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Bleachers

by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

3.37 of 5 stars 3.37 · rating details · 17,917 ratings · 975 reviews

High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever to play for the legendary Messina Spartans. Fifteen years have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who molded the Spartans into an unbeatable football dynasty.

Now, as Coach Rake’s “boys” sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming...more

Mass Market Paperback, 229 pages

Published June 22nd 2004 by Dell (first published 2003)

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Jun 18, 2008 Kevin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fifteen years after swearing he would never return, Neely Crenshaw finds himself back in Messina, Texas, awaiting final word that local legend and former football coach Eddie Rake has died. When he left, Neely had become a local legend as one of the best quarterbacks in Messina High's history, but a falling out between him and the coach left him bitter and kept him away until this moment. Now, he finds himself drudging up the specters of the past with his former teammates as well as other former...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: football-fiction

It was not fun. Guys who played high school football 15 yrs ago reminisce about the past. Melancholy and sadness.

STORY BRIEF:
Eddie Rake was a tough, mean, high school football coach with undefeated teams for many years. He now has cancer and is expected to die any day. Guys who used to play football for him have returned to town for the coming funeral. Neely was a star quarterback in high school. His career was cut short due to a knee injury in college. Neely talks with other guys about the past...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Jared Kraemer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 12, 2008 Jonathan added it · review of another edition

Jonathan Boyer

Mrs. Baltz

Pre AP English 10

12 December 2008

Bleachers by John Grisham

If you gave ever watched a high school football game, then you will know how they are filled with intense moments and not so intense ones. For coach Eddie Rake his life has been dedicated to high school football and some what reflects some of the high intensity moments and the not so intense moments. Author John Grisham gives you a look at a small southern town in a crisis as there most favored coach lies on his de...more Jonathan Boyer

Mrs. Baltz

Pre AP English 10

12 December 2008

Bleachers by John Grisham

If you gave ever watched a high school football game, then you will know how they are filled with intense moments and not so intense ones. For coach Eddie Rake his life has been dedicated to high school football and some what reflects some of the high intensity moments and the not so intense moments. Author John Grisham gives you a look at a small southern town in a crisis as there most favored coach lies on his death bed.

Neely Crenshaw was an all American quarter back and was destined for fame. When in a game near the end of his high school career and getting ready for a collage team position when he was hit late in a play that severely messed up his right knee. After the hit and his career were over Neely moved away to another town. Neely was confused on if he liked Coach Rake or if he should hate him. After receiving news that his old coach is on his brink with death he returns to the town of Messina. Upon his return news spread quick of the once all American being back. The little town becomes very delighted to see him. While every were he goes he finds someone who knows him he cant get coach of his mind.

The little town on Messina revolves around foot ball. When coach Eddie is hospitalized and a new coach takes his place things get really bad. The messina Spartans suffer from a losing season. This season is also the first in the schools history that the Spartans wont be going to the play offs. For the new coach he has to endure the humility and take the blame for the losing season.

Coach Eddie Rake is a do things his way kind of guy. Coach has no real plans he just does it and usually succeeds. Coach can make his self look like a real good guy and then he can make you angrier than you have ever been. Coach had a personality all to his self. One day he acted like he was just the world’s most jolly person then the next he would be angrier than a bull.

Neely is a guy you can get along with and is very out going. He is a grudge holder kind of person to. When neely gets hurt he holds everyone responsible but him self. Thus being his reason for moving away and not knowing if he should for give coach or hate him. While Neely sits on the old bleachers at the football field he sits and talks to some old friends. The lights around the field stay on during the night to signal that Eddie is still with them. When the lights go off it signals that Eddie has passed away. Now as Neely sits under the lights he has too make one of his biggest decisions. Will he forgive eddies or keep this grudge.

