailey—and their movie personas are arguably richer than the book’s. And one can see the vague skeleton of the novel’s plot in the movie. But the flesh is hung completely differently on that skeleton. Without spoiling the ending, it is safe to say that most readers are likely to find it far less satisfying than the film, and very skimpy on the kind of closure that movie-goers usually expect (in the US, at any rate).

In book reviews (of books in general), many readers report their dislike of a story based simply on the fact that they did not find any characters they could identify with or at least like or root for. Readers like that may not like this book. I personally am not sorry I read it, but the film perhaps polluted my appreciation of it somewhat.

This might be a novel, but it certainly contains a lot of harsh realities of soccer, or football.
A likable, talented young man has a passion for the game. One would think that his natural gift and inner enthusiasm would be all that matters to others.
In a perfect world.
This book shines a bright light on some of the dark and cruel imperfections.
This is an engaging read. The reader quickly and easily develops an empathy or compassion for the characters. Or the opposite emotions towards other characters and situations. It really makes you think.

“A Natural” details the brutish life of an aspiring professional soccer player. Tom has been promoted after a promising start as a junior player, and finds life in the professional league to be much more difficult than he ever expected. The casual sexual brutality of the other players, life as a boarder, the complex politics of managers, trades, and injuries all take their emotional toll on a young player. Tom’s own unwanted sexual longings further complicate his story, and contribute to our mounting sense of dread, knowing that being outed will mean professional disaster for Tom and his partner.

I.know absolutely nothing about football with the exception that Beckham and Pele are important so this was a bit of a slog for me in parts. That said, it can also be read as a coming out and love story between Tom and Liam. The idea that sports stars still hide their homosexuality, whatever the sport, seems ridiculous in this day and age but that's what we've. In this novel, there's a sort of class issue at play as well because Liam is a groundskeeper. This is well written and intriguing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try it for a love story with sports.

This novel gives a searing glimpse into the tense relations of young football (soccer) players playing for less-than-premier clubs in minor cities in England. The challenges of dealing with unorthodox sexuality in a hyper-masculine sports environment is the centerpiece of the tale. The author crafts dialogue well, however, so much of the first half of the book is slow and expository that this reader almost abandoned it. Many of the characters are not endearing and the reader is left feeling like, "Who should I root for here?" The second half of the book is much more interesting as a personal relationship between a player and staff takes on added importance. The homophobia of the soccer world is grim, and provides the characters with little expectation of being their authentic selves while being fully engaged in the sport.

The Natural, by Bernard Malamud, is a wonderful piece of literature. It is an explanation of human nature through use of baseball analogies. The story begins with Roy Hobbs, a promising 19 year-old baseball player, on a train ride to Chicago, for a tryout with the Cubs. Through a long and complex chain of events, Harriet Bird, an athlete-hating murderess shoots Roy in the stomach, seriously injuring him.
Fast-forward 15 years...
The New York Knights are a cellar-dwelling team, and their coach, Pop Fisher is extremely exasperated with his team's performance. Suddenly, in the middle of another pathetic performance, the now-34 year-old Roy appears on the scene, and declares that he is the team's new left fielder. Since Roy has a contract, he is allowed to "sit on the bench, like the other `all-stars'". Meanwhile, Roy becomes attracted to Memo Paris, the niece of Pop Fisher. Coincidentally, Memo is in love with Bump Baily, the starting, self-centered left fielder. During practice Roy displaces his incredible talent, and sparks the team to work harder, including the lazy Bump. During one game, Bump is chasing a fly ball, and runs into the concrete wall, which causes his death. Roy takes his place in the starting lineup, though the fans are skeptical of his ability. Roy immediately grabs headlines with his incredible hitting, amazing fielding, and his heads up play.
Fans start saying that Roy deserves more than the $3,000 dollars that Judge Banner, the skinflint owner, is paying him. Roy asks Banner for a raise, and Banner turns him down cold. The fans, loyal to their hero, organize a Roy Hobbs Day, in which Roy promises to be the best player ever. Right after that, Roy goes into a slump, and the suddenly soaring Knights resume their losing streak. When he comes out of his slump, Roy battles with all his might for the Knights to win the pennant. Before the few final games of the tight race, Roy gets appendicitis. Banner visits him in the hospital, and offers him a large sum of money to throw the playoff game between the Knights and the Pirates. The ending of the story is a true stunner.
I would recommend this novel to anybody, but especially to baseball fans. My only hint is that Roy is reminiscent of Shoeless Joe Jackson in more than one way. Also, the Knights are reminiscent of the 1962 New York Mets, and episodes that they go through are really takeoffs of moments in baseball. The story of human nature, and how it dominates even the immortality of heroes.

The Natural by Bernard Malamud is a wildly exaggerated mix of realism, fantasy, cartoonlike scenes, and hoary baseball memorabilia. It is all supremely unnatural.

The Natural is a famous classic that has also been turned into a popular movie, so there’s no point in summarizing here its well-known plot or sketching the characters' foibles. I’ll just mention a few thoughts I had about it and maybe make a helpful suggestion.

Like Malamud’s other novels that I have read (The Assistant and A New Life) The Natural moves in an ever more depressing cycle, with a sense of disaster looming like a bad dream. And again like in the other novels the main character is dragged down by his own self-destructiveness helped along by a feckless woman. I find such characters understandable and I sympathize. I was gripped by the paralyzing internal struggles of Roy Hobbs—the natural.

Even though I am only a semi-committed baseball fan, I enjoyed the baseball excitement of the novel. I thought that Malamud gave a good sense of the grit, struggle, agony, and glory of baseball—of course intensely exaggerated. But exaggeration is OK as far as I’m concerned. This novel lives on exaggeration—like Roy Hobbs with his homemade bat Wonderboy. And it lives on fantasy.

I bought the Kindle version from the store and liked it very much. The introduction by Kevin Baker is excellent. He manages to give the reader deep and helpful insight into The Natural without too many or even any spoilers. In fact don’t waste your time reading my review, read Baker’s introduction.

When it comes to great baseball novels, "The Natural" rates at the top. Malamud creates a nearly immortal great in Ray Hobbs, who suffers from a tragic flaw that prevents him from realizing his true greatness. Through surreal events, we follow the trials and tribulations of the great Roy Hobbs, who becomes an almost god-like figure, but whose time is fleeting and who fades away all too soon.

Roy Hobbs, whose almost divine talent can be partly attributable to his bat, Wonderboy, emerges as a wide-eyed 19-year old whose natural pitching talent has scouts astounded. Yet, before he can tryout for the Cubs, his life is nearly ended by a silver bullet shot from the revolver of a demented young woman. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Roy emerges 15 years later as a 34-year old rookie for the New York National League Club, the Knights.

Although baseball may be the focus, love, greed, and betrayal make their appearances as well. For all the God-given (or Wonderboy) talent that Hobbs has, he cannot overcome his human flaws and self-centered approach to the game. For it is not his boyhood passion that drives him to excel, but his task to be immortal through smashing records never to be broken. He is not a team player, but a player more interested in setting records. Yet, his most glaring flaw is in his choice of women that eventually leads to his tragic downfall. Although he has found a seemingly perfect match in Iris Lemon, he nevertheless attempts to gain the affection of Memo Paris. Although it's tough to compare her with the gambling kingpin Gus, she my be the most treacherous villain, as she manipulates Roy's lust for her to get her way, as Roy is too blind to see the truth. Even as Memo attempts to coerce Roy to throw the pennant-deciding game by admitting that he is not worth enough money to her, Roy lets his loins control his brain.

Finally, Malamud imparts a supernatural aspect to his novel. Before Roy's first appearance, Knights Field is a dry wasteland. Yet, when Roy appears and begins his hitting streak, the "gods" open up the skies and rain falls as the fields becomes lush and fertile again. When he fades into a slump, the field once again dries up. It seems that the baseball gods can reward or punish the Knights based on Roy's performances and his actions off the field as well.

"The Natural" has had a profound influence on sports literature, spawned a top-notch 1980s movie (although the ending is nearly opposite), and has become part of the fabric of the national pastime. Even Kirk Gibson's improbable home run in the 1988 World Series earned him the title of "Roy Hobbs." It is hard to imagine a work of baseball (or any sports) literature that has had as profound an effect and following as "The Natural." And even if you are not a baseball fan, this is a highly enjoyable and worthwhile read.

