Line & Strength: The Complete Story

by Glenn McGrath

Rare book

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

428 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2009

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written and all over the place.

[Ashwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a true autobiography as it was written in the third person. Otherwise a nice book to read detailing us on the hardships faced by McGrath

[Clive Gerrard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in a very strange manner, in that, Glenn McGrath is listed as the author but it written in the third person. ... weird! and disconcertingly so, at that!
The first few chapters are extremely boring and totally unnecessary - we do not need to know about some distant Irish relative and how much he paid to get to Australia or where and why he settled there. However, once the story of Glenn's cricketing career gets going it is not a bad read. Like all [seemingly] of these sporting autobiographies, the person comes over as the 'Great I am', which is unfortunate. We are constantly reminded in the text that Glenn 'Is the greatest fast bowler in History' given he number of wickets he's taken. This dates the book, as this is no longer the case - Its James Anderson who now holds that title.
The most interesting aspect of the book is, in fact, the well known struggle that his wife Jane had with cancer. This did not end well, as we all know, and Saturday tests at the SCG still are a 'Pink' day in her honour.
Did I enjoy it? Not particularly but there again I didn't hate it either. As a cricket fan, it was interesting without being fascinating and inciteful without being particularly revealing.
With a dearth of cricket in 2020, its a good enough way to spend a few hours.

[Ronak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucky to have lived in "the era"

McGrath, undoubtedly is the best fast bowler the world has seen. And I say this not because he was truly fast, but because he was a very intelligent fast bowler. The best. I love the guy's attitude, persona and skills, however the book does not do justice to his cricketing personality. Perhaps it could have been written in the chronological order of the events that occurred in his life, and from his own perspective as opposed to a third person perspective. Having said that, the book is definitely a good read. Thanks for all the entertainment you provided for so long Glenn. You truly are a gem!!

[Jordan Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

2/25
An insightful read about a humble but determined man. Get a bit of grit and perseverance about ya and you can do anything. What a career, especially considering the all-consuming circumstances he was supporting outside of cricket. I reckon I’d learn a lot from a beer with Glenn.

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked to the book to have been chronological order as it is it goes back and forwards on a regular basis.

[Siby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book, but it certainly was not the best sports autobiography I have read. However, being an amateur medium pacer myself, and having grown up watching Glenn McGrath play, I had a special motivation to read this book. Fast bowling is really the most difficult role in cricket and I was hoping that this book would shed a little more light into the effort and pain that fast bowlers have to endure (somewhat like how the book "Amateurs" educates you about the pain that is an integral part of a rowers life, or "Open" by Agassi which opens your eyes to the mental strength needed to succeed at the top level in tennis). This book skips over those aspects of McGrath's journey and is more a personal story rather than the story of how he developed himself into the world's most successful fast bowler. As a cricket fan, we knew that McGrath went through a rough patch on the personal front, with his wife battling cancer. This book helps you understand the personal battle that he and his wife were fighting while he was out there being the world's best.
At the end of the day, you finish this book knowing more about McGrath the person rather than McGrath the fast bowler or fast bowling as a sport. If you are a fan then that is certainly worth reading this book for. However, if you are not a cricket lover, please feel free to give this book a miss.

[Marco · Rating 5 out of 5]

The inspiring story of a scrawny young lad from a farm in outback New South Wales, who went from not getting a bowl in his junior sides and was told he couldn't bowl, to moving to Sydney and living in a caravan and living on choclate bars cos that was all he could afford to becoming the most successful fast bowler in Test Cricket history. But this book also covers the sadness encountered through his life experienced by wife Jane's Breast Cancer battles. Truthfully, I found this book to be very sad towards the end, as McGrath discusses his hopes and plans for the family in yhr future, its sad because those plans never came to be as Jane lost her battle with cancer a few short months after the book was published.

[Vipin Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fairytale

It's amazing to get to know the thoughts of people who are not just the best but at the very top. But what struck me was to know that he is a quite person and yet he managed to find that fierce aggression every time he bowled.
He was never the fastest bowler in the world. He knew this when he started bowling. Yet he found a way to become the best bowler in the world. And how do you stay on top all the time? From being man of the match in the first test to taking a wicket on the last ball of the last international game, the journey is nothing short of a fairytale to read.

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

cant wait. met ooh-ahh yesterday at the scg and he is a ripper fella. genuine as and want a last few years he has had. great aussie and best bowler