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More copies of this ISBN:Pound for Pound: A Novelby F. X. Toole
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Pound for Pound is a big novel in the truest sense of the word, a story of family, honor, perseverance, and forgiveness. Set in towns where violence is the norm and success stories take on an almost mythic importance, it tells of grandfathers and grandsons — older men for whom life has not been easy and the young men who look to them for guidance — and reveals the transformative power of that relationship. Dan Cooley, an aging but legendary Los Angeles trainer, takes on a troubled young fighter named Chicky Garza, hungry to make a name for himself in the San Antonio boxing circuit, which is rife with crime and corruption. The bond between them grows more powerful than the obstacles they face, ultimately reviving in each man the courage it takes to triumph both in and out of the ring.
This masterful, posthumous novel follows Toole's remarkable fiction debut, Rope Burns (recently published in paperback as Million Dollar Baby), which earned comparisons to Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, and Frank McCourt, and which became an Academy Award-winning film four years after publication. As James Ellroy says in the foreword, "F. X. Toole did not live to visit the set or hug the stars at the premiere. The rumor was true. He had a bum ticker." It is a tragedy that the world will not hear more from F. X. Toole, but Pound for Pound is a novel that any writer would be proud to leave behind, marking his place in the world of letters. Review:"Toole, who died before seeing the Oscar-winning movie adaptation of his short story 'Million Dollar Baby,' weighs in posthumously with this bruising smoker of a novel. (The novel was 'shaped,' notes James Ellroy in the introduction, from a 900-page manuscript by Toole's agent and a freelance editor.) Dan Cooley, a onetime contender who has outlived his wife and children and whose life revolves around his grandson, Tim Pat, goes off the rails after Tim Pat is killed in a traffic accident. As Cooley vacillates between booze-fueled suicidal thoughts and fantasies of homicidal vengeance, Hispanic teenager Eduardo 'Chicky' Garza y Duffy begins his troubled ascent in the amateur boxing world. That these two men, separated by thousands of miles, ethnicity and generations, will become the vehicle for one another's redemption is inevitable, but Toole's unsentimental prose and knack for creating tragic characters (whose sufferings, in turn, lead to plausible triumphs) overcome the ready-made plot. Cooley's thesis — that prize fighting, for all its apparent brutality, is a sport that rewards wisdom, skill and (at times) fair play — informs Toole's writing; the result is a stunning cap to a short but brilliant writing career." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"Not a flawless novel — it softens noticeably in the middle — but the characters are irresistible, and their gritty, savage, strangely noble world is vividly evoked..." Kirkus Reviews Review:"Despite some sappy contrivances, Pound for Pound proves that a flurry of emotional jabs can be just as powerful as one knockout punch. (Grade: B+)" Entertainment Weekly Review:"[P]owerful and very readable, if somewhat sentimental, and Toole's deep love of boxing's rituals, traditions, and code of honor shines through." Library Journal Review:"[T]he reader thanks Mr. Toole here, and forever after, for his last and greatest work." San Francisco Chronicle Review:"An engaging, sometimes riveting book that also includes long swaths of prose that sound almost like notes for a novel....When Toole hits his stride, though, the story...moves as gracefully yet forcefully as a well-trained fighter." Seattle Times Review:"Pound for Pound is like a promising career cut short by misfortune. Read it for its touching conviction, for the bits that work almost as stories on their own..." Los Angeles Times Review:"Any boxing fan will lap up the fight scenes, including a five-round bout that describes a fighter's thoughts in superb detail. The best boxing novelist I know is W.C. Heinz (The Professional). But with his comprehensive knowledge, Toole runs a close second." Charlotte Observer Synopsis:This posthumously published novel by the critically acclaimed author of Million Dollar Baby follows a legendary boxing trainer and a young man trying to make a name for himself as both are forced to fight on in the face of pain, to overcome obstacles, and confront their demons — in and out of the ring. About the AuthorF. X. Toole was born in 1930. Having worked as a bullfighter, professional boxing "cut man," taxi driver, and saloon keeper, Toole published his first book of fiction at age seventy. He died in 2002, before seeing his short story "Million Dollar Baby" become an Academy Award-winning film. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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