Well written, funny in places, and on a topic that I am very much a fan off, I am trying to work out how I came away from the book liking the author, indeed agreeing with her on many points, yet not being truly engrossed in the book itself.
The premise was simple - a good writer with no interest in sport was assigned to cover many sporting events for The Times, and this details her experiences over a few years when this was her job. I did admire and respect her attitude, which was to take it seriously despite having very little experience of even watching sport before adopting this new writing subject. All too often, when the guest (typically female) writer covers a sporting event for the papers, they resort to laughing at how ill-equipped they are to cover the story, the written equivalent of the attractive girl who doesn't try very hard, plays up her ditzy character, and moans about not being taken seriously. Truss merely writes in the way she saw it, which is through accurate observation that doesn't get bogged down in tactics or jargon, and doesn't deny getting swept up in the emotional aspect at times.
Her experience was unusual but objective - she is not still in sports writing so can be more honest, but having done it for a considerable length of time, Truss can't be accused of not having experienced it 'properly.' Her points about the act of sports writing itself are considered and funny at times, and also rare to see. In keeping with the idea explored in the book that ultimately, sports writers aren't that important, there are few books on sports writers and their craft. Her circumstances are interesting too, since the fondness for sport comes as a result of her job, while it's difficult to imagine any professional sports writers come to it through anything but passion for (a) sport. Despite this, and though she does reference this, the frequent nods to poor accommodation or admin at grounds do start to grate with their repetitive nature after yet another mention.
I did agree with her on a number of points, notably the extent to which sport is kept 'in perspective' with troubling world events, and her thoughts on sport and sports writing were well-balanced. However, despite being easy to read, I didn't feel fully engaged with the book - that may be that my attitude to sport is too different, or it could be that the stories were just that bit less colourful with the time spent away from the press box. Whether you are a fan or sport or not, though, would not cloud your judgement as to the considerable merits of this book.