Swimming Upstream

by Anthony Fingleton

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction

185 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Samantha Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first watched the movie a long time ago, and found the book. Both the movie and book were equally as good. I found that the abuse his mother suffered in this book was a lot less mono than in the movie. And most of the book revolved around his younger days before turning into a young adult. Although, book was fantastic...was a great read

[Ranette · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Alchoholic father with severe mood swings does not like his second son and lets him know it by having the older brother beat up on him. He puts no value into any accomplishment unless it is in sports. Tony is surprised to see that he is an excellent swimmer and hopes this will win his father's favor.

[seffron holroyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a gut feeling book. A brave story of a hard childhood.
Sad that a parent pits one child over another constantly.
I wish it had turned out well for the man and father in mending their relationships before it was too late.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can tell that Anthony Fingleton is primarily a screenwriter as descriptive detail is less than abundant, which might be why this book became a movie. If I hadn't been a competitive swimmer in my youth, this book wouldn't have been of much interest to me. Generally, speaking, I'm not all that interested in stories about drunken and abusive parents. If you are looking for a story about overcoming these odds, then Swimming Upstream might be for you. It's a quick read, but definitely a book I had no problem putting down.

[Sara Stuckey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see why they made this book into a movie (with Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis). It reads like a Aussie version of a Lifetime Movie...but about a guy...in Australia...who likes to swim...but then doesn't...then does...and his father beats him...but learns to love him...

It was good.