Carrie Soto Is Back (Taylor Jenkins Reid) 🥇🔰

Winner:
Book Of The Year 2022;
Best Character 2022 (Carrie Soto);
All Time Best Reads

What’s the feeling like when someone meets your expectations and betters them? Carrie Soto Is Back makes the hitherto great books I read this year seem outrageously dwarfed. For, this is the real thing. This is exemplary writing at it’s lethal best. This is what a Classic is all about. And TJR, you are a legend and no less. For, barely 10% into the book and it is hard to believe that Carrie Soto is not real. That this is fiction. What. A. Book. !!

The release of this book coincided with the start of the US Open 2022. And of course it now seems intentional as this is central to the theme of this amazing book. Taylor Jenkins Reid has hinted in her interviews of this book being modelled around Serena Williams in some way. You may check out the suggested reading links at the bottom.

I won’t waste time summarizing the plot here, I already did that many months back in my preview. So straight to the point.

This book made me fall in love with Carrie very quickly. Just following her life through the eyes of Reid was an enriching experience. From a toddler with a racket in hand, to the child following a strenuous training regime and slowly making her way up to become the fiercely competitive, ruthless player that she became. The unphased belief in herself and knowing she is the best. And not shying away from being vocal about it. While many find her blunt, cold and cocky demeanor rude and unworthy, I personally feel there is something strangely attractive about such a character. Saying you need to play better tennis or I have come to reclaim my record and destroy Nicki Chan. The kind of confidence a true champion exudes – it feels immensely captivating to have such a character around. I don’t know why, but I somehow sense a lot of TJR in Carrie Soto – maybe it’s just me?

I am back at war, after years of not knowing how to live during peacetime.

This is the only place I make sense to myself.

This book has really changed the way I look at these incredible players now. When I see these past champions, I realize how much grind would have gone into achieving what they became. And upon reaching your twilight, looking back saying – What a life it has been! Or the teenage sensations like Alcaraz. They must be living the young Soto’s life right now. Aiming at their first Slam. Tennis being their lives. R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Nostalgia. Set in the 90s, this book brings all those memories and all those names rushing back. Soto reminded me so much of the legendary Graf with the grace and beauty in her play. By 1997-98, media was surely writing her off. And how, as a fan you felt for her and rooted for her to win just one more time. How can the grunts of Chan not remind you of Seles? Or Bowe-Soto not remind you of Steffi-Agassi? The raw power of Cortez not remind of Sanchez Vicario?

Taylor Jenkins Reid is just perfect with the execution of this wonderful story. The on court moments, the description of shots, the tennis terminology like the inside out forehands – it is delicious to read. The Stepanova-Soto rivalry is gripping and crisp. It brings out the true excitement of this great sport. The matches themselves are quite evenly presented – not too stretched passages with overflowing detail and just enough to keep it exciting and the adrenaline rushing.

As you progress through Soto’s journey, it is impossible not to be caught by the euphoria that TJR successfully creates at the 1995 US Open. As Soto sets foot on court, the electrifying buzz of the crowd is palpable. It is magnetic. It is contagious. You can’t help feel being a part of them. The spectators, the fans – and the readers – ready to be entranced by the magic of Carrie Soto.

TJR has some beautiful passages in this book. The morning of the commencement of the Australian Open 95 is such an adorable chapter. The delightful quotes that the book is laced with deserve a hearty applause. For instance when Soto says “I am back at war after years of not knowing how to live during peacetime.” Or the utterly witty & funny “It will be a pleasure to make them report my win today” – reacting to the mean reporters mocking her return.

If you thought this book was all sport and nothing more, think again. This book has no dearth of emotion. What truly caught my eye was the father-daughter relationship. Just tears you apart when you view the whole picture – how Javier spots Carrie’s talent early on, how he raises her, all the discipline and routine they went on for years – imbibing in her the belief of being the best. Travelling on tours together and then their heartbreaking fallout. But what pierces your heart is their reunion. There are some touching moments of that unfulfilled icecream sandwich – which they now have together. The small little touches – Soto as a child cleaning the scuffs off the tops of her sneakers and it becoming her good luck charm. And the illness of Javier. It’s like a whole lifetime passing in front of your eyes.

Carrie Soto Is Back belonged to Javier Soto as much as it did to Carrie. This book such marvelously depicts the role that a coach plays in a sportsperson’s career. Javier’s intricate observation of the minute nuances and tells of the opponents, the mental aspect of the game, the drills and workouts – it is almost an eye opener. Hard work it is! One heck of a job. I was stunned by the sheer brilliance of this character.

And lest we forget, there is a love story quietly brewing amidst all of it. Both endearing and funny to read – the relation that Carrie and Bowe share.

Conclusion:

Carrie Soto Is Back is indispensable for any tennis lover. This book took me back to my childhood when I would watch these superstars play their matches staying up late at night. And here I was, getting up at 4 in the morning to read about Soto’s next match. What a thrill! A clean, exciting, overwhelming read. Sport, thrill, love & heartbreak – this book had it all. Add to it TJR’s wit & cocky humor and you have a sizzling read at your hands.

This book is the best gift you can give to a book lover. If it helps emphasize, I bought both the kindle edition and the hardcover of this book. This is one book I wish adorns my small little collection on my bookshelf. It stands to be my all time favorite for a long time to come. Until a Nicki Chan comes to challenge that spot. And if anyone, I only trust Taylor Jenkins Reid to do so.

Get it on Amazon Carrie Soto Is Back

Suggested Reading:

Carrie Soto Is Back – Book Trailer

Taylor Jenkins Reid Is Back and Playing in the Zone

https://www.glamour.com/story/taylor-jenkins-reid-carrie-soto-is-back-interview