Playing for Pizza: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: John Grisham
Creator: Christopher Evan Welch
Publisher: RH Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $4.34
You Save: $25.61 (86%)
New (36) Used (30) from $2.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  263 reviews
Sales Rank: 92517
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 6
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.3 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0739359096
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780739359099
ASIN: 0739359096
Publication Date: September 24, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new audio-book on CD still factory-sealed in the shrinkwrap. Ships first class mail. 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back!
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Amazon.com
Playing for Pizza: A Q&A with John Grisham Q: American football in Italy seems like an unlikely subject for a John Grisham novel. What was the inspiration for Playing for Pizza? A: Three years ago when I was in Bologna researching "The Broker", I discovered American football. One of my guides in the area played football for the Bologna Warriors for 10 years. I couldn't believe that American football actually existed there, but the more I heard about it the more intrigued I became. Q: There is some great football writing in this novel. What kind of research was involved in capturing how this American institution is played in small town Italy? A: The only way to research the book was to go to Parma and watch a game. The coach is an American who played at Illinois State, and he proved to be extremely valuable. I met many of the Italian players and the story simply unfolded. Q: Speaking of research, you write lovingly of Italian food and wine in this book. What's your idea of the perfect Italian meal? A: First course: prosicutto and melon; second course: stuffed tortellini; third course: roasted stuffed capon, all served with a great Barolo wine. Q: Without giving away too much of the plot, your protagonist falls in love by the novel's end. Did you know when you started writing that Rick would get the girl? A: Of course. Q: You have a new legal thriller coming in January 2008. Can you give us any hints about what to expect? A: I really don't like to talk about a book until it's finished. Sorry. But it will not be another work of non-fiction, nor will it be about football. Lots of lawyers in the next one.
Product Description
Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the AFC Championship game against Denver, to the surprise and dismay of virtually everyone, Rick actually got into the game. With a 17-point lead and just minutes to go, Rick provided what was arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL. Overnight, he became a national laughingstock and, of course, was immediately cut by the Browns and shunned by all other teams.
But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback–for the mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.
Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player–any former NFL player–at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers–at least until a better offer comes along–and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma, has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian. To say that Italy holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 258 more reviews...
 Good, easy read July 26, 2008
This book was well written with a storyline that was easy to believe. I'm not usually much for fiction, but after reading this, I might try more books by Mr. Grisham.
 Should be in the Young Adults section July 25, 2008
I haven't read a Grisham novel in years but found them to be nicely plotted. albeit dry, thrillers. "Playing for Pizza" however, is an absolute mystery to me. The writing is so simple I truly thought it was designed for the adolescent reader. A linear, simple, predictable plot, one dimensional characters..I could go on. If he didn't have his name attached to it there is no way a book like this would get published.
 Playing for Pizza July 25, 2008
I have never actually read a Grisham book until now, and I imagine Grisham fans are a little let down by this one. This is a story that would succeed as a movie and not as a book. The book itself lacked depth and resulted in a rather boring, at times disconnected, read. I love food (who doesn't?) and football (most of America), therefore I was initially attracted to the book. In the end, it only made me wish I was in Italy eating Italian food and not reading about it.
Delightful July 22, 2008
Mr. Grisham has surprised me with this delightful, light little novel about an American NFL player who somehow loses a game so badly that he becomes almost a joke, a really hated player. He gets the opportunity to play football in Italy where, of course, he redeems himself. But all of that is just the basic outline of a story that is really about a bunch of wonderful characters who play for the love of it. Mr. Grisham makes the reader genuinely admire these players, and I must say, I felt very fond of Parma when I finished. I read this book in just a few hours. It is short (262 pages). But if you want to have a genuinely pleasant afternoon, then you should consider reading this book.
leave simple romances to barbara cartland July 19, 2008
And no offense to Ms. Cartland. This book starts off well. The first 10 pages are a delight. From there, it's all downhill. The story reads almost like a travelogue, starting with the importance of wearing the proper clothes in Italy, meeting a girl who wants to travel a lot - and giving details on all of the what-and-where sites they visit, detailed descriptions of many Italian dinners, implied casual sex throughout yet never any involvement, attending an opera and actually explaining the plot of the opera scene-by-scene, far too much play-by-lay dialogue and activity, an easily predictable outcome for their football season and very thin personalities. If you don't really want to read a book, yet feel a compulsion to say you read one this summer, then this might be the ideal reading companion. Never enough substance to make you think, letting you idly flip the pages.
Okay, I didn't like the book. However, I do like John Grisham's writings and have enjoyed his legal books and especially "The Painted House", which was impressive. This book just read as though he wrote the whole thing while flying back from Italy to kill time. His other writings are so superior and have real characters and real emotion - but not here. Despite my comments, I'm always looking forward to his next work.
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