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ferrisscottr's review against another edition
4.0
The writing is spectacular in this short book from John Grisham, great characters that you won't soon forget.
If you like baseball then I recommend it.
If you don't like baseball but are a Grisham fan (this is not one of his legal thrillers) then I recommend it.
If you don't like Grisham or baseball you might want to pass.
If you like baseball then I recommend it.
If you don't like baseball but are a Grisham fan (this is not one of his legal thrillers) then I recommend it.
If you don't like Grisham or baseball you might want to pass.
meesm's review against another edition
3.0
Audio: Just a fun book about baseball; I almost thought it was a true story
reading_w_dee's review against another edition
4.0
Never did I think I would get enraptured in a story surrounded by baseball. This was such a touching story about Paul Tracey's childhood growing up with a professional athlete for a father and that one moment that changed many lives forever.
Although I understand only the barebones of baseball, I was able to follow along with the storyline no problem. Grisham writes with such passion and draws such a beautiful picture that you almost feel as though you are in the bleachers watching every play!
Although I understand only the barebones of baseball, I was able to follow along with the storyline no problem. Grisham writes with such passion and draws such a beautiful picture that you almost feel as though you are in the bleachers watching every play!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
djcthomas's review against another edition
4.0
This was a quick and enjoyable read. No lawyers in this one, but I love baseball and enjoyed the interweaving of baseball facts with fiction.
klew's review against another edition
5.0
If you truly love baseball, this is a must read. It's full of love for the game, its history, players and essence. The end scene with Joe and Paul is poignant and real.
tomaind's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book, as I have most of Grisham's non-legal stories. It was an emotional family story and I loved the baseball theme.
rflavin's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the baseball aspect of this book. Very quick read!
stonecharioteer's review against another edition
5.0
I've been meaning to read this book for over a year now, ever since I wrote the summary. I'm not a sports fan, I abhor sports to be honest. I think this is a lovely book. Gave me the same feeling that Bleachers did when I read it nearly 10 years ago. Grisham should write more non-legal stuff.
bonniekitts's review against another edition
4.0
A quick novel. While I don't know the ins and outs of baseball, I enjoyed it. Some deep stuff in this little book. A bit sad, but nostalgic as well. I'm glad I read it.
fictionfan's review against another edition
2.0
‘Baseball is a game of failure…’
In a departure from his usual legal thrillers, Grisham here gives us a book about the world of baseball. The first person narrator is Paul Tracey, whose father, Warren, was a pitcher for the Mets in 1973 in the same season as Joe Castle, the Calico Joe of the title, was breaking all records as a rookie player with the Cubs. Warren is now dying and as Paul travels to see him, he tells us about his childhood, his hero-worship for Joe and why his relationship with Warren reached breaking point.
Normally I am a big fan of Grisham but really, there are limits. Firstly it is very short and yet the plot, such as it is, is so slight as to barely maintain interest to the end. Instead the book is filled with extremely detailed descriptions of imaginary baseball games, so detailed that Grisham felt it necessary to give what he calls a summary of the basics of the game. This ‘summary’ runs to 13% of the entire Kindle book and was so dull that I gave up halfway through, deciding to trust that the book would make sense even if I didn’t know what a drag bunt or a pick-off might be. By about the fourth chapter, I was so bored that I was speed-reading through the innings by innings match descriptions that fill easily half the book dropping back in whenever it looked like the plot might move along a little. However, the plot was so uninteresting and clichéd and the characterisation so superficial that it did not make up for all the rest.
I would have given this book 1 stars but I recognise some people will be more interested in baseball and perhaps in interminable scoring statistics, even imaginary ones, than I and so have upped it to an extremely generous 2. Grisham says in his introduction ‘Baseball is a game of failures’. Unfortunately I feel this self-indulgent book is an example of that. Here’s hoping Grisham returns to form (and the legal world) in his next novel.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
In a departure from his usual legal thrillers, Grisham here gives us a book about the world of baseball. The first person narrator is Paul Tracey, whose father, Warren, was a pitcher for the Mets in 1973 in the same season as Joe Castle, the Calico Joe of the title, was breaking all records as a rookie player with the Cubs. Warren is now dying and as Paul travels to see him, he tells us about his childhood, his hero-worship for Joe and why his relationship with Warren reached breaking point.
Normally I am a big fan of Grisham but really, there are limits. Firstly it is very short and yet the plot, such as it is, is so slight as to barely maintain interest to the end. Instead the book is filled with extremely detailed descriptions of imaginary baseball games, so detailed that Grisham felt it necessary to give what he calls a summary of the basics of the game. This ‘summary’ runs to 13% of the entire Kindle book and was so dull that I gave up halfway through, deciding to trust that the book would make sense even if I didn’t know what a drag bunt or a pick-off might be. By about the fourth chapter, I was so bored that I was speed-reading through the innings by innings match descriptions that fill easily half the book dropping back in whenever it looked like the plot might move along a little. However, the plot was so uninteresting and clichéd and the characterisation so superficial that it did not make up for all the rest.
I would have given this book 1 stars but I recognise some people will be more interested in baseball and perhaps in interminable scoring statistics, even imaginary ones, than I and so have upped it to an extremely generous 2. Grisham says in his introduction ‘Baseball is a game of failures’. Unfortunately I feel this self-indulgent book is an example of that. Here’s hoping Grisham returns to form (and the legal world) in his next novel.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com