It Happened in Wisconsin

By: Ken Moraff

Narrated by: Dick Hill

2013 Winner Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in General Fiction

In an America ravaged by the Great Depression, a talented but ragtag baseball team sets out to change the world. Barnstorming the back roads and dusty ballparks of the Midwest, the Racine Robins rally fans to the populist cause, raising money for soup kitchens and strike funds even as they thrill small-town crowds and dazzle opponents on the field. Yet winning the hearts and minds of the people turns out to be easier for the players than facing the twin seductions of love and money, conflicting desires that threaten to derail everything they are fighting to achieve.

After a sudden April snowstorm forces the Robins to find shelter in the Rockefeller hotel, events are set in motion that will change the way they view their team and each other. Can this tough, tight-knit group stay true to its great cause when ambition and longing come knocking?

©2013 Ken Moraff (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Well performed, but unimaginatively written

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The message the author was trying to get across (and one I don't think he handled well) could have been compressed into a short story. I would like to have seen more of the ideology portrayed in story - with something actually happening - than with endless intrusive conversations on the same subjects.

What could Ken Moraff have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

He could have written more about the team, the things they did, and shown what they believed through their lives and actions instead of writing a long boring string of conversations about socialism.

Have you listened to any of Dick Hill’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have been listening to Dick Hill's performances for years. He has a very wide range, and has narrated some remarkable books. I think he handled this book - such as it is - well. He is believable as the voice of the protagonist. Performance wise, I have no problems with this one.

Was It Happened in Wisconsin worth the listening time?

I find something worth the experience in most books. It's worth the time, but the reader / listener should be aware it's not about baseball at all, and not really even about any events or characters, but mostly a long, drawn-out diatribe on the injustices of capitalism.

Maybe Not So Much Wisconsin

I was expecting a little more history or information about Wisconsin during the years of barnstorming. The story got bogged down with too much philosophical talk of what might have been or what could be. The characters were interesting, but again very shallow in development. Dick Hill again put in a great performance with his narration given the material he had to work with.

Very Disappointing

I grew up in Racine, Wisconsin and was thrilled when I saw a book that ostensibly involved both my home town and my home state. Unfortunately, other than the name of the team (the Racine Robins), there are almost no references to Racine or Wisconsin, which suggests the author did very little research on something that was supposed to be part of his book. It happened in Wisconsin is basically a treatise on Socialism, using the reflections of a player on an itinerant baseball team as the narrative structure. All that would have been fine if the story had been promoted as such. But instead of getting a novel on the order of The Art of Fielding, which I had expected, I got The Art of Marxism. As for the narration, I like Dick Hill as a narrator for some things, but his voice and style just don't seem to fit this story. Again, the book a disappointment to me.

Annoying and Grating

Would you try another book from Ken Moraff and/or Dick Hill?

The barking radio voice reading of this book was so annoying I couldn't get past the first 2 chapters.

Would you be willing to try another book from Ken Moraff? Why or why not?

No

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Yes absolutely.

Any additional comments?

The premise of the book sounded interesting but it was ruined by some need to try and bring a 1930's radio cadence to the reading. I kept hoping the story would just get read but it continued to bark at me. I guess there was a reason it was only $8 bucks.

Life's Reflections

What made the experience of listening to It Happened in Wisconsin the most enjoyable?

In listening to this, I felt like I was truly in the old folks home listening to the main character think back on his life. Moraff really got the pace and language right for that. I can't think of a single other book I've ever read with that perspective. I also really enjoyed his masterful similes, bringing forth descriptions that painted the picture for all to see and feel, just as the narrator did.