Rating
'A lovely read, for cricket connoisseurs and novices alike, and a highly funny tale of how much gets lost in translation in cross-generational relationships.'
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If you're after an easy, entertaining, well-written read - look no further. What I Love About Cricket is one of those wonderful, light books that brings a smile to your face.
The book is an ode to Cricket, a delight for both those who are familiar with the sport and those who have no clue what it's all about. Told from the perspective of a cricket-loving father, What I Love About Cricket tells a common tale: how to deal with your teenage daughter bringing her first boyfriend home. What follows is a novel-full of intergenerational misunderstandings, awkward encounters and simply hilarious mishaps.
The book is most definitely about cricket, but it's also about bridging the gap between two eras - the young and the not so young - through sharing a passion for the sport.
What I love About Cricket carries a lot of humour and a lot of nostalgia, too. It talks of relationships with candour and such attention to detail we're bound to feel like we've been there, too. It's an accurate and perceptive account of the ever-moving family dynamics most of us have experienced at one time or other.
There's something for everyone in the book, and I suspect many of us will see a little bit of ourselves in it. Maybe you've been the teenage girl bringing her boyfriend home for the first time. Maybe you were the young man having the face the daunting prospected of meeting his girlfriend's parents. Or maybe you'll see yourself in the parent having to accept that your child has finally grown-up.
What I Love About Cricket did come as a surprise, in that I picked it up without truly knowing what to expect, and was swept off my feet by the sheer joy of the story and the effective simplicity of Balfour's style. A lovely read, for cricket connoisseurs and novices alike, and a highly funny tale of how much gets lost in translation in cross-generational relationships.