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Playing for Pizza: A Novel (Random House Large Print (Cloth/Paper)) | 
| Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Random House Large Print
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy New: $14.93
You Save: $7.02 (32%)
Rating:  333 reviews
Sales Rank: 345769
Format: Large Print
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0739327755
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780739327753
Publication Date: September 24, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
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 328 more reviews...
More Vespa than Ferrari October 4, 2007
111 out of 141 found this review helpful
Known and loved for his legal thrillers, John Grisham has managed to break free from expectations with whimsical novels such as "Skipping Christmas" and "Bleachers." He delved into literary writing with "A Painted House," and wrote a decent if a bit dry non-fiction work. I've enjoyed each of these departures for different reasons and in varying degrees.
"Playing for Pizza" captured my interest with its continental flair and themes of failure and commitment. Rick Dockery, formerly and ignobly of the NFL, has escaped to Parma, Italy, where he can play for pizza and a pittance, while avoiding the troubles back home. Along the way, he discovers a few things about himself. As I started the book, I thought it might pull together all the pieces and give us a great Italian meal--humor, pathos, wisdom, and history in a fine recipe.
I was wrong. Though this modern tale gives nice insights into Italian architecture and cuisine, it is short on humor, and the wisdom is diluted by Rick's incessant selfishness and bland approach to many things. It's hard to believe an emotional and physical slacker such as this could've ever made it to the NFL in the first place. Even in conclusion, he resolves very few of his own issues back home, and instead continues to escape from them. I kept wanting to like him. I kept wanting to like the book. But even the women he picks for relationships are shallow or weak.
As usual, Grisham's writing moves at a fast clip. The book is--thankfully--not long. It's worth a few hours for those who love anything Grisham writes, and it has its satisfying moments. Overall, though, this is more spaghetti than cannoli, more Vespa than Ferrari.
 Not the typical Grisham fare September 25, 2007
80 out of 111 found this review helpful
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Yes, it is a departure from Grisham's usual legal thrillers but those were getting quite boring in my opinion. Same stuff, different book. I think the writing of this novel was very well done, Grisham creates very likeable characters who I found myself rooting for on each and every game day, sometimes even skipping ahead to see if they won. The main character of Rick Dockery goes through the usual motions of self discovery after a huge letdown but I still was on his side. I did find the football plays terribly confusing to read but I do not profess a lot of familiarity with the "Xs and Os" as Grisham calls them. This book is a quick read and enjoyable but I would not recommend purchasing it unless you really really really love John Grisham.
Something different! September 25, 2007
68 out of 73 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this book it is not the typical Grisham thriller (Which really do not interest me any more). This the story of Pro quarterback Rick Dockery who has become the laughing stock of the NFL. The only team his agent can find him to play for is an Italian team that plays in a European league. This is a fish out of water story, Rick has never been to Europe and knows nothing about Italy, and all he knows about Italians is from watching American gangster movies. This of course makes for some cute and funny situations. While not a thriller the book does have some surprising twists. Good entertaining, feel good read! Along with "Across the High Lonesome" my favorite beach read of 2008!
Writing novels for Pizza October 5, 2007
37 out of 42 found this review helpful
John Grisham spent a lot of time in Italy writing his legal thriller THE BROKER, and I guess he liked the country so much, he decided to write another novel based in Italy, and the result is PLAYING FOR PIZZA. In PLAYING FOR PIZZA, Rick Dockery is a 3rd string NFL quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the AFC championship game, the Browns are winning 20-0 when the top two quarterbacks are injured. Dockery enters the game and engineers an epic collapse and the Browns lose. Dockery is hated in Cleveland and laughed at everywhere else. His agent finds a team that might actually want him, the Parma Panthers. The Panthers play American football in Italy, where the crowds are sparse, the fields are rough, and the players play for the love of the game and the pizza and beer afterwards.
Rick joins the team in Italy, hoping for a new start in life, trying to avoid a paternity suit, and wanting to hook up with the team cheerleaders. His new teammates embrace him and Rick is given a tutorial in Itialian culture, including the long four hour meals. The description Grisham gives of the meal was enough to convince me that I must go to Italy just for the food. The team's goal is to win the Italian Super Bowl and the face a lot of hurdles during their quest. They lose players to injuries or apathy, and they get sidetracked by women and partying.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel because Grisham is a good writer. But while I enjoyed Rick and his escapades, I didn't really care for Rick because Rick didn't care for anything. Sure, he wanted to put the horrible Cleveland performance behind him, but he is still a shallow, horny, irresponsible person. The romance toward the end of the book seemed without substance.
I've always enjoyed Grisham's work, even if some of his latest novels have been a bit disappointing. For some reason, I think Grisham knows exactly what he's doing. In Playing for Pizza, he created a novel about an American idol (football) in an Italian culture. That was the story. The characters were secondary. The book excels at covering Italy and even gets the football stuff right. Grisham is still a great writer, his plot choices just are sometimes boring. I recommend this book to Grisham fans, but you should probably get it from the library.
 Who's this written for? September 25, 2007
31 out of 52 found this review helpful
This is definitely not your typical Grisham and I really miss his legal thrillers. Maybe he's just exhausted his ideas for those stories. This book is about an NFL football player who has several bad seasons and ends up playing for an Italian team in Italy. It's not really a "guy" book in my opinion - it reads too much like a self discovery/romance novel but there's so much football talk it's not going to appeal to a lot of women either. Certainly wasn't my cup of tea.
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