A girl and a butterfly ball is this kind of novel that we constantly say to ourselves ” okay, one last page and I’ll stop for tonight “. However, such an exercise is more difficult than one thinks so much we are captivated by the story of Molly Monroe. The last page becomes another, then another and so on, which is a sure sign of a good book!
So it was at the speed of an Aroldis Chapman fastball (or almost) that I read A girl and a butterfly ball, a novel by renowned multiplatform journalist Richard Labbé. I have always greatly appreciated the work of the latter, as far as I can remember, but I feel that I was able to learn a little more about the author through this opus.
I am talking here, in particular, of his taste for rock music of decades past, repetitive allusions during the chapters. I am also talking about his family and friendly values that we feel when going through the nine sleeves of the novel (each sleeve represents a chapter), published under the direction of Hugo Roman editions.
An inspiring story
The fact that we cling to this book is simple in my eyes. In Molly Monroe, the protagonist of the story, there is a part of all of us who quickly recognizes herself there. Who identifies with it, at one time or another of our existence. We become attached to this young woman of 22, who is in a way in search of identity. She seeks her passions, her skills, her gifts of life. What she experiences is no different from ordinary mortals, which makes this novel realistic.
We like to follow her in her follies, her bubbles, her wanderings. We also like to follow all the stories latent in his own, which intertwine, of course, in his life. The secondary characters, whether we’re talking here about his father and his blueberry muffins, his very colorful friend Anne-Marie or even a former baseball star who’s a little embittered in life, are all very endearing. Even Ricky Carrier, a boorish player and a bit silly of the minor leagues, managed to carve out a place in our hearts.
So what is it, more precisely, A girl and a butterfly ball? This is the story of a young woman in her early twenties, who works in a cafe in Montpelier, Vermont. The catch is that like many of us in day-to-day reality, she longs for more for her life. It is in this sense that, when she sees a baseball game on TV, she thinks that she would be able to throw baseballs and break through the big leagues. To succeed where no other woman has succeeded.
This is how his first official throws are made in the alley of the café, not with balls, but with lemons! The lemons will turn into bullets, I assure you.
A mission to accomplish
Life therefore leads him to make his first offerings in a beer league in the corner of his native Vermont with pot-bellied gentlemen. Guided by the expertise, of course, of a certain Nap Rucker (I’ll let you discover who the latter is), Molly successfully entered the world of baseball thanks to her signature throw, her famous butterfly ball. This throw will guide her throughout this adventure, as she climbs the ladder one by one leading to her destiny.
This epic is obviously not easy. In his quest for glory, there are people present to help him, others present by ego. Even unexpected elements of his past life resurface, much to his surprise, which breathes new life into the novel to the delight of the reader.
The heroine will fight all along the lines to brave the obstacles facing her, with the help of her allies, yes, but by being the captain of her boat. This is precisely what I appreciated the most in the book, the fact of knowing her in control, with both hands on the wheel of her destiny. She is very lucid in her life, despite all this frivolity that inhabits her.
This is precisely why I think I enjoyed reading the 282 pages of the book so much. Like Frodo in the Lord of the Rings, we deeply want her to succeed in her quest.
It is therefore for all these reasons thatA girl and a butterfly ball is a baseball novel that I recommend to all baseball fans and even those less familiar with the sport, as the novel isn’t too niche. It is mainstream regardless of age, gender or general interests.
You will like, just like me, dragging it everywhere with you to read it.
