Not everyone will like it - but I did - Rated 
I like Grisham's writing style.
I like American Football
I like 'Rocky' type sports comeback tales.
I like Italian food, wine and culture.
....
So I really enjoyed this book!
Simple But Worthwhile - Rated
I hadn't read a John Grisham book for some years prior to getting this, as I "overdosed" on him after reading The Rainmaker. Although this isn't one of his usual legal thrillers, it does have a certain charm. Yes, it's a reasonably predicable, short and simple tome but I still found it highly enjoyable. There aren't the usual twists and turns that we've come to expect from Grisham, it just pleasantly rumbles along. But it is well written (as always), undemanding and engaging. I have no interest in American Football, but that is effectively a sub-plot and doesn't distract from the main story about an American being charmed by a foreign culture. Anyone who's been to Italy will totally empathise with him. In summary, a good read but don't expect to be challenged.
Great book - Rated 
This was a thoroughly enjoyable and readable book and very gripping, it portays Italy and also American there. It's about about American football and Italy. Unlike his previous law books with a gifted main character the hero here is a troubled player with deep professional flaws.
There are a number of 1 star reviews here by people who are not interested in American football; well maybe the blurb on the back about it being about American football should have been a little hint. There is no way this book is a 1 star book. Grisham is more than entitled to write about something other than law firms, as his last few books have been.
I#s not that hard to understand American football. I am British like many of the other reviewers who seem to have problems and it's very clear to me what is going on; Grisham paints a great picture and tells a great story.
It was all dutch to me! - Rated 
This book should be issued with a warning to British readers: If you don't understand american football vast parts of the book will be incomprehensible!
Apart from the very detailed gameplay, it was OK, but has a low score due to the pages I was forced to skip
Very disappointing - Rated 
I was really looking forward to this book for several reasons. First of all, I'm a big fan of John Grisham (or I was, at any rate) and secondly I would read anything about Italy. But boy was I disappointed. The story is basically about an American footballer who is dropped by his team after a disastrous performance in a crucial game. His agent finds him a position on a team in Italy, where American football is an emerging, but still minority, sport. So far, so good, but it seems to me that Grisham didn't really know what he wanted the story to be. It's part sports writing (which will be incomprehensible to anyone without a good knowlegde of American football), part love story (blecch, Grisham can't write a love story to save his life) and part travelogue. These parts just don't gel. All in all, it's lazy writing and one to avoid.
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