Carrie Soto is like other sports novels in which underdogs punch, volley, bat and birdie their way to victory or additional defeat, but it goes beyond this to explore sexism and racism in the tennis world in the 1990s. Yes, things have changed since then. No, that doesn’t make Carrie’s story feel dated or read like a polemic ... Even if you’re not a tennis fan, this novel will grab you. You’ll tear through blow-by-blow descriptions of championship matches on some of the most famous tennis courts in the world. Equally entrancing is the audio version. Close your eyes and your head will move right and left, and left and right, as you envision the racket-breaking matches between Carrie and her rivals ... Carrie Soto’s deep dive into women’s tennis may be the most ambitious. It’s the perfect novel to close out your summer, and whether Carrie defeats Nicki Chan is almost secondary.
Soto...loves the game with such ferocity it could turn even the least athletic-minded reader into a fan despite her deep personality flaws ... Soto is paired with a cast of complex, determined opponents ... A must-read for Reid fans, Williams fans and ambitious women everywhere ... Reid's writing is extraordinary in its empathy for women navigating uncharted fame and success ... Following the mental trajectory of a certified champion like Soto is endlessly fascinating and makes the book impossible to put down.
My first thought picking up this book was, naturally, whether people who don’t know much about tennis will want to read it, but the answer is absolutely yes. Reid does ask the reader to spend a lot of time on the courts ... But Reid is so good at underscoring that with clear characterisation and urgent storytelling that the sports stuff never feels overbearing, or even particularly sporty, just high stakes. It’s not the tennis we care about, but Carrie herself, which is quite a feat given that she is painted as the least likeable sports person ever ... Reid examines misogyny in the sport and the cost of ambition, while her characteristic lively style keeps the writing light and propulsive even when the themes are heavy ... This is some of Reid’s best writing: focused, colourful and compassionate. The question is not whether Carrie can win, but whether she can ever be happy.
