Secure A Copy The Bone Cage Originated By Angie Abdou Distributed In Softcover

enjoyed this book much more than I expected to, I felt that the descriptions I'd heard of it were not an accurate representation of the main story, This was advantageous to me since I felt I could relate to it more this way, I thought that the author chose to include specific aspects and end the story at an interesting place, This, for me tied in with one of the points the book was making, I read this for Canada Reads this year, and I would recommend this book to others, Don't be deterred by the fact that you think that you can't relate to the subject, I didn't find this to be a problem.
Its not that long and is quite a quick read, but enjoyable none the less, Every so many years the Olympics rolls around and we cheer on our athletes, moaning when they don't perform to expectations, celebrating their successes.
And when the games are over we return to our lives and, for the most part, don't think about those athletes until the next round of competition.
We all love the hard luck story, the competitor who overcomes incredible odds to compete and even win, But we really don't have any idea of what it actually takes to compete at that level,

Angie Abdou gives us two Olympic level competitors one a swimmer, the other a wrestler, They are both late in their careers, and have both qualified for theOlympics, We follow their training in the run up to those games, We see the discipline, the dedication, the boredom, the commitment that is an athlete's life, We also meet their families, their coaches and team mates and see what the Olympic quest asks of all of them.


Both athletes compete in singular sports one swims, the other wrestles no skates, bikes, kayaks, volleyballs, no team sports.
Their bodies are their instruments and Abdou creates the world of the body the aches and pains, the exhilaration, the sounds the smells the sensations.
These athletes live in a world of sensation, one that Abdou helps us feel,

Whatever the physical talent, high level athletic competition is a mental game and Abdou shows us the mind set of these competitors.


I really enjoyed a peek into this world, and my respect for these competitors, for their talent, their discipline and commitment is increased.
Holy moly. Angie Adbou should have a spot in every Canadians bookshelf, She had me at page one the hopes, fears, routines and dreams of these characters were my own, I finished the last line, shut the book and said out loud “THAT is a novel, ” Angie, Im in awe. Thank you. I found this such an interesting look at the lives of these two athletes their goals, daily schedules, relationships with their families, and how they see themselves and are seen by others.
I agree with L that there is a lot to talk about with the ending, The characters in The Bone Cage jump off the page at you, I read this book in one sitting right before the Beijing olympics it's addictive, engrossing and even informative, The theme is obviously sports, but there's a great human dynamic too that would fit in with lots of genres, makes it an easy fit nomatter what you like to read.
Really enjoyed it. I had this book on my shelf but have never been able to get into it, I think I got it in a little free library, As I try to make my way through my shelf, I wasnt super excited to read this one, But. Its not a book about swimming, Its a book about the end of things, of the things that we end that we think define us.
A book about when other people dont have to make hard decisions to end,

I really, really liked it, Knocked it down one star for some of the repetition but it was a solid read, A brilliantly insightful novel about what makes one's life meaningful, and how to pick up the pieces of your life when all your dreams have been shattered.


Elite athletes live a different life than most of us many years spent so intensely focused on very particular goals, at the expense of their lives, their families, their bodies.
So what happens when their bodies give out and their competitive days are over What if they fought as hard as they could, and it still wasn't enpugh to reach their goals What if a twist of fate sent them down a radically different path It's just.
It's so sad. How do you get past the feeling of things being left so incomplete, of never knowing if you were good enough to win What next

Those are the issues that Sadie, Digger, and their friends are wrestling with through out this book.
In the end, I'm not sure anyone has it figured out, but all you can do is try: try to let go of the way things were, and try to build a new sense of self worth, one that is not tied to competition and your identity as an athlete.
I want to give Sadie a big hug, Her journey is so rough and raw and real, It's entirely relatable, to see her look back at her team and suddenly feel like she doesn't belong,

Every athlete has to move on eventually, but it's how you do it that shapes the rest of your life.
I like that there is no firm resolution in the story about that, because for everyone, that's going to look different.

I loved this book! I read it last year and it still resonates with me, particularly right now during the Olympics.
I love the way you smell the pool and feel the pain and sweat of the athletes during training all because Abdou writes so sensuously.
Pick this quick read up if you haven't already read it, An engaging novel about two athletes preparing for the Olympics, The chapters flip between the wrestler and swimmer, and of course their stories connect about half way, At that point the book was a bit nature YA romancey for my taste, but the theme of dedicating one's life to a shortlived profession and what life will or won't be afterwards was poignant.
It is also a good look at highlevel amateur sports in Canada, so anyone thinking about that life might be interested in this novel.

Well written enough, too, Great read. Book was very interesting. Digger is a wrestler striving to become an Olympian and go to the Olympics in Sidney, Sadie is a swimmer who practices two times a day for two hours every time, on her spare time she works at

the cage and lifts weights.
That's where she meets Digger another fellow Olympian from Calgary, My favorite part was when Digger and Sadie were together, This book is full of hardships an athlete has to deal with, Sadie is a swimmer Digger is a wrestler, They are both training in Calgary for the Sydney Olympics in, They are both at the end of their careers, so this Olympics will be their last shot, In addition to the training, they have things going on in their personal lives and about halfway through the book, they do meet.


