Helpful Score: 1
Disappointing.
I found that reading (actually listening, I had the audio version as read by Don Hagen) Gordie Howe's autobiography would be enlightening. Instead, I found very little in this book that I hadn't already read in earlier books. The main exceptions were a few letters from Colleen to Gordie during his playing days; however, the main point of the letters the couple loved each other and Colleen dealt with the home front while Gordie was off playing hockey simply over-emphasized a point already well-made.
Worse, a truly funny story about a young Mark Howe and Gordie was exactly the same tale I'd read about between Brett Hull and his father, Bobby. I find it hard to believe that BOTH father/son Hall-of-Fame pairs had the exact same moment when the elder was playing and the younger was in elementary school but which actually did it (if either), and which cribbed it?
And there was so little about Gordie's post-playing days (after his second retirement from the ice) surely some interesting things happened during that time interval. (I remember watching the 3 Howes share the ice during a "Heroes of Hockey" game in conjunction with an NHL All-Star weekend, for example.)
The most interesting and enlightening part of the tale, in my opinion, was the Afterward provided by the Howe family's children. They discussed what it was like growing up in a famous family, and how Gordie was dealing with his admittedly twilight years.
Perhaps if I had never read anything about Mr. Howe, I would have enjoyed this book more. However, even then, I strongly suspect I would have noticed the many missing elements of the story.
RATING: 2 1/2 stars, rounded up to 3 stars when 1/2 stars are not permitted. And it pains me to say this about a classy guy like Mr. Howe.
I found that reading (actually listening, I had the audio version as read by Don Hagen) Gordie Howe's autobiography would be enlightening. Instead, I found very little in this book that I hadn't already read in earlier books. The main exceptions were a few letters from Colleen to Gordie during his playing days; however, the main point of the letters the couple loved each other and Colleen dealt with the home front while Gordie was off playing hockey simply over-emphasized a point already well-made.
Worse, a truly funny story about a young Mark Howe and Gordie was exactly the same tale I'd read about between Brett Hull and his father, Bobby. I find it hard to believe that BOTH father/son Hall-of-Fame pairs had the exact same moment when the elder was playing and the younger was in elementary school but which actually did it (if either), and which cribbed it?
And there was so little about Gordie's post-playing days (after his second retirement from the ice) surely some interesting things happened during that time interval. (I remember watching the 3 Howes share the ice during a "Heroes of Hockey" game in conjunction with an NHL All-Star weekend, for example.)
The most interesting and enlightening part of the tale, in my opinion, was the Afterward provided by the Howe family's children. They discussed what it was like growing up in a famous family, and how Gordie was dealing with his admittedly twilight years.
Perhaps if I had never read anything about Mr. Howe, I would have enjoyed this book more. However, even then, I strongly suspect I would have noticed the many missing elements of the story.
RATING: 2 1/2 stars, rounded up to 3 stars when 1/2 stars are not permitted. And it pains me to say this about a classy guy like Mr. Howe.