Roy Hobbes, the protagonist of Bernard Malamud's novel The Natural, came up the hard way. It would be a mistake to characterize him as the unfortunate product of a dysfunctional family, because his uncaring, alcoholic mother died when he was only seven, and his father was an itinerant laborer who, at his down-and-out convenience, put Roy in whatever orphanage was available. In short, there was no family.

Nevertheless, whatever else the consequences of this inevitably destructive upbringing, Hobbes developed into a tall, muscular, athletically gifted young man. Early on, it seemed almost certain that he would be playing professional baseball, and on the fast track to the big-money major leagues. Baseball was one of the few things that Roy really cared about, perhaps the only thing. If you looked deeply, and at this stage no one was bothering, baseball was about all you'd find.

As bad luck would have it, however, a wildly unlikely confluence of events introduced him to a sensational personification of the one thing that could cause Roy's commitment to baseball to flag just a bit: a beautiful and sophisticated woman, more than a little twisted, amorally focused on herself and what she wanted. It's ironic that Hobbes should succumb to, and have his prospects derailed by, someone so unlike the mother all kids need but he never had. She was, in fact, the very antithesis of what he needed most. A hard lesson to learn, and one that cost him years.

Malamud gives us only minimal information about Hobbes' next decade and half. Perhaps it best characterized as purposeless drifting, maybe living much as his father had lived through most of Roy's childhood and adolescence. It seems clear that Roy's damaging encounter with the woman who hurt him sent him on a long and uncertain search to once again recover his passion and purpose.

Against all odds, at age thirty-four, Roy made it to the major leagues. Once he got to play, he was a sensation. Yeah, the club's nefarious owner was ripping him off, but Roy didn't much care. He played baseball like a natural, and he had enough money to get by. He couldn't make up for the years lost, but he was making his mark and making it indelibly. And that was enough until he met his manager's beautiful niece, Memo.

There was something touching, and perhaps pathetic, as well, in Roy's unembarrassed commitment to a bat he made when he was very young and branded "Wonderboy." Even during his first painful slump, "Wonderboy" was the only bat he'd use. He'd already begun to draw cat-calls rather than the newly-accustomed cheers when, without forewarning or explanation, he drew inspiration from a woman in a red dress and black hat who stood up among the outfield fans and held her position until she had Roy's attention. Odd that her color combination was the reverse of that habitually worn by the sophisticated beauty Memo. But Roy seemed not to notice. He certainly didn't think about it.

In face, figure, temperament, and commitments the lady in red was everything a mother should be. When Hobbes learned that, though only thirty four, she was happy to be a fertile grandmother, he was put off. Age is not a ballplayer's friend, even if it's merely intimated by a commonplace designation. Whatever the reason, Hobbes continued his pursuit of the shallow sophistication and painted-on beauty of the openly amoral Memo, a woman even her uncle did not trust. Maybe Roy wanted evidence that a woman without motherly qualities -- a woman like his mother -- could love him. Who knows?

Body's wear out. "Wonderboy" splits down the middle never to be repaired. Hearts are broken. The clowns are sent in.

Robert Redford's cinematically stoic, even-tempered, abstemious hero, who knows value when he sees it, is something very different from the Roy Hobbes in Malamud's novel. A lost, overgrown child in the grimy urban wilderness? Can Malamud's Hobbes accept salvation when it's offered? Or have the hard lessons he's learned done him no good?

This is a baseball novel from start to finish, and a fine one. But it's also a novel about the world we share, filled with good and evil, joy and suffering, accomplishment and failure. Correctly, I think, in Malamud's world evil, suffering, and failure commonly trump their comforting opposites.

Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel The Natural is one of the most well-known baseball books ever written, aided no doubt by the Robert Redford movie. I'd seen the movie before reading the book, and it turns out that there are actually many major differences between the original novel and the Hollywood edition.

The basic story is probably familiar to many. Roy Hobbs, a 19 year old baseball phenomenon, is shot by a crazed athlete stalker before his major league tryout. Fifteen years later, Hobbs signs on as an outfielder for the New York Knights, perennial losers of the National League and his amazing skills take the club into contention for the pennant. I'll spare any more details, as where the book and movie differ there are some major twists.

The book has a very mythic quality, and I'm not the first to note that there are many Arthurian parallels, with Roy's bat Wonderboy standing in for Excalibur, Hobbs being a Knight, and the dangers of pride interfering with the quest. In addition to the aura of legends, the description of baseball - the players, the games, the train rides, the business - definitely feels as though it's come through the mists of time to give us a glimpse into baseball as it was generations ago, and there are fictional echoes of real baseball personalities and events, such as Babe Ruth and the Black Sox scandal.

I listened to the audio edition, read by Christopher Hunt. Hunt's narration is excellent. He alternates between folksy, dreamy, crude, terse, and lyrical, always hitting the right note to accompany the text.

As a baseball fan, I probably should have read this long ago. Nonetheless, I'm glad I finally have. It's not perfect - at times it veers away from the game and into odd tangents a bit too much for my taste - but overall, it's an excellent book. Any baseball fan should make sure they read The Natural at some point. It's place in the culture of baseball is well-deserved.

When it comes to great sports books The Natural has to be one of the best. This great book tells the story of the life of a young man named Roy Hobbs. This young boy is a great baseball player whose abilities on the field just seem to come natural to him, but he makes a couple of bad mistakes that buts him through a lot of bad times in his life.

The story introduces Roy as a 19 year old boy looking to accomplish his dream and make it big in the major leagues. This would have happened if not for his bad choice in women, a beautiful but crazy woman who killed famous sports players with a silver bullet, which got him shot. After his near fatal experience his life just went down hill until his mid thirties.

When he finally got his chance to make it big in the major leagues he was 34 years old. Even though he was past his prime as many thought as soon as he got his chance he showed everyone that he could play just as good as anyone else. After a good streak and breaking all kinds of records he had brought a last place team into the first place spot. Until once again his choice in women deceived and misused him when a young red head named Memo Paris walks in and tries to take advantage of Roy by making him throw a game, that would put his team into the World Series, just to be able to support her.

This is one of the greatest books I have ever read and I would recommend it to everyone. Even if you're not a sports fan you will still fall in love with this book because it is not only about baseball it is about greed, money, love, and life. You will also love the writing style, and the ending will send you into a whirl of amazement.

Bernard Malamud earned a place as one of the great American Jewish authors, but his breakout novel was about that great American myth, the heroic athlete, in this case a baseball player. (Well, it had to be that or a Western, didn't it?) There is absolutely no reason for anyone who is well read to be unfamiliar with his work or, indeed, "The Natural". College courses have been based on it. Let's look at the baseball on which it was based.

It has been often noted that the book is partly about the corruption that plagued the early years of professional sports in this country, and the 1919 Black Sox case is readily available for comparison. There is also the notoriety of our sports stars with feet of clay, and Malamud almost certainly had in mind the case of Eddie Waitkus of the Phillies, shot in his hotel room by a woman.

Malamud may not have been a baseball fan per se, but growing up in Brooklyn he could not have been completely unaware of "Dem Bums", the Brooklyn Dodgers. During his senior year at Erasmus Hall H.S., the Dodgers' left fielder was on his way to eventually winning the batting title. His name was Lefty O'Doul, and his story may well have captured the imaginations of the local teens.

O'Doul had first appeared in the major leagues as a new pitcher with the Yankees; in fact, he arrived the same year as Babe Ruth and was drawn into the Babe's regimen of late nights and, you know, all the rest. Lefty didn't thrive on it the way Ruth did, and he sank back into the Pacific Coast League after a couple of nondescript years. When he eventually resurfaced in the major leagues he was already 31, no longer able to pitch -- a converted outfielder with a bum arm but somehow blessed with a natural talent as a hitter. He was with Brooklyn in 1932, and led the league in hitting at the age of 35. Sound familiar?

