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Пикантна история за момичето-чудо на корта и бляскавия, кръвожаден свят на професоналния тенис.
Лорън Уайзбъргър се завръща с нов герой, когото да мразим с искрено удоволствие.
Шарлот „Чарли” Силвър сключва сделка с дявола – известния с бруталните си методи треньор Тод Фелтнър, – която я изстрелва в свят на стилисти, частни партита, благотворителни мачове на борда на мегаяхти и тайни срещи с холивудско величие. Но никой никога не печели, като си играе на добър.
Списанията и клюкарските блогове полудяват около Чарли, докато тя обикаля света в преследване на титли от Големия шлем. Ще изгуби ли себе си, за да достигне до върха?
Тази книга е порочно забавна секси лудория в свят, където залозите са високи – и никой не играе по правилата.
“Авторката на Дяволът носи Прада насочва хапливото си остроумие към високите залози в света на женския професионален тенис. Оглеждайте се за появи на Дейвид Бекъм, принцовете Уил и Хари, а да не говорим за горещите сцени!”
Cosmopolitan
“Бляскав роман за професионална тенисистка, която се завръща с гръм и трясък благодарение на акулоподобния си нов треньор… книгата се вписва отлично в традицията на летните четива. Ако търсите шеметен романс с достоверни герои, Уайзбъргър го сервира перфектно.”
Washington Post
Пикантна история за момичето-чудо на корта и бляскавия, кръвожаден свят на професоналния тенис.
Лорън Уайзбъргър се завръща с нов герой, когото да мразим с искрено удоволствие.
Шарлот „Чарли” Силвър сключва сделка с дявола – известния с бруталните си методи треньор Тод Фелтнър, – която я изстрелва в свят на стилисти, частни партита, благотворителни мачове на борда на мегаяхти и тайни срещи с холивудско величие. Но никой никога не печели, като си играе на добър.
Списанията и клюкарските блогове полудяват около Чарли, докато тя обикаля света в преследване на титли от Големия шлем. Ще изгуби ли себе си, за да достигне до върха?
Тази книга е порочно забавна секси лудория в свят, където залозите са високи – и никой не играе по правилата.
“Авторката на Дяволът носи Прада насочва хапливото си остроумие към високите залози в света на женския професионален тенис. Оглеждайте се за появи на Дейвид Бекъм, принцовете Уил и Хари, а да не говорим за горещите сцени!”
Cosmopolitan
“Бляскав роман за професионална тенисистка, която се завръща с гръм и трясък благодарение на акулоподобния си нов треньор… книгата се вписва отлично в традицията на летните четива. Ако търсите шеметен романс с достоверни герои, Уайзбъргър го сервира перфектно.”
Washington Post
400 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2016
About the author
Lauren Weisberger
24 books5,548 followersLauren Weisberger is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of When Life Gives You Lululemons, The Singles Game, Revenge Wears Prada, Last Night at Chateau Marmont, Chasing Harry Winston, Everyone Worth Knowing, and The Devil Wears Prada--most of which were top five bestsellers. The Devil Wears Prada was published in forty languages and made into a major motion picture starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. Elton John and Paul Rudnick are adapting it for the stage. Weisberger’s books have sold more than thirteen million copies worldwide. A graduate of Cornell University, she lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.
Lauren's new book, WHERE THE GRASS IS GREEN AND THE GIRLS ARE PRETTY will be available May 18th, 2021!
Lauren's new book, WHERE THE GRASS IS GREEN AND THE GIRLS ARE PRETTY will be available May 18th, 2021!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,341 reviews
December 31, 2016
So here's the thing. This book? It isn't very well written. I was torn, in fact, between giving it one or two stars.
I settled on two because I did finish reading it, even though I kind of hated myself for continuing to read long past the desertion of my interest in the story.
I'll start with the good parts: you learn a lot about the pro tennis circuit. Lauren Weisberger clearly did her research because she shows you the minutiae of traveling, uniforms, practice schedules, nutrition, and the like. You learn about the Wizard-like machinations behind the curtain - the image manipulation, the press, the dance of romance. This part is pretty interesting. I also thought that Charlie's father was the more compelling character in the book. You don't learn enough about him, but what Weisberger tells you makes you want to know more. He would have been the better main character.
It isn't that Charlie is dull. It's that she's unoriginal. There is little to her that you haven't read elsewhere. She has above average tennis skills, good enough to be on tour but not excellent enough to win a grand slam. Everyone in her life keeps telling her to just quit, which makes you wonder if they aren't on to something. Even though Weisberger uses an omniscient narrator, she limits the perspective to Charlie's, so you really only know what Charlie thinks and what motivates her. Why does her father, her brother, her (former) coach - why do these people want her to retire at twenty-five?
One person who is quite happy to have Charlie compete is her new coach, who is straight out of Central Casting for "Overbearing Brute." Again, this is a character you have seen before in dozens and dozens of books. So, too, is the Hot Mediterranean Lover. In a cast of utterly unoriginal characters, Marco surely is the worst. He says and does absolutely nothing that distinguishes him from others of his ilk.
I'll say this much, though: I did want to find out what happened. I wanted to know when, exactly, Charlie would grow up, and I wanted to know the mystery surrounding her father. That I kept reading does bequeath a small nod to Weisberger.
For all of the rote, cliched writing, though, the most egregious error is how Weisberger ends the book. After dragging out the various dramas at play, she ties up the endings so rapidly that you suffer from vertigo. A romance is introduced and made official within a handful of paragraphs, and Weisberger writes another character divulging of a life-altering secret in such a passive way that you almost miss it. The ending is so bafflingly constructed that I started to wonder if Weisberger wasn't held to a word count.
I also wondered about her editor because that person, surely, needs some professional development courses or perhaps even a career change.
Published on VoxLibris.net
@VoxLibris
I settled on two because I did finish reading it, even though I kind of hated myself for continuing to read long past the desertion of my interest in the story.
I'll start with the good parts: you learn a lot about the pro tennis circuit. Lauren Weisberger clearly did her research because she shows you the minutiae of traveling, uniforms, practice schedules, nutrition, and the like. You learn about the Wizard-like machinations behind the curtain - the image manipulation, the press, the dance of romance. This part is pretty interesting. I also thought that Charlie's father was the more compelling character in the book. You don't learn enough about him, but what Weisberger tells you makes you want to know more. He would have been the better main character.
It isn't that Charlie is dull. It's that she's unoriginal. There is little to her that you haven't read elsewhere. She has above average tennis skills, good enough to be on tour but not excellent enough to win a grand slam. Everyone in her life keeps telling her to just quit, which makes you wonder if they aren't on to something. Even though Weisberger uses an omniscient narrator, she limits the perspective to Charlie's, so you really only know what Charlie thinks and what motivates her. Why does her father, her brother, her (former) coach - why do these people want her to retire at twenty-five?