The overall theme of this story is to not run away form your problems. If you have some problems no matter what size it can be worked out. This book I would recommend it to people who like sports and drama. I personally did not like this book and would not recommend it to someone who doesn’t like a lot of drama.
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Jul 19, 2008 Lynda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Couldn't put it down. And it makes you think about how people influence you and how strong a bond is between coaches and players. This was excellent.

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Sep 10, 2009 Chad Sayban rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: good

There is no doubt that Bleachers is not your typical John Grisham book. There is no legal intrigue. There are no courtroom heroics. Nobody is murdered. However, there is a good story here. At 163 pages, this book is closer to a novella than to a novel in length. I read the entire story in one day (I know, pretty lame) and it was a fun read. The story revolves around the return of football star Neely Crenshaw to his home town because of the impending death of his football coach Eddie Rake. Coach...more

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Aug 02, 2008 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alexsbookshelf, fictionread

I read this on the flight to Austin two weeks ago. Totally up my alley since it is about an iconic high school football coach and the impact he had on multiple generations of players. The former players gather in the bleachers at the school awaiting the death of the old coach as he succumbs to cancer. They slowly open up to each other sharing stories of the coach, not always glowing ones and in the memories of these players, the character of a dying man comes to life. It's an easy read as Grisha...more

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Mar 08, 2009 Jaime added it · review of another edition

The title of my book is Bleachers. With this novel author John Grisham showed us he could write something other than a boring legal drama. I had read some of his other works such as The Firm, The Pelican Brief, A time to Kill, and The Runaway Jury and Bleachers was unlike any of them. The story tells about a high school football dynasty in Mississippi through the eyes of former all-state quarterback Neely Crenshaw. It talks about the people of the town and how life revolved around football. For...more

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Jan 26, 2009 Jeff Cyrus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bleachers, by John Grisham, is about high school football in the town of Messina and their legendary coach, Eddie Rake. The town worships the football program because of this coach, to the point where the football booster club has more money than the school itself. In his years as head coach, the team won 13 state titles and over 400 games, including a winning streak that lasted six years and 84 wins. Neely Crenshaw was one of the star quarterbacks under Rake, so good that his number was retire...more Bleachers, by John Grisham, is about high school football in the town of Messina and their legendary coach, Eddie Rake. The town worships the football program because of this coach, to the point where the football booster club has more money than the school itself. In his years as head coach, the team won 13 state titles and over 400 games, including a winning streak that lasted six years and 84 wins. Neely Crenshaw was one of the star quarterbacks under Rake, so good that his number was retired. When his NFL hopes were shattered from a cheap shot while playing college ball, Neely’s life does not have much meaning.
When he receives word that Coach Rake is ill and will soon pass away, Neely travels home to Messina, where he had not been in over ten years. He meets up with other players at night in the bleachers of Rake Field, where they used to play, and they sit and remember days of glory under Rake as they wait for him to die. Players from all different years under Rake’s rule show up, a rule that lasted thirty-four years. They all recall their own stories from their days of powerhouse football as they wait for the stadium lights to go out signifying the death of their famous coach. Neely must figure out whether he loved or hated Rake after years of stardom as a high school football star. He learns many lessons as he recalls the days under Rake, and as he tries to get his ex-girlfriend to forgive him from events that took place in high school.
This is a book for all readers, as it covers many topics of life and touches on the importance of life lessons. Grisham uses a lot of dialogue in this novel, which at first is hard to follow, but gets easier and is quite enjoyable as you keep reading. This book is not all about football, though the characters share a commonality of playing under the same coach, and they often are found replaying the games from their high school careers. Grisham does not use a highly advanced vocabulary, making the book a somewhat easy read, and also a fun read. Grisham’s style of presenting the story makes you want to keep reading and find out how everything turns out in the end.
Readers will not be disappointed with the story, or with Grisham’s style of writing. A compelling story really makes you take a step back and evaluate your own life where it is now. Reading Bleachers can help you make your life better, and remind you that life is not all about fame and stardom, but is about being happy and enjoying what you have and making the best of things. If you want a good read that will help you in life, this is a good book for you.
I enjoyed reading this book and I am a big fan of Grisham. I like his writing style and they way he keeps you focused on the book and doesn’t let you stray from the storyline. I learned valuable life lessons while reading Bleachers. For example, I was reminded to always enjoy what I am doing and also never forget that I need to constantly evaluate where my life is at and where I would like it to be. When I finished reading this book, I wanted to read more of what Grisham has produced. I have heard many good things about Grisham and I can only back them up and say the same. The book is very interesting and it flows really well as you read. Out of ten, I would rate the book an eight. I highly recommend it for all readers because it captures football fans and also people who just like to read.
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Jan 14, 2009 Syd rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bleachers is simple book about playing high school football and the memories and friendships shared. Bleachers was set in a small town called Messina, where high school football was everything. On Friday nights the whole town gathered in those bleachers to watch their Spartans continue their dynasty.
Many old Spartan players have come back to Messina to bury there legendary coach Eddie Rake. He is on his death bed and it’s only a matter of time until he is gone. Neely Crenshaw is the main charact...more Bleachers is simple book about playing high school football and the memories and friendships shared. Bleachers was set in a small town called Messina, where high school football was everything. On Friday nights the whole town gathered in those bleachers to watch their Spartans continue their dynasty.
Many old Spartan players have come back to Messina to bury there legendary coach Eddie Rake. He is on his death bed and it’s only a matter of time until he is gone. Neely Crenshaw is the main character and one of the best players to play for coach Rake. Neely returns to Messina after 15 years and comes right back to the famous Spartan field. Slowly more cars roll in and park near Neely, one of them being Paul Curry. Paul and Neely were good friends in high school and seemed to go right back to the high school days when they sat down on those bleachers. They reminisce of their playing days more than 15 years ago, and the championship football game. More players gather from all different years, all talking about the same man, coach Rake. All of them basically deciding their feelings on coach Rake, he was a very tough coach and demanded perfection. The players await the death of their coach and wait for the field lights to dim when Eddie Rake passes.
As I read this book it made me think of what it’s going to be like when I get older. If I will return to my hometown and the fields I played on. And what it will feel like when I think about my soccer state championship and the people on that team. I don’t want my life to be like Neely’s in the sense that his best days were high school. He was the star quarterback for the Spartans and when he wrecked his knee playing college football he was finished. Now he really is just going downhill for, nothing has been better than those football days.
My favorite part of this book was probably when the old Spartan players are talking about the Spartan marathon. It was the start to every season, a 12 lap minimum run in the August noon heat. The players tried to prove themselves and run as many laps as they could before they dropped. Even if you did an outstanding job like Jaeger, running 83 laps and still being told he could do more. This reminds me of pre-season for soccer dreading the running and workouts in the ninety degree heat. It just makes me smile because I can relate so much to this book.
I believe this book would be enjoyed by all, especially if you played serious high school sports and had a coach that you will always remember. Overall I enjoyed this book and it wasn’t a strain to get through it.
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May 05, 2013 Tammy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book. To anyone who has been in a spot light during their high school years or college knows and understands the tug of reality once you have left those grounds. Neely's character reminds me of my son, who was a sports star of his high school years and had to leave the sport due to an injury and personal decisions. I look at him now as he watches his sport and see the longing in his eyes to go back..I see myself in Neely as I walk back to my college and see the changes. I was one of...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Bryan.mckay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book Bleachers, by John Grisham, is a story about a football legend, (the main character) Neely, reliving his highschool career whilst waiting for the funeral of his old coach, Eddie Rake. Coach Rake was a legend in the town of Messina and lead the town to be known for having the best football team in the state. In the end Neely realizes that his coach has changed him, the other players, and the whole town.
What I enjoyed the most about this story, was the dialogue that the author worked in...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Stephen Gallup rated it 2 of 5 stars

Some of Grisham's legal thrillers are really great, and I was even more impressed with him when I discovered he's also written in other genres ( A Painted House , Skipping Christmas, Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer ). Bleachers is another example of the latter.

