Playing for Pizza

Check it out!

A fun book to read if you like food and football. Light expose. Different from John Grisham's usual legal fare. Makes you want to go to Italy!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Skip the movie, read the book!

An absolute delight. Really a must read

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Quick, fun read.

A diversion for Grisham, not unlike Skipping Christmas. A pleasant story, filled with interesting characters, and lucious descriptions of Italian countryside and food. A story for a football fan, or his wife! It made me think of football strategy as I never have before. I give it five stars, and plan to read it again!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I'm so hungry, now. When are we going to Parma?

Loved this very different, very human and engaging story from Grisham, the great writer of courtroom and legal dramas. One of two 'football' books he's given us. This one excels as a story of a man who has to re-evaluate his life in the face of changing citcumstances , reshaping his goals and lifestyle to reflect his new reality. Along the way it takes the reader on a grand epicurean tour of northern Italy. Really, it made me salivate and wonder, "How and when can I get to Parma?"

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Unexpectedly loved this book!

My husband brought this home after borrowing it from a co worker. I do not know much about the ins and outs of football especially football leagues in Europe, but this book was so easy to pick up and get into. It is wonderful to follow the transformation of the main character and take in the feel and culture of Italy. I loved all the characters he meets along his incredible journey in Italy. It is an easygoing read that is hard to put down. I was surprised to also read the research put into the autheticness of creating this book! I don't think women and men alike will be disappointed!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Love It!

I think people (and critics) are sometimes too hard on John Grisham. A writer should be allowed to cross boundaries without being scolded for trying to do so. In Playing for Pizza, Grisham does this beautifully. Rick Dockery is one of the all-time great fiction louses, the sensory details of Italian life are delicious, and Christopher Evan Welch perfectly captures Grisham aloof and happy-go-lucky tone. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone looking for some fun.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is like the minnisota vikings...really good, but not great.

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
When I checked this novel out from the library, I had predicted how it would unfold. And I turned out to be completely right. I did this with some assistance from the blurb. The main character, Rick Dockery, is a sub-par quarterback that loves to play the game. After he is cut from his most recent NFL team, Rick signs with a team in Italy. And from that I came to the conclusion that it would be somewhat of a comedy that deals with him adjusting to Italian culture, while at the same time trying to help his new team win a championship. So yes it¿s a very predictable plot.
But that doesn¿t automatically bring down the quality of the book. It had a very good message: the NFL lifestyle is over luxurious, and there¿s really no passion for the game. In the Italian league, with exception to the American players, there are no salaries. The Italian athletes see pro football as a club, and have actual careers to support their financial needs. And they are fine with that. They have the passion for the sport that is missing, for the most part, from pro football in America. That is the theme I love from this novel.
Before when I said I predicted it was a comedy, that¿s on overstatement. Grisham has a way of wording things. When I hear them in my head as I read, they are really funny. This happens especially when Rick is practicing for the first few times with his new team. As you would have guessed the skill level in a Europe league is far below that of the NFL, and they have a different style of practice. So consequently Rick has trouble adjusting to the skill level of his offensive line and wide receivers. The way Grisham delineates Rick¿s frustration is very funny.
Something else I like about this book is the references to the real world. Several times Grisham mentions real NFL teams and players. And apparently the way Italian culture is portrayed here is very accurate. All the Italians teams are real, and the reputations are real. For example, in the text, the Bergamo Lions is the powerhouse of the league, and has one the championship the past nine years in a row. I looked this up on internet and its true. That is a big positive for me.
But no book is perfect. And Playing for Pizza is exhibit A to this statement. The ending was quite the disappointment. I¿m not going to spoil anything, but let¿s just say it leaves the reader very clueless about the future of Rick¿s career. This was something I was intrigued with and was looking forward learning how it played out. But Grisham leaves it up to the reader¿s imagination. I hate it when authors do that.
Another flaw is the many things Rick gets involved in besides football. The most annoying of which are his numerous Italian love interests. Rick has spends a lot of times thinking about girls, two in particular, and whenever I got to one of these chapters I felt very inclined to just skip it. It just seemed to get in the way from what the book could have been. I understand the setting is in Italy and it would be hard to ignore this theme, but it would probably be worth it. I chose this book because it had to do with football, not romance. But there is enough football that it can get confusing for someone who is unfamiliar with the game. By this I mean there is frequent use of football terms. This is no problem whatsoever for me, but could frustrate some people.
But the pros greatly overpower the cons, and overall it was an enjoyable read. I highly

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I luv pizza

Where is parma? I luv Little Caesars pizza :)

Uros

:(

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved It

I've read several of John Grisham's legal thrillers and a couple of his other books ( Skipping Christmas, Bleachers) in the past. It had been a few years since I read one of his books so I decided this short book would help to get me back enjoying his writing . I have previously been to Italy and really enjoyed the country, I love football so those aspects peeked my interest too. Playing for Pizza did not disappoint, I chewed through it quickly and can't wait to read my next Ghrisham book. If you love football, european travel,and a great story, this book is for you.

