Fortunate Few

When I lived in England I picked this book out from the shelf that sat in my form teacher's classroom. It looked interesting. I never wound up returning the book due to a move to the United States. I don't think anybody missed the novella. At the time I was twelve and fell in love with the book. I read and reread the story, eating up its bittersweet gymnastics portrayal, and wishing that the world would indeed be swallowed by a phenomenal gymnastics wave. Now, 5 years later, I can safely review this book from an objective point of view. 'The Fortunate Few' is a cracked version of 1984, or Animal Farm. Picking up this novella, one might be tricked into thinking this book will centre around the technicalities of gymnastics and its beauty. Instead, it incorporates more from the political game, showing backstabbing and manipulation as standard procedure. The girls are portrayed as machines, bought from their parents to perform for the club until the age of sixteen. Not much creativity was put into the actions of fans of the 'teams' who merely behaved as football hooligans would. The plot centres around a sole character, Jodie Bell, who appears to value her finances before anything or anyone. If you are looking for a book that demonstrates girls having fun within the sport, or the dark side-such as eating disorders-you have not found the right book. However, even though you may not be looking for what is in this book, don't pass it over. It's actually quite an intriguing read.