On its face, Bleachers is not the kind of story that would have a lot of appeal for me. I tend to concur with Cameron's point of view, expressed near the end, that football is a stupid sport. But I realize others see things in it that escape me,...more Some of Grisham's legal thrillers are really great, and I was even more impressed with him when I discovered he's also written in other genres ( A Painted House , Skipping Christmas, Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer ). Bleachers is another example of the latter.

On its face, Bleachers is not the kind of story that would have a lot of appeal for me. I tend to concur with Cameron's point of view, expressed near the end, that football is a stupid sport. But I realize others see things in it that escape me, such as the nobility of striving for perfection, so figured this might be worth a read.

The beginning was not auspicious. A long-time high school coach is near death, and former players are gathering to mark the occasion: not much drama there. The main character, Neely Crenshaw, has stayed away for a long time, for reasons that gradually become evident. All of the players have conflicted attitudes toward the old man. Yes, he led them to more than a reasonable number of victories and championships, but he brutalized them every step of the way, causing the death of one player, assaulting another, cursing them all.

The long-term significance of his life, we learn, is not the games but rather a kind of blunt perfectionism he instilled in most of his players. They entered adulthood feeling that they would always have to measure up to his standards, to continue earning his approval (whether he was watching or not). I've known people who had similar fathers, and of course Coach Rake is an authoritarian father figure. In that sense, football is only incidental to the story, despite the fact that we are treated to extended play-by-play accounts of games from many years ago, traded among men for whom the past is more real than the present.

I do see the value in telling a team who're trying to celebrate a victory that they actually didn't do all that well, and that they will return to the field after the crowds have gone, and work though the same plays again till they get everything right. And of course I can also see that from the perspective of the kids.

This is an interesting meditation on a philosophy of teaching. Given that Neely and the other former players have not exactly distinguished themselves in subsequent years, it doesn't feel like an endorsement of that philosophy. It doesn’t exactly feel like a novel, either--more like a portrait.(less)

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Feb 03, 2013 Justin Oh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is great! First it talks about the city of Messina and how they are dedicated and love their high school team. They were the best in the country and how they had a long streak and they won the state championship and all. The city would be nothing without this famous highschool team. And this high school team had a famous coach named Eddie Rake which. He would push the players really hard and he was very strict and made the players run miles. Citizens in Messina respected Coach Rake so...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Riley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Since we got to choose a book of our own choice for independent reading this quarter, I decided that I would pick a book that dealt with sports. I read the book "Bleachers" by John Grisham since it was a recommendation from the librarian. The two main characters in this book are Neely Crenshaw who comes back with his former teammates to meet and talk with his former football coach Eddie Rake. The town of Messina is all about its football program and winning. Their are challenges faced by the tow...more Since we got to choose a book of our own choice for independent reading this quarter, I decided that I would pick a book that dealt with sports. I read the book "Bleachers" by John Grisham since it was a recommendation from the librarian. The two main characters in this book are Neely Crenshaw who comes back with his former teammates to meet and talk with his former football coach Eddie Rake. The town of Messina is all about its football program and winning. Their are challenges faced by the town of Messina when winning becomes everything. When Crenshaw and his former teammates talk with Rake, Grisham uses flashback to show the affect that Rake had on his team and city as a football coach. He created a team that revolved around the whole city and made them come together. The relationship between Rake and Neely is highlighted specifically.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because I never lost interest and I liked the theme of the story. The style of writing was easy to understand since you could easily depict from when they were in present time and past time. The book was basically one big conversation they had on the bleachers at the Messina football field, hence the title name. The only reason that I did not give this book a 5 out of 5 is because it carried on a little bit in the conversations.

