My rating: 4 of 5 stars
To be a tennis champion, you have to be inflexible. You have to be stubborn. You have to be arrogant. You have to be selfish and self-absorbed. Kind of tunnel vision almost.
----Chris Evert
Lauren Weisberger, the New York Times bestselling author, is back with a glamours yet entertaining contemporary story of a female pro tennis player in her new book, The Singles Game where the author weaves the journey of a tennis player who after undergoing a nasty injury in her life-changing Wimbledon Open, decides that she needs to get back to her game thereby hiring a brutal, no-nonsense and strict yet popular coach that not only changes her game but also alters her personal life.
Synopsis:
When Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Silver makes a pact with the devil, infamously brutal tennis coach Todd Feltner, she finds herself catapulted into a world of stylists, private parties and secret dates with Hollywood royalty.
Under Todd it’s no more good-girl attitude: he wants warrior princess Charlie all the way. After all, no-one ever won by being nice.
Celebrity mags and gossip blogs go wild for Charlie, chasing scandal as she jets around the globe. But as the warrior princess’s star rises, both on and off the court, it comes at a high price. Is the real Charlie Silver still inside?
Sweeping from Wimbledon to the Caribbean, from LA to mega yachts in the Med, The Singles Game is a brilliantly entertaining romp through a world where the stakes are high – and no-one plays by the rules.
Charlotte “Charlie” Silver, the tennis player, is best known for her good-girl image and for her girly fashion sense, but after suffering from a nasty Achilles heel injury, she decides that its time to make some changes in her life, if she wants to get to the top of her game. Enters coach, Todd Feltner, who is known for his toughness, strictness and roughness on his protégé, who happens to have the best plan to give Charlie a new image. Thus begins Charlie's new journey into the world of glamour, paparazzi, designer fashion labels, elite class parties, and a scandalous love affair with tennis champion Marco Vallejo, that leaves the media go crazy over her "warrior princess" image. And eventually Charlie earns her back her previous spot in the game, but it seems her personal life has started to go downhill, can she survive all the attention while keeping her life intact?
The author's story is high on glitz, media attention, fashion, parties, exotic destinations and lots of tennis. Although the story lacks from the author's trademark flair, yet its highly enjoyable book that will keep the readers amused all through out its course. The author's writing style is excellent with an equally funny and often sarcastic narrative that is high on hilarious anecdotes. The story is one hell of a fun filled roller coaster ride that has so much juicy drama which are really hard to ignore. The pacing is really fast as the main character treads her way from one high to another low to another embarrassing event to another glorifying moment.
The story line is mainly focused on tennis and it seems the author has managed to depict this game vividly and flawlessly into the book. The author has strikingly featured everything related to tennis from its techniques to its rules to its after-effects to its importance to its struggle to its tension, and I believe those who play tennis can easily relate to it. The scenes are penned by the author with utmost detailing thus letting the readers to get a clear glimpse into those scenes. The readers will not only be informed about a glittery yet struggling world of tennis but will also be laughing out loud most of the times about Charlie's humiliating yet funny moments.
The characters are drawn with realism thus making them believable in the eyes and the minds of the readers. The main character, Charlie, as well as the supporting cast of characters are extremely well-developed. In the beginning, Charlie will look like someone who is very polite and dedicated only towards her game, but gradually, she evolves into someone brave, confident and a bit reckless. But, overall, she is a sweet yet strong heroine who finally learns to call the shots of her own life rather than letting it get dictated by someone else. The readers will definitely form a bond with this authentic character.
There is lot of love drama all through out the story that are not penned so well as those moments or scenes lacked emotion, thus making it look dull into the eyes of the readers. But overall, this a fun read and to overcome gloominess, I believe this book happens to the best remedy as it will not only make the readers laugh but will also bring a cheer into their lives.
So, be you are a Weisberger fan or not, just pick a copy of this book now to be left beguiled by a light-hearted chick-lit drama.
Verdict: A perfect summer read with lots of laughter, fun and tennis-savvy drama.
Courtesy: Thanks to the publishers from Harper Collins India for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
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Author Info:
Lauren Weisberger was born March 28, 1977, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a locale recently made even more chic, if possible, by The Office. She was joined four years later by sister Dana, a.k.a. The Family Favorite, and moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, at age eleven. At Parkland High School, Lauren participated in all sorts of projects, activities, and organizations for the sole purpose of padding her college application, although she did genuinely enjoy playing varsity tennis (especially when the girl who should have played first singles incurred a season-ending injury and Lauren had no choice but to step in for the team).
Once matriculated at Cornell University, all civic-minded extracurriculars fell by the wayside. There, she focused her energy on securing a steady stream of fake IDs and dating boys from the right fraternities. After graduating in 1999 with a BA in English, Lauren moved home for the summer to save money and then traveled all over Europe, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Thailand, India, Nepal, and Hong Kong. She carried a single small backpack and stayed in questionable places, further enriching her authentic cultural experiences by eating only Nutella and drinking Coca-Cola Light.
Lauren's first job after returning to the U.S. and moving to Manhattan was the Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour. Lauren became proficient in the language of stilettos and Starbucks before moving to Departures magazine, where she wrote 100-word reviews by day and took writing classes at night. The Devil Wears Prada, begun at the Writer's Voice, was published in April 2003, and spent six months on The New York Times Bestseller List. It was sold in thirty-one foreign countries and made into a major motion picture by Fox 2000 starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. Lauren has a half-second cameo in the film that even she is hard-pressed to locate after several viewings. Her second novel, Everyone Worth Knowing, was published in October 2005 and is also a New York Times Bestseller.
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