Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season

by Stewart O'Nan, Stephen King

Early in 2004, two writers and Red Sox fans, Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King, decided to chronicle the upcoming season, one of the most hotly anticipated in baseball history. They would sit together at Fenway. They would exchange emails. They would write about the games. And, as it happened, they would witness the greatest comeback ever in sports, and the first Red Sox championship in eighty-six years. What began as a Sox-filled summer like any other is now a fan's notes for the ages.

Genres: Sports, Baseball, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Memoir, Summer

445 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2004

About the author

Stewart O'Nan is the author of eighteen novels, including Emily, Alone; Last Night at the Lobster; A Prayer for the Dying; Snow Angels; and the forthcoming Ocean State, due out from Grove/Atlantic on March 8th, 2022.

With Stephen King, I’ve also co-written Faithful, a nonfiction account of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and the e-story “A Face in the Crowd.”

You can catch me at stewart-onan.com, on Twitter @stewartonan and on Facebook @stewartONanAuthor

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't just read this book, I savored it, taking my time to get through to the end.

I had not read a Stephen King book in year's but he was as fun as I remember. It was also entertaining to listen to the fans neurosis as the season wore on and their disbelief at finally winning it all.

[Lindsay (pawsomereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge baseball fan but sadly there's no baseball to watch on tv so I decided to read about it instead!

[Sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did you know that I like the Red Sox? I like the Red Sox. Did you know we won the World Series recently? Twice! But the first time was the best. After that first time, I did the following:

- Wept
- Drank several beers
- Several is an approximation
- Jumped out of my cab in the middle of the street to hug a total stranger
- Like three times, seriously
- Bought the entire postseason on DVD so I could watch The Steal again and again
- Wept while watching The Steal again and again
- Read several books by crazy people who are Red Sox fans.

And here's what sucks about this particular book by crazy people (Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King wrote it together): the 2004 ALCS was one of the most terrifying things that've ever happened. (If you don't know why, you don't need to read this review.) It's a crime against posterity that Stephen King - Stephen King! - wrote about this exact series...and didn't do it justice. I'm mystified and deeply saddened, because there's literally no one better in the history of the world to describe that exact series than Stephen King. And he blew it.

Tempted to click the "this review contains spoilers" box. Spoiler: we totally won the World Series. Spoiler 2: I wept.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for fans by fans, and admirers of these two writers will be amazed that they had anything else to do in 2004 besides obsess over their team. And you couldn't make this up -- the year they are commissioned to write a double diary chronicling their lives as woebegone Red Sox fans, the impossible happens and the Sox go on to take the series. Not news to anyone with even a rudimentary interest in the game. Knowing the ending doesn't matter here; what is important is the day by day filtering of statistics and facts. These two guys are A List authors, and while I don't read King as a rule, I read everything Onan puts out. The two voices, alternating, give different slants to the events as they unspool, but what results is a cohesive life of a baseball fan during the season. While my allegiance is for a different team in a different league on a different coast, I feel the excitement at winning, the outrage of bad calls by the umpire, and the roller coaster ride of a season that starts out with everything possible and ends abruptly in the fall.

[Ashley Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who picks this up ought to approach it from the perspective of a baseball fan, first and foremost - otherwise it'll probably be a slog. O'Nan in particular likes to give detailed play-by-plays throughout the regular season, and it's not always riveting reading. I really enjoyed this book because the 2004 Red Sox didn't qualify as favorites, and while they did have Theo Epstein (the fellow who eventually turned the Cubs organization into WS winners in 2016), Terry Francona was a new manager in Boston, and absolutely none of this was a sure thing.

Stephen's signature humor made it feel like I was having a conversation with him - most of his frustrations with Francona's decisions could have come out of mine and my dad's mouths these last few years (the diehard Cleveland fans that we are, sigh). Indeed, up til 2016 I would have said 2004 was probably my favorite WS in recent memory. A great book not just for BoSox fans but for any baseball fan.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

** The Stephen King Goodreads Discussion Group is doing a re-read of his works from the beginning to the end. It’s been a long time since I have really immersed myself in Uncle Stevie’s world, but a rate of a book a month, I am all in. My goal is to read and review each one with as much honesty and reflection that I can give. **

Background – “Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season” was originally published in 2004 as a Scribner hardcover. It was co-written by Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan, sharing their communications during the Boston Red Sox 2004 baseball season, covering from spring training all the way to their first World Series since 1918.

