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Summary: Football in the South
Review: If you played High School football in the South, then you will love this book.
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Summary: Tom Clancy and Ian Fleming need fear nothing
Review: Navy Seal Commander Neely Crenshaw has been hot on the heels of international terrorist Youseff-Tikka-Ghee for the better part of three years. Narrowly escaping the port city of Oman with the plans for a secret Israeli photon grenade, Ghee uses his chameleon-like ability to blend into his surroundings by disappearing into rural America, masquerading as the loveable and gruff Coach Eddie Rake. His immersion into American society is nearly perfect, till a badly worded pep talk to the first string high school football team trips him up.High school defensive end Chucky Bannerman finds the disturbing "Death to the Infidels" speech a tad much for a homecoming pre-game pep talk. He slips into the men's shower and speed dials CIA headquarters, where his mentor Neely Crenshaw works. Crenshaw is at first hesitant to believe the bookwormish freshman, but his gut instinct tells him that Ghee could very well have survived the pontoon boat explosion in Oman. The dueling tractor sequence is perhaps the only original portion of the story. Otherwise, this novella as a whole falls quickly into that common theme in American novels. Photon explosions, mass hypnosis, shotguns, small town politics, apple pie and the unrequited high school romance with the town barber. I found the cliché (and frequently hypnotized) townsfolk extremely reminiscent of the residents of Stephen King's novel "Salem's Lot." This sort of story has been done before. Two stars for the dueling tractors.
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Summary: A disappointment
Review: This is not the Grisham I loved to read.
Luckily, it was just a few pages .
You can skip a word, a few lines or even some pages and you still don`t miss anything.
There is no thrill, it is simply boring.
I yearn for the old Grisham, will we ever be able to read a similar novel like "The Firm" ????
I doubt it.
What a shame.
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Summary: Refreshing! From the heart...
Review: After struggling through some of his "cash cow" legal books over the years, I found this one more from the heart, refreshing, inspiring. Though short and maybe even a bit hurried, Grisham spoke of something he knows about - sports and small towns - and it came across as an easy read. I'll take this one over "King of Torts" any &%$#ing day.
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Summary: Highly advertized painful read
Review: This highly advertised book was a painful read. I only finished it because it was short and I was on a plane. The whole journey (or lack of a journey) was painful.
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Summary: A lighter "July July"
Review: A lighter form of "July July" by Tim O'Brian. If you believe that Bobby Knight is a thug, don't bother with this book, you will not 'get' it. If you ever played sports for a coach or understand why Bobby Knight is not a thug, you will love this book.
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Summary: How could it be the same author?
Review: What ever happened to the John Grisham who kept eveybody on the edge of their seat, reading "The Client" and "The Firm"? I have trouble thinking that the same person wrote "Bleachers". H.G.
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Summary: A Great Trip down Memory Lane!
Review: Anyone who is from a small town and lived and breathed football, as we did where I grew up, will love and truly associate with this book. While it's true that this is not one of Grisham's deepest works, Bleachers has an amazing way of transporting you back home. As a past football player and somewhat still athletic individual in my 40's I usually find it hard to be moved by books; however, I found it quite an effort to keep the tears from coming by the end. Great job! This is, indeed, and easy read and one that you will enjoy reading again and again. It was a great trip down Memory Lane!
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Summary: An Interesting Read
Review: I must start by saying I am a John Grisham fan and I usually try to read all of his books. That said, I did enjoy this novel for what it was, a short but well crafted story. I do not think it is proper to fault a book because it is short or because it does not live up to prior books in depth. I enjoyed the book for the story and the lessons that were present within it. The story of "Rake" and his boys was crafted nicely. The high standards he held each of his players to and the Love/Hate relationships that are formed with people of authority. We can see through the the story that the role that Rake chooses for his life is not an easy one. He is not the coach to make his players feel good, he is there to push them and make them stronger, mentally and phyically. The reader learns through the telling of the story that is not the actual game you play, it is the preparation as a team, and the hardships and triumphs, that can shape a young person. I felt the author really conveyed these points and I would recommend this book for anyone has not played organized sports for a good glimpse into the culture. While it may not be viewed as John Grisham's greatest novel, I think it is worth the time to read it and at around 160 pages it is not a great investment in time if you do not find it enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: For anyone who has participated in interscholastic athletics at a high level, this work is truly fictional. There's no plot, no message and nothing that relates to high school or collegiate athletics in the real world. It is an easy read so one does not have to spend to much time on Grisham's poorest work to date. Stick to the legal stuff, John, or try something on the order of another Painted House.
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