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    Solo: A Memoir of Hope
    Solo: A Memoir of Hope
    Solo: A Memoir of Hope
    Audiobook10 hours

    Solo: A Memoir of Hope

    Written by Hope Solo

    Narrated by Christina Delaine

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    "My family doesn't do happy endings. We do sad endings or frustrating endings or no endings at all. We are hardwired to expect the next interruption or disappearance or broken promise."

    Hope Solo is the face of the modern female athlete. She is fearless, outspoken, and the best in the world at what she does: protecting the goal of the U.S. women's soccer team. Her outsized talent has led her to the pinnacle of her sport—the Olympics and the World Cup—and made her into an international celebrity who is just as likely to appear on ABC's Dancing with the Stars as she is on the covers of Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, and Vogue. But her journey—which began in Richland, Washington, where she was raised by her strong-willed mother on the scorched earth of defunct nuclear testing sites—is similarly haunted by the fallout of her family history. Her father, a philanderer and con man, was convicted of embezzlement when Solo was an infant. She lost touch with him as he drifted out of prison and into homelessness. By the time they reunited, years later, in the parking lot of a grocery store, she was an All-American goalkeeper at the University of Washington and already a budding prospect for the U.S. national team. He was living in the woods.

    Despite harboring serious doubts even about the provenance of her father's last name (and her own), Solo embraces him as fiercely as she pursues her dreams of being a world-class soccer player. When those dreams are threatened by her standing within the national team, as when she was famously benched in the semifinals of the 2007 World Cup after four shutouts and spoke her piece publicly, we see a woman of uncompromising independence and hard-won perseverance navigate the petty backlash against her. For the first time, she tells her version of that controversial episode, and offers with it a full understanding of her hard-scrabble life.

    Moving, sometimes shocking, Solo is a portrait of an athlete finding redemption. This is the Hope Solo whom few have ever glimpsed.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateFeb 12, 2013
    ISBN9780062269065
    Author

    Hope Solo

    Hope Solo, one of the most charismatic athletes in America, is widely regarded as the best women's goalkeeper in the world. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, she has been a member of the U.S. national team since 2000 and has appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. A prominent spokeswoman for Gatorade and Nike, she starred on the hit reality show Dancing with the Stars. She lives in Seattle, Washington. Ann Killion is a columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle. She has covered the past ten Olympics and the last three Women's World Cups for SportsIllustrated.com and the San Jose Mercury News.

