Playing for Pizza: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: John Grisham
Creator: Christopher Evan Welch
Publisher: RH Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $4.40
You Save: $25.55 (85%)
New (36) Used (32) from $2.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  260 reviews
Sales Rank: 216207
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
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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 255 more reviews...
 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.
Mystifying July 17, 2008
We obtained this on CD and listened through 4 discs with increasing bewilderment before we tossed in the towel.
There doesn't seem to be anything going on.
For Grisham this is astonishing.
3.5, actually July 11, 2008
Not typical Grisham -- but you may already know that. This is a great beach/airplane read as it is simple and fun. Rather predicatble, but that's ok. Basic story about a man at the end of his career rope and he manages to hang on for little while longer and find a rich cultural nook in a place he had not expected (or wanted) to be. I enjoyed the Italian characters, including the city of Parma. Grisham's writing syle is simplistic and straightforward, which fits the main character's personality. Don't expect any major plot twists or surprises!
So So July 11, 2008
As one who has been a big John Grisham fan, I found myself to be disappointed with this book.
It is a fictionalized account of a third string pro quarterback who finds himself playing in the Italian version of the NFL. It is interesting in spots, but bland overall. It is not remotely on a par with a typical Grisham novel.
Although he has written a couple of other books that were not great (A Painted House, Bleachers), Grisham's books are normally fast paced and keep the reader's attention. Not so with this one. Even as a fan of both the author and pro football, I would not recommend 'Playing For Pizza'. For the hardcore fan who thinks he/she must read everything Grisham, it would be best to get this one in a used bookstore, or better yet, at a library.
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