The theme of this book is forgiveness and life isn't always fair. This theme emerges when Eddie Rake blamed Neely for losing the first half of the championship game in 1987 which eagered Neely to knock Rake out. Neely drifted through 15 years of his life, bitter about his knee injury and his wife leaving him. Neely has to forgive his coach for all that he had done to him and forgive himself for his own bitterness and weakness in being unable to give up football. The theme life isn't fair emerges when Neely has a knee injury that ends his football career and when his wife leaves his for having two miscarriages. These are what I found to be the themes of the story.

Quotes that I found to be important in this story are "I wish I had never seen a football"(14)and "You'll never be a hero again. Those days are gone now."(163). The first quote is importanbecause this is when Neely reinforces that he wants to give up his football career because of his relationship with his coach. The second quote shows importance because it shows that Neely does not have any bitterness for his coach anymore and that he has moved on. This is at the end of the story. Overall, this book was a great read and I highly recommend anyone to read it.(less)

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Jan 20, 2013 Trevor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nelly Crenshaw was a High school All American Quarterback that played in Messina, Texas for Coach Eddie Rake. Now after 15 years and Nelly swearing he will never return to Messina he comes back to bury his very famous coach. When he returns he relives the glory days with his teammates and talk about what they have accomplished since their days in high school so many years ago. Many people have changed since Nelly has seen those last most of them grew quite a bit but others still look like their...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Sarah Overton added it · review of another edition

Bleachers by John Grisham is about Neel Crenshaw who 15 years ago, was an All-American high school quarterback at Messina high school. Neely has come home to Messina for his legendary coach's funeral. Throughout the book, we discover that coach Eddie Rake did some pretty controversial things in his time as coach for Messina. Neely and his former teammates sit in the bleachers reminiscing about old games and deciding whether or not love coach rake or hate him. I think this book is pretty slow pac...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Bev rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: logos, novel

This is an unusual Grisham book in that it has no courtroom drama, no crime, no nothing like that. It tells the story of Neely Crenshaw, former high school football star of the "Messina Spartans." Neely hasn't been back home in a very long time, but his former coach, Eddie Rake, one of the most victorious coaches in high school football history, is about to die and many of the players he coached over his career have returned to Messina to hold a bit of a death watch.

When I started this book, I t...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Mark Williamson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Bleachers" is the classic story about a small town that takes great pride in their high school football team. It is set in Messina, Texas, the old home of the star high school quarterback Neely Crenshaw. Neely was a legend in Messina football history who's career was cut short in college by a knee injury. After college he got a job and never returned to Messina until he heard about the death of legendary coach Eddie Rake. The small town who loved this coach for many, many years wanted all playe...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Elizabeth Noah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Normally when I think of a John Grisham book, I think of a legal suspense and this book was nothing like it. This story talks more along the line of life and the lessons that you have learned from it.

Neely Crenshaw has come back to his hometown of Messina. Neely was the star quarterback when he went to highschool there. After an injury to his knee in college, his football career was over.

This book spans the time frame of 4 days. Neely comes home as his football coach, Coach Eddie Rack is gettin...more Normally when I think of a John Grisham book, I think of a legal suspense and this book was nothing like it. This story talks more along the line of life and the lessons that you have learned from it.

Neely Crenshaw has come back to his hometown of Messina. Neely was the star quarterback when he went to highschool there. After an injury to his knee in college, his football career was over.

This book spans the time frame of 4 days. Neely comes home as his football coach, Coach Eddie Rack is getting ready to die from cancer. Over the course of those four days, you read about how Neely and how he is reflecting on his past and what has come from it. As you read, it seems that even though no one really liked their coach while they were under him but, had great respect for him. Later in life when a former player was in a situation, they would remember coach Rack and what he said about never giving up and so forth--he would be an inspiration for them to continue on and not give up.

A lot of this book talks about the memories the players had when they were playing football for Coach Rack. Neely comes in contact with some people from his past and tries to make amends to those he has hurt. I think the only suspense of the book is that Neely is giving an eulogy for his former coach. As he is giving it he finally realizes that he is able to forgive him.