It always intrigues me that folks insist on comparing a novel to the movie version that a novel spawns, when in fact they have almost nothing to do with one another. I have never seen the Robert Redford movie version of this book, but I can pretty much guess that the Roy Hobbs as portrayed by Redford is nothing like the shallow, rather selfish, self-centered character in the book.
The only other Malamud book I had read before this one was "The Assistant", (a book I enjoyed immensely) and while I enjoyed this book well enough it did fall somewhat short of my expectations. Maybe it was because I was expecting a rags-to-riches hero, or maybe it was because I felt Malamud never got below the surface of nearly all the characters...
However, the story of the baseball season that the book does cover is exceptionally good, and whether a fan of the game or not, you will be swept along. And while I can quibble some about plotting and depth, Malamud writes splendidly, in a clean, concise, riveting fashion. A somewhat mixed bag, but recommended still.

The Natural is a 1952 novel by Bernard Malamud; it inspired the eponymous 1984 Robert Redford film, to which it bears only passing similarity. Here, the talented Roy Hobbs, a thirty-five-year-old rookie, tries to make a name for himself in Major League Baseball after a psychopath's gunshot nearly killed him when he was nineteen.

The story is loosely based on the true story of Phillies first baseman Eddie Waitkus, and also heavily includes elements of baseball myths and legends, most notably that of Shoeless Joe Jackson. These elements give the story a fantastical side - it often feels one step away from a Márquez-esque magical realism.

Malamud's writing style is unusual, and not in a good way. He will speed through big chunks of dialogue in narration, often in mid-conversation. Malamud keeps the pages turning (this is a short book), but this feels more like a quick fix for boring conversation than good writing. And The Natural features a jarring non-use of contractions in dialogue, but only half the time, which makes many lines feel stiff and unrealistic.

Most of the supporting characters here are cartoons; only Roy and Pop have any real depth, and Roy isn't sympathetic because he continually allows himself to be distracted from his goals, makes bad choices, and doesn't learn from his mistakes.

All the elements of a morality tale are here, but it doesn't feel like one, mostly because Roy doesn't learn anything throughout the book. There's too much death and despair and no redemption. The Natural isn't a great baseball novel, either, because of the way Malamud handles fantastical myth elements and because he gets carried away with his descriptive epic metaphors and glosses over much of the baseball action itself. Plus Roy Hobbs seems to do nothing besides hit home runs and strike out.

In the end, The Natural is a quick read with some tantalizingly interesting elements that don't often work well together.

"The Natural" is a story filled with metaphors as it follows the life of a baseball player named Roy Hobbs. He is a young man in the prime of his career and is on his way to Chicago to join the Cubs. At this point, things were looking great for Roy's baseball career, but then tragedy strikes. On his first night in Chicago, he's seduced by a woman who then shoots him. Roy survives, but the injury is a major setback. After years of rehab and playing for the minor leagues, Roy is brought up to play for the New York Knights, the worse team in Major League Baseball. Playing as a rookie in his 30's, Roy makes a big impact on the struggling franchise and quickly becomes a sensation in the baseball world. A lot of mystery surrounds him though, because no one knows anything about his past, which he refuses to talk about.

Bernard Malamud does a great job crafting this story which illustrates the highs and lows of Hobbs' baseball career. When you look at it from a metaphorical point of view, what happens to Hobbs is what happens to a lot of athletes both then and today, which makes this story feel even more realistic. There's a lot of character development and the plot has a lot of twists and turns from beginning to end. The ending is a little unpredictable, and it's not a feel-good ending by any means, but it's symbolically appropriate when you look back at all the events in the story that led up to this point.

Overall, this is a great book that every sports fan needs to read. It's not the most uplifting story you'll ever read, but it examines the life of a typical star athlete from a metaphorical point of view. Anyone whose seen the movie needs to read this regardless of their opinion of the movie. There are some similarities, but the differences are monumental. The movie is basically an optimistic feel-good story, which wasn't the point of the book at all. This is a lot better than the movie, and it's definitely worth reading.

...There seem to be two divergent opinions on this book and its relationship with the movie. Some say that the movie is another example of Hollywood creating simply another happily-ever-after flick for public consumption, out of a greatly different novel. Others state that the movie gave us a moving portrait of a true hero and a tale of redemption. I believe that both are true. The book is fantastic, but not in the traditional baseball sense. If you were to imagine that Roy was not a ballplayer but an actor or farmer--a position from which we don't crave heroes, The Natural would be an unquestionably great novel in everyone's mind. But, I, like many of these reviewers am an avid baseball fan. Something I'm not sure Malamud is. If he is, something turned him off. He was born too late for the Black Sox scandal, so it's probably just player greed. Not a single ballplayer in this novel is any way simpathetic: Roy is a glutton with a massive ego, Bump an arrogant showman, and the rest simply womanizing drinkers. In some ways I agree that modern ballplayers are a similar lot (Bonds, Henderson, A-Rod). It is in this light I enjoy the movie, in which Roy isn't as simple and ego-driven. He is an honest, hard-working hero, who teaches the care-free, partying guys on the team a thing or two about dedication and hard-work. I think this is a solid case for a book and its movie both being fantastic artistic works but with wholly separate messages.

While I get it that Bernard Malamud was playing off of Arthurian legends and the Fisher King story, to me The Natural is much more a fascinating blend of magical realism and sports themed pulp novel. It is also one of the first examples of a trend that has become somewhat epidemic these days, which is the romanticizing of baseball by intellectuals. Somehow, no one writes The Natural or Field of Dreams kinds of books about football or, God help us, NASCAR.

Malamud, who was apparently not even a baseball fan, yet chose this setting for his first novel and to it he brought a host of real-world references, from the Black Sox scandal and Babe Ruth's hitting a homer for a kid in a hospital to the then recent dramatic playoff game for the league pennant (Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard Around the World" walkoff homer that sent the Giants to the World Series had happened the fall previous to The Natural's publication). In fact, the fictional "New York Knights" resemble nothing so much as the real-world Brooklyn Dodgers of that era with their history of pratfalls ("Dem Bums" had yet to win a World Series in 1952) and their cynical but fanatical fan base, including the types of eccentrics Malamud describes as regulars at Knights home games. (Yes, I know there's another team in the book named the Dodgers--in fact, it's interesting to note that the Knights are the only fictional National League franchise named, though since there's no mention of a New York Giants, they are perhaps the fill-in for that team).

I'm not as a rule a big fan of magical realism but here it works, er, wonders in setting up an elegaic and almost otherworldly environment where you expect the unreal while still grounding it in enough reality to amke it relevant for readers. In fact, I must say, for a non-fan, Malamud does a wonderful job of conveying the world of Major League Baseball before the days of free agency, multi-million dollar contracts, private jet travel and luxury seats.

All in all, a very highly recommended debut work from one of the 20th century's major American writers.

Cynical and surrealistic, Bernard Malamud's commanding 1952 baseball novel "The Natural" presents the dark side of America's sunniest pastime. The central character Roy Hobbs never becomes a hero in the conventional sense, and his name (Roy = King, Hob = clown) implies an enigmatic contradiction. Indeed, at the height of his fame, it's revealed that the King of the Game has worked as a circus clown. As a youth, Roy is all set for the majors until a strange attack from a Kundryesque temptress leaves him wounded; and for fifteen years he wanders aimlessly, to all appearances lost. {The novel opens on a speeding Pullman, and Roy is described as "traveling (on the train that never stopped.")} When finally he re-enters the profession, he joins the Knights led by Pop Fisher. This "jinxed" team is going through a wasteland of a season, "glum and red-eyed ... they moved around listlessly and cursed each step." The knight errant proves to be their salvation, depicted in one scene as being "in full armor, mounted on a black charger". He will only step up to the plate with his own bat, an Excalibur-like weapon called Wonderboy. Roy becomes increasingly popular and powerful (he, of course, has a "day"), but he also becomes more demanding. (His greed is symbolized by a voracious appetite: after stuffing himself at a rich buffet, he goes to a coffee shop, where he downs six hamburgers at one sitting.) You just know a slump is coming, and when it does Roy resorts to medieval superstitions, spitting between his fingers when he sees a black cat and sewing amulets inside his clothes. Then the inevitable temptation to his greed is offered, and Roy is too far corrupted to completely resist. In a sense, he is sacrificed, as the Clown or Fool must be. The admiring introduction to this edition was written by Kevin Baker, who points out that the novel is "juiced with the cynicism and disillusionment that permeated American letters in the years after the war." He notes, "It is hard to find a truly likable character in the book", and this is true. A cityscape populated by figures deranged and deformed, "The Natural" reminds one of a powerful canvas by George Grosz. Incidentally, I missed the 1984 movie version, but it's probably just as well. Robert Redford would be all wrong as Roy Hobbs. And I hate to break this to Kevin Costner fans, but this book is not dripping with Karo syrup, nor is there a "magical" conclusion in which a hero plays catch with his long-dead Dad.

