Playing For Pizza: A Novel (2007 original; edició 2007)

The only good things about this book was learning about American football in Italy, the thoughts that go thru a person's head when they have to face the fact that their career choice is most likely over. There was no redeeming story about the main characters. Certainly nothing about a guy who loves a girl because she was a cheerleader and eventually realizes she could have a brain. ( )

This was a weird one. I thought that the title was a metaphor but, nope, this is a story about a failed NFL player who goes to Italy to play football. I don't care a thing about football but the story was kind of nice to follow and I kept thinking it would go somewhere but it really didn't. ( )

If you've only read Grisham's lawyer-thrillers then this book will come as pleasant surprise. It is a crisp well-written comedy about falling in love with life. At least, life as it is sometime lived in Italy.

Our hero is not a lawyer but a washed out NFL Quarterback who escapes to a season in Italy after a disasterous high profile game. He plays for the Parma Panthers, a team made up mostly of working men who play American Football because it brings them joy and because of the after game Pizza.

This young American opens himself to the possiblilties offered by great food, wonderful wine, small care and even trips to the opera. He discovers that food is more than just fuel, meals are as much about talking as they are about eating and that football can be about the playing and not about the money. He also falls in love with a beautiful woman - twice.

I love spending time in Italy - I bought this book while I was on vacation in there - so the descriptions of the food, the people and their passions rang true for me. They are carefully observed and described with infectious affection.

I know nothing of American Football but this book gave me the flavour of a game that has become so much about the money in America but is still about guts and glory in italy.

What appealled to me most about this book was the discovery by the young American that when you follow your passions your life becomes richer and passion starts to follow you.

This is the perfect pool-side read for your next Italian vacation. ( )

Playing for Pizza is one of the shorter novels done by John Grisham. Rick Dockery is a third-string NFL quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, who throws three interceptions in 11 minutes in the AFC championship game, blowing a 17-point lead and resulting in the Browns missing their chance at their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. He is cut from the team. His agent Arnie tries to find him work in the NFL, but sadly, no team will take him. Arnie manages to find him a starting position for the Parma Panthers of the Italian Football league for low to none compensation. Rick accepts the job, glad to get away from legal troubles in the United States, but leery of living in Italy, where he doesn't know the language and where American football draws little attention or respect. The Parma Panthers have only two other Americans on the team -- halfback Slidell "Sly" Turner, who ends up leaving early in the season, and safety Trey Colby. The Panthers actually end up winning their first game. Then they lose the next, for a number of reasons. Despite these problems, Italy and the team are growing on Rick, and he begins to feel some loyalty to them. Rick decides to honor his contract with the Parma Panthers. With aggresion, a talented Italian wide receiver and a new strategy, they win each of their remaining regular-season games, then advance to the playoffs and the Italian Super Bowl, which was a very close game against their rivals. ( )

Fun book. A nice light romp. ( )