Length-wise - my oversized paperback lists it as 445 pages and my Kindle lists it as 404 pages.

Plotline – Stephen King and Stewart O’Nan, two writers, are also die-hard Red Sox fans who sit together at the historical Fenway Park home games, send each other daily emails regarding how the Red Sox team is doing during the season (living and dying with each win and loss), and often write articles and blogs about the games.

Following the heart-crushing loss to the Yankees in the 2003 American league Championship series as the result of a seventh game, 11th inning walk-off home run, the Red Sox being their 2004 season with a hope, prayer, and several injuries. The curse of the Big Bambino is still alive in the eyes of suffering Red Sox fans as they pray things will be different this year.

What ends up happening is an unbelievable true story of one of the greatest comebacks in sports baseball history, one in which Stephen and Stewart share their personal, once in a lifetime, ultimate fan experience.

Thoughts and Reflections – This is a real-life underdog sports story told by two hardcore, faithful Boston Red Sox fans. Stephen and Stewart make you quickly forget about their writing successes as professional authors, and pull you into their hard-luck history that comes with religiously following their hometown team and passionately hating their evil enemy - the New York Yankees.

This book is written primarily for sports fans, specifically baseball fans who know their history and the great Red Sox/Yankee rivalry that is on the level of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s. It is made up of journal entries and emails from Stephen and Stewart from the beginning of the 2004 season, all the way through its 162 games, and then the unbelievable historic playoff run that culminated in the first Red Sox World Series win since 1918, and finally ending the curse of the Bambino.

The causal or non-sports writer will probably find themselves getting bogged down in the daily journal entries and emails of each game and the player dynamics. That’s understandable. Not everyone’s a hard-core baseball fan or aficionado. However, if you are a baseball fan, or a Red Sox fan, or a Red Sox vs. Yankees historical fan, then this niche book might be right up your alley. Since I am a big sports fan and can remember in vivid detail the absolutely amazing Red Sox comeback in the 2004 American league Championship, this was a nostalgic trip back to one of my all-time favorite sports stories experienced in my lifetime (only the U.S. Hockey team beating the Russians/taking home the gold medal, and my hometown Seattle Seahawks and Super-Sonics wining the Superbowl and the NBA Championship are dearer to my heart).

Other Notes – “Faithful” was dedicated to an Emerson College student named Victoria Snelgrove, who was struck in the eye by a projectile fired by the Boston Police Department during crowd-control actions near Fenway Park following Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, and resulted in her unfortunate death approximately 12 hours later.

Overall – This was a book that brought back some seriously wonderful sports and baseball memories for me. Although the daily journal entries and emails tended to drag on a bit during the long-winded regular season, it ramped up to a great crescendo and climax during their great playoff run and historical ALCS comeback that put them into their first World Series in 86 years.
For me, this was a very enjoyable trip back to a key hinge point in baseball history, told by two great wise narrators who know what their talking about. A solid three-stars out of five.

[Cujo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cue Frankie Vallie:
Oh what a season, late October back in 2004. What a very special time for me, as I remember oh what a season.
This book relives what was the greatest season in Redsox history. It tells everything from the dizzying highs to the terrifying lows, to the times that made us cluck our tongues and say., "My oh my what ever should we do about this Terry Francona character and his merry band of misfits?". . It relives the benches clearing bloody, Saturday afternoon brawl against the hated Yankees, that ignited the Redsox and very well saved their season.
Sadly it can't describe the jubilation I felt when they swept the Angels in the ALDS, the dismay I felt when they fell behind the Yankees 3 games to none in the ALCS, or the overall euphoria I felt when they ended up winning the next 4 to advance to the World Series,(a feat that was never done before). It also can't describe how I almost lost my job because games 4, 5, and 6 went extra innings went into the wee hours of the morning, and of course I had to watch every pitch. It also can not describe the pride I feel to this day when I watch hights lights of that series on Youtube or see one of my German cousins wearing a Redsox shirt or cap in Facebook photos. They were visting during the brawl game and became instant Redsox fans.

[Maisy Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really entertaining cant wait for opening weekend gonna get myself a fenway frank!

