finished reading

In my youth, I played tennis--from lessons at the rec center to a spot on the youth tennis team.  I was no hotshot but I knew my way around the court.  I had a decent serve.  My whole family loved to watch Chrissy Evert or Jimmy Connors play.  Having basic tennis knowledge helped me get drawn deeper into this book.  Because it's a love story to tennis.  Most of the tension in the story comes from the tennis court.

Ultimately, it's a book about family:  Carrie and her coach father Javier develop a bond over tennis, however, Carrie's single-mindedness on winning prevents her from learning more about the love of people than the love of the game.  Javier is a devoted father and an incredible coach.    It's also a book about strong females.  Carrie behaves much as a male athlete would, unapologetically proud of how their hard work pays off instead of coyly saying a victory was luck.  Carrie is criticized for not smiling, which you never hear as a criticism of male athletes.  

From the publisher:

Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed 20 Slam titles. And if you ask Carrie, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach. Javier - a former champion himself - has trained her since the age of two.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 U.S. Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan.

At 37-years-old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the 'Battle-Axe' anyway. Even if her body doesn't move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all, Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells her most vulnerable, emotional story yet.