Hank Butterfield
The beginning of the story teases you with his dream being realized and then takes you back to where it all began. Set in the poorest of poor neighborhoods in England, Hank is forced to deal with poverty of ridiculous proportions and a less than supportive family. His mother plants the seed of his tennis stardom and somehow it takes root.
Against all odds he manages to get on a tennis tour, meet an amazing woman and build a life from building blocks that were the size of plastic legos. He deals with just about everything you can think of from poverty to an abusive father, prison and even a mental health episode that threatens to keep him from pursuing his dream.
Obviously not your typical tennis autobiography, Hank Butterfield is filled with humor, drama and even romance. I wouldn’t classify this story as one for sports fanatics necessarily since the character building between Hank and Lucy is excellent and for me was some of the most interesting and entertaining parts about it.
Hank Butterfield has a little bit of everything for everyone. It’s a serious story with a light hearted twist since the circumstances are too extreme to be believable. But nonetheless you feel for the guy as he deals with his own personal delusions of greatness. This was an easy read that kept me interested to see what trouble Hank could get himself into next, it was well written and is recommended to anyone who likes stories of perseverance against all odds.
— Review by followbooks staff