Bleachers

Rating:
Summary: A truly enjoyable book
Review: This book was a quite good look about one man can affect hundreds upon hundreds of people. I really enjoy John Grisham's legal and non-legal books (this one is non-legal, like Skipping Christmas.)
This book's main character is Neely Crenshaw, a man in his twenties who is haunted by past demons. Among these demons is his old football coach. When he hears the news that coach is dying, he goes back to his hometown of Messina, FLA. He finds, not to his surprise, that just about everybody who ever played for Coach Eddie Rake is there, waiting for the old man's passing.
Eddie Rake is a man not differing too far from General George S. Patton. He loves the game of football like nothing else, and sometimes he makes critical and frightening errors when getting caught in the mood. He is also a great coach, and an inspiring man.
I rarely found myself bored with this book, as it is a short read and is quality. Thank you, John Grisham.

Rating:
Summary: Deja Vu All Over Again!!!
Review: You've read Bleachers, John Grisham's newest bestseller, many times in a thousand other books, many of them better than this somewhat undersized novel. The general atmosphere of high school football which consumes an entire town has been told better in Friday Night Lights. The harsh treatment of young football hopefuls by dictator-coaches was brought into cruel focus in the non-fiction Junction Boys, about Bear Bryant and a legendary sweatbox training camp for his players during his first summer at Texas A&M. And, of course, keeping vigil for an impending death has been literally done to death many times, notably in Edward Albee's Pulitzer-Prize winning play All Over. So, why read Bleachers? Because, once again, the fresh, newspaper-like quality of John Grisham's minimalist prose draws us into the story and makes us love and, in our own ways, relate to all the characters, saint and sinner alike. Here, we have Neely Crenshaw, the gifted ex-quarterback who can't forgive Coach Eddie Rake for one moment of lockerroom abuse; Cameron, the ex-girlfriend whom he jilted in high school and who cannot fully forgive him; Mal, the ex-player turned lawman who has his own chilling tale to tell; and finally, the ex-teammates who meet spontanously in the bleachers of the old stadium awaiting news of the coach's impending death. They meet shyly, hesitantly at first, then start to drink and tell stories while listening to a tape broadcast of their most famous game. (Their shared stories as they relive this game are the undisputed high point of the book.) Yes, we even have the memorial service in which our ex-quarterback and (believe it or not) our dearly departed coach get the chance to have a final say. We know the outcome of this story as surely as Friday night football in the South. Why retell it? Because it is a very touching and human story and like all the best stories, deserves to be told again and again. (Besides, it'a a short book, and quick readers will finish it in a matter of hours.) In short, a good reaffirmation of life, the human spirit, and football in all it's glory.

Rating:
Summary: Grisham on High School Football
Review: John Grisham continues his recent sojourn from the legal thriller genre, this time to write about a former high school All-American football player going back to his small town to deal with the death of a storied coach who, for right or wrong, still influences him still today.

Neely Crenshaw has struggled since high school to come to terms with the turbulent relationship playing for the highly competitive coach, the inner regret of a failed high school relationship, and the many unrealized expectations following a career-ending injury. Gathering in the stadium bleachers, Neely and other former players re-live the glory years of gridiron greatest. For most, this has been the pinnacle of their life, but for Neely it is a painful memory he has unsuccessfully tried to put behind him.

Only through the stories of his other teammates does Neely understand just how much playing high school football for Coach Rake has shaped the lives of each player. It has changed them forever and has been their source of strength. His purely ceremonial trip becomes the catharsis he so deeply needs to be able to move on in his life.

This book should be a hit with Nicholas Sparks fans, but not recommended for those who enjoy Grisham's traditional fare. It has potential but methodically develops the conflict and doesn't fulfill the slow lead in. Very much a short story but priced as a full-length novel...especially tough to take at hard cover prices.

Not a worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: Touchdown!
Review: Readers absent a Coach Rake character in their life experience probably won't realize the full impact of John Grisham's Bleachers. Only through that experience can one understand the influence such a man has on others. My Eddie Rake was a football coach as well, albeit a milder form and probably not as successfull. He had a tremendous direct impact, mostly good, on the lives of the hundreds of the young men who played for him. In Bleachers, John Grisham captures the essence of a unique bond between people that can only be fully understood by those who have been there and done that, one similar to the bond between soldiers forged in combat. Grisham's sense of humor bubbles to the surface frequently and I found myself smiling through most of the book and thinking, "I know these people!" I read it twice in the course of about a week and will probably read it again. A thoroughly entertaining book with a magnet-like attraction for those of us with an Eddie Rake in our past.

Rating:
Summary: Sportsmans New Material
Review: Bleachers is the first work I've read of John Grisham's, but my parents are big fans of his legal, law related books. Bleachers, seems to be very different from Grisham's other novels.
I thought Bleachers was a great book. When one of the games was being described it actually felt like I was on of the sweaty and beaten teammates playing in the game. It made you feel for the game of football and the passion each player and the coach, coach Rake had for football.
I liked how Grisham did his chapters by days. He did it by three days that the main character was in his hometown. It was very different from most books I've read. The beginning gets you frustrated because nothing comes out till almost the next day, such as why he is there? , why has he waited so long to come back home? , but it's what really keeps you reading, or what kept me reading.
There were a few iffy parts though while I was reading. At a few points there were parts that weren't that interesting to me. They just seemed unnecessary, because it made it a little boring.
Overall this book was very interesting and how Grisham wrote it kept me reading throughout the whole book.

Rating:
Summary: Bleachers review
Review: Of the five books I've read recently, only three stick in my mind as being well written and worthy of mention. "Birth of Venus" is one. McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood" is another. And last but not least, Grisham's "Bleachers." Yes, I know this Grisham novel is reminiscent of "The Junction Boys," but in my opinion, Grisham does the story proud with his handling of the characters and their interactions. As always, the setting plays an important part in his books (really, it's another character) and while this may not be a legal thriller, it's worthy of a place alongside his other bestselllers.

Rating:
Summary: Bleachers
Review: I grew up in Mississippi and Grisham captures the essence of a small town. This book captures how high school football offers kids from a small town to find greatness.
I thought he was very insightful to also show oposing opinions from the "other side of the isle" who despise the hoopla and attention placed on High School Football programs.
As always, Grisham puts you right there experiencing the scene like you are there.
I think this book, along with The Last Juror,continue to show that he is truly a great writer as he broke away from the courtroom drama. He introduces characters and scenes that you experience and will never forget. He could write the phonebook, and you would smell the pages.

Rating:
Summary: Awsome
Review: I usually avoid big name crime writers like Turow and Grisham because I dread very twisted unrealistic conspiratorial plots. I prefer instead lesser known writers like John Feegle and James Pruitt.
However the title Bleachers caught my attention {I was equipment manager of The Tampa Catholic Crusaders}. I found the plot and characters in the same league with my all my favorite crime writers.
If you enjoy Bleachers you might also enjoy Malpractice by John Feegle.

Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: This book is great. I enjoyed it alot. It isn't a normal John Grisham plot about this is a story about the an old All-American high school quarterback returning to his home town of Messina, Georgia. His legendary high school football coach, Eddie Rake, is dying. The book was about him reliving some stories and closing some books with his old schoolmates. I enjoyed it, not only because I am a football fanatic, but also because it has lessons in it about how to live your live. It tells you to work hard for everything and never accept failure. There is a difference between losing and being beat. I would recommend this book to anyone, even if they aren't football fans.

Rating:
Summary: In a nostalgic mood
Review: I believe Grisham wrote this book in a very introspective mood. True to his strength, Grisham creates some wonderfully complex characters. We come accross these kind of people in our everyday life, but Grisham is successful in exploring their dreams, failures, grudges, regrets, lost hopes and their viewpoint to the state of life they are currently in.
A small town football hero is poised to greatness. 12 years later he is nothing but a struggling man with nothing to show but regrets and misfortunes. He is tempted to believe that circumstances and people were responsible for his failures. His football coach, a girl who snatched im away from his true love, his unfortunate accident, circumstances in which his wife deserted him. But just a few days spent in the environment of his past life, give him a completely new perspetive.
The most interesting character in this book is that of the coach Rake. Grisham paints the picture of a man with conflicting feelings beautifully. Its interesting to read about a man who has a difficult time in expressing his feelings in right way. The way that he chooses, perhaps makes him the most hated man when you are interacting with him, but leaves an indelible inprint on your psyche for the rest of your life.
We all come accross atleast one such character in our lives. We always find ways to please them, to make them feel proud of ourselves and would die to hear one nice word of appreciation. These people are all around us. In the form of our parents, teachers, mentors, friends and off course, coaches.
Its a story of two men, who discover the importance of making the right choices over their lifetimes.
A good read when you are in a very nostalgic mood...