This was probably good timing to be reading this, just after the Rio Olympics, I'm not that much “into” sports, so I wasn't sure how much I'd like this one, but I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it so much.
The author is a swimmer, so she could go into behindthescenes details most of us wouldn't know, The chapters are told from alternating viewpoints and I enjoyed the personal stories of Sadie and Digger, particularly Sadie.
Since the book was mostly set in the city I live, it's always fun to read about places you know, as well.
Digger, ankilo wrestler, and Sadie, ayearold speed swimmer, stand on the verge of realizing every athlete's dreamwinning a gold medal at the Olympics.
Both athletes are nearing the end of their athletic careers, and are forced to confront the question: what happens to athletes when their bodies are too old and injured to compete The blossoming relationship between Digger and Sadie is tested in the allimportant months leading up to the Olympics, as intense training schedules, divided loyalties, and unpredicted obstacles take their draining toll.
The Olympics, as both of them are painfully aware, will be the realization or the end of a life's dream.


The Bone Cage captures the physicality, sensuality, and euphoric highs of amateur sport, and the darker, cruel side of sport programs that wear athletes down and spit them out at the end of their bloom.
With realism and humour, author Angie Abdou captures athletes on the brink of that transitionthe leadup to that looming redefinition of selfand explores how people deal with the loss of their dream.
This book is about discipline, drive, focus but also about being human, I couldn't put it down, It's been on my list since it was nominated for Canada Reads quite a few years ago What took so long, I ask myself I chased the Olympic Dream when I was younger and really, l now, in reading this book, realized how mildly I did so.
The characters in this book are all working to prepare for the Olympics and struggling with training injuries, family crises and the rest.
Yet, the book is not melodramatic, The problems the athletes face are not overthetop and they don't solve all of them, either, Good luck at the Olympics, Digger, The best novels educate you, and this one taught me so much about professional sport, It follows the progress of two young competitors, a female swimmer and a male wrestler, on their gruelling path to the Olympics, and the years of enormous mental and physical sacrifices involved to be a serious athlete.
As someone who is not terribly competitive I don't really understand the lure of a medal, but that's exactly why this novel was so informative.
Kudos to the author for exploring a subject that is largely a mystery to most people outside the sporting world.
It should be recommended reading for kids who want to pursue their dreams of Olympic glory, and their parents.
Loved this little book and find myself still thinking of it always a good sign it's made an impression on me.
The writing is direct and spare and the story is one that makes one think about those things that drive us, and perhaps more importantly WHY they do.
Oh my, this book was so bad on so many levels, I chose to read it b/c it was nominated for the Canada Reads debates, but it didn't come into library in time anyway, yet I continued to read it.
The Canadian author was just trying way too hard to do a Canadian novel that it is almost a parody.
Also, the story is about two Calgary athletes training for the Olympics, but the training and descriptions are just way too detailed for the average reader, and I found myself not caring at all.
The characters are so cliche as to make them uninteresting and in some ways annoying, The story is also largely predictable, The writing style is horrible, too cliche, trying too hard and just nothing unique or creative whatsoever, And it's not even one of those good, fluffy reads with a story "delicious" enough to excuse the bad writing.
Dare I go on I cannot believe that someone nominated this book for Canada Reads, There's a difference between fact and truth, and fact doesn't matter in fiction writing, but truth does, Abdou writes something along that line in her acknowledgements, and it's clear how well that method works in this story of two Olympic hopefuls training in Calgary for theSydney Olympics.
These are fictional characters, but felt so true to read about, Every smell, sight, and sensation is described, making it so easy to believe in and empathize with Sadie and Digger and all they go through.
Sometimes third person narration can't move me I just don't connect to the characters or whatever, Not the case with The Bone Cage, It's a wonder. Even the supporting characters, like parents and fellow athletes, are perfectly fleshed out,

And, seriously, the play by play descriptions of the wrestling match and the CBC documentary are dead on perfect.
I can't say anything else, except that I'm so glad Canada Reads brought this book to my attention! Libraries, like most stores, usually have a row of temptations close by the check out.
It is here that even those who have managed to be disciplined whilst browsing for the items on their list, sometimes succumb.

So I plucked this book from the shelf, the Canada Reads certificate on the cover giving me some kind of endorsement to add to my pile which now exceeded my self imposed limit ofbooks per visit.

The cover itself is lovely, an undulating blue revealing a swimmer underwater, and the title resonated with one of my favorite books this year.

so there I was, unpacking my acquisitions to place on the shelf I reserve for library books, I opened it for the first time, What had I done This was a tale of Olympic aspirants! Not my cup of tea!

When the games were held in my town, I was part of a coalition formed to oppose the negative effects that event catalyzed: the displacement of the elderly and vulnerable from their homes, the residential hotels that were gentrified for Olympic tourists, the extravagant Olympic village, the disruption of traffic and regular commerce etc.
Needless to say I boycotted the event,
So this book about jocks training for an event I disapproved of was the perfect thing to practice what I am learning about aversion and compassion.

Even so, If the book had been poorly written, I'm not sure I would have carried on, But in fact the characters were actually more lively than the POV that each represented: the winner, the loser, the one who never really had much of a chance.
So even though the world of competitive sport is still a bit repugnant to me, I feel I did gain heaps more understanding of that world.
The issues raised here are relevant and actually pertinent in a more general way,
the writing is skillfull, A lot of attention is given the visceral, and I could smell the trace of chlorine and funky towels wafting from the pages.
Ugh! I still don't understand how anyone could bear to dedicate their life to sport, and the discipline required is incomprehensible to me.
thanks to this modest book, I will not need to sneer at those who have dedicated themselves to its pursuit.
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