Heather’s Bookshelf: The Sum of Seven Thousand Sunsets
Author: Will Herman
Released: 03/28/24
Genre: Historical/Sports Fiction
“Hope. Dangerous, exciting, wonderful hope had returned to the Louisville Blues.”
“The Sum of Seven Thousand Sunsets” follows the Louisville Blues, a professional baseball team, in 1916.
The Louisville Blues are in a time of upheaval. The team has never won before, their players are unproven, and their long-time owner has recently passed away. The team has been passed down to Teresa Clark, a twenty-five year-old young woman who admits knowing close-to-nothing about the game.
Regardless of the challenges, the team comes together behind their long-time club manager, Wellington Doyle, and Teresa. Teresa is determined to represent her family and the team in a positive light while also carrying the burden of being the only woman team owner. But there are those around the club that don’t want to see the Blues or Teresa succeed.
Will the Blues be able to make it through the season? Will they finally win one? Or will their opposition win out in the end?
Trigger Warning: reference to racist language and events, arson, segregation, war-time death
Overall, I enjoyed this story. Told through the POVs of Teresa and Doyle, each provides a unique perspective and voice while also delving into different background aspects for the club. Teresa is a young, determined, and headstrong woman who has been thrust into a high-pressure and potentially dangerous situation with all the familial and cultural pressures one can imagine. Her interactions with those opposing the club and the interviews she did were thought-provoking and pulled the story together. Doyle was a much more demure voice- one framed of a traumatic background and of years of being told he was not good enough. He’s caring, broken, and somehow optimistic when he shouldn’t be. I found both to be compelling and likable protagonists. There’s also a clear and despicable villain that enhances many of the social challenges of the time (that unfortunately sometimes persist). The author does an excellent job in incorporating newspaper clippings and other details that set the scene for the timeframe of the tale. I also appreciated the way the story relayed the importance sports can have on an individual and a community. I will confess that I am not a baseball fan and the portions that relayed the events of games were a bit dry and drawn out for me. The ending felt a bit unresolved for me. I would have liked to have an epilogue or something to show where the club was in a year or five- how everything ended up in the city and within the stadium. Perhaps a future tale is in the works?
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A historical/sports fiction with two likable protagonists, social dynamics specific to the given time period, baseball, and a whole lot of heart.
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