From a literary standpoint, The Natural is a fine novel. The imagery sets the dark, unsettling tone that pervades the book. The dialogue is authentic (1950’s). The dry humor helps offset the unhappy circumstances. What was most notable was the way the author brought baseball to life making it exciting, filling it with tension, and even creating a sense of menace that would normally be excepted of a suspense or thriller novel. The characters are not particularly likeable, but one senses their desperation and that creates some empathy. On the downside, the book is dated in that it is clearly a 1950’s mentality. The attitude toward women is misogynistic at best. Most of the novel has a dreamlike, surreal quality that brings everything into question. And for those of you who’ve seen the movie, it’s nothing like it. In sum, I really liked the literary qualities and found it to be a quick and absorbing read. But it was also dark, depressing and not something I would’ve chosen to read if not for it being selected by my book club. If you are a lifelong fan of baseball, particularly if you are nostalgic for it, you may enjoy this book. There are a lot of references to real ballplayers and actual events that I only caught because my copy had a comprehensive introduction explaining it all. The baseball lover may enjoy puzzling it all out.

"The Natural" is a quiet, contemplative novel that uses the mythology of baseball to frame a poetic parable of fate...of the idea of "what could have been."
Baseball, more than any other sport, has a history composed equally of fact and legend. That's its' charm. Using that gauzy place between the real and the myth, Malamud tells the tale of Roy Hobbs, the greatest baseball player who ever lived, but who hardly ever played.
Hobbs' life, at least the part we are privy to, is shaped by his decisions and actions surrounding three women. They each, and I'm reducing this to absurdity, represent a basic ideal: home-spun decency, harsh reality and seductive temptation. It could be said that where he ends up at the end of the novel is determined solely by the choices he makes regarding each woman. His character becomes better defined as the reader discovers Hobbs' feelings towards each as well.
It's difficult not to see Robert Redford's face in the mind's eye, nor to hear Randy Newman's music in the background whilst reading the book. Those images and sounds have penetrated popular culture so deeply, it doesn't matter if you haven't seen the movie.
Read the book first, then see the movie. They actually make the other better.

Author Bernard Malamud (1914-1986) wrote this semi-mystical novel in the early 1950's, when baseball was on top, TV was just starting, and players earned very modest paychecks. It's the story of Roy Hobbs, an incredibly talented player from somewhere out west who through tragic circumstance doesn't reach the majors until he's in his mid-thirties. Hobbs is a decent sort, but he finds himself overwhelmed by fame, manipulative owners, merciless sportswriters, and conniving women. His career with the fictional New York Knights is meteoric but short, and filled with controversy and temptation. Hobb's impact catapults his team into the pennant race, and the story improves as it unfolds.

The book has a symbolic, semi-mythical style. The story was based partly on a 1949 incident involving Eddie Waitkus of the Phillies. This book is also tougher and less optimistic than the 1984 movie starring Robert Redford.

On the surface, Bernard Malamud's "The Natural" is a book about baseball and the exploits of mythic ballplayer Roy Hobbs. Delving deeper Malamud chronicles the relentless peaks and valleys of human existence as Hobbs goes through cycles of decimation and resurrection. "The Natural", Malamud's first published novel has been compared to Homer's "The Odyssey" as we follow Hobb's meandering trek through life.

We are introduced to Hobbs as a 19 year old pitching phenom aboard a train headed for a tryout with the Chicago Cubs, shepherded by an ex-major league catcher Sam. In a cruel reversal of fortune Hobbs hooks up with a crazed gal he met on the train in Chicago and gets gut shot for his trouble.

Fast forwarding ahead we next see a mid thirtyish Hobbs reporting to the dreadful New York Knights major league baseball team after having been signed to a contract. Hobbs originally scorned and benched by manager Pop Fisher eventually turns into a baseball icon hitting and fielding his way into legendary status. His exploits have the doleful Knights skyrocketing in the standings threatening to finally win a pennant. Hobbs however goes through his slumps as the cycles of his life continue to wax and wane even after momentarily attaining his dream of being the best in the game.

Hobbs a hero who totes around some heavy excess baggage cannot divorce himself from his attraction to loose women and pursues Pop Fisher's niece, a floozy named Memo who comports with gamblers. Despite meeting a fine woman, Iris, who stood by him during the depths of his most desperate slump, he cannot smell the coffee and give up Memo.

The story continues with the fortunes of Hobbs bouncing up and down like the stock market, concluding in a much more realistic ending in a style Malamud used in other books, than seen in the movie version. Malamud used real life events in the history of baseball lore to craft the plot and characters in this novel.

I never realized how different the book version is a compared to the popular motion picture version starring Robert Redford. As many of you know the protagonist, Roy Hobbs was a natural at baseball, but his career is sidetracked by a crazed woman that kills famous sports athletes with a silver bulleted gun right before his tryout with the Chicago Cubs. Roy never had a chance to play with a Major League Baseball club until he was in his mid-thirties and well past his prime and was signed to a minimal salary to play for the NY Knights. Despite his age, Roy played better than anyone else during stretches in the baseball season, and raised the expectations of the Knights ballclub from a bunch of losers to true contenders.
In his story, Malamud explains the highs and lows of any sports athlete - being in the zone and hitting slumps. The major differences between Robert Redford performing like Roy Hobbs, and the true Roy Hobbs in Malamud's book, is that Hobbs is not superhuman - or a "Wonderboy" as his bat exclaims. Robert Redford plays a mysterious Herculean athlete that carries his team to a pennant. Whereas, Malamud's Hobbs is a normal guy with exceptional ballplayer skills - but he makes human mistakes. I think what most readers of `The Natural' will be most surprised at is the ending of the book - it builds up climatically just as the movie does, however the end is much different. I liked the book very much, and I am an admirer of Malamud's writing style. I recommend the book; I loved the movie, and I comparatively loved the book - but in a different way.

My father was an English teacher who also happened to be a baseball fanatic, and I still have his marked-up copy of "The Natural" somewhere in the basement. He actually built an entire English class around baseball fiction, with this book as its centerpiece.

You can't help but appreciate the humanness of Hobbs as the book moves along, picking up steam much like the locomotives that are often used as a metaphor.

My favorite character is probably Pop - what a great, colorful caricature of a crusty old manager who lives and dies with every batted ball and terrific throw.

"The Natural" is the standard by which all other baseball novels - including mine, The King's Game - are judged. And that's how it should be.

And other reviewers are right - you'll never see the book's ending coming if you saw the movie first, but that's a good thing. This ending feels more real, more true, more human.

A classic!

-- John Nemo, author of the baseball novel The King's Game

When you pick up Bernard Malamud's The Natural, inevitably the Robert Redford movie creeps into your conscious mind. But this book is a far darker vision than the movie, and the end, with its even duskier conclusion about human fallibility, makes reading The Natural both sad and enlivening.

The Roy Hobbes of the book is intent on getting his second chance as a major league ball player. The strain of misogyny in the novel is strong, and women are the element that continually fouls Hobbes' chance at success. This is an ugly part of the book, but in keeping with the overall gray moral sentiments expressed throughout. Hobbes is not the eunuch of the movie, and he is interested sex, money and fame as much as success in baseball (and he often views baseball as merely a means to that end).

The Natural provides a hard look at second chances, and the inability of people to capitalize on them. Our first lives intrude on our second. We repeat the same mistakes.

