Once a Runner

Once a Runner: A Novel by John L. Parker


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was described as the "best novel about running", and I read an excerpt in Runners World that was pretty good. I admit I checked it out hoping to help my motivation but I took the "best novel about running" in stride--add enough adjectives and anything can be the "best". I will readily admit that it's not the best novel--some parts are confusing, the subplot about being kicked out of school isn't very developed and doesn't seem to make much sense--but it may very well be the best novel about running (not that I've read any others--except if you can count The Time Traveler's Wife). Parker captures what it is like to run beautifully. I surely haven't experienced a tenth of what an elite runner must feel like, but Parker described the parts of running I do know so well and so elegantly that I readily believe the rest.

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