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite LOST lines is when Ben tells Jack that the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, and Jack's response is, "now I know you are lying." In a stroke of luck, Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan were hired to chronicle the 2004 Boston Red Sox season, which culminated in their first World Series win since 1918. A delightful back and forth of the thoughts, backgrounds, and game statistics of the season, I expected to enjoy, but I did not expect to laugh out loud so often. If you enjoy baseball, it's definitely a worthwhile read. It made me resolve to pay more attention to my teams this year.

[Bram Macgregor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this sometime in 23’ when I was in the middle of my quest to read Stephen King’s entire bibliography (which I have since completed).

It’s a fine piece of non-fiction and I’m a big Baseball fan but I don’t particularly like the Red Sox and never have even back in 2004 when they had their big World Series run.

I’m from Philadelphia so you can guess what team I root for.

3/5; fits perfectly in the realm of mediocre non-fiction that I would never read again (Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in The Woods” fits right into that category)

[Kelly Hager · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second time I've read this book and, just like the first, it was very hard going for me. There are basically two aspects to this book. The first is a love letter to baseball, sometimes recounted in nearly an inning-by-inning fashion. As you can imagine, these sections are almost impossible for me to read.

But the second part---oh, the second part! That's a love letter to obsession. And that I can rally behind. I don't get people who love sports (although if forced at gunpoint to watch a sport, I'd probably pick baseball), but I figure most of them don't understand why I'd willingly choose to re-read a prolific author's entire body of work in one year (speaking of, now it's two done and 66 to go!).

If you're a baseball fan (or probably even a sports fan), you will love this book to the marrow of your soul. If you're like me, you will hate yourself a lot of the time you're reading this. I did. And then I realized that I'm just as obsessed as they are, just with different things. It keeps me from getting too smug about the sports people. ;)

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, but maybe mostly for the walks down memory lane it prompted. The magical Red Sox summer of 04 was also the year we moved from baseball-crazy Boston to half-Red-Sox, half-Yankees Connecticut. I spent lots of those first few lonely months in Connecticut (foreign town, husband constantly at work) watching the Red Sox rise, slump, and improbably rise again. The rag-tag long-haired boys of Boston were a great diversion from the sometimes scary acts of moving, sending my firstborn off to kindergarten, and watching my husband sleepwalk through his intern year...I also relived with glee some great moments...like the Pokey Reese in-the-park homerun that we witnessed on Mormon Day in the spring.

With that said, I found Stephen King to be surprisingly funny and smart. (I haven't read much by him, surprise surprise). But I really wish he could clean up his language...not all baseball fans are used to locker-room talk...

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook a little at a time. It was fun to hear the day to day details of two everyday baseball fans. I was busily attending almost every September game of the last place but rebuilding 2017 Phillies and it main a fine companion, a partner in crime even. Any story where the Yankees die a horrible death is a happy ending.

[Mary Ronan Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title says, Faithful is about the 2004 Red Sox season. O'Nan and Stephen King write alternate chapters and discuss the team in depth and describe the games they get to see. King has season tickets and O'Nan has to scrounge for chances to go to the games.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. Loved the picture on the cover of the book.
GO SOX!

[Seb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me get this straight: here in Europe, at least in the few countries I've been to or lived in, baseball is not a thing. No one knows about it. We know you guys in the US play with bats to hit balls and do home runs and that's about that.

In my entire life I've never met another baseball fan IRL (except for my spouse but that's 'cause I got her into it with me 🙃).

You might ask how in Hell am I become a baseball fan. Well it's dumb and simple: Stephen King got me into. As a kid, I read all of Stephen King I could lay hands on and with all his mentioning baseball and comments about fanatism turned me into a regular Faithful, a Red Sox fan.

For long it was utterly difficult to follow anything baseball or to get into it due to the non-existent interest for the sport all around me. I've never let my oddity (on a european POV) out until recent years. Then came YouTube MLB Game of the Week and it became simpler. And then I found out I could watch baseball on mlb.tv in France as well and I'm now a regular spectator, even though I'm not so diehard like Stephen King nor Stewart O'Nan.

Those guys here offered me something new with this book: I got to follow the Red Sox for probably what's their best year, on an almost day to day recollection. '04 is legendary and yet at the time I wasn't in any position to follow the season at all. "Faithful" is therefore an ideal testimony of the struggle it was for Red Sox fans that year and I really dug this book!

I understand why it doesn't have that much of a good note on GR, not because it isn't good enough but because the readers have probably way more insight on the season and its outcome than I have. Maybe am I a better target for such a story.

