Book Review: Playing for Pizza, by John Grisham

Okay, this is a lame book to review in comparison to the other books I’ve been reading, but it’s the book I read, so here’s the review. Playing for Pizza is one of John Grisham’s more recent books. It’s not in the mystery/law thriller category. I think he’s probably worked into his book writing deal that every once in a while he can write a book he wants to write that doesn’t fit the genre and they have to publish it. I guess you can probably do that when your John Grisham.
I used to read his books back in high school, my favorite was The Client, though I can’t remember if the move was any good or even close to the book. I remember also reading The Chamber and really not liking it. John Grisham’s books have always been easy to read, that’s why I picked up Playing for Pizza, because I needed an easy to read book. I finished it in just a couple of days.
I didn’t really like the book that much to be honest. It’s basically about a football player who ends up getting cut from his NFL team and going to play for a club team in Italy, which really do exist. There weren’t any real twist or surprises to speak of. Grisham likes football, the other off-genre book he wrote, The Bleachers, is also about football, but I liked it a lot more.
And finally, I’ve got to tell you a funny story related to John Grisham books. So, back when I had graduated from high school and was doing an internship in Chicago, I stopped by a friends house and he let me borrow a book, The Hobbit. Now, unlike many, I hadn’t read or known about The Hobbit or The Lord of The Rings series at all growing up. I didn’t know them to be famous or important literature at all. About a month after borrowing the book I realized I didn’t really like it. I didn’t like the way the plot developed, how there was this terrible situation of eminent doom and then all of the sudden some creature just flies out of the sky and saves the day, it was too random. Anyways, I brought the book back to my friend. While returning the book, another friend asked me how I liked it and I said I didn’t really. Actually, what I said was

“I don’t really like Tolkien’s writing style, it’s too random. I’d rather read an exciting John Grisham Novel.”

“You Dare Compare The Greatest Fantasy Writer of All Time to a dime-a-dozen mystery writer?! Shame On You!!”

After then being scolded for a few more minutes, I went back home, The Hobbit still in hand and finished reading it. But I still like a decent John Grisham novel now and then.

(note: Quoting might be slightly inaccurate, but it was that intense.)
(note: I don’t read the mystery thriller novels anymore, unless they don’t have redemptive violence)

4 thoughts on “Book Review: Playing for Pizza, by John Grisham”

  1. You’re a peasant! I don’t even like fantasy, but I like Tolkien. The worst thing about The Hobbit is that it starts out incredibly slow.

    Have you read Grisham’s The Innocent Man?

  2. I have always had a strange appreciation for Grisham. It is in part because he has a tendency to attack the corporate law world, which is kinda’ run to read.

    I read every book I could get my hands on in high school, but then stopped reading fiction. I think that I thought I was too cool for it. I was wrong.

    But I recently read The Innocent Man, which is Grisham’s first non-fiction book, and it is great. It looks at how an innocent man was railroaded by the police and DA in a murder case. Brilliant book, important story.

  3. I had the same reaction to The Hobbit the first time I read it (in seventh grade)- but I have since developed a deep and abiding love for almost all Tolkien literature. I’ve even read The Silmarillion twice. Having said all of that- you are definitely not alone in your critique of Tolkien’s literary style. He is incredibly random, meandering and meticulously attentive to detail (he is weaving together his very own history of an imaginary world, after all). Anyway, I like his books a lot- but I am also an incredibly hopeless nerd!

  4. Indie and Dave:
    As long as you guys can assure me there is no ‘good guy kills bad guy all live happily ever after’ I’m totally going to get that book.

    Susan,
    Thanks for encouraging me I’m not alone 😉

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *