Product ReviewsPlaying for Pizza : A Novel by John Grisham (2007, Hardcover)

This is an easy read that sucks you in before you know it.

This is not your typical football story. Our guy looses the Superbowl at the last minute and sinks to the lowest possible rank in the NFL. John Grisham got the idea for this book while on vacation in Italy. Being the great writer that he is, Grisham weaves a tale of utter failure and ultimate redemption. The scene is set in Italy and gives insight to living in Parma and other towns in the Italian Football League. There is little money for American football with soccer being the country's craze. Sometimes the guys just play for the pizza. To say that the players are underpaid is an understatement. There are moments of suspense, failure and success. The book will make you hungry and want to visit these great local restaurants, even if they are fictional. This is not a cutting edge story for the author but it is a pleasant read that will reinforce your feeling for the good in mankind.

The book was a gift from my sister who knows I love football. I purchased this copy for my grandsons in Massachusetts who play football for their high school and also love the game.Read full review...

Very different approach to a classic sports plot

Rick Dockery had a very successful college football career and since then has bounced around in the NFL. Generally relegated to the third string or emergency quarterback, he has a powerful arm but is inconsistent. He is playing for the Cleveland Browns, and they are in the AFC Championship against the Denver Broncos. When the first and second-string quarterbacks are both knocked out of action, Rick enters the game in the final minutes and with the Browns having a 17-point lead.
Rick then proceeds to have what is arguably the worst few minutes of any quarterback in NFL history and the Broncos win the game. The backlash is immediate and vicious, even though Rick ended up in the hospital after the game. There was so much anger that his life was threatened, and he needed a police guard while he recovered.
Not wanting to give up the only life he knew, Rick asked his agent Arnie to find him another spot as a quarterback. Obliging beyond the call of duty, Arnie finds him a spot as the quarterback of a team in Parma, Italy known as the Panthers. While American football is a niche sport in Italy, those who play it do so with a passion. Each team in the league can have at most three American players, most of which were fringe players in the United States. The Italian players are generally not paid, although they are extremely well fed in the Italian style.
After some thought, Rick agrees to go to Parma and be the starting quarterback. There is significant culture shock, yet nearly everyone goes out of their way to make him feel comfortable. The playbook is extremely simple compared to the NFL, but when he calls the play in the huddle, one of the Italian players must translate for the others.
While the Italian backdrop is unusual for sports fiction, the sports action segment of the story is standard fare. After difficulties and setbacks, the Panthers play and win in the big game at the end and Rick emerges as one of the major instruments of the victory. In a nice twist, he also gets the girl at the end, so there is a double happy ending.
The setting and description of the Italian environment for Rick is what makes this story work. It is amusing, from the actions of the police to the seriousness of the dining and drinking to the enormous number of historical places that Rick and the girl visit. There is also the Italian passion for opera. It would be possible to replace the sports aspect with many other plotlines and the story would still be interesting and entertaining.
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Playing for Pizza

Playing for Pizza

The Entertainment Critic Book Review, By James Myers
PLAYING FOR PIZZA
By John Grisham
Published by Doubleday, an imprint of The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group,<br>A Division of Random House, Inc.
Publication Date: September, 2007
Price: $21.95
256 Pages
ISBN-13: 9780385525008
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER
Author’s Books Include: The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have become international bestsellers. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his first foray into non-fiction.
Four Star Rating ****

“Look, Kid, I’m onto something here, a spot on a roster, guaranteed starting position. Gorgeous cheerleaders. Wanna hear it?

Rick repeated it slowly, certain that he had misunderstood the details. The Vicodin was soaking a few areas of his tender brain. “Okay,” he finally said.

“I just talked to the head coach of the Panthers, and they will offer a contract right now, on the spot, no questions asked. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s a job. You’ll still be the quarterback, the starting quarterback! A done deal. It’s all you, baby.”

“The Panthers?”

“You got it. The Parma Panthers.”

There was a long pause as Rick struggled with the geography. Obviously it was some minor-league outfit, some independent bush league so far from the NFL that it was a joke. Surely it wasn’t arena football. Arnie knew better than to think about that.

But he couldn’t place Parma. “Did you say the Carolina Panthers, Arnie?”

“Listen to me, Rick. Parma Panthers.

There was a Parma in the Cleveland suburbs. It was all very confusing.

“Okay, Arnie, pardon the brain damage, but why don’t you tell me exactly where Parma is.”
“It’s in northern Italy, about an hour from Milan.”

