-
“This
riveting tale of beating the odds (and the Germans) at the 1936 Olympics is a
rousing story of American can-do-ism. It’s also a portrait of the nine boys who
first rowed together for the University of Washington and of the one in
particular who made the sport his family and his home.”
- Parade
-
“Cogent
history… and a surprisingly suspenseful tale of triumph.”
- USA Today
-
“For those
who like adventure stories straight up...It’s about the University of
Washington’s crew team: ‘Nine working-class boys from the American West who at
the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really meant.’”
- New York Times
-
“If you
imagined a great regatta of books about rowing, then Brown’s The Boys in the Boat certainly makes the
final heat.”
- Boston Globe
-
“This
riveting and inspiring saga evokes that of Seabiscuit…Readers
need neither background nor interest in competitive rowing to be captivated by
this remarkable and beautifully crafted history. Written with the drama of a
compelling novel, it's a quintessentially American story that burnishes the
esteem in which we embrace what has come to be known as the Greatest
Generation.”
- Associated
Press
-
“Brown’s
book juxtaposes the coming together of the Washington crew team against the
Nazis’ preparations for the Games, weaving together a history that feels both
intimately personal and weighty in its larger historical implications. This
book has already been bought for cinematic development, and it’s easy to see
why: When Brown, a Seattle-based nonfiction writer, describes a race, you feel
the splash as the oars slice the water, the burning in the young men’s muscles,
and the incredible drive that propelled these rowers to glory.”
- Smithsonian
-
“The
individual stories of these young men are almost as compelling as the rise of
the team itself. Brown excels at weaving those stories with the larger
narrative, all culminating in the 1936 Olympic Games…A story this breathtaking
demands an equally compelling author, and Brown does not disappoint. The
narrative rises inexorably, with the final fifty pages blurring by with white-knuckled
suspense as these all-American underdogs pull off the unimaginable.”
- Seattle Times
-
“For this nautical version of Chariots of Fire, Brown crafts an
evocative, cinematic prose studded with engrossing explanations of rowing
technique and strategy, exciting come-from-behind race scenes, and the
requisite hymns to “mystic bands of trust and affection” forged on the water.
Brown lays on the aura of embattled national aspiration good and thick, but he
makes his heroes’ struggle as fascinating as the best Olympic sagas.”
- Publishers Weekly
-
“A touching, fairly uncomplicated portrayal of
rowing legends.”
- Kirkus Reviews