Playing for Pizza (Grisham)

Book Reviews
Grisham is a storyteller who keeps the narrative flowing at a swift pace. He also has a penchant for humorous dialogue.... What could have been a painful exile for a disgraced American quarterback becomes a delightfully unexpected homecoming.
Boston Globe

Unfortunately, [John Grisham] neglected the primary duty of the storyteller, which is to tell a story. The suspense builds as the veteran Grisham reader waits for the surprising plot turn, or the overlooked character detail on which the story will pivot, or the unveiling of a mystery begging to be solved. He waits in vain. The book rumbles straight ahead, as simple and direct and unadorned as a fullback pushing up the middle for a three-yard gain.... The contrived, game-by-game (and even play-by-play) adventures of a real team in a real league that even the Italians don't care about. Its dramatic arc roughly resembles that of Coach Clair Bee's adolescent Chip Hilton stories—the early defeat that teaches a lesson, the loss of an injured star, the coming together against adversity, the improbable upset victory—while its lead character, Rick Dockery, is the sort of implausible American boor usually seen in dopey television commercials. That he finds true happiness after he picks up a Georgia cheerleader at a sidewalk cafe is only fitting, I suppose. But it doesn't exactly make for thrill-a-minute reading.
Bruce Schoenfeld - Washington Post

Fans of John Grisham live for his legal thrillers, but now and then he serves up something unexpected. That's exactly what he does, with great success, in his new novel.... This is a feel-good story, a tale of maturing and finding your way in the world, but it's not a book of predictable game plays.
USA Today

Reads like part Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun, part Mario Batali culinary diary and part Fodor guidebook.
Los Angeles Times

Third-string Cleveland Browns quarterback Rick Dockery becomes the greatest goat ever by throwing three interceptions in the closing minutes of the AFC championship game. Fleeing vengeful fans, he finds refuge in the grungiest corner of professional football, the Italian National Football League, as quarterback of the inept but full-of-heart Parma Panthers. What ensues is a winsome football fable, replete with team bonding and character building as the underdog Panthers challenge the powerhouse Bergamo Lions for a shot at the Italian Superbowl. The book is also the author’s love letter to Italy. Rick is first baffled and then enchanted by all things Italian—tiny cars! opera! benign corruption!—and through him Grisham instructs his readers in the art of gracious living, featuring sumptuous four-hour, umpteen-course meals. The writing sometimes lapses into travel guide (“most Italian cities are sort of configured around a central square, called a piazza”) and food porn (“the veal cutlets are beaten with a small bat, then dipped in eggs, fried in a skillet, and then baked in the oven with a mix of parmigiano cheese and stock until the cheese melts”), but it’s invigorated by appealing characters and lively play-by-play. The result is a charming fish-out-of-water story.
Publishers Weekly