Vulnerable in Hearts: A Memoir of Fathers, Sons, and Contract Bridge

by Sandy Balfour

Contract bridge—the version of the game we play today—and Sandy Balfour’s father were both conceived in 1925 and thrust, blinking uncertainly, into the fractured world of 1926. But while Balfour’s father was the child of a bank clerk and a schoolteacher and was born in a modest apartment in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, the game he came to love had an altogether more distinguished lineage.


Vulnerable in Hearts chronicles the eight decades of Balfour’s father’s life and the same period in the history and development of bridge, a game that has enticed players from Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower to Bill Gates and Clint Eastwood. First taught the game as a child by his mildly eccentric father, Balfour is drawn to bridge as a means to try to understand him, but soon discovers the global empire of the game itself. As the narrative moves from the bridge clubs of Moscow to the World Bridge Olympiad in Istanbul, Balfour explores the complex relationships of bridge and history, rules and empire, father and son.


Part memoir, part history, part game, Vulnerable in Hearts is a wryly entertaining account of how we communicate with one another, why we play games, and how we love.

Genres: Biography

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2005

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see a lot of reviews on here from people who clearly didn’t read the title of the book, from which the primary topics can be gleaned: the relationship dynamic between fathers and sons in the author’s family, and contract bridge. It accomplishes both beautifully, as the author uses bridge terms to describe his bridge-obsessed father’s way of relating to the world and his family. Clearly he too learned to see the world (or at least his father) in this way, and nimbly interweaves a history of bridge into his family’s personal history. This is not a reference book for bridge and should not be used as an instructional guide, and someone with no knowledge of bridge may find this book a bit opaque. However, what it does, it does well.

[Diana Boynton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy bridge so enjoyed learning the history of bridge in a very concise easy read. and I schooled in Pietermaritzburg so appreciated the familiarity of the setting Some skimming when book a bit slow but an enjoyable read for me.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the way the author uses bridge as a metaphor for our relationships with people. It often felt like he could only talk about his relationships by using bridge terms, and it seems that his father could only relate to his family through playing bridge.

I really enjoyed the bridge history and trivia throughout the book. I also liked that the author grew up in South Africa. This seems to provide another layer of complexity. I particularly enjoyed the chapters when the author travels with his son.

You probably have to know how to play bridge to read this book. I played bridge back in the 1950’s and 1960’s. In college, nearly everyone played bridge. My then husband was a very good intuitive player; I struggled but was able to play well enough to be invited to play with the wives group. [Who was that person – it couldn’t have been me!]

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an autobiographical tale of the author's father and their relationship. They played bridge together since the author was a child and he uses many bridge references throughout the book. He also gives a fairly in-depth accounting of the history of bridge and it's early advocates, especially Ely Culbertson. I found the book tedious at times and wished for more. It seemed as if the author had a great deal of angst, but just didn't want to get into it. He wanted to write about his father, but didn't want to portray him in a negative light so he just didn't say much. I enjoyed the bridge aspect of the book much more than the memoir aspect.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Balfour's father taught him bridge when he was young. Bridge was the language his father used to talk to him, and when his father died, writing about bridge was a way for Balfour to grieve, make sense of, explore and rejoice in his father's life. It is not the only language - Robert Louis Stevenson is very much part of the conversation between father and son, with special attention paid to Kidnapped. I read celebration in the meandering and random histories of cards, bridge, Kidnapped and of Balfour's father's life.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, but probably more enjoyable if you have an interest in playing bridge, or even cards in general!