Reviews
"Remarkable achievements . . . The Sport of Kings hovers between fiction, history, and myth, its characters sometimes like the ancient ones bound to their tales by fate, its horses distant kin to those who drew the chariot of time across the sky . . . Novelists can do things that other writers can't--and Morgan can do things that other novelists can't . . . Tremendous, the work of a writer just starting to show us what she can do. " --Kathryn Shultz, New Yorker "Ravishing and ambitious ... It's a mud-flecked epic, replete with fertile symbolism, that hurtles through generations of Kentucky history . . . [Morgan is] an interior writer, with deep verbal and intellectual resources . . . Ms. Morgan bears down incisively on topics -- the lust for speed and power and domination, the prison experience of black men, male camaraderie, the bonds between fathers and sons, the brute intricacies of the dirty Southern soul -- that men have tended to claim . . . [A] serious and important novel. "--Dwight Garner, New York Times "One literary stereotype associates long, sprawling, ambitious novels with male writers . . . In this century, however, the finest 'major' novels have more often than not been written by women. Zadie Smith, Donna Tartt, Eleanor Catton, Meg Wolitzer and Elena Ferrante are among those hitting the long balls in contemporary fiction, and with The Sport of Kings , a world-encompassing colossus second novel , C. E. Morgan has joined their ranks . . . Morgan is a virtuoso stylist, easily rendering the kinetics of horseracing, then plunging beneath the surface to illuminate the mysteries of genetic science. There will not be a novel with a larger and more dazzlingly deployed vocabulary published this year . . . a constantly invigorating, surprising and transfixing novel." --Michael LaPointe, The Times Literary Supplement "Majestic and sorrowful . . . with this extraordinary work, C.E. Morgan moves into the front rank of contemporary writers ." --Wendy Smith, Newsday "Vivid epic of rage and racism on a Kentucky stud farm exposes the myth of the American dream." -- The Spectator (UK) "With The Sport of Kings , C. E. Morgan has delivered a masterpiece . Rich, deep, and ambitious, this book is, by any standard, a Great American Novel." --Philipp Meyer, author of The Son "[ The Sport of Kings ] is an epic novel steeped in American history and geography . . . Morgan's gothic tale of Southern decadence deepens into a searing investigation of racism's enduring legacy . . . Vaultingly ambitious, thrillingly well-written, charged with moral fervor and rueful compassion. How will this dazzling writer astonish us next time?" -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Morgan has dared to write the kind of book that was presumed long extinct: a high literary epic of America." --Duncan White, The Telegraph (UK), "[ The Sport of Kings ] is an epic novel steeped in American history and geography . . . Morgan's gothic tale of Southern decadence deepens into a searing investigation of racism's enduring legacy . . . Vaultingly ambitious, thrillingly well-written, charged with moral fervor and rueful compassion. How will this dazzling writer astonish us next time?" -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "With The Sport of Kings , C. E. Morgan has delivered a masterpiece. Rich, deep, and ambitious, this book is, by any standard, a Great American Novel." --Philipp Meyer, author of The Son " The Sport of Kings unfolds dramatically with bold and beautiful writing that is crafted into an exquisite work of classic American literature . . . Horse racing and breeding, evolution, race, love, family dynamics, and America's historical past are a few of the subjects and issues that Morgan bravely, confidently, and intelligently explores with a poetic and lyrical sensibility. The result is a gorgeous and engaging novel that is sobering, important, and unforgettable. This book is special. Don't miss this real treasure from one of America's finest writers." -- Ed Conklin, Chaucer's Books, Santa Barbara, CA "If you strip this novel of its beautiful writing, gorgeous descriptions, and lush geography, it is a tale of betrayal and redemption, pure and simple. Set in the Bluegrass region of central Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio, C. E. Morgan's saga spans the histories of both a land-and-slave owning family (who were among the first to settle in Kentucky), and the descendants of escaped slaves whose 'salvation' lay in the Queen