I wish I could give this book more stars but, I just can not do this. This is a very easy, quick read but, like I said, when I borrowed this ebook from my public library, I was hoping for a bit of suspense or something along this line and I did not get that. I did not read what this was about but, got it as I have read Grisham books in the past and have really enjoyed them. This book is not terrible but, just moves along at a slow, easy pace.

If you have ever played football than I am sure you would really love this story as it gave some really descriptive play by plays. Though I am sure most people can relate to going to high school Friday night football games and how a game can change in such a short time. It will make a person think about their past.(less)

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Jun 12, 2012 Owen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did like this book because I can relate to the book especially the friendship part of the game of football. Also I liked the different style of writing the author used not during a players prime but looking back and reminiscing on the past. This book also displays how players all go their different ways. My favorite character was Neely because of the interesting protagonist character. In the book Neely did not do anything good or great but he came back and talked about the great Eddie Rake and...more

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May 22, 2012 Dale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Change of pace for Grisham

Read by John Grisham
4 hours, 22 minutes

I, for one, am not especially enamored of Grisham's legal thrillers but I did enjoy Grisham's foray into non-legal fiction.

Bleachers was read by the author. Grisham's southern accent and good ol' boy style are sometimes helpful but his occasional odd emphasis and flat read can be distracting.

The book features a Bobby Knight/Woody Hayes type of small-town high school football coach. He is cruel, petty and completely breaks his playe...more

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May 16, 2012 Derrick Saladna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bleachers is a book about Neely Crenshaw, a former star quarterback returning to his hometown after avoiding it for a number of years because of an incident involving his former coach. On his return he learns that his old coach is deathly ill with the entire town grieving about it. Neely also learns the fates of a lot of his old teammates as they share their struggles of adjusting to life after their football careers at Messina, a town that loves high school football and treats its players like...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Jordan Hoffmeier added it · review of another edition

Jordan Hoffmeier
4/3/12

My overall opinion of this book was great. My reaction was that I was shocked after reading this book. I read the back of the book and thought it was just going to be a book of a small town football team and their legend coach. It was totally different the way it turned out after I read it. I really liked this book because when you are reading it, it feels like you are actually there with the characters. The best thing about this book is that when you are sitting there rea...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In my mind, this book stands apart from the other John Grisham novels that I have read. Those that focus on the legal world tended to hurtle along at break-neck speed, following the lives of exceptional characters in Hollywood situations. I’m thinking first and foremost of “The Firm” here, which is the most re-read of all the books I own by the author.

Bleachers is an entirely different prospect. The story is more reflective, as the characters look back and remember their past lives. I did enjoy...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Badiss rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Protagonist is Neely Crenshaw whose life has gone anywhere but where he hoped it would go. He had been the greatest quarterback in Messina history, but his glory days came to an end with a knee injury during his sophomore year at Tech. He had been struck by Coach Rake during halftime of the ’87 championship game, and as a result, he hadn’t returned to Messina in 15 years. He comes back for the vigil for Coach Rake, but he finds that the bleachers are the place where he can come to terms with...more The Protagonist is Neely Crenshaw whose life has gone anywhere but where he hoped it would go. He had been the greatest quarterback in Messina history, but his glory days came to an end with a knee injury during his sophomore year at Tech. He had been struck by Coach Rake during halftime of the ’87 championship game, and as a result, he hadn’t returned to Messina in 15 years. He comes back for the vigil for Coach Rake, but he finds that the bleachers are the place where he can come to terms with his ambivalence about the Coach. One antagonist is Coach Rake. His coaching style made him a legend, but some of his players come away somewhat scarred. He was the kind of man whom his players either loved or hated, and he definitely affected their lives in both good and bad ways. He is an integral part in making them men, but for Neely, he is someone he must come to terms with before he can continue to live his life. A second antagonist is Neely himself. He hasn’t become the person he had hoped to become and his memories are filled with the conflict with Coach Rake. In order to become a better person, he must accept how the coach influenced him and how that influence can help him change himself for the better.The climax occurs when Neely Crenshaw appears as the third eulogist for Coach Eddie Rake. The reader doesn’t expect him to be the one to speak well of his memories of his coach, because we have seen him turn away from Rake and Messina football so often throughout the book.The outcome involves the catharsis that both Neely and the town of Messina experience as a result of the death of Eddie Rake. The split in the town over Rake’s firing is resolved through the eulogies of three of his players and the note that he himself leaves behind. They all learn to forgive and go on with their lives, knowing that he was a great man even though he was very human. He made mistakes, but by the time of his funeral, the mistakes have been accepted by all concerned, and the good times can be remembered. Neely then leaves Messina knowing that he can come back again and smile when Eddie Rake’s name is mentioned or even tell a story about him with a happy ending.

