Racing the Rain: A Novel - Couverture rigide

Parker Jr., John L.

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1476769869 ISBN 13 : 9781476769868

Editeur : Scribner, 2015

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

Praise for Racing the Rain:

“Dreamlike . . . The Florida imagery is as thick as the air is humid . . . The toughness required [to be a world-class runner] shines through in Cassidy in Racing the Rain as it once did in Once a Runner.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

“[A] celebration of the purity of the sport.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“For a young man or woman, the twenty-first century onslaught against purity and potential offers very few havens, but John L. Parker, Jr.'s lovely novel, Racing the Rain, reminds us that within amateur sports, especially a good foot race, all of us, athletes and spectators alike, might find what is most valuable in any life—the spirit to accomplish impossible things.”
—Bob Shacochis, National Book Award winner and author of The Woman Who Lost Her Soul

“Much of the intrigue of the book lies in discovering how Cassidy developed into the elite runner he became, when and how his talent revealed itself, and how he came to recognize his extraordinary ability to focus, train, and endure pain with purpose. But Racing the Rain offers myriad other delights, not the least of which is the friendship Cassidy strikes up with a (real life) swamp man named Trapper Nelson . . . [The book is] loaded with elegance and evocative writing. . . . A worthy, compelling, and satisfying conclusion to the Quenton Cassidy trilogy.” —Paste Magazine

“In Racing the Rain, John L. Parker, Jr. not only creates the indomitable Quenton Cassidy, but perfectly captures the world that teaches him to be so enduring. From diving the Atlantic deeps to paddling the intracoastal waterways, young Cassidy develops the metabolism of a champion. Parker shows that the wilds of his beloved Loxahatchee River are just as good a cradle for a miler as the Colorado mountains or the Oregon woods. I was with him all the way.”
—Kenny Moore, former Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated, and 1968 and 1972 Olympic Marathoner

“If you, too, are a Quenton Cassidy geek, you must read the prequel to John L. Parker Jr.’s classic novel, Once a Runner. It’s called Racing the Rain and it evocatively reveals why Cassidy became consumed with ‘The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials.’” —David Wiley, Runner’s World

“I absolutely loved this book...Filled with vivid descriptions that tingle the senses, Racing the Rain is a story of innocence and coming of age, and of ignoring self-doubt and overcoming limitations imposed by others. John L. Parker, Jr. shows us that with hard work, perseverance, friendships and loyalty, dreams do come true.”
—Marshall Ulrich, extreme endurance athlete and author of Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner’s Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America

“Racing the Rain’s depiction of the running life and the Florida of an era gone by is wonderfully authentic. Among those who've tried to capture the drama and beauty of the sport, John L. Parker, Jr. is surely the best.”
—Jeff Galloway, U.S. Olympian

“Racing the Rain is a clear explanation of the beauty of our simple sport, and why that beauty is so priceless, and why becoming an athlete, and in particular a runner, and in particular a racer is so special. Racing the Rain is about friendship and struggle and the fun of being a kid who is feeling his way through life. Truly, every runner will say 'I know what you mean, John' when they read this book!”
—Bill Rodgers, four-time winner of the Boston Marathon

Extrait :

Racing the Rain CHAPTER 1

THE VERY EDGE OF THINGS

The first- and second-fastest kids in the second grade stood at the end of Rosedale Street in the early June heat, their bird chests heaving, asphalt fumes stinging their noses. They were so thin a mesh of blue veins showed under brown skin.

“It’s cuh-cuh-coming,” the smaller boy said, nodding toward the angry purple smudge on the horizon behind them. His skull was slightly elongated, somehow giving him a studious air.

“Couple minutes,” said the other, taller but just as brown and skinny, scrunching his bare toes into the sun-softened tar.

It would have been difficult for an adult to appreciate their boundless sense of possibilities as they stood waiting: the vastness of the coming summer, the endless expanse of school years ahead, the insignificance of their tiny lives when measured against any grown-up conception of time.

But for now they were simply oblivious to everything but the dark specter approaching Rosedale Street.

The sky darkened suddenly, and from nowhere a chilly wind began whipping through the Spanish moss in the live oaks across Bumby Avenue, raising goose bumps on their forearms. The boys leaned into a half crouch with hands on knees and waited.

The first fat drops splatted on the roadway, making little hissy puffs of steam, and as they began landing on the boys’ skin, a crack of thunder split the sky. They took off down the street in a blur of spindly legs and arms.

They were fairly evenly matched but were not really racing each other as much as simply trying to stay ahead of the deluge at their heels.

This moment always seemed magical to them: a bright tropical day loomed in front as a purple monsoon came on from behind. And they were thrilled as only children can be thrilled to exist for a moment at the very edge of things, at the buzzy existential margin of all possibilities. One might go fetch a Popsicle or be struck by lightning or live to a well-tended old age with golf clubs in the trunk. Whirl was king and all was in play.

All they knew was that for this moment in time they were racing the rain, and they were laughing laughing laughing.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Scribner
• Date d'édition: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1476769869
• ISBN 13: 9781476769868
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 368