It’s the final weekend of Wimbledon! Last year, I somewhat accidentally managed to buy Centre Court tickets, and I still haven’t quite recovered from that. Now, from the comfort of my home, I spend my time watching tennis, and reading tennis books. This time, it’s Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel Carrie Soto Is Back. Want to know what I thought of it? Read on!
Carrie Soto Is Back is (obviously) about Carrie Soto, a fictional tennis player who has won the most Grand Slams ever. Now that another woman is trying to match and surpass her record, she decides to come back and defend it. But will she be successful?
I think I’ve got a point (15-0). So far, I’ve read two other Taylor Jenkins Reid novels, and both times I raced through them, finishing them in only a couple of days. However, I felt quite dissatisfied with them, because they felt superficial and artificial. The topics were amazing; an aging Hollywood star tells her dramatic story, and we hear about the rise and fall of the biggest rock band of the seventies. It should have loved these novels, because I love cinema and music. Unfortunately, I didn’t. That’s why I was a bit reluctant to read Carrie Soto Is Back, especially because I’m a huge tennis fan.
Carrie Soto has everything one could wish for: it’s got tennis, it’s got strong female characters, and it’s set in the 1990s, which saw many, many famous tennis players. I was looking forward to reading all about Steffi Graf and Monica Seles, for Carrie was bound to bump into them. She didn’t though; while some tennis players are mentioned, for instance Billie Jean King and Björn Borg, they were all players who had already retired in the time the novel was set. The active players were all made up by Reid.
I think I’ve got a point (30-0). Carrie Soto Is Back has won the Best Historical Fiction Award on Goodreads. However, how can a novel be historical if the only thing that supports that genre is that it’s set in the past? It is not based on historical events, it does not feature any legends of the sport, and the characters are very unlike any tennis player, ever. This doesn’t take place in the past, but in a fictionalised 1990s, and there are only very minor references to that era, such as Elton John songs and Lady Diana’s appearance at Wimbledon.
What bothered me was that Carrie is an arrogant, angry, and emotionally unavailable character. Tennis is known as a gentleman’s sport, and while I disagree with the exclusion of women in that phrase, I love the fact that tennis players are almost always polite and well mannered. Carrie Soto, however, is rude, obnoxious, and says things like “I will cut out year heart and eat it” or something of the sort. Tennis players don’t talk like that. Of course professionals play to win, but they usually love the sport above all else.
I think I’ve got a point (40-0). Nothing in Carrie Soto Is Back displays a love of tennis, since the facts are all wrong. For instance, Carrie is supposed to be the first female player, in the late 1980s, to serve faster than 120 miles per hour. No way that would have been possible. To make matters worse, she is known for her elegance and beautiful game, but that doesn’t correspond with her being a hard hitter, who are never known for their beautiful style – especially since her rallies never seem to last for more than four shots. Also, someone won a set with 7-6, without there being a tie-break, which the rules simply don’t allow. I wonder if Reid has done any research on how tennis works. Carrie could have been playing any sport.
I’m biased, I know. It’s like watching a tennis match between a player you like and and their nemesis, and the latter wins. Then you’re disappointed because it was a bad match and you didn’t enjoy watching it. Furthermore, their on-court interview was annoying and rude and you keep wishing the other had won. However, you need to keep watching just in case your favourite surprises you. I finished Carrie Soto Is Back in only a couple of days because I was intrigued, but it never felt realistic, fun, or interesting to me. Also, the style, with its many repetitions and wannabe-literary metaphors almost made me cringe.
I think I’ve got a point (game). I love tennis, and I would love to read about tennis (John McEnroe’s memoirs were great, for instance), but this novel was not about tennis at all. Next time, I will just switch on the television and enjoy a real match.
What did you think of Carrie Soto Is Back? What do you think of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s other novels? Do you think tennis is a sport that translates well into literature? Which sport would you like to read a novel about? Do let me know in the comments! Also, don’t forget to follow me for more book-related posts!
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