X-Book

The Progress of the Seasons

Click Buy to Log in and see personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Beginning in 1946, a then eight-year-old George Higgins, accompanied by father and grandfather, began taking the long train ride out to Fenway Park to find some truth in immortals like Doerr, DiMaggio, York, and Williams, and later, Yastremski, Marty Barrett, and many more. This is a book about baseball and about the Boston Red Sox; but that is only part of the story. Beyond the games, the book turns on thoughts about family and continuity and, of course, the progress of the seasons. There’s a magical moment when Higgins calls on his own mythic Emily to check the all-time lineup with his deceased forebears. By then, you’ve come to know what the author’s values have in common with those in Our Town, and why certain professional athletes achieve immortality and others don’t. The Progress of the Seasons confirms what admirers of the author’s sparkling accurate prose already know: Higgins is to writing what Ted Williams was to baseball, an all-star.

Critics Review

“Blending intimate personal memories with public events over a long time span is a tricky affair. Higgins carries it off with nary an error.”

New York Times

“A warm, sentimental journey…Higgins’ writing is as crisp as a well-pitched game under the shadows of Fenway’s Green Monster left-field wall.”

People

“At once refreshingly traditional yet innovative, Higgins is a writer of Balzacian appetite, trying to lift the lid off the human comedy, using Bostonas his fulcrum.”

GQ

“In this affecting memoir, with prose as sharp as a live-drive single, Higgins shows how his love of baseball is matched only by his love of his father and grandfather, men who introduced him to the game forty year earlier. Ian Esmo reads with care, maintaining a steady pace.”

AudioFile
Author George V. Higgins
Narrator Ian Esmo
Duration 7 hours and 11 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781481558570
Format Audiobook
Publisher Blackstone Publishing
Genre Baseball, History of sport, Sport: general
Availability AU, GB, IE, US

About xigxag

xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK’s only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.

There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at £8.99. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from £3.99. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.

Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.

Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.