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    Reviews for Solo

    3.5/5

    157 ratings20 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      You certainly don't have to be a soccer fan to enjoy. Hope takes us on her journey and tells of the miles she's traveled and the ups and downs of playing goalkeeper for the US team. She states her mind and tells you what she thinks of coaches and players. She's not a fan of Brandi Chastain, for example. The story of her relationship with her troubled father weaves its way throughout the book...Great read for all sports fans.
    • 5/5
      Book review by Emily O., posted by CA Library:"Solo by Hope Solo is a biography told by Hope Solo herself. It is a non-fiction story about the protagonist, Hope Solo and tells the story of her problems growing up.The story starts with Hope being born and continues all the way up until now a days. She grows up with her family grandpa Pete and grandma Alice. Her father Gerry and her mother Judy and of course her big brother Marcus. Her family has a stressful life and put some pressure on Hope as she grows up but also gives Hope strength. Hope’s father is a very important person in her life. She loved her father dearly even though he caused major problems in Hope’s life. Spoiler Alert: When Hope’s father dies , it causes pain in Hope which could affect the way she plays in the World Cup against Brazil. This book is very emotional and it’s about much more than just soccer, it’s about Hope’s entire life. I loved reading this book because I am a soccer player and wanted to get to know more about the famous Hope Solo. This book made me laugh a lot but also made me realize how tough her life really was. I highly recommend this book whether you enjoy biographies or you like soccer. I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars."
    • 5/5
      Open, honest and very insightful. As an athlete I found this book really interesting
    • 3/5
      A quick read, helped by breakfast in bed on Saturday morning.... a bit 'nice' as I remembered James Bond as being nastier - but it's so long since I read the Flemming books that I might well be quite wrong. Enjoyed the African bits especially.
    • 4/5
      Excellent continuation of Ian Flemings "007"
    • 4/5
      This is a 3 and a half star book, but I cannot round it up to 4 stars because that would over praise it. You know it is not an Ian Fleming James Bond on the first page where "real writing" appears and throughout the book William Boyd displays flashes of his normal quality writing, whilst staying within the template of a Bond book. There is lots of drinking, smoking, sex, food and guns as one would expect. I was amused by the gun buying sequence in Washington. This was supposed to be 1969 and, sure enough, little has changed, a Beretta and a highpowered hunting rifle over the counter with no identity checks! I noticed a few editing issues, e.g. also buying binoculars before the main purchase and did he really intend to use sodality rather than solidarity, I think not.I think it is probably the best of the Bond Redux novels I have read, the word is fun!
    • 4/5
      I haven't read many post-Ian Fleming Bond novels, but I enjoyed this one. It was especially an improvement over the last 007 outing, written by Jeffrey Deaver, which updated Bond to our times and made him so "p.c." that he wasn't even recognizable at James Bond anymore. Denver's 007 didn't smoke, was moderate with the booze, had a healthy respect for women, and seemed more "licensed to wound" than "licensed to kill." He was a "company man" through-and-through who was prone to ask himself "what would M do" in any particular situation. Ugh! The character could have just as easily been called Malcolm Goodwright, for all the resemblance he had toward Bond.

      The new novel, "Solo," brings back a creditable Bond. We're back in the 1960s, with Bond being 45 years old. He loves his martinis, his fast cars, and his women. But what I liked about this novel is that it took Bond out of his element. Rather than traveling to the world's exotic spots to battle megalomaniacs seeking global domination, he is sent to a dismal West African country in the midst of civil war. On top of that, he isn't even allowed to pack a gun!

      To be sure, there will be plenty of gunplay before the book is over, along with other nastiness, but along the way, Bond is also exposed to some of the ugly truths about colonialism and the role he plays as a government agent in realpolitick. These lessons aren't dealt to the reader heavy-handedly, but it is significant that the novel takes place in 1969, just as a new administration has begun in Washington whose entire foreign policy was based on realpolitick. As Bond says at the end of the book, "Realpolitick isn't just a German word anymore."