On other matters too, this book brought me a lot, for instance on ballgame lingo and a lot of trivia.

Moreover, I loved living the '04 season with Stew and Steve, with whom we somehow get the feeling we're living the year. For this specifically, Faithful is perhaps the most intimate Stephen King's I've ever read and, as a Faithful reader (wink), this means a lot to me as well.

The circle is complete. Thank you, Stew and Steve 🥳

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of the Boston Red Sox is usually more interesting than anything in the Bible. Somehow the way many Bostonian sports fans (including myself) think and process information, players past and present are always connected to the Red Sox lore through the history of the game.

I first purchased this book in 2005 at the Tampa International Airport as I was ogling at Hulk Hogan's blonde bombshell wifey, but 30 pages were missing so I didn't get around to reading it until now.

This book does not work as a function without both O'Nan and King, but I think King's discourse is far more intelligent and entertaining. He earns the bold face font. O'Nan is misinformed regarding a handful of things concerning Red Sox Nation.

There is a neat DFW mention in the introduction (xv).

A young Hanley Ramirez is mentioned in spring training (9) as his Red Sox journey has now come full circle, attempting to fill the shoes of the legendary Big Papi.

Radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione set Brian Daubach up with his wife (13).

O'Nan writes, "Jeter seems to have lost his concentration the last few years." (50), but the fabled Captain would go on to play until 2014 and add another World Series ring to his collection of five.

O'Nan is driven by seats on top of the Green Monster hounding for lottery chances, but the view up there kind of sucks and the seats are way overpriced. "The monster seats are a dream." (62) Meh...

In 2004, the Red Sox salary was $125 million. In 2016, it is closer to $200 million.

O'Nan notices a misspell on printed souvenir cups on April 9th, "The company hasn't proofread the thing: Schilling is spelled SHILLING. And will be all season long." On June 27th (roughly three months), the cups are fixed. "She shows me that the souvenir-cup makers have fixed the SHILLING." (173) David Price has been a member of the Red Sox for over a year now. He makes $30 million a year. His official and verified Facebook page still lists him as a Toronto Blue Jays player. I have been blocked by him on Twitter, told Red Sox employees for an entire season before games, and sent certified mail to the head honchos, but no luck in that department. I also had the 2013 World Series Champions added to their Official Facebook page (millions of followers) because I'm fairly observant, but that only took a few weeks to fix.

O'Nan writes, "Gate B- the gate no one uses." I firmly disagree, as Gate B is one of the best gates to meet visiting baseball fans and sell programs to large crowds even before all of the statues have been added.

O'Nan clearly is unaware of BOSTON BASEBALL, the affordable program/scorecard sold outside of the ballpark. "In the mail is a stack of scoresheets from the Remy Report. Now, instead of having to buy the same $4 program all month, I can just flip a single sheet over and fold it into my pocket when I'm done." (91) I'm surprised his writing accomplice Mr. King did not inform him of BOSTON BASEBALL.

King writes, "The guy selling programs just outside Gate A pauses just long enough in his spiel to ask me how I'm feeling. I tell him I'm feeling fine. He says, 'Do you thank God?' I tell him, 'Every day.' He says, 'Right on, brotha,' and goes back to telling people how much they need a program, how much they need a scorecard, just two dollars unless you're a Yankee fan, then you pay four." (124)

That, "guy" used to try and pick fights with me in an alleyway adjacent to where junkies shoot up heroin in between their toes. He is a loser with poor grammar. Heroin is a stupid drug.

The Fenway marriage proposal is quite commonplace now. Sad.

Throughout the read, King writes "fan's notes," which made me think of Frederick Exley's A Fan's Notes (thanks Irby!). Sure enough, King quotes Exley's work on 181.

O'Nan writes "Right-hander John Lackey, a number four starter at best." (206) Wrong again. Lackey is a three-time World Series Champion (2002, 2013, 2016). Career 176-135, 3.88 regular season. 8-6, 3.27 postseason.

King writes, "I have never seen such a big man who is able to generate such sudden power, not even Mo Vaughn. God knows how long it will last, but Red Sox fans have been blessed to watch it over the last two seasons, and Ortiz may be having an MVP year." (254) Red Sox fans were blessed for 14 glorious seasons and won three World Series with Papi's transcendent bat.

