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Seabiscuit: An American Legend

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Seabiscuit: An American Legend
The cover of the paperback version
AuthorLaura Hillenbrand
LanguageEnglish
PublisherRandom House
Publication date
June 30, 1999
Publication placeUnited States
Media typeVarious
Pages416 (hardcover)
399 (softcover)
ISBN978-0-375-50291-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-449-00561-3 (softcover)
OCLC46369186
798.4/0092/9 21
LC ClassSF355.S4 H56 2001b

Seabiscuit: An American Legend is a non-fiction book written by Laura Hillenbrand, published in 1999. The book is a biography of the Thoroughbred racehorse Seabiscuit. It won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and was adapted as a feature film in 2003. It has also been published under the title Seabiscuit: The True Story of Three Men and a Racehorse. The author has been praised for her ability to convey a sense of historical times.[1] The 2003 film Seabiscuit was adapted from the book.

Reception

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Seabiscuit: An American Legend enjoyed near universal acclaim, with most praise centering on the compelling nature of the story and expert storytelling of Hillenbrand, who had done much research. Praising her accounts of the races, the Sports Illustrated writer Ron Fimrite said, "She writes about the confusion, turbulence and artistry of a race with the same grasp of sound and movement that Whitney Balliett brings to jazz in his 'New Yorker' profiles [...] no mean accomplishment."[2] The Economist found "the research is meticulous, the writing elegant and concise, so that every page transports you back to the period,"[3] and Jim Squires of the New York Times likewise called her research "meticulous."[4] Newsweek noted that "what chiefly distinguishes this account is the straightforward pleasure Hillenbrand takes in the accomplishments of her heroes, two-footed and four-footed alike."[5] People magazine said that "Hillenbrand's jargon-free language makes the races--and the period--exhilarating."[6] More conservatively, Karen Valby with Entertainment Weekly found "Hillenbrand's account ... saddled by loosely connected anecdotes and confused scene-setting," finally giving the book a grade of a "B".[7] William Nack, the author of Secretariat: The Making of a Champion, stated: "You had clearly created a world, and you had done so with a distinctly lyrical feel and touch."[8]

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ "Review of Seabiscuit". Archived from the original on 2010-02-07. Retrieved 2010-05-19.<-This is not a legitimate source of information. This opinion was offered by a student in a creative writing class. Though you will find no paraphrased account here.
  2. ^ Fimrite, Ron (March 05, 2001), "If looks were everything, this great champion would have been pulling a cart". Sports Illustrated. 94 (10):24
  3. ^ (February 24, 2001), "Three men and a pony," Economist. 358 (8210):87
  4. ^ Jim Squires (March 11, 2001), "Can Do!", New York Times :12
  5. ^ Jones, Malcolm (March 12, 2001), "Neck and Neck With Glory," Newsweek. 137 (11):73
  6. ^ Sanders, Erica (May 14, 2001), "Seabiscuit (Book Review)". People. 55 (19):54
  7. ^ Valby, Karen (March 16, 2001), "SEABISCUIT (Book Review)". Entertainment Weekly. (587):62
  8. ^ Seabiscuit: A Reader's Guide - A Conversation with Laura Hillenbrand

See also

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