One person who is quite happy to have Charlie compete is her new coach, who is straight out of Central Casting for "Overbearing Brute." Again, this is a character you have seen before in dozens and dozens of books. So, too, is the Hot Mediterranean Lover. In a cast of utterly unoriginal characters, Marco surely is the worst. He says and does absolutely nothing that distinguishes him from others of his ilk.
I'll say this much, though: I did want to find out what happened. I wanted to know when, exactly, Charlie would grow up, and I wanted to know the mystery surrounding her father. That I kept reading does bequeath a small nod to Weisberger.
For all of the rote, cliched writing, though, the most egregious error is how Weisberger ends the book. After dragging out the various dramas at play, she ties up the endings so rapidly that you suffer from vertigo. A romance is introduced and made official within a handful of paragraphs, and Weisberger writes another character divulging of a life-altering secret in such a passive way that you almost miss it. The ending is so bafflingly constructed that I started to wonder if Weisberger wasn't held to a word count.
I also wondered about her editor because that person, surely, needs some professional development courses or perhaps even a career change.
Published on VoxLibris.net
@VoxLibris
September 24, 2016
Charlie Silver hires a notoriously brutal coach to finally win a slam and overcome her rival Russian tennis icon Maria Sharapova Natalya, while trying not be distracted by her casual fling with the underwear modelling Spaniard considered 'one of the greats of the open era' Rafael Nadal Marco.
Honestly, the book in general seemed to be pretty slow to deliver and (maybe it's picky) but parts of the story didn't seem accurate in the context of the tennis tour as I follow it. For example, the 'pink sole' controversy which is clearly based on Federer's controversy at Wimbledon in 2013
doesn't seem to follow for the reason that had the inspection happened the way it does with Charlie, Roger wouldn't have been allowed onto court with the shoes at all, as it is, he played the match and was later told to change them. I'm hard pressed to believe no one saw Roger's soles before he walked onto court, unless the implication is he was 'allowed' because of his status.
My other issue was when *minor spoiler* Marco won a match in Miami in 5 sets despite being 2 sets to love down. It would be pretty impressive, given Miami is a best of 3 tournament and...well, 2-0 down would mean he'd lost the match. It could have been an attempted nod to Roger's come from behind win versus Nadal in Miami in 2005, but back then finals were best of 5 (not any other rounds) and that was overturned in 2009 when masters became best of 3 throughout.
Another instance is the language used by the umpire 'game, set, match, tournament' at Charleston, as well as the use of hawkeye...which isn't generally used on clay courts because a mark is visibly left on the court.
Of course, they're not necessarily things that will bother a lot of people, it just irked me slightly and it seemed like a lack of general research into things that could have probably been pretty easily checked. It also seems to come across in the writing which in itself could be considered pretty lazy, overuse of info dumping, and the tone and voice of some of the characters seems to differ a lot (Marco sometimes speaking broken English and sometimes not) and the consistency can become off putting.
Other than that, Charlie's whole 'transformation', rather than seeming 'badass' kinda seems cringeworthy and entirely tacky. When her post makeover clothes are described (considering they're on a 25 year old) nothing about them seems edgy. If she'd been a teen I might have gotten it.
Overall Charlie just isn't interesting, and her personality isn't enough to make up for how slow moving the book is and the fluffy descriptions of clothes and places just doesn't make up for the lack of any real or compelling plot or character development.
Honestly, the book in general seemed to be pretty slow to deliver and (maybe it's picky) but parts of the story didn't seem accurate in the context of the tennis tour as I follow it. For example, the 'pink sole' controversy which is clearly based on Federer's controversy at Wimbledon in 2013
doesn't seem to follow for the reason that had the inspection happened the way it does with Charlie, Roger wouldn't have been allowed onto court with the shoes at all, as it is, he played the match and was later told to change them. I'm hard pressed to believe no one saw Roger's soles before he walked onto court, unless the implication is he was 'allowed' because of his status.
My other issue was when *minor spoiler* Marco won a match in Miami in 5 sets despite being 2 sets to love down. It would be pretty impressive, given Miami is a best of 3 tournament and...well, 2-0 down would mean he'd lost the match. It could have been an attempted nod to Roger's come from behind win versus Nadal in Miami in 2005, but back then finals were best of 5 (not any other rounds) and that was overturned in 2009 when masters became best of 3 throughout.
Another instance is the language used by the umpire 'game, set, match, tournament' at Charleston, as well as the use of hawkeye...which isn't generally used on clay courts because a mark is visibly left on the court.
Of course, they're not necessarily things that will bother a lot of people, it just irked me slightly and it seemed like a lack of general research into things that could have probably been pretty easily checked. It also seems to come across in the writing which in itself could be considered pretty lazy, overuse of info dumping, and the tone and voice of some of the characters seems to differ a lot (Marco sometimes speaking broken English and sometimes not) and the consistency can become off putting.
Other than that, Charlie's whole 'transformation', rather than seeming 'badass' kinda seems cringeworthy and entirely tacky. When her post makeover clothes are described (considering they're on a 25 year old) nothing about them seems edgy. If she'd been a teen I might have gotten it.
Overall Charlie just isn't interesting, and her personality isn't enough to make up for how slow moving the book is and the fluffy descriptions of clothes and places just doesn't make up for the lack of any real or compelling plot or character development.
December 21, 2016
Really enjoyed this book! Loved the tennis aspect of it as well!
April 7, 2021
This was is such a fun story: funny, entertaining, and high on behind-the-scenes tennis drama 🏆.
Charlotte (Charlie) Silver suffered a serious injury during her first time playing Centre Court at Wimbledon. She's crushed by the setback, but she's no quitter. In fact, she's committed to a full recovery and comeback:
🎾 Rank in the Top 10
🎾 Win a Grand Slam
🎾 Believes she can even be #1
In order to get there, she decides to reinvent herself and her game. Unfortunately, the changes she makes are significant and affect important people in her life. Is it all worth it in the end?
I enjoyed the story and all the behind-the-scene details about the world of tennis. The characters are realistic and believable because they're all so well developed. I thought the vivid descriptions of the tennis tournaments really added to the authenticity of the story.
Charlotte (Charlie) Silver suffered a serious injury during her first time playing Centre Court at Wimbledon. She's crushed by the setback, but she's no quitter. In fact, she's committed to a full recovery and comeback:
🎾 Rank in the Top 10
🎾 Win a Grand Slam
🎾 Believes she can even be #1
In order to get there, she decides to reinvent herself and her game. Unfortunately, the changes she makes are significant and affect important people in her life. Is it all worth it in the end?
I enjoyed the story and all the behind-the-scene details about the world of tennis. The characters are realistic and believable because they're all so well developed. I thought the vivid descriptions of the tennis tournaments really added to the authenticity of the story.
July 6, 2016
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.
----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.