The Natural, both the movie and the book, are excellent. I can watch it and read it over and over again.
A farm boy plays baseball with his father, develops a liking for the game, and later in his life hopes to become a professional league baseball player.
However, along the way to fulfill a life long dream, he catches a silver bullet in his rib cage. Thanks to a devious blond woman, Roy Hobbs, played by Robert Redford in the movie encounters some set backs. But with perseverance, bound and determined to succeed, he overcomes the obstacles and in the end is a baseball hero.
The Natural is an exciting baseball story that keeps the reader spellbound for many hours up to the very end. And the author gives us an excellent lesson in life to never give up. Roy Hobbs never gave up in spite of all the circumstances set up against him to fulfill his dream to be a major league baseball player. This book surely deserves FIVE STARS. Marvin P. Ferguson, author of THE UNKNOWN BASEBALL PLAYER.

If you are buying the classic book after seeing the excellent movie starring Robert Redford, you'll be in for a surprise. And please realize the book was published years before the movie was a big hit in theaters.

The main character - Roy Hobbs - portrayed by Redford is a hero in the "old" Hollywood sense. Hobbs in the book has the surliness of Ty Cobb, the shadiness of Hal Chase and the larger-than-life appetites on and off the field like Babe Ruth.

Bernard Malamud weaves a story which club owners, players and gamblers have a blast manipulating their Field of Dreams. Many of the scenes have real-life elements; in particular, situations reminiscent of the 1919 Black Sox Scandel.

The ending is brilliantly penned by Malamud, as Hobbs steps into the batter's box with his career on the line. And please remember, storybook finishes are typically found only in the movies.

Comparing "The Natural" the book to "The Natural" the movie is like comparing a fine multi-course meal to a big chocolate cake. Both are fine to eat, but expect a lot more variety and nuance out of the meal, not just the sweetness of the dessert. The book is the dark story of a strong and talented man ultimately taken down by his weaknesses. The movie is completely the opposite -- a typical Hollywood story of a hero overcoming adversity to emerge triumphant. Having read the book before seeing the movie, I was appalled at the movie's complete change of message from the book. Although I can understand the point of view of those who came to the book after the movie, it seems a bit simplistic to fault it on the basis that the ending was a bummer because it was not the happy one of the movie. Hollywood has always done that trick well -- "Breaking Away", "Hoosiers", "Rocky" etc. etc. etc. And they -- along with "The Natural" -- are good movies. But Malamud's true genius in "The Natural" (the book!) is that Roy Hobbs is not an icon -- he is a superman who turns out to be all too frail, a man on the run from the demons of his past, seeking his salvation in the power of his talents.
There is nothing the matter with harmless escapism such as "The Natural" The Movie. But life is so much more complicated than that - a point which Bernard Malamud understands and commiunicates so well, and which Barry Levinson and his screenwriters have chosen to overlook.

I expected more from this book. Yes, the part about Roy Hobbs' talent is great--it shines through, and creates something magical. But basically all of the rest of the book is just average--or worse. Roy Hobbs himself is a just a very average person, and I personally found it difficult to care about him one way or another. Although he's in his mid-30s for most of the book, he comes across almost consistently like a confused, psychologically-blind teenager--chasing women (most of whom are losers), practicing little or no self-reflection or self-restraint, gambling senselessly, overeating, and just leaning on his physical talent.

His behavior is actually probably similar to that of a lot of modern baseball greats--which is probably why I find them so dull as people. Yes, it's amazing to watch them play, because their talent is something otherworldly, but who really cares about their silly teenage dramas?

And, sadly, that's what this book is.

I expected more from this book. Yes, the part about Roy Hobbs' talent is great--it shines through, and creates something magical. But basically all of the rest of the book is just average--or worse. Roy Hobbs himself is a just a very average person, and I personally found it difficult to care about him one way or another. Although he's in his mid-30s for most of the book, he comes across almost consistently like a confused, psychologically-blind teenager--chasing women (most of whom are losers), practicing little or no self-reflection or self-restraint, gambling senselessly, overeating, and just leaning on his physical talent.

His behavior is actually probably similar to that of a lot of modern baseball greats--which is probably why I find them so dull as people. Yes, it's amazing to watch them play, because their talent is something otherworldly, but who really cares about their silly teenage dramas?

And, sadly, that's what this book is.

All good baseball novels are, in one way or another, about life: baseball is simply the arena in which life is played out. Of all the baseball novels I've read, "The Natural" is the least baseball-centered one. This is neither good nor bad, just an observation: if you're looking for good baseball action, you won't get it in this novel. In fact, this novel is dark and heavy, exploring the results of hubris. And, like a Greek drama, this book ends in tragedy. Malamud was a great writer, able to create vivid, memorable characters and conflicts, so if you like baseball novels and haven't read this book, consider doing so. Roy Hobbs and the New York Knights are worth reading about.

I am a baseball enthusiast who enjoys reading and watching baseball stories, factual or fiction. The book "The Natural" seemed to me to be a bit flatter than the movie, perhaps because I have seen the movie about 15 times and only read the book once. I enjoyed the way Redford portrayed Roy Hobbs, making him moral, decent, intelligent, and above all, a hero. To me, the book sort of characterized Roy Hobbs as a bit less intelligent and definately with a rougher edge. The book was a great read in my opinion but my vote between the mediums would have to go to the movies side. The casting for the movie didn't exactly portray the characters as described in the book, however, it was a positive spin that actors Wilford Brimley, Robert Redford and others enhanced these characters with a true grace and emotion meant for the big screen and lovers of baseball history. Definately read this classic piece of baseball fiction, it is with out a doubt the energy that generates the love for America's pastime.

Cynical and surrealistic, Bernard Malamud's commanding 1952 baseball novel "The Natural" presents the dark side of America's sunniest pastime. The central character Roy Hobbs never becomes a hero in the conventional sense, and his name (Roy = King, Hob = clown) implies an enigmatic contradiction. Indeed, at the height of his fame, it's revealed that the King of the Game has worked as a circus clown. As a youth, Roy is all set for the majors until a strange attack from a Kundryesque temptress leaves him wounded; and for fifteen years he wanders aimlessly, to all appearances lost. {The novel opens on a speeding Pullman, and Roy is described as "traveling (on the train that never stopped.")} When finally he re-enters the profession, he joins the Knights led by Pop Fisher. This "jinxed" team is going through a wasteland of a season, "glum and red-eyed ... they moved around listlessly and cursed each step." The knight errant proves to be their salvation, depicted in one scene as being "in full armor, mounted on a black charger". He will only step up to the plate with his own bat, an Excalibur-like weapon called Wonderboy. Roy becomes increasingly popular and powerful (he, of course, has a "day"), but he also becomes more demanding. (His greed is symbolized by a voracious appetite: after stuffing himself at a rich buffet, he goes to a coffee shop, where he downs six hamburgers at one sitting.) You just know a slump is coming, and when it does Roy resorts to medieval superstitions, spitting when he sees a black cat and sewing amulets inside his clothes. Then the inevitable temptation to his greed is offered, and Roy is too far corrupted to completely resist. In a sense, he is sacrificed, as the Clown or Fool must be. The admiring introduction to this edition was written by Kevin Baker, who points out that the novel is "juiced with the cynicism and disillusionment that permeated American letters in the years after the war." He notes, "It is hard to find a truly likable character in the book", and this is true. A cityscape populated by figures deranged and deformed, "The Natural" reminds one of a powerful canvas by George Grosz. Incidently, I missed the 1984 movie version, but it's probably just as well. Robert Redford would be all wrong as Roy Hobbs. And I hate to break this to Kevin Costner fans, but this book is not dripping with Karo syrup, nor is there a "magical" conclusion in which a hero plays catch with his long-dead Dad.

