Lunch-time Review: Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
14 Nov
A lunch-time review is a review of only the first twenty to thirty minutes of a book; usually just the first two chapters. The purpose of such a review is to find the answer to, “Would I continue reading this?”
I’ve been wanting to read Playing For Pizza by John Grisham for a while now, but just haven’t been able to get to it. For one, I have studying and school. For another, I have ten other books that I want to read first. So I decided today to read the first two chapters, which Grisham posted on his web site.
Playing For Pizza centers around a former third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, Rick Dockery. The novel opens with Rick in the hospital, having suffered a blow to the head in an American Football Championship (AFC) title game the day prior. He slowly learns the details of the game from his agent Arnie, and he learns that he blew a 17 – 0 lead with eleven minutes remaining after having thrown three interceptions. Needless to say, everyone in Cleveland wants to kill Rick.
To add to his misfortunes, the Browns cut him, and no one else in the NFL will hire him. On a whim, Arnie phones an old friend who is the manager of the Parma Panthers, a team in Parma, Italy that plays in an American Football league there. Arnie’s old friend has heard of Rick’s disaster, but the (American) football team in Italy is just a club sport, and he would love to have a former NFL quaterback playing on his team. Sam accepts, and that’s where the second chapter ends.
Would I Continue Reading This?: Definitely. If you’re a fan of football or sports in general, this book seems like a good read. Even if you’re not a fan of sports, it still may be a good read. The book is short, and Grisham has a very clear, crisp writing style. It’s not heavy material, and would be perfect for reading on the beach, or to use as an excuse to escape from relatives next week during Thanksgiving.