October 31, 2021
I never have had any interest in tennis, but loved learning the behind the scenes of the sport. This will well written, easy to follow and I was rooting for the main character.
I listened to this on audio and loved the narration!
I listened to this on audio and loved the narration!
April 18, 2021
This was the most boring book I’ve ever read. I hate dnf’ing books but I went far enough to know that this is irredeemable. I thought I would love this because the premise sounds interesting but the writing was so bland and the book as a whole was too. I just couldn’t push through unfortunately. I do not recommend it.
instagram | goodreads
instagram | goodreads
May 1, 2017
If I´m being completely honest with myself then I don´t really know why I liked this book so much. But I did, I liked the characters and the plot. Honestly it´s not a book I will remember for a long time, but it was entertaining. And I learned a lot about tennis, I´m pretty sure I´m a pro now.
May 13, 2016
Light and easy chick-lit that is perfect for reading by the pool or packing in your carry on. Having been horribly disappointed by Weisberger's two last novels, it was nice to see her get her game back (haha). Centered around the world of competitive tennis, THE SINGLES GAME is a "coming of age" story that follows one young, star player as she figures out who she wants to be/what she wants. The cast of characters is predictable: like most summer reads there is a best friend, a previous mentor, a Miranda Priestly-esque coach, and several love interests. While the writing/storyline is not overly complicated (and won't leave you guessing), it was a smooth read that kept me entertained. There are some major leaps, and the story does not always flow as smoothly as I would have liked, but I was in the mood for something light and fluffy and this hit the spot.
Disclaimer: Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC for the purpose of review!
Disclaimer: Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC for the purpose of review!
November 30, 2018
4 Stars
”I will comeback from this injury.
I will get into the top ten.
I will win a grand slam.
I think I can even be number one.”
This is not a romance novel. I repeat this is not a romance novel. (I mean there’s romance in it, but it’s more about a girl and her love of 🎾)
This is a story about Charlie Silver, pro-tennis star who has her sights on winning and winning big.
As with most, of not all, of LWs books this chronicles the life and behind the scenes of what it’s like to be a famous tennis star. The glitz, the glam, the highs and the lows. In my opinion, no one writes fame like LW and Jackie Collins. And I kinda feel like I'm a pro at tennis because of this book. Like I'm pretty confident I could win at Wimbledon lol.
LW has a way of making you hooked. You may not be in love with the story but you’re gonna keep reading and I ended up enjoying this read.
”I will comeback from this injury.
I will get into the top ten.
I will win a grand slam.
I think I can even be number one.”
This is not a romance novel. I repeat this is not a romance novel. (I mean there’s romance in it, but it’s more about a girl and her love of 🎾)
This is a story about Charlie Silver, pro-tennis star who has her sights on winning and winning big.
As with most, of not all, of LWs books this chronicles the life and behind the scenes of what it’s like to be a famous tennis star. The glitz, the glam, the highs and the lows. In my opinion, no one writes fame like LW and Jackie Collins. And I kinda feel like I'm a pro at tennis because of this book. Like I'm pretty confident I could win at Wimbledon lol.
LW has a way of making you hooked. You may not be in love with the story but you’re gonna keep reading and I ended up enjoying this read.
July 21, 2016
It's hard to like a book that has an unlikeable main character. I found Charlie annoying and self-centered. Nevertheless, I did make it through without being bored. It wasn't a great story--Weisberger will never write another Devil Wears Prada--but I made it through.
January 2, 2018
Froth, brain dead book for those kinds of days.
September 10, 2016
4.5/5 stars
The Singles Game is a standalone that I would classify as Chick Lit.
The narrator is 24 year old Charlotte/Charlie. She is a professional tennis player. The book features 3rd person narration.
When Charlie was younger her father taught her everything he knew about tennis. Now she is a professional tennis player with her brother Jake working with her.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing the life of a tennis player: the travel, the parties, the luxury, the scandal. It was all so interesting to read about!
Charlie goes through a lot in this book. When the book begins she is ranked 20-something in the world. She is at Wimbledon.
We get to see all her highs and lows. We get romance and disappointment. This book is charming and entertaining. I really liked it!
The Singles Game is a standalone that I would classify as Chick Lit.
The narrator is 24 year old Charlotte/Charlie. She is a professional tennis player. The book features 3rd person narration.
When Charlie was younger her father taught her everything he knew about tennis. Now she is a professional tennis player with her brother Jake working with her.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing the life of a tennis player: the travel, the parties, the luxury, the scandal. It was all so interesting to read about!
Charlie goes through a lot in this book. When the book begins she is ranked 20-something in the world. She is at Wimbledon.
We get to see all her highs and lows. We get romance and disappointment. This book is charming and entertaining. I really liked it!
February 20, 2024
Charlotte “Charlie” Silver has always been a good girl. She excelled at tennis early, coached by her father, a former player himself, and soon became one of the top juniors in the world. When she leaves UCLA—and breaks her boyfriend’s heart—to turn pro, Charlie joins the world’s best athletes who travel eleven months a year, competing without mercy for Grand Slam titles and Page Six headlines.
After Charlie suffers a disastrous loss and injury on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, she fires her longtime coach and hires Todd Feltner, a legend of the men’s tour, who is famous for grooming champions. Charlie is his first-ever female player, and he will not let her forget it. He is determined to change her good-girl image—both on the court and off—and transform her into a ruthless competitor who will not only win matches and climb the rankings, but also score magazine covers and seven-figure endorsement deals. Her not-so-secret affair with the hottest male player in the world, sexy Spaniard Marco Vallejo, has people whispering, and it seems like only a matter of time before the tabloids and gossip blogs close in on all the juicy details. Charlie’s ascension to the social throne parallels her rising rank on the women’s tour—but at a major price.
I know this didn't get good reviews but I'm always willing to give my top authors a chance. It started off good then it just went downhill. I forced myself to finish this book just to say I did.
Charlie is a pro tennis player who has sacrificed a lot for the game, so to get better further along in her career she hires a tough coach who is respected in the field. I can respect all of this but I feel like Charlie just keeps throwing her chances for a guy (who doesn't show her respect) and towards the end doesn't care anymore? Todd (the coach) gets her to be a better athlete yet towards the end is just like eh bye. Yes, he was tough and harsh but I think Lauren Weisberger doesn't know or realize is that you have to be tough to be the top 1. You have to not let people walk all over you. And, Charlie just accepted that her old coach (who majorly messed up and got Charlie injured) was better because she was kind? Sorry, I call BS.
After Charlie suffers a disastrous loss and injury on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, she fires her longtime coach and hires Todd Feltner, a legend of the men’s tour, who is famous for grooming champions. Charlie is his first-ever female player, and he will not let her forget it. He is determined to change her good-girl image—both on the court and off—and transform her into a ruthless competitor who will not only win matches and climb the rankings, but also score magazine covers and seven-figure endorsement deals. Her not-so-secret affair with the hottest male player in the world, sexy Spaniard Marco Vallejo, has people whispering, and it seems like only a matter of time before the tabloids and gossip blogs close in on all the juicy details. Charlie’s ascension to the social throne parallels her rising rank on the women’s tour—but at a major price.