      William Boyd, the novel's author, knows Africa, having spent much of his life there, making the African scenes particularly compelling. I'd enjoy having him write a sequel.
    • 3/5
      It wasn't bad, but it left me with the same vague feeling of disappointment that all non-Fleming Bond novels do.
    • 3/5
      Entertaining, but ultimately uninspired, addition to official Bond canon.
    • 3/5
      This is moderately successful, better in some parts than in others, much like the Ian Fleming originals. There's a certain pleasure in ticking off all the generic conventions as they're duly called into service: fast girls, faster cars, particular - and often peculiar - dietary requirements, the right weapon, characters' bizarre names (Sunday, Blessing, Christmas), inventive death, etc, etc: yes, they're all here. Boyd even remembers the story of Fleming learning that in real life one always vomits when recovering consciousness. Fleming included the detail in his next novel, and here it is in Boyd, too. Twice.While all of this may indeed 'A James Bond Novel' make, it doesn't in itself add up to an effective thriller. Solo is exciting in places, but drags in others, which I suppose is not unusual, but one has come to expect more from James Bond, perhaps unreasonably, especially as I think I remember the same being true of at least some of Fleming's efforts, though they at least had the benefit of originality, a luxury not enjoyed by Boyd.Boyd has famously chosen to set the novel in 1969, so here we have a historical novel, too: while period detail is dutifully included and anachronism doesn't exactly abound, neither is it wholly absent, and it grates. I don't for a moment believe that she had a 'day from hell', and I'm suspicious of a hospital that was 'state of the art', or that Bond appreciates 'effective PR'.A generally enjoyable literary exercise: well done. Now, put your money away, Mr Boyd, and write something much better.
    • 2/5
      Quite possibly the most disappointing work by William Boyd. His attempt at the iconic James Bond was rather flat and not terribly thrilling. A far, far cry from the quality he's known for in his other works.
    • 2/5
      Boyd has done a good job at replicating Fleming here. Bond pontificates, eats and relates to the world just as Fleming wrote bond. But where was the fun plot? Yes a couple of twists are here but by the end it was difficult to care about the story.
    • 2/5
      I hate to say that I didn't like, let alone love, a James Bond book, but Solo just didn't work for me. The early, London-based sequences were an intersting view into Bond's life that felt true to the character. However, once he is sent on his mission to Africa, things turned progressively ... boring. That's really the only way to describe it. Sure there were a few action sequences, but none that stood out or were reminiscent of traditional Bond-esque action scenes. Too much sitting around drinking waiting for something to happen. And the final third of the book just felt as if the author needed to find some way to make this an Bondian thriller and wrap the story up, neither of which was he able to do successfully.
    • 3/5
      Always a difficult job to come after a trend setting author who has created an icon. William Boyd does a fair job but a little like Jeffery Deaver before him, he gives his Bond characteristics that jar with those familiar with Flemings Bond. Bonds new car, his attitude when investigating a character in the first third of the novel, all seemed to be forced. This is Bond as a Wilbur Smith African adventurer. He has some characteristics of Flemings creation: darkly intelligent, ruthless but loyal, resourceful but in this setting, with these fictional African locales, it all seems like a need to put a favourite of the authors into his own fictional locations. This isn't Fleming pastiche, like Faulks recent effort, & it shows. It doesn't feel like Bond. Read as an adventure in its own right, it's enjoyable. Just don't expect things to be the way a purist would like.
    • 4/5
      Boyd was always a good storyteller. He doesn't disappoint here in the continuing James Bond sags.
    • 4/5
      Good one! It starts off in 1969, on James Bond's 45th birthday. In classic Fleming style, Bond dines on fine cuisine, drinks only the best, and dresses, well, like James Bond! The whole opening part of the book reminded me of the classic Bond! The middle of the book is James' mission - to end a civil war in Africa. Not terribly interesting, but full of action and extremely fast paced! And the end is again classic. The drink, the girl, and the job. I really think this book captured the Bond that I loved as a kid, and I'm glad I read it! I also liked that it had a "classic" villain too! Welcome Kobus Breed to the Bond villain wall of fame!
    • 3/5
