false 1205297 22 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 (The Firm) instructs his readership 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. 3090264 24 9 2007 Playing For Pizza: A Novel total:5912|5:570|4:1553|3:2354|2:1111|1:326| 5912 18666 7818 1576 2 7 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Jan 02 19:13:41 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 02 19:22:27 -0800 2008
Out of pure curiosity I now occasionally pick...more...]]> 2 3 false false Thu Aug 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 07 13:02:06 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 14 12:38:38 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 2 false false Mon Aug 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 24 10:38:39 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 21 07:44:28 -0700 2008 The Broker in which Grisham none-too-subtly extolled the virtues of the Ital...more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Feb 13 15:48:51 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 08 20:20:22 -0800 2008 4 2 false false Tue Jun 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 12 20:34:02 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 24 15:00:37 -0700 2008 4 1 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 14:47:34 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 14:52:01 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Mar 22 11:25:13 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 22 11:25:22 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Mar 09 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 06 12:30:45 -0800 2008 Thu Jun 12 16:16:02 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Feb 22 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 19:44:23 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 20:13:07 -0800 2008 Skipping Christmas, I had thought that Grisham was completely locked into formula novels. I had loved The Firm, The Pelican Brief (even though it is so often criticized for its improbability), The Client, and The Rainmaker, but thought The Runaway Jury was stale and contrived. Then, I read Ski...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Feb 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 02 09:39:19 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 03 16:53:26 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 05 11:42:49 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 14 11:09:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Dec 23 09:17:28 -0800 2007 Tue Jan 15 17:51:04 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 18 17:24:21 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 18 18:56:01 -0800 2007 more...]]> 1 1 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 22 14:21:27 -0700 2007 Wed Nov 07 13:25:52 -0800 2007 more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Oct 04 10:07:17 -0700 2007 Sun Oct 07 15:53:46 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Apr 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 21:30:51 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 21:36:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Tue May 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue May 20 19:18:40 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 23 13:09:30 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Fri Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jan 09 07:41:46 -0800 2008 Fri Aug 08 08:05:37 -0700 2008
Washed-out 3rd string NFL quarterback Rick Dockery has just struck out, big time -- losing a huge lead in the divisi...more...]]> 2 1 false false Sun Jul 27 12:09:49 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 12:29:35 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 27 12:09:49 -0700 2008
*Really deserves one star after an extremely lacking explanation of Othell...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jul 27 17:45:46 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 27 17:49:56 -0700 2008 more...]]>