I know this didn't get good reviews but I'm always willing to give my top authors a chance. It started off good then it just went downhill. I forced myself to finish this book just to say I did.
Charlie is a pro tennis player who has sacrificed a lot for the game, so to get better further along in her career she hires a tough coach who is respected in the field. I can respect all of this but I feel like Charlie just keeps throwing her chances for a guy (who doesn't show her respect) and towards the end doesn't care anymore? Todd (the coach) gets her to be a better athlete yet towards the end is just like eh bye. Yes, he was tough and harsh but I think Lauren Weisberger doesn't know or realize is that you have to be tough to be the top 1. You have to not let people walk all over you. And, Charlie just accepted that her old coach (who majorly messed up and got Charlie injured) was better because she was kind? Sorry, I call BS.
September 10, 2022
Un completo buco nell'acqua, una debacle come non se ne leggevano da tempo, siamo distanti anni luce dalla Weisberger frizzante, divertente e accattivante de Il diavolo veste Prada: un racconto noioso, privo di interesse, una storia che non porta da nessuna parte, una protagonista scialba, senza carattere e anche un pò stupida (ma davvero non si rende conto di nessuna delle cose che stanno succedendo? Ma daiiii), le descrizioni degli incontri di tennis, poi, sono soporifere. Non consigliato.
***
A complete hole in the water, a debacle like no one has read for a long time, we are light-years away from the sparkling, funny and captivating Weisberger of The Devil Wears Prada: a boring, uninteresting tale, a story that leads nowhere , a dull protagonist, without character and even a bit stupid (but she really doesn't realize any of the things that are happening? Pleaseeeee), the descriptions of the tennis matches, then, are soporific. Not recommended.
***
A complete hole in the water, a debacle like no one has read for a long time, we are light-years away from the sparkling, funny and captivating Weisberger of The Devil Wears Prada: a boring, uninteresting tale, a story that leads nowhere , a dull protagonist, without character and even a bit stupid (but she really doesn't realize any of the things that are happening? Pleaseeeee), the descriptions of the tennis matches, then, are soporific. Not recommended.
July 12, 2016
Originally posted on Desert Island Book Reviews
To start, I’d like to mention that I know very little about professional tennis, so I can’t vouch for whether any of the behind-the-scenes details are based on truth or speculation. That said, I found the depiction of a tennis star’s life to be absolutely crazy! First, the things that are obviously true: constant traveling, strict diet and exercise regimens, and crazy drug testing requirements. I could never be a pro athlete! I thought Weisberger’s portrayal of this harder, less-glamorous part of being an athlete was done very well. I loved feeling like I was in Charlie’s head. She was so committed to her passion for tennis, and I think that’s why all of her questionable choices were understandable. She wanted to be the best at the thing she loved the most. Who can’t sympathize with that?
Charlie’s relationship with Marco seemed like a fairy tale come true at the beginning, but as soon as Charlie started to become more successful, that fairy tale turned into a nightmare. The man who had seemed so charming and like such a great match for Charlie really turned me off by the end. He was pretty unlikable, and I wanted her to do better.
Charlie and her family were all interesting characters and every time she disappointed her father, my heart broke for him. I wanted so badly for her to do things that he could be proud of, and I really enjoyed their moments together. I did think Jake probably could have done more to keep her true to herself, but I still liked him overall.
I’ve read pretty much all of Weisberger’s books and I’ve enjoyed each of them, but this brought something different to the table. I really appreciated the focus on women’s tennis and athletes rather than socialites and fashion. I gave this four stars because it was an enjoyable read that, at the end of the day, really made me want to go play tennis. When a book can inspire me to do something, or even want to do something, it gets a pretty high rating in my book.
*ARC from NetGalley
To start, I’d like to mention that I know very little about professional tennis, so I can’t vouch for whether any of the behind-the-scenes details are based on truth or speculation. That said, I found the depiction of a tennis star’s life to be absolutely crazy! First, the things that are obviously true: constant traveling, strict diet and exercise regimens, and crazy drug testing requirements. I could never be a pro athlete! I thought Weisberger’s portrayal of this harder, less-glamorous part of being an athlete was done very well. I loved feeling like I was in Charlie’s head. She was so committed to her passion for tennis, and I think that’s why all of her questionable choices were understandable. She wanted to be the best at the thing she loved the most. Who can’t sympathize with that?
Charlie’s relationship with Marco seemed like a fairy tale come true at the beginning, but as soon as Charlie started to become more successful, that fairy tale turned into a nightmare. The man who had seemed so charming and like such a great match for Charlie really turned me off by the end. He was pretty unlikable, and I wanted her to do better.
Charlie and her family were all interesting characters and every time she disappointed her father, my heart broke for him. I wanted so badly for her to do things that he could be proud of, and I really enjoyed their moments together. I did think Jake probably could have done more to keep her true to herself, but I still liked him overall.
I’ve read pretty much all of Weisberger’s books and I’ve enjoyed each of them, but this brought something different to the table. I really appreciated the focus on women’s tennis and athletes rather than socialites and fashion. I gave this four stars because it was an enjoyable read that, at the end of the day, really made me want to go play tennis. When a book can inspire me to do something, or even want to do something, it gets a pretty high rating in my book.
*ARC from NetGalley
July 19, 2017
This was really unpleasantly bad. To be clear, I knew going in that it was chick lit, and enjoy that genre as a reading break -- I enjoyed her first book (Devil Wears Prada), and was up for some harmless fluff. But the characters were caricatures, and while it was nominally a book about the demands of professional tennis (and she clearly did her research on how physically and mentally grueling that is), it was written for 8th grade girls who spend all their free time writing about boys in their diary. Chapters would begin at a tournament where our heroine is nervously wondering how her injury recovery will play out in her first major tournament back, and then we'll focus entirely on her boyfriend troubles, move on to the next tournament, and never even hear if she won a single match at said tournament. If actual, adult women were this focused on boy problems at their workplaces, no women would ever be employed anywhere. And the "twist" (the bad boy tennis star is a cheater! the hard-working hitting partner is a secret dreamboat perfect man for her) is visible from about the fifth chapter on. I won't even mark this review as containing spoilers, because to do so would insult the intelligence of anyone who might read a paragraph-long review.