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Dec 22, 2010 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: family, my-library, kindle

Small Town Football combine to create a wonderful story.

In "Bleachers", John Grisham took me on a trip to the small town of Messina, Mississippi, where Friday night football reigns supreme. No pro football here, just the home grown college and high school teams. The story brings back lots of memories and if you enjoy football this is the story for y. In the story, Coach Eddie Rake, who has had a long career as football coach that he built into a football dynasty. Because of it, he is the most im...more

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Nov 16, 2010 Amanda Patterson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It must be boring to have to churn out a novel a year just because you’re a best-selling author. This ennui can be the only excuse for Grisham’s latest folly, Bleachers.

What a let-down when a crime novelist who once ruled a genre turns his hand to something more literary. “An unforgettable novel,” drools the inside of the book’s jacket, which was strange as I managed to forget it immediately. I had to drag the book off the shelf to remember the main character’s name.

Neely Crenshaw comes home for...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bleachers by John Grisham was one the best sports novels I have every read. It had so much thought and detail in it. It is a very small novel but packs a pretty good punch for a book. It is about a quarter back Neely Crenshaw and his recalling of high school football with Coach Edie Rake. This was a very inspiring novel because of the main character Neely and how ha overcomes so much in his short career as a star quarterback. One example of Neely being inspiring was in the championship game he b...more

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Jul 20, 2010 Jerry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Poignant and emotional, but plotless and somewhat boring...

We wonder if this little hardback about little more than small-town high school football is somewhat autobiographical, given that the dust jacket mentions that for a while Grisham quarterbacked the Southaven High (Miss.) team? Like "A Painted House", this book is not about lawyers, and is definitely not a thriller. Rather it is a nostalgic look back at a group of boys who played football for a notorious love/hate-type coach, Eddie Rake....more

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About John Grisham

"Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of...more "Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.

One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988.

That might have put an end to Grisham's hobby. However, he had already begun his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time career—and spark one of publishing's greatest success stories. The day after Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991.

The successes of The Pelican Brief, which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed Grisham's reputation as the master of the legal thriller. Grisham's success even renewed interest in A Time to Kill, which was republished in hardcover by Doubleday and then in paperback by Dell. This time around, it was a bestseller.

Since first publishing A Time to Kill in 1988, Grisham has written one novel a year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have become international bestsellers. There are currently over 225 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29 languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his first foray into non-fiction.

Grisham lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea. The family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm in Mississippi and a plantation near Charlottesville, VA.

Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books' protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a jur(less)

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Quotes from Bleachers

“You count the years until you get a varsity jersey, then you're a hero, an idol, a cocky bastard because in this town you can do no wrong. You win and win and you're the king of your own little world, then poof, it's gone. You play your last game and everybody cries. You can't believe it's over. Then another team comes right behind you and you're forgotten.” — 2 people liked it

“We were invincible because we were eighteen and stupid.” — 2 people liked it

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