Balls

Being a fan of Nanci Kincaid, I am working my way thru her books with reluctance ONLY due to the fact I will soon run out of her reading material! BALLS is a great book. The title may be a little misleading as when I first saw it I thought it would be a total sports book. How wrong! There are sports moments, but the story revolves around the women involved. READ THIS BOOK!!! This book tells the story of Dixie and Max, childhood sweethearts who marry. Max becomes a college football coach and Dixie is left to tend to the children, home, and, sadly, herself. I loved Dixie and her Southern charm and Southern style. Her girl friends, mother, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, friends, and daughter all help make the story flow and go. This book is told in the narrative form, but what was most interesting was the fact that every woman involved in Max's life tells her story. Some of the "chapters" are one-half page long. This made the book so much more interesting and exciting being told from sooooooooooo many points-of-view. However, this form of story-telling DID NOT make the book confusing in the least. As a NBA fan, I am constantly aware of coaches, their coaching staff, the job changes, the media, the love/hate affair that the public has with them. However, this book is from the WOMEN in their life's perspective and it is so good. When I see a coach standing on the side lines now I will think HIS POOR WIFE! There is SO much social status, politics, and CRAP involved, not to mention the toll it has to take on their personal lives. HATS OFF TO ALL COACHES AND THEIR FAMILIES!!!!!!!!!! The women telling their stories are smart, wise, rich, poor, black, white, educated, uneducated, happy, sad, you name it -- how Ms. Kincaid was able to make each and every character DIFFERENT and have her own style and voice was amazing to me. Don't miss this book. It IS good, as are all of Ms. Kincaid's writings -- check them out and read them. You will not be disappointed. I was startled to see how long it has been since this book has been reviewed. Hopefully, people will find this book, read it, and enjoy it as much as I did! Thank you! Pam {go PISTONS!!!}

My best friend and I are married to two head coaches at a high school brimming with a fanatical winning football tradition. I bought this book for her when it first was published, and told her to highlight sections she thought were realistic. When we got back together to discuss the novel, we had both highlighted the same sentences over and over again. The novel is written by someone who knows how families, and marriages, get sacrificed on the altar of athletics. I can only shudder at the thought of being married to a college coach. High school level is enough for me. The book completely captures the experience of being necessary for the obligatory parts you need to play at banquets and during appearances with darling children in the stands. Way to go, Nanci.

I loved this book. I read it in three days. This was very true regarding the demanding, stressfull, trying life of a coaches wife. I am sure that there were many more chapters that the author could have included. She is a gifted writer. This book will be kept and read again.

this book was bought on a whim. it was one of the best novels i have ever read. the way nanci kincaid writes is so unique that i was able to see the storyline from so many different positions. it was fantastic. everything about it.

I am the wife of a football coach. This book was the story of MY life! Kincaid has a terrific sense of humor. I have placed it on my book club list so that all of my friends will read it.