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February 20, 2019Review originally posted at
All Books Considered: 3.5 STARS
I devoured this, seriously; I read it one day and could not put it down! Isn't that the best feeling? And I love love loved the first 60-ish%. At that point, however, I feel like the characters changed a bit? I don't know that I can pinpoint it but I felt like Charlie and some of the other main characters became a bit inconsistent feeling to me in their words and actions and there was definitely a bit of unnecessary drama. I also didn't love the ending although, in retrospect, it fits. Putting all of that aside, though, this is such a fun book -- I'm not even the hugest tennis fan but it was still so much fun to imagine the perspective of a great player trying to become the best -- the traveling, the coaching, the tour all while still being 24 year old woman and having needs as a woman, not just physical but also mental. I appreciated the dichotomy and all the little details. I actually kind of already want to re-read this because it was just so refreshing and fun. I will never be a star athlete or get to play Wimbledon but this book made me feel like I was there!
The Singles Game came out on July 12, 2016, and this one is such a fun read -- perfect for the pool or beach!
I devoured this, seriously; I read it one day and could not put it down! Isn't that the best feeling? And I love love loved the first 60-ish%. At that point, however, I feel like the characters changed a bit? I don't know that I can pinpoint it but I felt like Charlie and some of the other main characters became a bit inconsistent feeling to me in their words and actions and there was definitely a bit of unnecessary drama. I also didn't love the ending although, in retrospect, it fits. Putting all of that aside, though, this is such a fun book -- I'm not even the hugest tennis fan but it was still so much fun to imagine the perspective of a great player trying to become the best -- the traveling, the coaching, the tour all while still being 24 year old woman and having needs as a woman, not just physical but also mental. I appreciated the dichotomy and all the little details. I actually kind of already want to re-read this because it was just so refreshing and fun. I will never be a star athlete or get to play Wimbledon but this book made me feel like I was there!
The Singles Game came out on July 12, 2016, and this one is such a fun read -- perfect for the pool or beach!
I did not leave high school every day at noon to train for six hours and do my homework by the light of the glove compartment on the way home from tournaments to give up. I didn't miss movies and trips and proms and hanging at the mall and sleeping in and getting drunk and kissing boys to play round-robins at my local country club. And speaking of country clubs, I didn't ask my father to work day and night teaching rich middle-aged women and spoiled kids and rude bankers so I could bail the first time something got a little challenging. And I sure didn't leave UCLA--the best year of my life-- to quit. So while I have incredible respect for what you've accomplished in our profession, and I was planning to ask if you would consider coaching me, I will kindly ask from now on you keep your opinions to yourself.
August 20, 2016
Charlotte Silver, or Charlie, is a professional tennis player who is known for her good girl ways. She wears pastels on the court, has had the same coach for years, always does the right thing, and even weaves a pretty ribbon through her trademark braid. Essentially, she is the all-American good girl, but that doesn't translate to wins on the court. In fact, Charlie is ranked number twenty three. She wants to win a Grand Slam, but that is never going to happen. This is especially true after her debacle at Wimbledon, where she tore her Achilles tendon and broke her arm. After her downfall, she fires her longtime coach and has her sights set on Todd Feltner. Todd is an aggressive coach who is known to take the underdog and turn him into a champion. Charlie is the first girl he agrees to coach and he wants to do an entire revamp of her image, her diet, and even her training. If she wants to come back from her injury a winner, then she must follow his recommendations exactly. Goodbye good girl Charlie and hello Warrior Princess. Her new image has garnered her a lot of attention from the media as well as the opposite sex, which is both good and bad. Nonetheless, Todd's changes seem to be working. She is dating the hottest male tennis player, rubbing elbows with celebrities, and has even started winning tournaments. Is this everything Charlie wanted or is it coming at a huge price? Lauren Weisberger's The Singles Game is an interesting glimpse into the world of professional tennis. I loved the drama, the scandal, the competition as well as the budding romance both on and off court.
Read the rest of my review here:
http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
Read the rest of my review here:
http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
December 11, 2016
OK - this is going to make me sounds like the crankiest picker of nits, ever - but this book could seriously have used some better editing. (And it is very rare that I ever think, much less say, that!). There were a handful of continuity type issues that were jarring, and would have been super easy to catch.
(I just edited this post - I was starting to list the ones that bugged me the most, but it made me feel super nit picky. So now I'm just going to go yell at kids and tell them to get off my lawn....)
Also - there was not a lot of mystery or intrigue around the relationships in the book. The couplings and pairings all seemed pretty predictable - there was one relationship that I felt like was supposed to be a big surprise, but I had actually called it far earlier than it was revealed in the story. That aspect of the book felt very formulaic.
I did enjoy the inside look at what it takes to compete at that level of tennis - it's not a world that I know much about, but it felt very real and I enjoyed spending time in that universe.
(I just edited this post - I was starting to list the ones that bugged me the most, but it made me feel super nit picky. So now I'm just going to go yell at kids and tell them to get off my lawn....)
Also - there was not a lot of mystery or intrigue around the relationships in the book. The couplings and pairings all seemed pretty predictable - there was one relationship that I felt like was supposed to be a big surprise, but I had actually called it far earlier than it was revealed in the story. That aspect of the book felt very formulaic.
I did enjoy the inside look at what it takes to compete at that level of tennis - it's not a world that I know much about, but it felt very real and I enjoyed spending time in that universe.
July 22, 2016
I wanted to love this book. I love books about tennis. Unfortunately, The Singles Game is very uneven. The beginning is very promising and exciting. The ending is blah. I liked reading about how it feels like to compete at the very top level; the book is indeed very well researched. However, the main character, Charlie, is bland and predictable. Her Russian nemesis Natalya Ivanov (BTW, no Russian females have last names ending in -OV, it does not work this way) is a stereotypical villain. There are some errors which I am sure only tennis players will catch. For example (p. 314), when Charlie serves two points (30-0), but then somehow it is Natalya, her opponent, who serves the next two points (and now it is 30-30). It does not work this way. Tennis players do not switch serve in the middle of the game. Overall, two starts and a mild disappointment.
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September 14, 2021Absolute trash book. DNF after 3 months of us struggling to get through it (we didn't make it to the halfway mark) and we were reading it as a JOKE. I haven't seen such awful writing in a long time. The characters aren't likeable but it's not purposeful, everything is revealed through overly detailed (and boring) flashbacks, and it also had a lot of racism sprinkled throughout (is that how you feel about Asian babies, Weisberger?).
August 4, 2016
Just what I needed to escape this dumpster fire we call 2016.
July 29, 2021
easy beach read with absolutely no substance that I read cover to cover in one day
August 19, 2023
I read this on vacation and it was the perfect beach read! There was drama, fame, romance and competition. It was so enjoyable and I flew through it. The story was pretty predictable overall but it was fun reading about Charlie’s evolution as a character, through herself as a person and a tennis player.
This was a light and easy read and I loved the tennis aspect of it. Following all the different matches and tournaments as the players’ personal drama unfolded was so entertaining.
This was a light and easy read and I loved the tennis aspect of it. Following all the different matches and tournaments as the players’ personal drama unfolded was so entertaining.
