The Cardturner by Louis Sacher - Review

I've been a fan of Louis Sacher's work for such a long time. Here's Megan's review of The Cardturner, which I've just started because of her review.

Alton's uncle is very old, very blind, and very rich. When he asks Alton to be his "cardturner," Alton's parents are thrilled because they think this is a chance to work their way into Uncle Lester's will. Alton is embarrassed, but he can't seem to get out of it. He takes Uncle Lester to his bridge club, helps him with his cards, and slowly starts to realize that figuring out bridge is a lot like figuring out life. He falls in love, learns some obvious things about his friends and some totally crazy things about his family. He even learns some interesting things about himself.

You wouldn't think that a book about a card game could be exciting. I mean, we're not talking championship poker here, something broadcast on cable television with piles of cash at stake. We're talking bridge. I didn't know anything about bridge before I read this book, but I assumed it would be boring. I had no idea that I would soon be holding my breath over every card, unable to put this book away.