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Title: Playing the Moldovans at Tennis
ISBN: 0312305184
Author:
Tony Hawks
Publicate Date: 2002-11-01
Publish: 2002-11-01
List Price: $13.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $3.83
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $3.00
Amazon Merchant Price: $11.16
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Achieving Notoriety
If the Moldovan football team may not reach notoriety on the playing field, it certainly reaches notoriety on the tennis court. After watching a football match, Tony Hawks---not the skateboarder---makes a bet with his friend that he can defeat the entire Moldovan football team ... in tennis.
Masterfully done by a leading British comedian, "Playing Moldovan in Tennis" is a perceptive novel about the struggle, bureaucracy, kindness and hospitality in Moldova. Describing the good and the bad of a country so remote from the private eyes, Hawks' insights reveal a beautiful land with its share of problems - tensions in Transnistria, ethnic relations with the Roma community in Soroca, and the corruptive measures of a green organized crime. Yes, there are those references of which a Moldovan may not be proud. But in the heartiest of lights, the book opens a window into the intrinsic splendor of a country that even its people choose to ignore in today's daily struggles.
Filled with laughter, "Playing Moldovan in Tennis" is the best comedic piece to emerge in the West about transitional economies. Highly recommended!
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2: Non-Fiction
Highly amusing sports journalism, if you want to call it that, not to mention a travelogue.
A writer, who also happens to be your A-grade pennant sort of standard type of tennis player thought it would be interesting to see if he could get one of the worst national football team's players to each play him in a short tennis match.
Not being the most open or easy to get by in country this presents some challenges, and some bemused players, although most are pretty good sports.
Some eye-opening local stuff about the country he comes across, especially with some of the less athletically skilled inhabitants.
A good read, especially given nobody knows anything about the place.
3.5 out of 5
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3: Where are the other Moldovan travelogues?
As someone who takes a great interest in the former Soviet Republics, I'm always interested in personal travelogues throughout the area. This book didn't disappoint. His perspective is great for a country so rarely visited. And he shows respect and deference to Moldavians and the progress they've been working towards. The pictures are great as are the descriptions of each soccer player.
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4: Why Playing the Moldovans at Tennis actually works
As a die-harder on CIS traveling, I do my best in ready every travelouge written on the former Soviet republics - some works, some do not work and some are great. Tony Hawks book is - against all odds - in the 2nd category.
The reason why Hawks has the odds against him for writing a travelouge that works (and under no circumstances is capable of writing a great travelouge) is that is simply doesn't have a clue about Moldova. As anyone that succedes with making a living out of something he doesn't have a clue about, he does not try to behave like he is an expert, he chooses a subject most other people don't have a clue about either and of course it does not hurt that he has a great humour and a lot of good spirit.
As a consequence of his approach though, the book is probably more interesting AFTER you have visited Moldova (or as entertainment for you that have no intention what so ever to go there - a marketsegment I suspect to be much bigger) than as preperation before you go.
2 other CIS travelogues come to my mind after reading Playing the Moldovans at tennis. Hennighan's Lost Province and Bissel's Chasing the Sea. Hennighan does not work, Bissel has written a great travelouge. The reason why Hennighan's book does not work is that as he as Hawks does not have a clue about Moldova nad the CIS, totally lacks the humour and - more important - the self irony and conciousnes about his own ignorance that it takes to write a good travelogue from this startingpoint. It should be stated that if you can live with the anoyments this creates, Hennighans book is quite worthwhile as the period of time he spends in Moldova, the fact that he speaks the language and the fact that he works there, give insights that Hawk's book can not provide. The reason why his travelouge is not great as Bissel's, is exactly because he does not even try to get a clue about the subject before he started writing. One can very well argue though that Hawk never intended to write a travelouge in this tradidtional sense.
Funny book - good observations!
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5: Tony Hawks does it again
I really enjoy Tony's humor, the way he writes and the fact that he actually goes through with his totally wild bets. A fun read!
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