February 24, 2017
Leest lekker weg!
September 20, 2016
What an amazing book! I don’t even know how to start my review. I decided to listen to this audiobook because I loved
The Devil Wears Prada,
I’ve only watched the movie but the book has been in my TBR for a long time now, and I couldn’t let pass the opportunity to read the new book of this great author. I’m so happy to say that I’m 250% satisfied with what I read and listened to. The writing was exceptional, the plot was really entertaining—
I should reconsider not being a fan of sports because this book kept me on edge with every tennis match
—and the characters were amazing. The development of the story as well as the characters’ were not at all predictable which was what kept me listening and listening and for the last 6 hours I was stick to my phone, because the everything was getting better and better.
The Singles Game tells the story of Charlie Silver, a professional tennis player who had a injury who put her out of an important competition and all the tournaments for the next six months, because her wrist and talon were highly damaged. After starting her rehab, she was told: “You can’t… You won’t…” but she was determined to be on Australia in six months and keep her professional career. In order to do that, she hired the best coach— the best but also an asshole, if you ask me —and he did what he promised: She’d be the best in and out of the tennis field. A lot of things happens during the year she worked with Todd: She got higher in the ranking of female player tennis, she got a secret—not so secret—affair with another sexy tennis player, she won and won and won more matches… But sadly not everything was good, her dad wasn’t a big fan of this new determined strategy and it caused some family drama, her relationship with the sexy Marco turned into scandalous and the jealousy of other players added more drama to the mix.
And the audiobook made this story more real to me. Heather Lind did an amazing job with her narration, speaking well paced— I listened to it in 1x speed and I didn’t felt the need to speed it up —doing all the different accents, having a different inflexion for every character and putting more emotion and excitement for the matches than they would have if I was only reading this book. Heather’s voice was perfect for Charlie, I could hear her determination when she was training, or playing or when she was being confronted by Todd or any of her opponents; I also could hear Charlie’s crush on Marco when things got a little serious with him <3 and several other emotions that I can’t mention here because they would be spoilers.
The Singles Game tells the story of Charlie Silver, a professional tennis player who had a injury who put her out of an important competition and all the tournaments for the next six months, because her wrist and talon were highly damaged. After starting her rehab, she was told: “You can’t… You won’t…” but she was determined to be on Australia in six months and keep her professional career. In order to do that, she hired the best coach— the best but also an asshole, if you ask me —and he did what he promised: She’d be the best in and out of the tennis field. A lot of things happens during the year she worked with Todd: She got higher in the ranking of female player tennis, she got a secret—not so secret—affair with another sexy tennis player, she won and won and won more matches… But sadly not everything was good, her dad wasn’t a big fan of this new determined strategy and it caused some family drama, her relationship with the sexy Marco turned into scandalous and the jealousy of other players added more drama to the mix.
And the audiobook made this story more real to me. Heather Lind did an amazing job with her narration, speaking well paced— I listened to it in 1x speed and I didn’t felt the need to speed it up —doing all the different accents, having a different inflexion for every character and putting more emotion and excitement for the matches than they would have if I was only reading this book. Heather’s voice was perfect for Charlie, I could hear her determination when she was training, or playing or when she was being confronted by Todd or any of her opponents; I also could hear Charlie’s crush on Marco when things got a little serious with him <3 and several other emotions that I can’t mention here because they would be spoilers.
All in all, The Singles Game is an awesome book and the audiobook made it perfection. If you want a book about achieving goals, about making mistakes and learning from them, and about finding your true self, read/listen to The Singles Game.
June 21, 2018
Before I even began reading Lauren Weisberger’s “The Singles Game” I sat there staring at the alluring blue and green cover of the book, asking myself, “where does an elite tennis player come from?” I was hoping that Weisberger might give me a sense of some of the aspects of a child’s life that might begin them down the path of dedicating themselves to this great, but extremely demanding sport. I was reasonably confident that if Weisberger could give me a glimpse of this in an authentic and believable way, that I would find fulfillment in reading this book.
And of course Lauren Weisberger did this and more…after all, this is the woman who was sufficiently spectacular to dream up, then write “The Devil Wears Prada,” based on that one truth alone, there was going to be a far better than average chance she would have thought about how important this aspect of the story would be.
It happened on page seventeen, when I read Weisberger describe the childhood tennis experiences of Charlotte “Charlie” Silver in this way:
“Charlie…was a natural: she loved her tiny pink racket, the running and balancing drills, the tube she used to pick up balls. She loved filling those little paper cone cups with icy water from the Gatorade cooler and scraping the clay off her sneakers with the floor-mounted rolling brush and the way the tennis balls smelled when she cracked open a brand-new can.”
I was able to visualize Charlie as a girl, gleefully doing all these things. The things that kids who love tennis find joy in, the things that forever tie them to the game.
But that was just a beginning. I also wanted to understand how the game of tennis would bring Charlie’s relationship with her father closer. How the game would help father and daughter to better understand and appreciate each other. I knew early on that Charlie’s mom died of breast cancer and that she was raised by a single dad, I was interested to know how Weisberger was going to portray this relationship and if she was going to give proper credit to how important the support, dedication, care and attention plays in the development of a person who decides to pursue an extremely demanding career of being a professional tennis player.
I knew that this was an important part of any tennis player’s journey, and one of the real life examples was the childhood story of tennis legend Maria Sharapova. I’ve always been inspired by Sharapova, a girl from a poor family in a small village in Siberia, Russia finding her way to becoming a student at Nick Bolletteri’s internationally respected tennis academy in Brandenton, Florida. I was intrigued at how this girl overcame the very vocal doubts of many people that she was “too tall and too slow” to make it in tennis. I was intrigued to know how Sharapova overcame the kind of injuries that would have finished other players. I was interested in how she had the courage, dedication and confidence to work through all of these things.
For me, Sharapova answered all these questions when she said this about her childhood:
“I heard endless conversations between my parents when I was supposed to be going to sleep. Conversations about how we would survive, how we would continue. All of them were about trying to make me better.”
With money tight, Maria’s dad Yuri borrowed the sum that would enable him and his daughter, neither of whom could speak English, to travel from Russia to the United States, which they finally did in 1994. Visa restrictions prevented Maria’s mom Elena from joining them for two years. Arriving in Florida with savings of US$700, Maria’s dad took various low-paying jobs, including dishwashing, to fund her lessons until she was old enough to be admitted to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. In 1995, she was signed by IMG who agreed to pay the annual tuition fee of $35,000 for Maria to stay at the academy, allowing her to finally enroll at the age of nine.
