Bleachers

If you're looking for a book about a bunch of stereotypical "all-American" jocks who peaked in high school then you've definitely come to the right place... I actually feel sorry for the characters in this book. Not because of the loss of their beloved coach but because they're all so stuck in the past that they don't have futures. I think to be 30+ years old and still longing for your high-school glory days is just sad.

Now a few words about Coach Rake...
I firmly believe that he was a horrible, horrible man. He treated everyone in his life poorly especially the football players. He was cold and mean and all of the players admitted to strongly disliking, sometimes even hating him. His poor treatment of his football players even results show more in severe physical injury and death. He was even fired for it. Yet he was still idolized and called a hero and treated like such. I know if I had a coach that treated me this way, I wouldn't keep playing and definitely wouldn't attend his funeral.... show less

This is a story of a man, a high-school football coach and a town. A town where varsity football is the heartbeat. Neely Crenshaw finds himself drawn back to the town of Messina, fifteen years after his glory days as one of the best quarterbacks to play high school varsity football in the town, to pay homage to his old coach who only has days to live. This story takes you on an emotional journey of this man Neely, trying to free himself from a past of unrealized dreams that he can't seem to escape. It takes you on an emotional journey of a town torn apart by a past tragedy they can't seem to escape. And an emotional journey of a team with a secret whose weight they can't seem to escape. Can the death of this great coach and man free show more them?

Its an emotional ride that I could not get enough of. The story is just too short, I want more!! show less

John Grisham is one of my favourite Author's, always clever intelligent well written stories, this however is quite a departure from his usual fare. Nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed it and don't mind admitting it brought a lump to my throat and tears to the eyes of this grumpy old Yorkshireman. You don't have to understand American football to enjoy it, but it helps. Totally engaging character driven quick read about small town America.
Completely recommended.

It’s been 15 years since high school graduation, and Neely Crenshaw and his former football teammates have returned to Messina, Texas, to hold a vigil for their former coach, Eddie Rake. As in many small, rural towns in the US, football reigns supreme in Messina, and the local football stars are venerated as heroes. And although Eddie Rake had been a dominant influence in their young lives, he was both loved and hated. Neal and the others must come to grips with their conflicting feelings about Rake, and about the turns their lives have taken since graduation – in Neely’s case, the loss of the high school girlfriend whom he still loves, and his failed career in the NFL. At the heart of the tale is a mystery that none of the show more players have ever revealed – as to what happened the night of their most impressive victory, when the angry Messina players banned Rake and the other coaches from the field and played the game without their direction.

In the following passage, Neely has returned to the high school, while classes are in session.

A loud bell, one that sounded so familiar, erupted nearby and jolted Neely back to the reality that he was trespassing 15 years after his time. The halls were alive with students pushing, yelling, slamming lockers, releasing their hormones and testosterone that had been suppressed for the past fifty minutes. No one recognized Neely.

A large, muscled player with a very thick neck almost bumped into him. He wore a green-and-white Spartan letterman's jacket, a status symbol with no equal in Messina. He had the customary strut of someone who owned the hall, which he did, if only briefly. The girls smiled at him. The other boys gave him room.

"Come back in a few years, big boy, and they will not know your name" Neal thought. Your fabulous career will be a footnote. All the cute little girls will be mothers. The green jacket will still be a source of great personal pride, but you won't be able to wear it. High school stuff. Kid stuff.

Why was it so important back then?

Neely suddenly felt very old. He ducked through the crowd and left the school.

Bleachers is a sensitive, enthralling novella, one that captured and kept my attention. Its theme and tone is very different in Grisham’s legal novels, reflecting the virtuosity of this skillful and entertaining writer. show less

There is no doubt that Bleachers is not your typical John Grisham book. There is no legal intrigue. There are no courtroom heroics. Nobody is murdered. However, there is a good story here. At 163 pages, this book is closer to a novella than to a novel in length. I read the entire story in one day (I know, pretty lame) and it was a fun read. The story revolves around the return of football star Neely Crenshaw to his home town because of the impending death of his football coach Eddie Rake. Coach Rake made himself a town legend, but a controversial legend to be sure. Players from generations of teams migrate back to the field they played on – each for their own reason - to tell stories of their time in the program, both good and bad. show more Some see Rake as a hero while others can’t shake the man’s obvious flaws. But the real story is Neely trying to come to grips with his relationship with Rake – whether to hate him or respect him and the ‘incident’ kept a secret for 15 years – and the town’s reverence for both Rake and Neely over a ‘silly game.’ The book shines a light on the way sports can become far more than just sport and how people come to grips with their past when they are forced to come back to it. I think Grisham was wise to have written the story as such a short piece. It would have dragged if he attempted to turn it into a 350-page novel. But as it stands, it is a quick, fun read and I really enjoyed characters and the story. show less

I jumped into this one looking for a thriller and found...well...not a thriller. No bodies, cover-ups, or government corruption - at least in the traditional sense. A man does die, long-held secrets are revealed and the steamy underbelly of championship football is aired. Grisham takes a break from his usual genre to provide us with a sensitive look into the rough and tumble world of high school football and the incredible bonding experience of playing for a charismatic coach in a small city of rabid fans. Generations of players - cops, criminals, bankers, and gay book sellers - meet on the high school bleachers to relive old games, gossip, and come to terms with their own feelings about The Coach who is on the edge of death from show more cancer. As someone who went to OSU during the heyday of Woody Hayes, I have some insight into the phenomenon. This was an interesting exercise - not what I expected - but interesting. show less

Over the course of the last few years I’ve come to the realization that I mostly don’t review fiction titles. They rarely stick with me in the way non-fiction titles do. However, this one is one of the few exceptions.

One of John Grisham’s non “Southern law” titles, Bleachers (like Calico Joe) is set in the world of sports. Unlike all or mostly all of his titles, it wasn’t clear whether this was set in the south. If not for his multiple Packers’ references, I’d have assumed it was.

Neely Crenshaw, all American everything. A promising football career cut short by an injury in college. Eddie Rake, local hero football coach. Hero to everyone but Neely Crenshaw, yet it’s the news of Rake’s impending death that brings show more Crenshaw back to Messina for the first time in 15 years.

Paul. Nat. Rabbit. The Screamer. Silo. Hubcap. Jesse. show less