"The Natural" is the story of Roy Hobbs, a baseball player with nearly supernatural talent. After losing his early career to a shooting, he returns to the Major Leagues at age 34. Still a tremendous player, he carries his team into the race for the National League pennant. However, he is plagued with indecision over which love interest to pursue and the temptation to solve his money problems by fixing games.
A month after finishing "The Natural," I still do not know just what to make of it. I cannot reconcile the two opposing influences that this book exerts on its readers. On the one hand, we love Roy Hobbs for his incredible baseball exploits, and we are rooting for his New York Knights to win the pennant wholeheartedly. On the other, I found myself seething with hatred for Roy when I felt that he should have been stronger. I even hated Bernard Malamud himself for not creating a more perfect character; emotionally, I resented that he had written a novel with twists and turns and an uncertain outcome, rather than an uplifting hagiography about how Roy Hobbs conquered baseball. In many ways, it is a fascinating book. It tells a compelling story, and it beautifully captures the suspense and exhilaration of professional sports. While I was reading the scenes that actually take place on the baseball diamond, I felt the same thrill one experiences while watching an exciting game but usually does not feel while reading a newspaper account of a game.
This is why the conflict between the uplift associated with Roy's strength and the moralization associated with Roy's weakness is so profound: reading about Roy's trials and tribulations is like watching a favorite team lose. The Natural may make for more serious literature this way, but it can be difficult to digest sometimes at a visceral level. Nonetheless, I have come to appreciate this side of "The Natural": I have gotten as much enjoyment from ruminating over it as I did while I was actually reading it. If nothing else, one must admire Malamud's courage for making a statement at all.
The writing is mostly brilliant, but I do have one small reservation. Occasionally, Malamud omits commas or strings sentences together with comma splices. In order for me to make these passages mentally register, I have to "translate" them to correct grammar, which takes energy and makes it more difficult for me to become absorbed in a book.
Incidentally, this book (which was published in 1952) makes a very cogent argument for free agency. I often hear people grumbling about how much athletes get paid and how they have no loyalty to their fans or their team. If one considers the nearly complete impotence of Roy Hobbs, and, indeed, all athletes before free agency, in dealing with the owner, though, the case for free agency becomes much stronger. If the owner does not have to compete with other teams to keep a player, he can pay players whatever he likes. As a result, the players see little of the profit that the team is turning, and some players, such as Roy in "The Natural," make subsistence level wages. If the story took place today, Roy would have had no dilemma over fixing. Of course, he would also have made millions in advertising today, whereas in the world of 1952 companies are unwilling to sign him because they fear he is a flash in the pan.

Wow...was I wrong! Having seen the movie years ago and (I know I am in the minority) not loving it, but at least feeling happy with the end, I assumed that the book was somewhat similar. The book is so very sad, but if you read (and you should), you will see that it stays true to Malamud's viewpoint all along. The ending fits. There is much symbolism and good vs. evil and all that good stuff. In the end, it is an American tragedy, I think. A nicely written and very sad look at sport. And one that is still relevant today.

In "The Natural," Bernard Malamud writes a novel that is part Raymond Chandler and part, well, Bernard Malamud.

The characters talk in a kind of Chandler-like way, using clichés from four or five decades back; however the book is anything but a cliché. They speak the way they do because they are largely simplistic, unsophisticated losers hoping to catch the one lucky break that in their hearts they know will always elude them.

Roy Hobbs, the baseball star, and in fact all of the characters are tragicomic figures. When Hobbs finally makes it to the big leagues, it looks at first like he's broken the curse that's followed him all his life. His bat is called "Wonderboy," and it's a nickname that could have applied to Hobbs had he started out in the pros earlier.

In the end both Hobbs and Wonderboy end up broken in two. Littered around them are a cast of "The Natural" characters who as worn as a baseball jersey at season's end.

The Natural really finds its voice (and its tragedy) in the final few chapters. Even when Hobbs tries to do the morale thing at the last of all possible moments, the breaks just won't fall his way. You turn the final page knowing that for him they never will.

The Natural by book was very intersting by how much Roy Hobbs loved baseball. Compared to the movie of the book, the movie seemed that sure he likes baseball but is more interested in lady's. In the beginning the book it sounds like it takes a while to get the girl, for example he kept on sending things to Memo Paris and it took awhile for the two to hook up but in the movie Roy gets her right away. The movie should of showed how he tried hard to get Memo

The main character of the novel, Roy, plays ball for the New York Knights but also resembles a knight from an Arthurian legend. He participates in many duals, all testing of his ability. First, he challenges "the Whammer," the American League batting champion, in a three pitch dual. Then the Knights best pitcher, Fowler, tries to get a ball past Roy but he hits all of his pitches over the fence. A motif that Malamud reveals all throughout the novel is the fall of a hero, which happens to Roy not only on the field but to himself. For Roy, the ultimate goal in baseball is to be the best there ever was. Unfortunately for Roy, all he thinks that is important is baseball and he is blind to the persons around him who await his downfall. Malamud manages to make baseball into a mythical and magical sport where the ballpark becomes an arena and the players become knights, dualing for every pitch. Roy uses a bat that is his Excalibur, it cracks with thunder and flashes like lightning when he swings. The players race to catch fly balls and the batters charge around the bases to get extra base hits. The novel takes a central focus on Roy's baseball career, but also includes a psychological aspect and a romantic part of Roy. I would recomend this novel to anyone who likes baseball, but also to those interested in seeing the quest of a man and how baseball defines him. I give the novel four stars becuase Malamud uses accurate historical allusions with a sense of importance; he expands on meaningful passages but breifly states things as fast as they happen. For instance, when Roy hits a homer against Fowler, Malamud simply writes that he sends it 20 rows deep in center field. But as Roy strikes out "the Whammer," Malamud extends into how "the Whammer" was growing old and describes the third strike like a crashing planet. But overall the book maintains a good pace and keeps the reader entertained but also manages to sneak in thoughtful insights.

The sound of bat whipping against the ball, the smell of the leather from the gloves perfuming the air, and the cheers and jeers of the crowd, are many of the elements found in Bernard Malamud's, "The Natural". In the 1952 novel, Roy Hobbs, the story's protagonist and hero, is considered by many to old and out of his prime. But Roy, with his stubborn demeanor and special bat, "Wonderboy", proves his critics wrong. Malamud takes you out to the ballpark on warm summer days, where Roy is on a "quest" to bring the last place Knights, out of the cellar and into the spotlight. Roy's task isn't easy with the likes of Harriet Bird and Memo Paris standing close by. Malamud offers a variety of motifs and allusions in The Natural. The "bird" motif pops up when Roy feels "caged" and inhibited. The 1919 White Sox gambling scandal can also be found in the novel. The incident where Roy succeeds in smashing a homerun for a sick little boy, offers insight into Roy's hero-like qualities. Malamud also depicts the life of the "old-timey" ballplayers, with their endless nights of club-hopping and alcohol. This type of behavior is also prevalent in many of today's athletes. With his back against the wall, Roy Hobbs and "Wonderboy", do battle with the gamblers, the owner, and his love interests, to take the Knights to the pennant race.

this is one of those rare instances in literary history when a film adaptation of a book is far more complex and inspiring than the book ever hoped to be. The addition of the Glenn Close character as having been a childhood sweetheart tied the film together with respect to Roy and her relationship much better than Malamud did. Roy's character is a shallow and selfish man who doesn't know a good thing when he sees it. The film's Roy at least has a sense of what is right and wrong(in some areas of his life). My advice to anyone is to enjoy one of the best movies ever made and forget about the The Natural by Bernard Malamud.

A natural is defined as one who has natural talent, especially in baseball. In Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel, The Natural, written in Arthurian legend style, Roy Hobbs leads the New York Knights into victory after victory. With his trusty Excalibur-like bat dubbed "Wonderboy", Hobbs uses his natural talent and leads the Knights on a mythical quest for the pennant. In contrast, however, a natural may also mean, as it did in the Middle Ages, an innocent fool. In the novel, Malamud uses both definitions to tell a story of a hero whose pride got in the way. Throughout the book, Malamud uses references to different colors and the passage of the seasons as Roy meets a variety of different characters. The father-like coach of the Knights Pop Fisher, his puzzling love interest Memo, the pure Iris, the crooked gambler Gus Sands, and many more diverse characters help create a theme of good versus evil. From the ballfield where Roy wages battle, to the Pot of Fire night club where Roy is confronted with evil, Malamud develops the tragic story of a hero on a grail-like quest who is tempted by the forces of evil at every turn. In the novel, written much like a play, Malamud utilizes a pastoral style to present complex ideas in a natural way. Using film-technique, which is movie-like changes in scene, Malamud shows Roy's struggle to overcome the evil in his life. Facing the fixers, the fans, the slump, and the jinx, Roy Hobbs embarks on a mythical quest to battle pride and evil in a classic tale of the tarnishing of an American icon.