I learned from Sharapova’s story that in order for her to reach for the dream she had, the whole family would have to get behind her, sacrifice and walk with her every step of the way. I was hoping that Weisberger would show us this in her story about Charlotte “Charlie” Silver. Therefore I was pleased when I read scenes like this one about Charlie and her father:
“When they walked out onto the court at Birchwood – almost always at night under the lights, when the paying members were home with their families – Mr. Silver’s attention narrowed to a laser beam of light that warmed Charlie the instant it focused on her. It was the one thing that hadn’t changed after her mother died: the obvious delight he took in teaching Charlie the game he loved. All those years had been a labor of love for him, from the time she’s followed him like a duckling around the court as he demonstrated the baseline, the alleys, the service line, and no-man’s land, to the very first time Charlie took a game off him fair and square when she was thirteen and Mr. Silver whooped so loudly a groundskeeper came to make sure they were okay. He taught Charlie everything she knew – strokes, footwork, strategy, and of course sportsmanship – straight up until she won the sixteen-and-under Orange Bowl at age fifteen, the Grand Slam of junior tournaments, and Mr. Silver insisted he’d taken her as far as he could.”
I was only on page eighteen and I was sure that I was going to connect with the soul of this story. That is always a good place to start. Then I was interested in how compelling Weisberger’s story might be. Was the situation this author put her protagonist into a worthy and intriguing one? For me, the answer to this question was a very solid yes!
The story opens when Charlie is about to face her opponent Alice at center court Wimbledon. Charlie had played Alice two years earlier at Indian Wells (6-2, 6-2) and was therefore confident in her odds of winning this match. But then something happened that seemed to pull the rug from under Charlie’s feet before the match even began. A Wimbledon official determined that there was too much of the color pink on the soles of Charlies’ trainers, therefore she was not allowed to wear them for her match that was only ten minutes from starting. “Your shoes. The sole is almost entirely pink. That is a violation” the official determined.
What happens next was one of those “worst case scenarios” for a professional tennis player. Charlie’s coach, Marcy Berenson, was forced to scramble to find a few different pairs of running shoes in Charlie’s size, hoping one pair might fit. Just a note, this is an extremely disagreeable situation for a player of this level to be faced with, especially considering the hours and hours that are put into fitting, then the custom designed shoes that come from the manufacturer, in Charlie’s case, Nike.
Marcy returns, out of breath, with four boxes of shoes, the first two don’t fit at all, and the third, a clunky, heavy pair of K-Swiss seem to be the best option. It’s now two minutes before playing time and Charlie watches as Alice walks past her open door, it’s time to leave. She stands up and walks out before even trying on the fourth pair. She plays in these shoes and the results are tragic.
One month later, the scene is Charlie is in the hospital, awakening from Achilles surgery. “I’m done. Finished. Like it or not, it’s time to retire, because there’s no returning from this injury” she thinks, then throws up twice in the recovery room and once again in her hospital bed. And if the situation couldn’t be any worse, her coach Marcie is starting to give her hints that she should quit. Charlie is disheartened because she knows that her coaches’ advice happens to be coming right at the time that she wants to get pregnant and be home more often. Charlie resents her coaches’ perceived selfishness…she is determined to recover and, more than just recover, be a more successful tennis player.
She then makes a very significant, life changing decision. She going to replace her coach, and more than that try to secure the services of an almost unattainable, super successful coach who is known to have a very disagreeable personal style. Charlie’s got to convince this unpleasant, disagreeable, hard driving coach to take her on, then she’s got to be prepared to submit herself completely to his fierce, punishing fitness training regiments in order to become the player that she knows she could be.
For me, this was an excellent scenario to place the character in. Knowing this, I cheerfully and enthusiastically delved into Lauren Weisberger’s “The Singles Game.”
And I’m happy to say that the story held me in its wonderful grip - right to the very end!
And of course Lauren Weisberger did this and more…after all, this is the woman who was sufficiently spectacular to dream up, then write “The Devil Wears Prada,” based on that one truth alone, there was going to be a far better than average chance she would have thought about how important this aspect of the story would be.
It happened on page seventeen, when I read Weisberger describe the childhood tennis experiences of Charlotte “Charlie” Silver in this way:
“Charlie…was a natural: she loved her tiny pink racket, the running and balancing drills, the tube she used to pick up balls. She loved filling those little paper cone cups with icy water from the Gatorade cooler and scraping the clay off her sneakers with the floor-mounted rolling brush and the way the tennis balls smelled when she cracked open a brand-new can.”
I was able to visualize Charlie as a girl, gleefully doing all these things. The things that kids who love tennis find joy in, the things that forever tie them to the game.
But that was just a beginning. I also wanted to understand how the game of tennis would bring Charlie’s relationship with her father closer. How the game would help father and daughter to better understand and appreciate each other. I knew early on that Charlie’s mom died of breast cancer and that she was raised by a single dad, I was interested to know how Weisberger was going to portray this relationship and if she was going to give proper credit to how important the support, dedication, care and attention plays in the development of a person who decides to pursue an extremely demanding career of being a professional tennis player.
I knew that this was an important part of any tennis player’s journey, and one of the real life examples was the childhood story of tennis legend Maria Sharapova. I’ve always been inspired by Sharapova, a girl from a poor family in a small village in Siberia, Russia finding her way to becoming a student at Nick Bolletteri’s internationally respected tennis academy in Brandenton, Florida. I was intrigued at how this girl overcame the very vocal doubts of many people that she was “too tall and too slow” to make it in tennis. I was intrigued to know how Sharapova overcame the kind of injuries that would have finished other players. I was interested in how she had the courage, dedication and confidence to work through all of these things.
For me, Sharapova answered all these questions when she said this about her childhood:
“I heard endless conversations between my parents when I was supposed to be going to sleep. Conversations about how we would survive, how we would continue. All of them were about trying to make me better.”
With money tight, Maria’s dad Yuri borrowed the sum that would enable him and his daughter, neither of whom could speak English, to travel from Russia to the United States, which they finally did in 1994. Visa restrictions prevented Maria’s mom Elena from joining them for two years. Arriving in Florida with savings of US$700, Maria’s dad took various low-paying jobs, including dishwashing, to fund her lessons until she was old enough to be admitted to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. In 1995, she was signed by IMG who agreed to pay the annual tuition fee of $35,000 for Maria to stay at the academy, allowing her to finally enroll at the age of nine.
I learned from Sharapova’s story that in order for her to reach for the dream she had, the whole family would have to get behind her, sacrifice and walk with her every step of the way. I was hoping that Weisberger would show us this in her story about Charlotte “Charlie” Silver. Therefore I was pleased when I read scenes like this one about Charlie and her father:
“When they walked out onto the court at Birchwood – almost always at night under the lights, when the paying members were home with their families – Mr. Silver’s attention narrowed to a laser beam of light that warmed Charlie the instant it focused on her. It was the one thing that hadn’t changed after her mother died: the obvious delight he took in teaching Charlie the game he loved. All those years had been a labor of love for him, from the time she’s followed him like a duckling around the court as he demonstrated the baseline, the alleys, the service line, and no-man’s land, to the very first time Charlie took a game off him fair and square when she was thirteen and Mr. Silver whooped so loudly a groundskeeper came to make sure they were okay. He taught Charlie everything she knew – strokes, footwork, strategy, and of course sportsmanship – straight up until she won the sixteen-and-under Orange Bowl at age fifteen, the Grand Slam of junior tournaments, and Mr. Silver insisted he’d taken her as far as he could.”
