Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

Playing for Pizza is one of those books that touch your heart.

It is a book about football (not soccer, which is what I generally associate with the word 'football'), about food, about Italy, and about passion and love. When I first read this book, I didn't know a thing about american football (admittedly, I still don't know too much about it) and I thought that it would be a pretty boring book for someone who is admittedly not too much of a sports fan. (And, when I recently recommended the book to a friend, she also said 'Oh, I don't really like american football, so I don't want to read it'). Well, here's the thing - you don't have to know anything about american football (or, for that matter, any sport in the world) to enjoy this book. You can enjoy it if you know a thing or two about doing something for love, about culture and about friendships that can last forever.

I think one of the best things about the book is the main character. Rick is, by no means, perfect. The book begins with him being the 'biggest goat in the history of professional football', by throwing three interceptions and causing his team to lose a match that they were almost certainly going to win, and making them lose the cup. He then finds that no team in the country wants to touch him, except for a team in Parma, Italy (and he has never even heard of the place) - Italy, where when you say 'football', they mean soccer. Well, he faces this ridicule bravely, moves to Italy (with a little complaining) and ends up falling in love with the place. And eventually the choices he has to make for the team and for himself are the highlight of the book.

There are some great minor characters - Sam (Rick's new coach), Franco (an old judge part of the Parma Panthers) and Nino (a restaurant chef who is also part of the team), Fabrizio ("high maintenance, think's he's god's gift to football, great hands"). All the Italians in the Parma Panthers play for nothing more than the love of the game (and for the after-game Pizza) and with them Rick (and the readers) learn what football really means. Each character is distinct and well-crafted, and their individual egos, problems, phobias, and aspirations form as big a part of this story as Rick's learning experience does. In this book, you will come to like some of the Parma Panthers and dislike some of them, but it is hard to ignore any character that you're introduced to, simply because Grisham is so good at crafting the characters.

Another great thing is the setting - the small town of Parma in Italy is shown in all its glory and all its failings. The descriptions of the food, the buildings, the small cars, the fashion, and the opera - all of this things will make you want to visit this place. Every small detail shows how well Grisham has studied this place. You are transported to Parma, and you might just fall in love with it enough in this book to want to stay there forever.

Final thoughts: Brilliant characters, well-researched setting and a good premise. You don't have to be a football fan to love this book.

Other things: I haven't been able to finish Frankenstein yet, but I think I'll put that on hold for now, and move on to reading something else.

Theodore Boone by John Grisham

Theodore Boone, by John Grisham, was a thoroughly enjoyable book.

A little background. My parents, when they got back from their trip, brought back two books: Theodore Boone by John Grisham and the White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga. I have wanted to read the latter for a long time, but since my father is currently reading it, and my mother recommended the former to me, I decided to pick up Theodore Boone. I started reading it at eight in the morning, before I had to go school. By eight-thirty, when I had to catch the bus, I had finished around a hundred pages. By about three, I had finished the entire book.

And I wasn't bored for a single moment.

Theodore Boone is a story set in small-town America, where one of the largest trials ever witnessed in the small-town is about a happen - a trial to convict a man who seems to have murdered his wife. The entire town is abuzz about it. Cue in Theo Boone, a thirteen year old kid, who knows more lawyers, judges, and other officials in the judiciary than any one else in the town, who wants nothing more than to become a lawyer, and who somehow ends up getting deeply involved in the murder case when a mysterious eye-witness contacts him about it. This book is about Theo's struggles between his promise to the witness to his desire for justice - while at the same time facing normal thirteen-year-old problems like girls, and school and teachers.

I think the best part about the book is the characters. The main character, Theo, is immensely fun to read about. He's intelligent, thoughtful, honorable, and knows "more law than most lawyers". He's friends with the judge who is going to conduct the murder trial. He has hacked into the website of the court recorder in order to stay abreast with the developments in the trial. He helps friends and teachers alike by giving them legal advice: whether it is on foreclosure, or a divorce settlement, or a case of drug possession. In short: he's rather cool. Despite all of this, however, he doesn't come across as a wonder-kid. He comes across as a normal, human boy who needs help, who messes up sometimes, and who loves law. And if you need one reason to read this book - its for Theo.

But Theo is not the only interesting character in this book. His father, Woody Boone, is a real estate lawyer. His mother, Marcella Boone, is a divorce lawyer. His uncle, Ike, is an ex-lawyer who can now only file tax statements. Even in a reasonably short book, Grisham is able to tell you about all of these people in a way that makes you feel like you know them intimately. He uses great descriptive skills to tells you a few things about all of them that make them interesting, and loveable, and make you want to read more and more about them. And yet these people are not super-human, either. They're simple, and make mistakes, and hypocritical at times. It doesn't matter. You still like them. Even other, smaller characters, are fun to read about - from Judge Granty to Theo's Government teacher, to the various other small characters who make up the judicial system are very interesting to read about, especially when you see them from the eyes of Theo.

The book is very well-written. Fast-paced and full of suspense, it is hard to put down this book for even a moment. The writing is clean and simple and very easy to read. The book is of a reasonable length. The plot is very interesting, and well-thought out. I like the motivations of all the characters. The setting is well thought-out. All in all, this book is a treat to read. I guess it was especially enjoyable for me as an aspiring law student, but I'm sure anyone who likes to read will love to read this book.

Final words: Prepare yourself for a few hours of fun as you see Grisham doing what he does best. Theodore Boone is truly the work of a master.