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Playing for Pizza
Playing for Pizza
Author: John Grisham
Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the AFC Championship game, 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 nation...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780440244714
ISBN-10: 0440244714
Publication Date: 7/22/2008
Pages: 304
Rating:
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 533

3.4 stars, based on 533 ratings
Publisher: Dell
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 68 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
Football, Italy, and lack of a plotline - this can't be a John Grisham novel. "Playing for Pizza" is a disappointing departure from his usual well-written legal dramas. There were many personal relationships and sub-plots that could have been developed in this story, but weren't.

The book might be interesting to people who enjoy the blow-by-blow details of a football game, but did not hold my attention. I found myself skipping pages at a time, as he described football plays in excruciating detail. I'm very disappointed.
scrapbooklady avatar reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 472 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
What I liked about this book is that I've never read anything like it. Although the characterization doesn't go much deeper than cliched stereotypes, the story of a humiliated underdog finding his place in the world is a fun read.
Angeleyes avatar reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 217 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
Not your normal Grishman novel but good none the less. Difficult to describe to someone else but I found myself seeing the world through the main characters eyes. How he had a life all planned out and it didn't quite work the way he expected, so he took a detour and found a whole new life. A nice Sunday afternoon read.
reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
I guess even successful authors like John Grisham like to take a break from the genre that they're known for and try a different direction. In this case, I think the excursion was a great success.

I really enjoyed this tale of a football player who rediscovers himself when he leaves the US to continue playing the game he loves.
cottonmouthfan avatar reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
If you liked "A Painted House" and "Bleachers" (and I did), you will like this too. Laid back, easy reading, Grisham manages to give his main character depth without too much detail. Great reading for a plane flight; just long enough to kill a few hours.
Read All 122 Book Reviews of "Playing for Pizza"

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reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 35 more book reviews
This book was so boring could not believe Grisham wrote it! I am interested in football but not overly enthusiastic about it. The book seemed to go on and on , he found a girl, girl had another boyfriend. Should he stay in Italy after making one humiliating play in the USA or not? Dull and BORING
reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 411 more book reviews
Interesting, easy-read, adventure that departs from author's normal genre.
reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 19 more book reviews
A delightful, light read. I definitely enjoyed it!
dkfrum avatar reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 14 more book reviews
I always enjoy reading a Grisham novel. He is a sports lover and this novel is a very fun and interesting read.
mickeygirl74 avatar reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 28 more book reviews
I enjoyed this book by John Grisham. It was different from his normal books and I loved reading about Italy.
robinmy avatar reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 2032 more book reviews
Third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, Rick Dockery didn't expect to see any game time in the AFC Championship. But with a big lead and only eleven minutes to go, everything fell apart. Rick ends up in the hospital, losing the game and his job in one day. He immediately tells his agent to find him another team, but no NFL team wants anything to do with him. Rick's agent does find him a starting QB position with the Parma Panthers in Parma, Italy.

If you're looking for one of Grisham's Legal Thrillers, this book is not it. This is a story about a guy who had a life plan that went down the drain in a matter of 24 hours. Rick is in for a big of culture shock. He doesn't speak Italian, drive a stick-shift, or listen to Italian opera. But he does know the game of football and helps the team manager try to make this team a winner.

This story is told from Rick's point-of-view. I wasn't a real fan of this character. He starts out as a shallow playboy. But he does grow and change by the end of the story. There was a lot of football, touristy travel through Italy and great food which made the book worth reading. My rating: 3 Stars.
mignon avatar reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 256 more book reviews
I read this for my women's book club. I am not sure why unless there is a 'football' fan amongst us. This book appeared to be John Grisham's Italian travel journal. It included history and food. In between we got to play football. I now know more about football than I really wanted to know. The two main characters were thrown in to make it a 'romance' novel, too.
reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 27 more book reviews
Different from Grisham's legal thrillers, but since I am a football fan who really wants to visit Italy, I enjoyed it immensely. As usual, the author fleshes out his characters so that I felt like I knew them personally.
overpricedshirt avatar reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 18 more book reviews
Guy gets job playing football in Italy. There. That sentence is all you need to know and is as exciting as actually reading this book.
reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 16 more book reviews
This was not your typical Grisham trial, lawyer noval. It was a great story and kept me wanting to read more to see what would unfold next. The main character, Rick, was an honest guy, never wavering from his responsibilities as quarterback. I liked that! It's a good read!
reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 286 more book reviews
This is the only book I've ever read by John Grisham that I didn't like.
reviewed Playing for Pizza on + 44 more book reviews
If you understand football, you may enjoy this book. But I don't so it was too hard to follow.


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