John Grisham is known for his hard-hitting courtroom thrillers. Every once in a while he makes a departure from his familiar genre, and ventures outside into the unknown. (Skipping Christmas, A Painted House, and Bleachers are examples). Recently, he has even tried his hand at non-fiction (The Innocent Man). When he does, the result for the readers is usually an eye-opening expose into matters we have not considered before. Playing for Pizza is just such an adventure. You will not find the tried and true expose` that you would expect to find from the master of courtroom suspense. No lawyers and tension between sides. This one is about American football in soccer-laden Italy. This is a totally new and refreshing slant on an unlikely idea, which brings about revelation.
Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. Known for having a rocket arm, and having a reputation for throwing the ball so hard, that it was not catchable, had kept him from becoming a star. Worse yet, Rick does like to get hit; something a pro quarterback has to adjust to, or die. In a playoff game for Cleveland, Rick dies a slow death. With a 17 point lead and just minutes to go, Rick tosses 3 interceptions that result in a loss. Overnight, he becomes a laughingstock, causes riots, and even pickets at the hospital he ends up in. The Brown immediatRead full review...

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

A great story about a Pro athelete who's damaged his career . He's offered a spot on the Italian team, however the salary is far from the excessive U.S. sports salaries and the fun begins. The cultural differences shape the sport, once tainted with money& accesses into the simple love for "PLaying". His new team players will play for the pizza he finds. A traditon of eating after the game, these new players have all the heart that's been lost along the way.
Excellent little story that I bought 3 copies for teen as well as adult reading. No language or sex scenes here, but watching a ruined player do his best for the right reasons,as he negotiates the "City" in Italy is pretty funny. Can't go wrong with Grisham, face it.Read full review...

Not your average "Grisham"

i live on murder mysteries, political intrigue, espionage, etc. a friend recommended this book to me and said it's not like any of that. i told him "i dunno, all the GRISHAM books are lawyer books and i'm not really interested." he said it's nothing like that, just read it.

i LOVED this book. my friends and i are all "foodies" (avid appreciators of good food and its preparation) and once this book started getting into the "italian eating experience," i was totally hooked. i finished it in record time (i'm usually a notoriously slow reader, but i was done in a week) and gave it to my wife. she, not being a sports fan (or a lawyer fan), hesitated at first. however she ADORED this. it's convinced us that we NEED to go to italy some time in the near future, particularly parma northern italy, for an "eating tour." we'd also talked about going during their AMERICAN FOOTBALL SEASON.

in addition to the food aspect of the book, the characters were interesting and well developed, the villians were dispicable, and the overall reading experience was totally satisfying. even not being a sports fan, this book was awesome and engrossing and i enjoyed the HELL out of it.Read full review...

Playing for Pizza

I bought this book because I really like John Grisham's books (I have them all through 2007).
I was afraid the book wouldn't keep me interested even though I like football.
It did however, make me want to continue reading to the end. He is an author who really makes his characters real, leaving you wanting to read more about them. Enjoyed this book, but still hoping he will return to his stories about attorneys, corporations, etc.Read full review...

Great underdog story!

I am not a huge football fan, but I do love books by John Grisham. This book is refreshingly different than any of the other books by him. A story of an NFL player down on his luck, relocating to a different country and learning the culture and ways of Italy. It was a nice change from the usual subject matter written in books by John Grisham. It is a fast read and you will find yourself rooting for the underdog! The attention to detail describing the area and food are so authentic, having just traveled to Italy this past June. The descriptions bring me right back, and would make the person who has never been there get a really good idea of the Italian culture. Not a big, suspenseful plot, just a great feel-good book.Read full review...

Unusual but great Grisham

I enjoy Grisham almost every time; he is just a very good storyteller. This one is not his usual lawyer fare. It is about a broken-down football quarterback who agrees out of desperation to go to Italy and play with Italians who are part of a volunteer league playing American football in Italy; something I did not know even existed. The characters are interesting and ultimately, sympathetic. A little long on the blow by blow descriptions of games, although I can see some people would love that. A little perfunctory regarding the love interest, but entertaining nonetheless. There is a lot of interesting information about Italy, which I loved and Grisham's usual detail about food and food preparation, which I also loved. Nice internal growth exhibited by the main character. Highly recommended.Read full review...

Book by John Grisham, Playing for Pizza

Strong supporter on Mr Grisham, have all of his books and can relate to his style of writting. This one is a bit out of his law enfrocment writings, good plot and enjoyable. Brings the idea that the subject really is out of his league or is he? Strange county and language can he make it? TAKE A CHANGE AND PICK IT UP, think you will enjoy.Read full review...

Another good Grisham book

All the Grisham books are great reading, keeping new twists coming along and keeping your interest up.

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