Shoeless Joe was well received by reviewers. Barry Schweld, in Library Journal, called it a "triumph of imagination . . . the tone is gentle and sweet." Schweld compared the novel to the work of Bernard Malamud, Robert Coover and others, concluding that like those writers, Kinsella had spun a "wonderful myth out of the ritual of baseball." Publisher's Weekly declared it to be "the most imaginative and original baseball novel since 'The Natural,'" and concluded, "fanciful, if somewhat lightweight, the novel attests to the timeless game and the power of love." Maggie Lewis in Christian Science Monitor joined the chorus of praise, commenting that "Kinsella does wonders in this book: The visual fantasies are so rich that whether you believe them or not, you can't help imagining them."

William Plummer in Newsweek was a little more tough-minded. He called Shoeless Joe a "wonderfully hokey first novel," adding...