Little Wonder

Amazing story of a female tennis/atheletic phenom who has been largely forgotten. Great read for those interested in tennis.

I bought this as a gift for my pre-teen granddaughters to read. They are all into volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball and anything that gives them a chance to explore and challenge themselves physically. I thought I'd give them a chance to learn about this champion and all around female athlete.

I am very pleased with this purchase. It was just as described and arrived in perfect condition.

Fascinating book, about a true wonder her whole life. Who do we know in today's world that would compare to Lottie Dodd? The writing is fascinating, the author included the historical setting of this amazing lady. Lottie was born in 1871, in the Victorian era, before the Suffragettes and the women's vote. She wore bulky clothes playing tennis and golf. She was a superstar at anything she attempted. She even went mountain climbing in Norway with Elizabeth Main, one of the earliest female mountain climbers. Adventurous women in a suppressed era. Loved this book, a real education, covering the horrors of WWI, how the English coped, and opened their homes to severely wounded soldiers. Lottie died quietly in 1960. I would love to be able to read her letters, but none were kept I believe. Terrific research from this author.

Despite watching tennis religiously throughout my life, I did not know the name of Charlotte “Lottie” Dod. She was a five-time winner of Wimbledon in the late 1800s. But she was more than a mere tennis player. She was an ice skater, a tobogganist, a mountain climber, an endurance bicyclist, a hockey player on the English national team, a championship golfer, and an Olympic silver medalist in archery. Quite the resume. After her sporting days were through, she ventured into nursing during the world wars and into singing in peacetime. With all of those accolades, why don’t we know her name? Well, she’s a female and achieved in an era before video and electronic communication. In this biography, fortunately, Abramsky seeks to let us know a little more about her and to trumpet her legacy a bit. The quality of his research shows throughout this work. Although source material is limited as almost all observers are deceased, he manages to paint a vivid narrative based on newspaper clippings, interviews with the Dod estate, and direct observations of scenery. In particular, his settings in England are impressively detailed. Although the reader sadly cannot see the quality of Dod’s tennis shots in motion, the pictures in the book and Abramsky’s back-stories paint as vivid a picture as can be expected. Interestingly, the author writes as a lifelong tennis fan, not as a professional sports writer. Instead, by trade, he is a freelance writer in the field of politics. That background shows as he does not dwell on the feats of the body much. His writings’ strengths lie in setting, the human spirit, and interpersonal interaction. These unique qualities and eccentricities make this work even more enjoyable. This work will be popular in the women’s-studies classroom as well as among female athletes. But the appropriate audience should also extend to fans of sport, regardless of gender. Dod’s “fabulous” story can inspire us to embrace life to the fullest and to seek ever greater heights in our own personal journeys. In history, Dod was not enamored with fame or money; rather, she sought to live a great life first and foremost. That lesson ought to teach us all.

Remarkable true story of Lottie Dod and her sporting achievements despite battling with sciatica for most of her life.