El Monstro was the name of Papi's Cadillac roadster. (342) There are also several good allusions to Moby Dick throughout.

On Ortiz again, King writes, "What followed was, quite simply, baseball history. I can't repeat it here to any reader's satisfaction because, although I saw it, my forebrain still doesn't believe I saw it." (345) Game 2 ALCS 2013 was my moment.

https://youtu.be/HJyxzaLNlNw?si=aAgBV...

Thank you, Baseball Gods. #blessed

King was raised a Methodist (358).

King writes again, "Boston finished up with Tim Wakefield, the goat in last year's ALCS Game 7." (368) It's interesting how goats are used negatively in baseball, including the now broken Cubbies' curse (that's two for Brookline High alumnus, Theo Epstein now), yet Tom Brady is THE GOAT in the NFL (five-time Super Bowl Champion and Jesus Christ impersonator).

King's mother's name is Ruth (374).

In big bold print, King writes, "Last night, in a game that was never supposed to happen, the Boston Red Sox completed the greatest comeback in the history of American professional sports." (377) This can now be debated for all eternity with Super Bowl LI.

I forgot Clemens was the starting pitcher in Game 7 of the NLCS against Jeff Suppan (both former Sox players). Tony Womack was also cut from the Sox during spring training during the 2004 season (.307-5-38) for the NL Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Surprisingly, O'Nan's wife cries when the Red Sox win the whole shebang (397), but at times throughout the season acts as if she couldn't care less about the team. Why are women so wishy-washy sometimes? I can't help but think of Giselle's selfie video as soon as her hubby Tom won the big game and then later fumbling her cell during the live TV coverage. What a ditz.

I certainly will never forget this magical season, but a lot has changed. If "Father Schilling" didn't post so much right-wing and anti-Muslim garbage on social media, he probably wouldn't have been axed from ESPN's documentary. The Sox have lost a lot of their luster and charm for now until the next prolific team rises from the ashes of the cellar.

Who will be the next great underdog?

I hope and pray it is me.

[Sean Laprise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sean LaPrise
11/11/10
Period: 1
Mr. Ambrose
Quarter One Book Review: Faithful
In the year of 2004, history was made marking the greatest comeback in all of Baseball by none other than the Boston Red Sox. Two die-hard fans, who decided to chronicle the 2004 season of the Boston Red Sox were novelist, Stewart O’Nan and author of contemporary horror, Stephen King. These authors however would not know what history would eventually be made by their home team, and their recap of this great year would spawn, Faithful. O’Nan and King take the readers through their experiences, emotions, and memories within the writing of this book. In a few words, it is an excellent read, but has only a few negative things. This review for Faithful is based off of the good things about it, the bad things, and how it reaches out to certain and specific readers.
There are many reasons why a reader or readers would enjoy or like this book. It lets the readers relive the history that was made in the 2004 American League championship series, and the entire season with every single game and the scores. Both also describe the turning points of the Red Sox season, including their terrible month of June to the turnaround in July/August. The readers get to know what the authors are like during the year as well, including their expressed mixed emotions throughout the year. One example in particular was the American League Championship Series where all hope was lost after falling 0-3, and coming back and winning 4-3 in the series. Their emotions changed from nervous and depressed feelings to exciting and confident feelings. Readers can also use the authors as a reference to see what a die-hard fan is like, by going to many games and watching every game to the last second. One quote from Stephen King was, “Tonight, barring a stroke or a heart attack, I expect to be in until the end, be it bitter or sweet. And the same could be said for the season as a whole. I'm going to do pretty much what I did last year, in other words (only this year I expect to get paid for doing it). Which is pretty much addiction in a nutshell: doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result,"(King, 33). King said this on opening night of the season, and it shows that he is a die-hard fan, saying that he will be in it to the end bitter or sweet. Both authors also include short segments every few pages that are dialogues between each other. This is a good way for the readers to identify the feelings between the authors at certain points during the year, and witness debates between the authors as well. If some readers do judge the book by its cover, they would presume that the book is just about the team and their games, well, it’s not. The authors include many of their experiences within the season that adds more to the story. O’Nan writes about going to Fort Myers with his family for spring training, and King includes his experience of throwing the first pitch at Fenway Park. As one can see, there are many reasons why this book is a good read, but it does have its negatives as well.
Nothing can be perfect, but this book is very close to being perfect. In my opinion, the book was very clear throughout the four-hundred and three pages and did not have many undesirable elements and things, but it did have a couple. The major dislike of the book in my opinion is the references to every single game of the season and stats. This made the book feel very dull and boring, having to read about every single game and statistic. I also did not like that Stephen King was not included as much compared to Stewart O’Nan. The only times King was included in the book was within the dialogues between him and O’Nan and the bold sentences. I believe that O’Nan should deserve most of the credit for the book. Other than those two dislikes, the book was great to read.
In my opinion the greatest thing that Stewart O’Nan and Stephen King did to write this book was making it readable for all types of readers. Sports fans and enthusiast would most likely enjoy this book for reviewing or reliving the unbelievable acts of 2004, and because they enjoy sports. Readers who enjoy comedy and humor may like this read because of the language that is invoked within the book, jokes and cuss words in particular. Readers who enjoy Drama and suspense may enjoy this book as well because of how dramatic the Red Sox regular season and postseason was. Additionally, people who would like to learn about what happened in 2004 would definitely enjoy reading this because they can read about how the Red Sox came back from a 0-3 deficit, and from a fans view at the same time. This is a book that has so many different elements and themes that makes it creative and enjoyable for all.
These are the elements that the book review for Faithful, is based off of. As stated before, even though this book has a few negative things that do not make it perfect, it is still a great read. It is a creative and powerful story about the entire 2004 Boston Red Sox season, starting from spring training and ending in the World Series. It is a book that is readable and enjoyable for all types of readers. It is also a key to reliving the 86 year drought of a World Series title, come to an end. If I were to recommend this book, I would recommend it to any type of reader because it is something everyone will enjoy. I believe that this is one of the greatest books I have ever read and is marked as a remembrance of what happened in the 2004 baseball season forever.

[Kerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book the first time I read it but now I think that was because I was still on a high from the Red Sox actually winning the World Series. Now, almost 14 years later, it is....not good. This clearly was the idea of Stewart O'Nan, who convinced the more successful Stephen King (who is always supportive of young writers) to do this, and O'Nan is the most annoying type of baseball fan. The kind of adult who comes to a ballpark with a fishing net so he can catch batting practice balls and begs players to toss him fouls so he can go home with a bagful instead of giving them to kids. The kind of guy who waits at the players' entrance for autographs and talks to the players like they're buddies. The kind of guy who craps on players for one bad stretch or immediately dumps on a manager because clearly he knows better. (His constant crapping on Terry Francona is pretty hilarious considering how Francona turned out to be one of the greatest managers of his time.)

I lived through this season as a fan (a lifelong one, unlike O'Nan) and I remember it as a fun season. The players were the scrappy "idiots," taking on the personality of the goofy Kevin Millar. They were GOOD, and while I don't think any Red Sox fan at that point expected them to win the World Series, they were fun to watch and pretty damn successful, too. O'Nan apparently watched a different season. If you just read his comments on the games, they apparently suck. The players suck. The front office sucks. Francona sucks. Except they had the second best record in the American League. Ugh, fans like this drive me crazy.

Of course, it wasn't all bad. Stephen King's portions are delightful and relatable. Sharing stories about taking his elderly mother-in-law to a playoff game because she thinks if they don't win this year, she'll die before they ever do; quotes from his grandson about whether this is real life; celebrating with other random fans; his strong affection for Tim Wakefield regardless of how he pitched the night before - this is the stuff I remember and enjoyed. Everyone had an older relative (dead or alive) who had never seen the team win before that they immediately thought of when the Sox won. I was in college and remember everyone just rushing out of their rooms to hug and celebrate, whether you knew each other or not. As you get into the playoffs in the book, the difference between King's and O'Nan's approaches to fandom are even more drastically obvious. I wish this was just a Stephen King vehicle, but since it's not... I think this is the last time I use it to get myself excited for a new baseball season.

[lilias · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great cover.

To make things simple in conversation, I have often fallen back on telling people I am not a sports fan. So it was a suprise for a few friends of mine when I was going ca-razy during the post-season Red Sox games this year. The way I see it, being a fan of the Red Sox, or of baseball really, doesn't necessarily mean you're a fan of sports; you could just be a fan of history. Baseball, to me, is all about history. And, while I couldn't care less about any other sports team on the planet (except for Italy's national soccer/football/calcio... team, but that's another review), I love the Red Sox. I grew up watching them. Then I let college and grad school stop me. And that's really why I read this book.

