Levels of the Game – by John Mcphee

Levels of the Game by John McPhee is a book about a single tennis match between Authur Ashe and Clark Graebner. The story of the lives that lead the two players to this moment is interwoven into the novel. The book is written as if it were a movie, shifting back and forth between the backstories of the players and the epic match they are playing. Famous for his style and structure, McPhee received high praises for this book.

I bought this book because I heard that John Mcphee is an incredibly great writer, and I had never heard of him before. Honestly, I did not enjoy the book very much. While I appreciate the brilliance of its style and structure, it was not a page-turner. I’m not a big tennis fan. I enjoyed the back stories and sociological contexts of the players more than the descriptions of athletic feats accomplished in the match.

I’m looking forward to trying another book by John McPhee, but this one wasn’t my favorite, however, I would still recommend it to someone who is either a fan of tennis or a writer.