      The Good Stuff Will appeal to Bond fans, especially fans of those early Fleming novels This Bond felt like a Daniel Craig style Bond - but than again maybe that is just how I imagined him to be. Nice addition to the back story of Bond Bond Girl was fabulous, really enjoyed her personality and how she dealt with Bond. Well written, Boyd does a fabulous job of setting the scene and the mood of the story. The African setting is a nice change of pace Author obviously has done some thorough research on Bond, he really has a true understanding of his character I have a feeling this will appeal mostly to the older Bond enthusiast as the slow paced style of the story will probably turn off the younger reader - this would be my Dad's Bond type of story (This isn't a negative comment) Nice to read about Moneypenny again, I have missed her (though would have liked to have more of her)The Not So Good Stuff Rather dull at times and quite frankly, couldn't wait to be done so I could pick up something a little more exciting. This has nothing to do with Boyd's ability to write (his talent is very evident) but this particular story was not my cup of tea Must we always kill off the women that Bond sleeps with. Than again I would risk death to have one night with Daniel Craig's Bond (But I would get the hell out of whatever country we were in once I left his bed & would have a big ferocious dog with me too (not to mention a full body bullet proof suit) I think Cory is going to be mad at me since I didn't love this book as much as he did (FYI he is young and loved it so maybe my observation about how this will appeal to older readers might be inaccurate)Favorite Quotes/Passages "Sometimes, Bond thought, Moneypenny's banter could verge on the annoyingly self-satisfied. He was vaguely irritated that she must know how old he is.""Bond found he rather admired the Captain's tireless ability to lie so fluently and with manifest conviction. He was good at his job, but no one was fooled.""They had seen everything, these nurses, Bond realized. Words like prudish, embarrassed, shocked, disgusted or ashamed simply weren't in their vocabulary. Perhaps that was why people - why men - found them so attractive."3 Dewey'sI received this from William Morrow (HarperCollins) in exchange for an honest review
    • 5/5
      Just finished reading Solo by William Boyd. This is the latest James Bond by an author picking up after Ian Fleming. I really enjoyed this book. This book seems to be the most faithful to Fleming's James Bond character. The book is set in 1969. The descriptions of the period seem to be very accurate from my recollections.The story is about James Bond being sent to a fictitious west African country in the midst of a civil war with the mission of enabling the defeat of the rebels. Bond has run ins with several strange characters along the likes of Jaws, Blofeld, etc. Bond also has a dalliance with an agent who turns out not to be who he thinks she is. He also has a relationship with another woman. The sex with the beautiful women is described in a similar manner to the way Fleming handled it and in the early Bond films.The title Solo is about Bond's actions after returning from the end of the civil war in the west African country. He is plotting revenge outside of MI6 over what happened while in Africa.If you enjoyed Ian Fleming's Bond books, you should enjoy this book.
    • 4/5
      When i was about 13 or 14 I read Ian Fleming's James Bond novels quite avidly, even though they were by then already rather dated and, at least to an adolescent's boy's taste, rather anodyne compared with the films that they had spawned. However, as one of my old drinking buddies was a huge fan of them I tried to re-read a couple of them just a few years back and found them very hard going, almost to the point of being utterly impenetrable.However, ever since reading his first novel, "A Good Man in Africa", I have been, and avowedly remain, a huge fan of William Boyd, whom I consider incapable of writing an inelegant sentence. I was, therefore, intrigued to hear that he had accepted a commission from the Fleming Estate to write the latest "official" James Bond story. Boyd's recent novels have followed espionage-related themes, though operating on a far more elevated plane than Fleming's shockers, but he rises to the challenge of continuing Bond's career with great gusto. The book is set in 1969, and opens on Bond's 45th birthday. To celebrate he book the day off and arranges to spend the previous night in The Dorchester Hotel. We get chapter and verse on his meals, even down to the number of eggs scrambled for his breakfast, though this attention to detail isn't at all intrusive. Having met a beautiful woman in the hotel lift, he then heads off for a day of intense self-indulgence for his birthday, including a test drive of the legendary Jensen FF. This all works very well, and Boyd paints an appealing picture of the swinging sixties in west London.Indeed, the plot only really gets properly started some four or five chapters in when Bond eventually makes it to his office and is briefed by M for his mission which is, basically, to go to West Africa and bring an end to a vicious post-colonial civil war that is besetting the state of Zanzarim.. Bond is flown out to Africa masquerading as a reporter for a French news agency. The story proceeds true to the tried and tested James Bond model.I think this was an interesting experiment but I am not sure that it worked - basically William Boyd is just too good a writer and it seems a dreadful waste to have his ability reined in to match the weaker template set by Fleming. Still, I did enjoy it, and I might even try some of the originals again.
    • 5/5
      This is a book about resourcefulness. Boyd's Bond is a pared down sixties version but with a reasonably rich interior life drawn straight from the liberalism of later years. He does not act without compunction and he generally considers and weighs up each situation as a human being, rather than a super-construct-hero. The story is engaging and well plotted. Though it does dip occasionally into the realms of disbelief it provides remarkably easy and entertaining escapism for a day or so.