Nothing special

I always enjoy Grisham's stories, but this one never got off the ground. Nothing objectionable; ok when you want something to read that doesn't overtax your mind.

Still looking for a plot...

Knowing Grisham's reputation, I thought this would be another great book filled with good writing and tension. The only things that were missing was a plot, great writing and tension in the story.

I think Grisham took a vacation in Italy and wanted to find a way to write off the expense. So he devised a vacuous story and penned some drivel that is far below his usual lofty standard.

I'm sure he justified the expenses, but also wrote off a lot of fans in the process. Quite the dissappointment!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic

great book about culture surrounding football in italy. great read.

a guy book

After reading the author note at the end of the book, it was clear why this was ok for me. He was researching another book and happened to come across an idea for this book. Knowing that, maybe it was like a filler/quicky book? I gave to my husband after reading it and he loved it!

Extremely Disappointing

A friend recommended me this book saying "he couldn't put it down". I often wondered if we were reading the same book. Just boring, poorly written, lots of football play by plays which aren't interesting to non football lovers. Just so much wrong with this book. A lot left unresolved and not wrapped up properly. The writing was weak and plain cheesy at times. Just a really dumb book overall. I've never written a review before but this warranted a warning to fellow readers.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good Read

Good read about Football and the culture that surrounds Italy.

Football Plus Pizza- A Winning Combination

Rick Dockery is a third string NFL quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, who arguably has the worst performance in NFL history which results in the Browns missing their chance at their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. He is cut from the team, vilified in the press, and is facing legal troubles due to a questionable paternity lawsuit. He had become a national laughingstock overnight. His agent, Arnie, tries to find him work in the NFL, but no team will take him. Arnie manages to find him a starting position for the Parma Panthers of the Italian Football league for meager compensation. Rick accepts the job, glad to get away from the negative press and left with no more favorable options, but wary of living in Italy, where he doesn't know the language and where American football draws little attention or respect. The Parma Panthers have only two other Americans on the team -- halfback Slidell "Sly" Turner who returns home mid-season due to homesickness and Safety Trey Colby who suffers a broken leg; a career ending injury. Despite these problems, Italy and the team are growing on Rick, and he begins to feel some loyalty to them despite the fact that Arnie has found him a more lucrative job offer with a more respected CFL team. Rick decides to honor his contract with the Sam Russo led Parma Panthers. With renewed resolve, a talented Italian wide receiver named Fabrizio and a new strategy, they win each of their remaining regular-season games, then advance to the playoffs and the Italian Super Bowl, a very close and hard-fought game against their rivals, the Bergamo Lions; who had won each of the past nine Italian Super Bowls. The book ends with Rick contemplating his future in Italy with his girlfriend, Livvy. John Grisham is usually a writer of legal thrillers but he does an excellent job creating this football story. To say that Italy-the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano- holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement. A major theme of this novel is that money does not equal happiness. Rick Dockery takes a smaller salary in Italy but becomes far more cheerful than he ever was in the NFL because he forms close relationships with his teammates and girlfriend. So it is often the case that a simple life is better than one of fame and fortune. I like this story for many reasons. First of all, John Grisham incorporates comedy into the book. The way he delineates the star QB's frustration of adapting to the lower skill level and different style of practice is very humorous. I also liked that it often made accurate allusions to the real world; making realistic references to sports analyst Charlie Cray, Sergio Lanfranchi Stadium, and the playing of Othello in Teatro Regio among many others. This gave the book some historical significance and taught me far more about the Italian culture than I would have learned otherwise. I also disliked a few concepts about this book. The plot structure was highly predictable and did not build up any suspense from the reader. The ending was also very disappointing. It leaves the reader very clueless about the future of Rick's career, something I was intrigued with and was looking forward learning how it played out. Unfortunately, John Grisham leaves it up to the reader's imagination and leaves it open-ended. I recommend this book to all avid sports fans as well as anyone who is interested in fish-out-of-water redemption st

grissham does it again

This is a very good book. It keep you hanging on every word.

This book is very interesting and easy to read.

In the book Playing for Pizza, Rick Dockery is the third string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In one of is games they put him in, He throws three interceptions in less than a quarter. By throwing that many interceptions it ruined the Browns first ever chance of making it to the Super-bowl. So the Browns fire him, his agent Arnie, finds him a new team in Italy. The team is the Parma Panthers. He was not going to take the deal until he finds out that he has a lawsuit against him. So he takes the deal and the Panthers get a winning streak until they lose there other two American players. They lost a couple and then it turned back around and they made it to the playoffs. During all of this Arnie finds him a new contract, but he decides to stay loyal to the Panthers and they make it to the Super-bowl. At the end of the book he decides to stay in Italy with his new girlfriend.

Entertaining

An entertaining look into life after the spotlight. While not a thriller or serious book, this does provide an entertaining look at life after the spotlight as one man seeks to find himself.