A Late Return
Table Tennis à la carte
by William Rees
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Pub Date 5 Nov 2021 | Archive Date 20 Jul 2021
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Description
Bill Rees has been living in the south of France for ten years working as an itinerant bookseller in Montpellier. The one thing he misses about England is table tennis. Then he sees an advert to join a club for “experienced players only” and veterans. He starts training immediately, he’s forty and not as fit as he used to be but Bill Rees is returning to the game à la carte.
Covering one Sunday tournament in the depths of Languedoc when his team bids to make the National Finals, Bill Rees produces a deeply felt and deeply funny homage to the beautiful game of ping-pong. Rees shows the sport for what it is: painful, exhilarating, tactical, fast (especially when his club mate Alain is at the table), consuming. All of which is revealed from the perspective of a Brit playing in French amateur leagues. Conveyed is the pain of competition, the agony of losing and the joys of victory. The reader is also regaled with a Zen-like insight into the sport.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781913640309 |
| PRICE | US$12.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 110 |
Featured Reviews
Chris W, Reviewer
Table tennis. Put a table in a holiday destination and families will flock to it. But as a sport, a competitive sport, will that translate to the page?
Bill Rees is a bookseller who has lived in the South of France for about 10 years and has
re-discovered his love for this game, having been a bit of a schoolboy prodigy. Focussing on a little known, Sunday tournament, Bill expertly describes the setting, his team mates and competitors.
I am a similar age to Bill and found myself completely drawn in. I could visualise the setting, was rooting for him during his matches and felt like I was there.
Bill has a delightful turn of phrase, the banter and observations had me reading this book with a constant smile on my face. It is a short book, rather like a set of table tennis and yet is a joy!
I think people of a certain age will relate to the characters and feelings so expertly recounted.
The author in this book writes
“At 53, you end up trying to write about table tennis and making grandiose metaphysical claims” Well these words, I found hugely enjoyable and I was utterly engaged until the final rally come to an all too premature end.
Katie Q, Reviewer
A fun look into the Table Tennis community! This book felt like a love story to table tennis, and I liked seeing some of the snark and smack talk people bring. You're never too old for a comeback.
My underrated favorite part was learning "plock" as a term to describe the sound the ball makes!
Duncan M, Reviewer
Bill Rees brilliantly describes the subtleties of Table Tennis and playing competitive amateur sport. This anecdotal memoir is set against a regional tournament in Bill's adoptive home of France but also has him reminiscing about his love of the sport and the various bits of advice he's had from coaches a long the way. Gentle humour is abound in this delightful but short book. It may not have much appeal to non Table Tennis enthusiasts but there is plenty to love for anyone who has played amateur sport later on in life.
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