The Art of Fielding Audiobook By Chad Harbach cover art

The Art of Fielding

A Novel

 Preview
Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends January 29, 2026 11:59pm PT
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just $0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible Premium Plus.
1 audiobook per month of your choice from our unparalleled catalog.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can listen catalog of 150K+ audiobooks and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Art of Fielding

By: Chad Harbach
Narrated by: Holter Graham
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offer ends January 21, 2026 11:59pm PT.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $28.79

Buy for $28.79

LIMITED TIME OFFER | Get 3 months for $0.99 a month

$14.95/mo thereafter-terms apply.
A disastrous error on the field sends five lives into a tailspin in this award-nominated tale about love, life, and baseball.
At Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended.

Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners' team captain and Henry's best friend, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life.

As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment -- to oneself and to others. Coming of Age Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Sports Funny Witty Feel-Good

Featured Article: The Best Baseball Audiobooks of All Time


Ask any baseball fan and they'll tell you: some of their favorite sounds can only be heard at the ballpark—the smooth, satisfying pop of a catcher’s glove as a pitch hits its mark; the crack of a bat as it tears into a fastball, explosive and hopeful, drawing the crowd to their feet. Our list, a roundup of outstanding baseball audiobooks, offers a glimmer of that same ballpark magic with just a few of the greatest stories from our national pastime.

Featured Article The Best Baseball Audiobooks of All Time
Complex Characters • Engaging Storyline • Beautiful Writing • Compelling Relationships • Baseball Metaphors

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
Wonderful psychological development. You need not be a baseball fan or even sports fan. Just excellent story and craft. Bravo!

Bravo!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I did not think I would enjoy this story because I have zero interest in baseball, but what a great listen. Interesting characters and story.

really enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A comming of age book with a twist. The characters were all well developed. Not a true sport book but used the sport of baseball to drive home its point.

Well worth the listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Art of Fielding to be better than the print version?

I prefer Audio as I listen to them while I work. I don't have much time outside of work to read a print version.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Predictable, but the one twist was good.

Have you listened to any of Holter Graham’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't.

If you could take any character from The Art of Fielding out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I really like the President of the University character.

Any additional comments?

It was a good book.

A decent book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The Art of Fielding is about baseball, but so much more. Henry Scrimshander, the main character, has an amazing career at the small liberal arts college he attends. His roommate, Owen, along with Henry's friend and trainer, Mike, make for an interesting triangle of personalities.
At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story where the common thread is baseball. Beautifully told, the story of success, failure, and redemption is touching, but avoids falling into the trap of sentimentality and cloying sweetness.
Really enjoyed this book - and was sorry when it came to am end.

A lovely read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews