Title/Author:
“Playing for Pizza” by
John Grisham, narrated by Christopher Evan Welch
Tags:
Football (American),
fiction, Europe, audio book
Publish date:
September 24, 2007
Length:
262 pages
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very
good)
Review:
Rick Dockery was the
third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns when he turned in one of the
worst performances in the history of the NFL playoffs when the Browns turned a
17 point lead in the AFC Championship game into a loss to Denver. Mercilessly ridiculed and cut by the Browns,
no other team wants to take a chance on him. His agent does find a team that
will give Rick a chance – and make him the starting quarterback as well.
The team is named the
Parma Panthers and they play in the Italian league – in Italy. That is the scenario for this fictional football
story by John Grisham. Taking a break from his legal novels, Grisham’s story of
a washed-up quarterback finding redemption, friends and his place in life on
the other side of the world. The story itself is entertaining but very
predictable. There are twists in the football fortunes of the Panthers, in Rick’s
attitude toward Italy and his teammates and also his love life. The football
portions describe the game fairly well and in a manner that is simple enough
that casual fans will understand the action.
Readers will feel the tension as the season marches toward the Italian
Super Bowl, which for these players is just as important as the one that is a
bit more popular in the United States.
While the story itself
and every subplot such as Rick’s encounters with the ladies and the
descriptions of Italian food and cathedrals can at times seem to be
overpowering the football, what really made this audio book a very good choice
was the excellent narration by Christopher Evan Welch. When he had to speak the part of an Italian,
whether a male or female character, it sounded authentic and not forced. His different voice inflections for each
character, whether American or Italian, were superb. Plus, he made the story sound dramatic even
though nearly every scene was predictable and didn’t leave much suspense.
If I had read this book, it would have been worth three stars, as I would have stuck with the story to the end and as mentioned earlier, it was mildly entertaining. But with such outstanding narration by Welch, that gives the audio book a rating of four stars and I am glad that I took the option of listening to this book.
If I had read this book, it would have been worth three stars, as I would have stuck with the story to the end and as mentioned earlier, it was mildly entertaining. But with such outstanding narration by Welch, that gives the audio book a rating of four stars and I am glad that I took the option of listening to this book.
Book Format Read:
Audio book
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