I was only on page eighteen and I was sure that I was going to connect with the soul of this story. That is always a good place to start. Then I was interested in how compelling Weisberger’s story might be. Was the situation this author put her protagonist into a worthy and intriguing one? For me, the answer to this question was a very solid yes!
The story opens when Charlie is about to face her opponent Alice at center court Wimbledon. Charlie had played Alice two years earlier at Indian Wells (6-2, 6-2) and was therefore confident in her odds of winning this match. But then something happened that seemed to pull the rug from under Charlie’s feet before the match even began. A Wimbledon official determined that there was too much of the color pink on the soles of Charlies’ trainers, therefore she was not allowed to wear them for her match that was only ten minutes from starting. “Your shoes. The sole is almost entirely pink. That is a violation” the official determined.
What happens next was one of those “worst case scenarios” for a professional tennis player. Charlie’s coach, Marcy Berenson, was forced to scramble to find a few different pairs of running shoes in Charlie’s size, hoping one pair might fit. Just a note, this is an extremely disagreeable situation for a player of this level to be faced with, especially considering the hours and hours that are put into fitting, then the custom designed shoes that come from the manufacturer, in Charlie’s case, Nike.
Marcy returns, out of breath, with four boxes of shoes, the first two don’t fit at all, and the third, a clunky, heavy pair of K-Swiss seem to be the best option. It’s now two minutes before playing time and Charlie watches as Alice walks past her open door, it’s time to leave. She stands up and walks out before even trying on the fourth pair. She plays in these shoes and the results are tragic.
One month later, the scene is Charlie is in the hospital, awakening from Achilles surgery. “I’m done. Finished. Like it or not, it’s time to retire, because there’s no returning from this injury” she thinks, then throws up twice in the recovery room and once again in her hospital bed. And if the situation couldn’t be any worse, her coach Marcie is starting to give her hints that she should quit. Charlie is disheartened because she knows that her coaches’ advice happens to be coming right at the time that she wants to get pregnant and be home more often. Charlie resents her coaches’ perceived selfishness…she is determined to recover and, more than just recover, be a more successful tennis player.
She then makes a very significant, life changing decision. She going to replace her coach, and more than that try to secure the services of an almost unattainable, super successful coach who is known to have a very disagreeable personal style. Charlie’s got to convince this unpleasant, disagreeable, hard driving coach to take her on, then she’s got to be prepared to submit herself completely to his fierce, punishing fitness training regiments in order to become the player that she knows she could be.
For me, this was an excellent scenario to place the character in. Knowing this, I cheerfully and enthusiastically delved into Lauren Weisberger’s “The Singles Game.”
And I’m happy to say that the story held me in its wonderful grip - right to the very end!
October 8, 2016
This new novel from Lauren Weisberger captures the life of 24 year old Charlie Silver, a professional tennis player, who has had a potentially career ending injury. However, Charlie isn't ready to give up so she hires a new coach known for his hard core coaching regimen, gets an image makeover, and comes back at the beginning of the next season as the new and improved Charlie "Warrior Princess". Her image overhaul includes a personality one as well, armed with instructions to make her secret dalliances with Marco, the sexy Spaniard also on the tour, public to increase her popularity and to be a media darling. All of this to attain the status of a Grand Slam win. This complete overhaul comes at a price. Is Charlie willing to let her morals go down the drain to win no matter the cost? Does she really believe her opponents are her enemies? As Charlie sees the side effects of what her new image has made her she needs to make some big decisions for herself. Should she sell her soul for a Grand Slam win or keep her ethics in tact?
When I picked up this book I had no idea it was about tennis but I quickly got into the flow and Weisberger writing is fast paced and immediately drew me in to the story. I know virtually nothing about tennis but there is a big pro tennis tournament held near my home that is mentioned in the book (in a minor fashion). "We talked after Cincinnati". This tournament affects traffic getting home and I have been to several matches over the year for fun but I still don't know a darn thing, so it was fun learning about the lavish and fast paced lifestyle these players that I have seen around every year live in and it was very revealing and kind of shocking. That was what made me read so fast, the sheer fun of Charlie's lifestyle. The book was a good chick lit book. Great read for the beach, plane, or just something for fun. Some reviewers have slammed it for its lack of substance but my advice is don't go in expecting high literature! If anyone has heard of this author you know what her writing style and topics are going to be so don't have such high expectations! It's a solidly written book. Charlie is a well written character who is having self doubts with her decisions. Yes, Marco is written as an ass. And I'm sure the events in the book are meant to mirror actual events that have happened to actual tennis players. That's what made it fun and relatable. I stated I know nothing about tennis but I watch the news and recognized some of the things in the book were things that happened to real pros. That added some fun and interest for me.
So that's my review. Take it or leave it. I liked it. It wasn't some great awesome book but it was fun to read and fast paced. I would recommend it to any who likes this author or to anyone who just wants a nice light read that's well written. It's chick lit folks. Not the Grapes of Wrath. But it's still a worthy read. 3 solid stars.
When I picked up this book I had no idea it was about tennis but I quickly got into the flow and Weisberger writing is fast paced and immediately drew me in to the story. I know virtually nothing about tennis but there is a big pro tennis tournament held near my home that is mentioned in the book (in a minor fashion). "We talked after Cincinnati". This tournament affects traffic getting home and I have been to several matches over the year for fun but I still don't know a darn thing, so it was fun learning about the lavish and fast paced lifestyle these players that I have seen around every year live in and it was very revealing and kind of shocking. That was what made me read so fast, the sheer fun of Charlie's lifestyle. The book was a good chick lit book. Great read for the beach, plane, or just something for fun. Some reviewers have slammed it for its lack of substance but my advice is don't go in expecting high literature! If anyone has heard of this author you know what her writing style and topics are going to be so don't have such high expectations! It's a solidly written book. Charlie is a well written character who is having self doubts with her decisions. Yes, Marco is written as an ass. And I'm sure the events in the book are meant to mirror actual events that have happened to actual tennis players. That's what made it fun and relatable. I stated I know nothing about tennis but I watch the news and recognized some of the things in the book were things that happened to real pros. That added some fun and interest for me.
So that's my review. Take it or leave it. I liked it. It wasn't some great awesome book but it was fun to read and fast paced. I would recommend it to any who likes this author or to anyone who just wants a nice light read that's well written. It's chick lit folks. Not the Grapes of Wrath. But it's still a worthy read. 3 solid stars.
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