Bleachers

Rating:
Summary: Take a Second Look
Review: I found this book to be a lesson in life rather than a high school football story.
Neely is like so many of us, he has his moment of glory, then because of his own decisions loses his big chance to go on to more glory. He ends up losing his all-time love because of his own decisions.
Coach Rake also made the wrong decisions, his desire to win made him a murderer, and an abuser.
So many times we blame others for our trials, we should look to ourselves. A wonderful, simple story of life without thousands of unnecessary words.

Rating:
Summary: "Bleachers" big disappointment !!
Review: Have always loved John Grisham books BUT "The Bleachers" was a huge disappointment. It was boring. This is not Grisham at his best. Maybe he should stick to writing about lawyers, etc. Guess I am just used to being engrossed in his books and could not even get interested in this one.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed fan
Review: I thought this book was disappointing, at best. Have you ever seen the movie "Varsity Blues"? This book reminded me of this movie - a rather long and blown out version of it with a slightly different ending. If you don't have a overwhelming love for football, this book is a total bore. I have loved each one of his books until this point, so I am hoping he gets back on track and gives us back what we want... or he will lose me as a fan.

Rating:
Summary: WHEN WILL COURT BE IN SESSION AGAIN?
Review: Frankly Bleachers left flat, tired and uninterested, kind of like watching a high school football game where the opponent is trouncing your team and the only sensation left is the hardness of the bleachers.

I wonder what Grisham is up to? Where are the legal dramas that made him a keeper and a best seller? I can only hope that court will be in session again soon and that Grisham will leave these non-legal dramas to other authors more fitted to the genre.

Douglas McAllister

Rating:
Summary: No doubt about it: Grisham is gifted
Review: I don't always like his novels (too many seem to have been written for direct translation into a successful screenplay), but there's no doubt about it: he's really gifted. And prolific, my god is he prolific. Best of all, he's detoured from his original one-track genre of legal-based plots. In Bleachers, Grisham has written a book about a legendary high school football coach. Fifteen years after graduation from HS, Neely, once a star quarterback, comes home upon hearing about the impending death of coach Eddie Rake. He and his old buddies sit in the bleachers drinking beer and waiting for Rake to die. And they talk. And talk and talk and talk. There's a mystery from their past, of course, because that's what Grisham writes: mysteries. And there's a love interest, his old high school flame. This one is okay, but definitely not Grisham at his best.

Rating:
Summary: Far from original
Review: The old high school football hero returns to his hometown when he finds out his old coach is dying. Bitter over a lost career and a mysterious anger at this dying man, he renews old acquaintances and runs into his old girlfriend who he betrayed. Wasn't this a movie of the week from Hallmark or any after school special? Filled with stereotypical characters and maudlin scenes, (How about the player being escorted to the field from prison? That's a great one!) BLEACHERS is so lacking in originality that it is a s familiar as old slipper and just about as interesting.

Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Departure for The Legal Beagle
Review: Bleachers is John Grisham's second departure from the legal genre and in it, he produces a wonderful, homespun, yet complicated story about a town that takes their football a little too seriously.

At first glance, this book seems a departure for Grisham. There are no corporate fat cats, no pragmatic laywer heroes, no high-stakes, big money, accounts-in-the-Caymans courtroom dramas. And yet, what remains of Grisham is the heart and soul of all of his literature, what makes him an endearing staple for his fans: rich character development.

Eddie Rake is a well-developed, southern, take-no-prisoners football coach who has left a mark on a tiny town. The other characters are rich and full, with regrets, imbedded memories, and a sense of belonging to a tight football fraternity.

Bleachers is a welcome read, a delightful piece of literature, especially for those who have at one time played competitive team sports. The dialogue between formerly ego-centric, hard-hitting alpha males brought back my own memories of playing on our high-school basketball team.

I also thought this book was very similar to another wonderful tale by another best-selling author, Jerry Jenkins. Hometown Legend has similar plotlines, developed around the unique passion of southern high-school football.

I applaud Grisham for reaching beyond his legal niche and producing a delightful read. Go get this book and put it on your nightstand today.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing...
Review: Long story short, I expected a bit more. But when it all boiled down, all we get is a short story half borrowed from Friday Night Lights and half from the movie Varsity Blues, with a little Junction Boys thrown in for safety sake. As a Grisham fan who has enjoyed his legal and his non-legal work, I put the book down feeling like I did not get all that was coming to me.

Rating:
Summary: Grisham's best non-legal book
Review: "Bleachers" is John Grisham's most recent non-lawyer novel. I say "non-lawyer" because he has a new novel coming out in February and it is back to the courtroom for Grisham. Typically, I have not really enjoyed Grisham's novels when he strayed from the world of lawyers and courtrooms. "A Painted House" was okay, but I thought "Skipping Christmas" was just awful. But, since Grisham has been entertaining me for so many years now, I am willing to give a chance to any book he writes. I didn't have any expectations going into "Bleachers", and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

The town of Messina is a southern football town. It is a town where high school football is king, and the players are all royalty. The townsfolk remember every every win, every loss, and perhaps every play. The star players are celebrities in Messina, and the former coach, Eddie Rake, is just short of being a god. Eddie Rake is a legend in Messina. He came in as a 28 year old coach, and in one year he turned the football program around and created a legacy and tradition of winning state titles. Now he is dying and his former football players return to Messina.

The protagonist of this book is Neely Crenshaw, a former star Quarterback who hasn't been back to Messina since they retired his old number the year after he graduated. He is filled with resentment towards Rake, but he cannot stay away for the funeral. A group of former players gather in the stands a couple of nights before Rake actually dies and they talk about their lives, football, Coach Rake, and as the story goes on Grisham is examining the characters of these men, and how football and Coach Rake has affected their lives. It is a simple story, but unlike Grisham's other non-legal stories, this one was fascinating and I wanted to keep reading. It is a short book, but it is a good one. I doubt this novel will win any awards, but it was a fun, entertaining read.

Rating:
Summary: He's done it again
Review: After 'The Painted House' and 'Skipping Christmas', Grisham has once again spun a lovely tale outside the world of law and attorneys...and he has succeeded yet again. In this book, Grisham delves into the heart of a forgotten football hero. Neely Crenshaw is Messina's most famous son until he is forced to stay out of the game due to an injury. Years pass by and Neely battles hard to come to terms with his almost famous status. Eddy Rake, Neely's coach had been instrumental in shaping Neely's illustrious career. Yet Coach Rake's atrocities towards Neely on the football field continues to haunt him. Neely returns to Messina when Coach Rake is dying, partly to introspect if he can bury the ghosts of fame forever and partly, and more importantly to forgive Coack Rake. Neely's touching speech in front of his familiar home crowd is beautifully written. One can't help but relate to feelings of remorse and gratitude. As humans, we have all had feelings of angst, bitterness and frustration towards individuals who have been largely responsible for shaping our lives. It is not until such people leave us forever do their absence become conspicuous. Neely Crenshaw experiences similar feelings.
Overall a feel good book. Grisham has written a beautiful and piognant book on human emotions using football strictly as a background.