City on the other side of the Ohio River. The backdrop of the thoroughbred horse industry brings the two families' stories together. Morgan masterfully injects damning commentary about current social issues throughout the novel. This is a powerful narrative from a brilliant writer." -- Alison Courtney, Morris Book Shop, Lexington, KY, "Remarkable achievements . . . The Sport of Kings hovers between fiction, history, and myth, its characters sometimes like the ancient ones bound to their tales by fate, its horses distant kin to those who drew the chariot of time across the sky . . . Novelists can do things that other writers can't--and Morgan can do things that other novelists can't . . . Tremendous, the work of a writer just starting to show us what she can do."--Kathryn Shultz, The New Yorker "One literary stereotype associates long, sprawling, ambitious novels with male writers . . . In this century, however, the finest 'major' novels have more often than not been written by women. Zadie Smith, Donna Tartt, Eleanor Catton, Meg Wolitzer and Elena Ferrante are among those hitting the long balls in contemporary fiction, and with The Sport of Kings , a world-encompassing colossus second novel, C. E. Morgan has joined their ranks . . . Morgan is a virtuoso stylist, easily rendering the kinetics of horseracing, then plunging beneath the surface to illuminate the mysteries of genetic science. There will not be a novel with a larger and more dazzlingly deployed vocabulary published this year . . . aconstantly invigorating, surprising and transfixing novel." --Michael LaPointe, The Times Literary Supplement "With The Sport of Kings , C. E. Morgan has delivered a masterpiece. Rich, deep, and ambitious, this book is, by any standard, a Great American Novel." --Philipp Meyer, author of The Son "[ The Sport of Kings ] is an epic novel steeped in American history and geography . . . Morgan's gothic tale of Southern decadence deepens into a searing investigation of racism's enduring legacy . . . Vaultingly ambitious, thrillingly well-written, charged with moral fervor and rueful compassion. How will this dazzling writer astonish us next time?" -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review), "Remarkable achievements . . . The Sport of Kings hovers between fiction, history, and myth, its characters sometimes like the ancient ones bound to their tales by fate, its horses distant kin to those who drew the chariot of time across the sky . . . Novelists can do things that other writers can't--and Morgan can do things that other novelists can't . . . Tremendous, the work of a writer just starting to show us what she can do. "--Kathryn Shultz, The New Yorker "One literary stereotype associates long, sprawling, ambitious novels with male writers . . . In this century, however, the finest 'major' novels have more often than not been written by women. Zadie Smith, Donna Tartt, Eleanor Catton, Meg Wolitzer and Elena Ferrante are among those hitting the long balls in contemporary fiction, and with The Sport of Kings , a world-encompassing colossus second novel , C. E. Morgan has joined their ranks . . . Morgan is a virtuoso stylist, easily rendering the kinetics of horseracing, then plunging beneath the surface to illuminate the mysteries of genetic science. There will not be a novel with a larger and more dazzlingly deployed vocabulary published this year . . . a constantly invigorating, surprising and transfixing novel." --Michael LaPointe, The Times Literary Supplement "Majestic and sorrowful . . . with this extraordinary work, C.E. Morgan moves into the front rank of contemporary writers ." --Wendy Smith, Newsday "Vivid epic of rage and racism on a Kentucky stud farm exposes the myth of the American dream." -- The Spectator (UK) "With The Sport of Kings , C. E. Morgan has delivered a masterpiece . Rich, deep, and ambitious, this book is, by any standard, a Great American Novel." --Philipp Meyer, author of The Son "[ The Sport of Kings ] is an epic novel steeped in American history and geography . . . Morgan's gothic tale of Southern decadence deepens into a searing investigation of racism's enduring legacy . . . Vaultingly ambitious, thrillingly well-written, charged with moral fervor and rueful compassion. How will this dazzling writer astonish us next time?" -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Morgan has dared to write the kind of book that was presumed long extinct: a high literary epic of America." --Duncan White, The Telegraph (UK)