So, yes, about the book. There were some moments I really loved, and they usually came from my fellow Mainer Stephen King. Those moments were the ones when he broke away from the play-by-play recounting of each game and shared with the reader what it means to be a Red Sox fan. An example because I am procrastinating and it's worth it:

"There is a very real streak of dour pessimism in the New England character, and it runs right down into the bedrock. We buy new cars expecting them to be lemons. We put in new heating systems and suspect them not just to go tits-up but to do it stealthily, thereby suffocating the kiddies in their beds (but leaving us, their parents, to grieve and blame ourselves for at least fifty years). We understand we're never going to win the lottery, we know we'll get that unpassable and exquisitely painful gallstone on a hunting or snowmobiling trip far from medical help, and that Robert Frost was fucking-A right when he said that good fences make good neighbors. We expect the snow to turn into freezing rain, rich relatives to die leaving us nothing, and the kids (assuming they escape the Black Furnace Death) to get refused by the college of their choice. And we expect the Red Sox to lose. It's the curse, all right, but it has nothing to do with the Bambino; it's the curse of living here, in New England, just up that Christing potholed I-84 deathroad from the goddamn New York Yankees." (page 199, if you're interested.)

Every game from the entire season is in here, and for me that got pretty tedious and took away from my enjoyment. But this book is the ultimate book about baseball, its history, and its fans. It's worth a read even if you hate the Sox but love the game.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

First thing: I hope you like baseball if you read this, because it's a stat-heavy, informed, insider-y book. I'd say a working knowledge of the sport, and hopefully the Sox, is required for full enjoyment.
That said...
This is a good one. I'm a long-time fan of King's, especially his nonfiction, and he's always written well about baseball. I also followed Boston that fateful post-season, while down in Texas, and have rooted for them since (though I'm a Cubs fan first, still and always). O'Nan I knew nothing about, but he's friends with Uncle Stevie, so he can't be all bad.
This book is in an odd format, mostly diary entries and e-mails exchanged by the authors. Where it gets stat-heavy, it's usually O'Nan writing, and he's got probably two-thirds of the book. King is the "from-the-gut guy", as he puts it, but he's got fifty years as a fan, so he gets a little obscure for people who aren't well-versed in the history of the Sox.
It's interesting to read an entire baseball season, sometimes recounted almost play-by-play, and watch two fans as they talk about disappointment, curses, and hope. Yes, we know how it turned out, but the road is what matters here, and it's not a smooth one, but always interesting.
It's not surprising that King's sections were mostly my favorites. In the early going, I would get a little impatient with O'Nan, but he did grow on me. Still, Uncle Stevie is the color commentator, and his eye for detail is not limited to his fiction.
In the end, this is a book both by and for fans. If you don't think of yourself as a baseball person, read something about your obsession. I hope it is as good, as insightful, as this book about one of mine.

[Anthony Oriola · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Faithful by Stewart O'nan and Stephen King is about the Boston Red Sox historic season of 2004 when the finally won the world series after a long 86 years. It explains what happened form Spring Training all the way to the world series. What I liked most about this book was when they get to the playoffs, and the Yankees have what they think is a safe 3-0 lead over the Red Sox and they will advance to the World Series. But, in the bottom of the 12th inning of Game 4 were the Yankees could not wait to celebrate on their rivals own field, David Ortiz stepped up to the plate an hit a game winning home run over the right field wall to keep the Red Sox alive. The next game also had the same intensity when Ortiz was up again in the bottom of the 14th inning and Jonny Damon on second base, Ortiz takes 9 pitches fouling most of them off, but on the tenth pitch he did it again, a single into center field and Jonny Damon scores ending the longest playoff game in Major league history, allowing Boston to force Game 6 in New York. The Red Sox would go on to win that series in 7 games and move on to the World Series. Red Sox would go on to sweep the Saint Louis Cardinals in the World Series and end the 86 year long streak without a World Series title. I recommend this book to anyone who loves the story of the 2004 Red Sox and wants to learn more about the season like I did. (Not recommended for Yankee fans)

