A review by spauffwrites
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I liked this fast-paced novel, which is mixes a sports underdog tale with an Italian travelogue. After a concussion ends his less-than-stellar NFL career, Browns quarterback Rick Dockery gets one last chance at the game. The catch? It's thousands of miles away from Cleveland, playing for the Italian football team, the Parma Panthers. Rick knows the game, but has a lot to learn about Italian life and culture. The first half of this novel made me hungry, with all its descriptions of Italian food. While I couldn't always follow all of the football scenes (knowing little about the game) I enjoyed them, particularly the descriptions of Rick's teammates. The ending was a little too ambiguous for my tastes, but overall it was an enjoyable book to listen to.