Although I am not into baseball that much, I could not put the book down. And after I finished the book, I immediately rented the movie version. Both pieces are worth the time to read or see, even though they differ in some elements. In both, the viewer will find them selves rooting for the team and players like he was really there, and on their toes in anticipation of the next turn in the plot.

Malamud's genius lies in his refusal to compromise his integrity by mythicizing his characters. Those who are disappointed with the original ending of this book fail to realize that Malamud wrote his characters as they would occur in real life: dull, dumb, and error-prone. Luckily, Malamud could sift out of his stories the elements that make us all human, causing us to empathize with his characters and become engrossed in his depressing yet compelling novels.

The Natural tells the story of Roy Hobbs a stubborn country man who dreams of planning in the pros but is detained after he is shot. Years later he joins the failing New York Knights who must win the penant if they are to still be owned by manger Pops. Roy although aging quickly leads the team to the playoffs. However he is continually hounded by Max Mercy a reprter who wants to uncover Roy's past and the Judge who will do anything to see the Knights lose.
I thought that this was an excellent book. Bernard Malmund makes his characters seem incredibly real. He also describes their problems and lives with great clarity. He also tells the story at an even pace. he also make sit remarkbly believeable Roy's story could very well be taken from another great athlete. The ups and downs are the truest I have ever read from any novel. Also, the story in itself is intoxicating. Read it and it is easy to become lost in that world. It is also excellent drama. The way Roy lives and how he interacts with the other characters is excellent. The story is entertaining as well. You will be cheering for Roy and the Knights for the entire story. Read this story of determanation and love of the game and you will never look at baseball the same way again.

The beginning chapter of Malamud's The Natural was pracitcally word-for-word with the movie's opening scenes, however, later throughout the plot, things are completely different from the story's Hollywood counterpart. The book was a letdown for me, as I had grown up seeing the movie on HBO every summer, and decided recently to read the book, to compare it. The story of the book is less about Roy's baseball prowess, than it is about his many love interests and desires. I was a bit shocked at this...and it seemed that his baseball talent took backseat to his love urges. The ending was incredibly disappointing-a sad last page slightly reminiscent of Shoeless Joe's fall from grace. I wouldn't recommend it to a baseball fan, only a fan of mournful love stories

I thought the movie "The Natural" was great. The story the book tells is even better. I think that each of the different tellings works for the different medium in which it is presented. I won't ruin it for readers by giving it away, but it's worth a read.

The only criticism I have with the book is I'm not a huge fan of Malamud's writing style. I have read several of the reviews stating that's the best thing about the book, but I don't see it. I sometimes felt like the writing got in the way of the story, rather than moved it along.

In the novel, The Natural, Malamud demonstrated that a man's will to succeed, no matter what obstacles he faces on his journey, will bring him great reward. The saying, "Never give up" is used frequently in life to encourage people to move forward for the sake of success. This man succeeded even after being shot and having his dreams shattered. Bernard Malamud, in The Natural, used Roy Hobbs' strength and courage to get across the idea that anything is possible with hard work and devotion. Roy Hobbs was shot in a Chicago Hotel Room while being scouted by the Chicago Cubs. Initially, his injury was thought to have ruined his career, but after numerous years of recovery, he was able to return to the baseball diamond and become the best in baseball. Roy Hobbs had the ability to play any position from right field to pitcher, and he could hit the ball better than anyone else in the league. He demonstrated his courage when riding on a train to Chicago, he agreed to a bet in which he had to strike out Walter "The Whammer" Wambold, the best hitter in baseball. Roy Hobbs was to strike out "The Whammer" for ten dollars and on three straight pitches. At first, Roy did not want to take part in the bet, but his manager, Sam Simpson, convinced him to do so. " Sam, I wish you hadn't bet that money on me, Roy said." He was not interested in striking Walter Wambold out; he agreed to do it because he was asked by his manager. Roy's manager caught for Roy and "The Whammer's" manager, Max Mercy, called strikes and balls. He wished to take no warm-up pitches; he was clearly ready for "The Whammer." Roy blew two fastballs right "down the pipe" for two strikes that literally knocked his manager over. " The third ball slithered at the batter like a meteor, the flame swallowing itself...the Whammer understood he was, in the truest sense of it, out." Roy Hobbs demonstrated his courage and confidence when he wished to take no warm-up pitches before attempting to strike out the best hitter in baseball, and he demonstrated his strength when he overpowered "The Whammer" and struck him out. This was a high point for both Roy and his manager because it proved to them that Roy had what it took to succeed in major league baseball. Roy Hobbs returned to baseball to prove once again that he had what it took to become the best in baseball and to achieve his goal of succeeding in baseball. He was placed on a team called, The Knights, who had not been doing so well in their present season and desperately needed a prospect to pull them out of the gutter. Roy Hobbs was indeed that prospect, but the coaches had yet to learn his capabilities. Roy did not play at first, but then the coach saw his hitting and fielding ability at a practice and started him in right field from then on. This is a prime example of how Roy displayed his courage and confidence. He was disappointed that he was not playing, but he did not let his anger get the best of him; he simply waited until he had the opportunity to show the coaches his athletic talents. Roy's confidence and enthusiasm spread throughout the team; the Knights improved their season and made it to the championship game. Unfortunately, Roy's wound from being shot got infected and was not in great condition. Roy had to be placed in a hospital and was told that playing in the championship game could mean the end of his baseball career. Roy did not care what the doctor's had to say; he was determined to play in the game and he did, even against the doctor's orders. He may not have been physically prepared for the game, but he was still willing to give it his best. " When the players began drifting into the clubhouse, they were surprised to see Roy there. He was wearing his uniform and slowly polishing wonderboy"(name for his bat). Roy played well in the game although he was struggling to throw, run, field, and hit. The Knights had their last at bats with a man on third and Roy Hobbs up to bat. Blood was seeping through his uniform from the wound. Roy wanted to bunt to bring in the tying run, but missed the opportunity. He struck out, but he was not disappointed. He had succeeded in playing in the game and accomplishing his goals; he had nothing to be ashamed of. Roy Hobbs displayed his devotion, strength, and courage by playing in a game that could have possibly ended his career. He made the commitment to his teammates, and he held his side of the bargain. Roy Hobbs was a man with enormous strength and courage and he demonstrated both of those qualities throughout the novel. He was a good role model for others. His teammates would have never made it as far into the season as they had without the support from Roy Hobbs. Roy's strength and courage can serve as a model for people who lack these two qualities. He is a prime example of a person who succeeded after facing numerous obstacles. Bernard Malamud was responsible for illustrating the qualities of Roy Hobbs in his novel and he did an exceptional job of explaining how anything is possible with hard work and devotion.

In the beggining of the story, Roy Hobbs is traveling to Chicago where he will try out for the cubs. His destiny is altered when a woman named Harriet Bird shoots Roy in the stomach leaving him unable to play the game of baseball for years to follow.
Fifteen years later, Roy gets his start on a professional baseball team called the Knights. During this time, the story reveals Roy's character flaws. Although he is seen by all to be one of the best baseball players that ever lived, his big ego, sexual tendencies, and large appetite set him behind in the game. In the end of the story, Roy loses it for the team on account of these flaws.
Important characters in this story are Memo,Pop,Max Mercy and The Judge.
Id have to say i thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Malamud's writing style is fast paced and an easy read. He uses metaphors quite often resulting in an in depth perspective. I wasnt too keen about the idea of reading a novel about baseball, but Malamud makes this story so much more than just that.

I really enjoyed The Natural. It was a really easy book to read and it really kept me interested because of how Malamud wrote the story about Roy's life. I used to play baseball a lot so I can really relate to this story well and what goes on in Roy's life. I like the way Malamud made it more realistic by talking about Roy's personal life as well as his professional life so it wasn't just some sports book that would not be as interesting. The title fits Roy's life perfectly, because he is a natural athlete at the game of baseball, as you would find out in the book.

Just the overall storyline made me want to get back into baseball. I liked how it showed Roy going through hard times even as a superstar. He was focused on playing baseball, his dream. But he encounters all kinds of problems throughout his life, like women, and choices, so he gets sidetracked, and things change. It really helps you relate to everyday issues. This book really helped teach me a lesson about being selfish and listening to other people. I also like "Wonderboy," Roy's special bat. I could tell from the start that Malamud was using that as a symbol of Roy's passion for the game in the story. Memo was also like a weapon for Roy. When he was with Memo he would do good, but when he wasn't he would go into slumps. It goes to show you how the love for a woman can really affect your life. I was kind sad the way it ended, and how such a great player could come from so far and then just have then just completely collapse. But I can see how it was the perfect ending because if he had made it any different then it would just be another one of those "hero, happy ending" kind of stories, that have no point or meaning to them at all.

I had seen the movie The Natural first, which got me into reading it in the first place. The movie was really good also, but I have to admit reading the book seemed like I was watching Roy's life happen. It was really easy to read Malamud's writing and after this book I am encouraged to read another one of his books. I had never been familiar with Bernard Malamud, but he really grabbed my attention with this one. The Natural really tells a great sport story, but also teaches a good lesson in life. So what is better than a book with sports that helps you in life? Just kidding. The Natural is a really good book. I would really recommend this book to everyone because it is a great story that is fun to read and really keeps you thinking.

In his 1952 novel, Bernard Malamud comments on the role of the hero in the modern world. In order to do so, he parallels Roy, the baseball natural and protagonist, with Percival the Arthurian knight. Roy is on a quest to join the game of baseball at the beginning of the novel. His first failure comes when he answers Harriet Bird's question wrong. When asked what he wants to become as a ballplayer, Roy can think of nothing more than personal gain. By inserting this in his book Malamud implies that many stars are in the game only for themselves. This refers to Percival asking the Fisher King the wrong question and being turned away. After a lapse of about fifteen years, Roy tries again to make it big in the pros. He joins a team called the New York Knights, an obvious relation to Arthurian legend, with the team coach Pop Fisher. Pop not only serves as a parent figure for Roy but he also resembles the Fisher King in the tale of Percival. Roy, who started out as a pitcher and is now a slugger, a reference to Babe Ruth, has made his own bat and dubbed it "Wonderboy". Roy's hitting is unbelievable while using this bat and he quickly becomes the league slugger. Percival, much like Roy, created his own lance with which to do battle. As Roy continues to increase in popularity, he is confronted with a wish from a dying lad at a hospital. His father asks Roy to hit a home run for his son because that is the only way his son will survive. Roy accepts this challenge and does in fact knock one out of the park for the boy and in doing so saving him. This alludes to Babe Ruth hitting a home run for the same reason. Malamud inserts this into his novel to show that even though most ballplayers are playing for personal gain, some also try to give back to the supporters. In a conversation with Iris Lemon, one of Roy's many loves, they discuss the importance of heroes. Iris, and in essence Malamud, states "Without heroes we're all plain people and don't know how far we can go." (167) This shows that Malamud respects heroes and expects them to set examples meant to be followed by all. There are many more examples of the hero motif as well as the Arthurian allusions near the end of the story, but in order to not spoil the ending, I will stop. Malamud does not only use these two motifs in his story but also many others such as color scheme, a bird motif, a train motif, and numerous allusions to events in baseball history. Beware though, this novel contains many scenes involving sexual topics. Malamud's use of these literary devices as well as his brilliant descriptions throughout the book make this story a must read for high school students.

Hailed as one of the greatest sports stories ever written, The Natural tells the story of fame, and betrayal.

Many of us are probably familiar with the Robert Redford movie based on this novel.

What we may not have known was that the book is quite different than the movie. (The ending is completely different!)

Roy Hobbs was going to be the best ball player anyone had ever seen. He was going to walk down the street and people were going to say, "There goes Roy Hobbs; the best there ever was!"

After being shot by a crazy woman, he disappeared from the game for a number of years.

When he returns, he no longer has the pitching power that was to take him to mythological heights; instead, he relies on his hitting strength.

The Natural shows you how complex professional baseball can be. You have owners and devious players vying for power and money, you have women who only seek name-recognition, and you honest men, wanting to simply enjoy America's past-time.

I thought Malamud did a great job with this story. I was engaged right until the last page. I hated the ending of this book. Perhaps it's more realistic, but sometimes we need our mythic heroes in sports.

The Natural is a powerful work that contains some of the most vivid imagery I have ever read. It is a story of human struggle and redemption through suffering. Roy Hobbs, the protagonist, is a flawed figure whose shortcomings are only surpassed by his ability to hit a baseball. Malamud manages to weave a tale that makes you want Roy Hobbs to succeed to be "the best player ever to play the game." To its credit the book bears almost no resemblance to the movie of the same name. Roy Hobbs is not Robert Redford! Malamud's use of imagery is well illustrated when a young Roy, on his way to a major league tryout as a pitcher has a showdown at a carnival with the Slammer. Each pitch is described in a way that shows just what a natural Roy is. His first major league at bat is also beautifully described. I must say that this book is not for the squeamish. It is an adult drama, well written and finely crafted. In short this is a book that is about more than baseball yet is baseball in its truest essence.

The Natural is as fine a piece of baseball fiction as I have ever read. Roy Hobbs, a player with unlimited ability, makes a mistake and pays for it the rest of his life. I will not get into a book description or a discussion of Malamud's writting style, but I will say those of you expecting a rehash of the movie will be suprised. Highly recommended.

Bernard Malamud's book is truly a classic. While the book is about a baseball player, it is about much more than baseball. This story goes through his thoughts, fears, and desires. It is a book about trials and perseverance, sex and greed, tragedy and failure. Be warned, however, that this is NOT Robert Redford's 'The Natural.' The characters are the same, but if you go in expecting it to be exactly the same as the movie, you may be disappointed.

The novel The Natural by Bernard Malamud is one of the most thrilling novels I've ever read. It takes you through the ups and downs in the life of Roy Hobbs. At times the book became hard to understand because it seems to jump back and forth through time. Malamud does a superb job of revealing the characters' inner throughts and feelings. The setting is often changing, but the imagery makes them easy to picture. Malamud seems to throw you off guard with his ever-changing characters. Right when you think something predictable will happen, the story does a 180. The theme of the novel is clearly unveiled through Malamud's narration and also through the characters. Overall the novel The Natural was a tremendous book. I would recommend it to people who like to read about overcoming adversities and also to baseball fans.

I really injoyed reading The Natural. This book is a great book for mature audiences of all

generations. This book is not just a book about baseball, but about life. Malamud's novel brings

forth what all of what is good about literature and all that is bad about some fiction. Malamud did

a successful job by portraying a character that everyone can relate to of every day experiences.

The Natural is enriched with valuable lessons. The book reveals the life of the main character Roy

Hobbs. Whom strives to become a baseball legend. Determined that no one will rob of his goal.

The Natural demonstrates how mans will to succeed, regardless of the obstacle he may face will

lead to great rewards. Like in the book where Roy Hobbs is on a mission to become a professional

ball player. But is criticized as being washed up and to old to play the game at his age. Roy does

not let this minor set back delay his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. Malamud

does a great job by depicting the ups and downs of an up coming baseball player. Malamud used

the strengths of the character Roy Hobbs illustrate that anything is possible with hard work and

effort. Bernard Malamud uses symbolism and allusions to portray baseball as the quest of the

American dream and not just a simple game He uses the women in Roy's life to symbolize the evil

in society. The Natural relates to many events that happened in actuality. Like the betting scandal

of major league baseball in the twenties. Malamud describes the characters problems and lives

with great clarity. I personally think the book has nothing to do with baseball. Baseball is just

merely a scene. The title of this book fits Roy Hobbs life perfectly. Malamud uses both definitions

to tell a story of a hero and throughout the book, Malamud uses references to different colors and

the passage of the seasons as Roy meets a variety of different characters. This is a book that uses

outstanding imagery to portray the lifestyle of a major league hero to a flawed character. It uses

human struggles, to bring a new enlightenment to baseball and it's heroes. The Natural portrays a

story of human struggle and redemption through suffering. This is a great book that I personally

enjoyed and should be a must- read for all.

The Natural focuses on the tragic flaws of all it's characters. I didn't read the book, I listened to it on tape. I found the story fascinating, but very depressing. I haven't seen the movie, and gather I would have found the book even more depressing. Rather than focus on baseball, as I had hoped it would, it focuses on the perils of hero worship, hubris, and human nature.