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled to get through this book during the off-season, but while JBJ was in his hitting streak, I couldn't put the book down. (Thanks to the MLB package, we watch a lot of Red Sox games.) I am not a native Red Sox fan, but I love this book because 1: I am a die-hard baseball fan ( born and raised a Phillies fan ), 2 : I am not a Yankees fan, and 3 : I like the perspective of SK and SO. What surprised me the most was that SK is so superstitious and both authors are truly genuine fans who described each game with honesty and emotion fitting of fans dedicated to the sport. I love SK's funny little gems. One of my favorite lines from the whole book was a description of the scene outside of Yankees stadium after Game 7 of the ALCS. He said a Red Sox fan swung him around 3 times and said: "Stephen! Stephen! We won, ya scary sonofa *! I LOVE YA!" What a great moment. Stewart's more straight forward, but still obsessed, sports analysis of the season balanced nicely with Stephen's more personal perspective. This book is a great read, regardless of the outcome of the season, the ALDS, the ALCS, and the World Series. My son, the Red Sox fan, who was not yet alive in October 2004, will be reading this book next.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first thought when I read who the authors were was "Who is Stewart O'Nan? I'm very familiar with Stephen King and know he's a huge Sox fan, but before reading this book I never heard of the other author.
If you're not a baseball fan, this book is not for you. If you are, then this book not only gives details of most Sox games of the 2004 season, but also what it meant to the authors. The commentary that King and O'Nan give is great. One of my favorite passages is when O'Nan talks about his inlaws watching Sox games and how Uncle so and so would have the sound off because he hated the announcers and would listen with his transitor radio or Grandpa so and so would cheer this way... In essence, that is what it is to spend the summer in New England. Everyone roots for the Red Sox and has some special quirk about watching the games.
Some of the stats--well, it gets boring considering that this season is now four years old. Again, if your not a baseball fan, this book would get very boring very fast.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another non-fiction book it took me a few years and a few tries to get through. You should only read this book if you are a DIE-HARD (i.e., not just a casual fan) of one of the following:

A) Baseball
B) The Red Sox
C) Stephen King
D) Stewart O'Nan

I reiterate...DIE-HARD fans only. If you're not, you don't stand a chance. You'll be bored to death and be hit with way too much information.

I enjoyed the book because I'm a die-hard Stephen King fan and will read anything he writes. After reading Faithful, I'll be checking out some of Stewart O'Nan's fiction as well. Additionally, though I already had a pretty good working knowledge of the ins and outs of baseball, that knowledge has been increased quite a bit after reading this book.

So, overall, a good--though, at times, very tedious--experience.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often leverage my teacher trainings into vacations...(last year, Iceland). This year, I am taking a summer institute in Boston and turning it into Liberty Trail, Peabody Museum, and of course a Red Sox-Yankee game at Fenway. Who better to help me prepare for this momentous game than Stephen King, a man whose words have inspired me and made me afraid of my own closet since I was 10?

Several of the players he mentions, Carlos Beltran and Orlando Caraera are now, very recently a part of my home team, the SF Giants...that was kind of cool. Although, it did make me think ill of the changing nature of teams. It is so hard to work up a fevered fan state of mind when you know that the players will go where the money is, and all the teams are basically the same. Don't let King know I said that.

[Lara Eakins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished "Faithful". Oh boy what fun!!! It was a great way to relive the 2004 Red Sox season. I sort of wish they would have written more during the playoffs, but after a point there wasn't much left to say! Really enjoyed it. I think you have to be a baseball fan to really enjoy it, since a lot of it is recaps of games. But, since I'm a fan of the game (and not just individual teams), I lapped it up.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes. This book is primarily of interest to Red Sox fans. Yes, it is full of game accounts and other common baseball related anecdotes.

If you are a Red Sox fan, read it.

If you like baseball, King, or O'Nan, read it.

If you don't like these things. Don't read it. Or, perhaps instead, if you don't like these things, read it and come on Goodreads and give it a bad review. You know, because that makes a lot of sense.

[Hmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt MY FAVORITE Red Sox book ever written. These guys do a phenomenal job of reliving the 2004 world series victory and making you feel THERE. Even though I knew how it ended, I still found myself biting my thumbnail and reading it waaaaaay past bed time. Having seen Mr. King at several games, he does write with experience!

[Julia Spencer-Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

This epic day-by-day ode to New England's beloved carmine hose by New England's favorite horrormeister chronicles the
magical '04 season. King writes with a professional's style and a true fan's heart. Do I love that man! Read this and relive Tek giving A-Rod a nose job one more delicious time! Curse reversed.