Written in chronological order, the story opens with the disgraced NFL quarterback Rick Dockery in the hospital suffering from a concussion. He is now an unwanted man in Cleveland, for he has single-handedly stopped his team, the Cleveland Browns, from going to the Super Bowl. On top of it all, this is not his first botched up job. The news media puts him down unabatedly; Browns release him from the team; and no other team wants him.

His agent Arnie finds him a spot for one season with the Panthers in Parma, Italy. Dockery does not even know where Parma is, but out of desperation, he accepts the offer.

The real story takes place in Italy where Dockery warms up to his teammates most of whom play gratis and celebrate their wins or mourn their losses with pizza and beer. In Parma, Dockery finds friendship and love, regains his enthusiasm for the game, and manages to take his team to the Italian Super Bowl.

light reading

everything, especially things that are Italian, like the food, the scenery, history, and the language.

know more about football, even though I dislike that game.

good, because it is about maturation and redemption of the individual.

John Grisham was born in 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. After majoring in accounting at Mississippi State University, he graduated from law school and specialized in criminal defense. From 1983 to 1990, he served as a state representative. When his first novel A Time to Kill became a success, he turned to writing. Some of his novels eventually were made into movies.
Some of his books are: The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Brethren, The Summons, A Painted House, and The Innocent Man.

It appeals to the reader not only through football, but also through the setting of the story, the descriptions of Italian food, and the flawless handling of the quirky and distinct characters in the story. In addition, the pace of the book is quite fast.

This was a startling novel for me. I picked it up, thinking it would be another law-murder-mystery Grisham thriller. Had I known it to be about football, I would not attempt reading it, but then, that would be my loss.

When a writer shows such skill in telling a tale about a subject he does not usually tackle, he proves the unique strength of his pen; so unique that a person like me who does not like football and knows next to nothing about it can understand and even become excited over the in-depth and detailed narration of the moves in the game.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of Playing For Pizza: A Novel   from Amazon.Com!

Created Jan 01, 2008 at 6:36pm • Submit your own review...