Did you read Malibu Rising? Remember when tennis pro Carrie Soto threatened to light Brandon Randall’s clothes on fire? Well, fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid can rejoice! Because Carrie Soto is back! Readers may recall that Carrie showed up uninvited to Nina Riva’s annual end of summer bash in Malibu and made a huge scene after confronting Nina’s tennis pro husband, Brandon Randall. Brandon and Carrie started an affair while on the pro-tennis circuit and after a while Carrie’s tough, insensitive approach to life made Brandon question his decision to leave his wife for her. Her tantrum on the lawn was awful.
I did not like Carrie Soto in Malibu Rising.
After reading Carrie Soto Is Back, I understand her. And I love her. She’s a no-nonsense, takes no prisoners thirty-seven-year-old retired champion who wants to compete again. A younger player is set to shatter her world record of winning twenty Grand Slam titles and Carrie wants it back. Known as “the Battle-Axe,” she’s put up with a lot and given up a lot to be a winner. She joins forces with her father, an incomparable coach called “the Jaguar” and has to swallow her pride to train with Bowe Huntley, a John McEnroe-like tennis player who ghosted her years before. But things are not always what they seem.
Set in 1994, this novel follows a year in Carrie’s life as she competes in the Australian Open in Melbourne, Roland-Garros in Paris, Wimbledon, and finally the US Open. I’ve learned more about scoring and types of courts and serves and stances than I ever imagined and it was riveting. Taylor Jenkins Reid puts it all on the court, so to speak. Sexism, ageism, racism and double standards for women athletes on and off the court and the role media plays in what should be a competition of artistry and skill made me think differently of how athletes are portrayed. I also love the way The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six, Malibu Rising and now Carrie Soto Is Back are tied together with offhand references, interconnected characters and matching timelines here and there. I cannot wait to find out who shows up in her next novel and how they are related to the irritating rock star Mick Riva.