Book Review - Chin Music

About the Book
In baseball, “chin music” is a 95 mile-per-hour fastball thrown at a hitter’s chin. It presents two possibilities—disrupting a batter’s concentration or hitting him in the head. As a metaphor in life, chin music is that split second—a phone call in the middle of the night or a visit to the doctor—when our lives are irrevocably changed and our destinies are forever altered.

For Lee Edelstein, CHIN MUSIC is the title of his new novel to be released straight into the spring training season in March 2013. CHIN MUSIC is a warm-hearted salute to the game of baseball; the kids who dream of being in the majors; the collectors who hold onto their jerseys, hats, and cards; and a storytelling tradition that springs from the lore surrounding the greatest ballplayer of all – Babe Ruth. CHIN MUSIC opens in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is 1926 and the New York Yankees have begun spring training. Their famous star player, Babe Ruth, nonchalantly walks into a barbershop for a haircut and a shave, and Zel, a female barber (rare for those times), becomes Ruth’s favorite. As the season goes on, their friendship deepens.

Flash forward to Jupiter, Florida. It is now 2013 and Ryan Buck, a high school senior and talented athlete, is weighed down with guilt and the nightmare that has haunted him for the past two years. After the horrific car accident that maimed his brother and killed his father, his mother, Susan, is forced to consider selling the valuable Babe Ruth artifacts that have been in her family for five generations. But a chance meeting with a retired baseball memorabilia collector leads to a close friendship that provides the support Susan needs to investigate a secret that has plagued her family for as long as she can remember.

CHIN MUSIC is a great story about family, secrets, and the childhood dream of making it in baseball while offering an intriguing plot that begs the question: What if?. Readers who loved The Blindside, The Natural and/or Rudy will enjoy reading CHIN MUSIC—a novel with strong characters that will leave you guessing until the very end.

Chin Music is a deftly plotted, resonant story about the secrets that bind families and threaten to tear them apart. You don’t need to be a lover of baseball to enjoy this riveting read, but even the most die-hard fans will see their beloved Babe Ruth in a new and surprising way. –Jennifer Miller, author of The Year of the Gadfly

My Take on the Book
This is the type of book that you will not want to put down what is especially if you enjoy baseball. One of the things though that this book has within it is not only a baseball story, but the authors brought together a cast of characters that you will not soon forget. The author has a way of having his characters be a bit larger than life, which makes the book even more enjoyable to read in my perspective. If you enjoy baseball,  do love the fact that this book delves into some of the history of baseball itself. I found that in reading this I could not put it down and I became lost in the pages and the story itself. The story was compelling, and as someone who reads a lot, the author did a great job of encapsulating the emotion of the sport then solidifying the passion of the sport for those who have it already, and kindle it for those that may just be learning about it are coming to love it.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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