Neely Crenshaw was once star quarterback for Messina High School's football team. His playing days ended with a sickening injury. Afterwards his life went nowhere: his marriage foundered and his real estate business drifted. For fifteen years he's been trying to forget his glorious past as sporting hero but hasn't been able to move on. But now the man who moulded him, Coach Eddie Rake is dying and Neely returns to Messina. Rake has acted as football coach for 34 years at Messina High; his teams have won 13 state ...
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Neely Crenshaw was once star quarterback for Messina High School's football team. His playing days ended with a sickening injury. Afterwards his life went nowhere: his marriage foundered and his real estate business drifted. For fifteen years he's been trying to forget his glorious past as sporting hero but hasn't been able to move on. But now the man who moulded him, Coach Eddie Rake is dying and Neely returns to Messina. Rake has acted as football coach for 34 years at Messina High; his teams have won 13 state championships and been on an 84 game unbeaten streak. The town idolizes him. Players old and young have returned to pay their respects. Neely congregates with them on the bleachers as they wait for Rake to finally pass away.It is in the many conversations and revelations that follow that Neely can confront what his explosive relationship with Rake really meant to him and, in the moment of loss, find redemption.
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Add this copy of Bleachers to cart. $67.20, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Random House.
This is a small book, so it is easily read in one sitting on a rainy afternoon! I found it easy to relate to the main character, and was very able to understand the range of emotions that he goes through over the death of a hated/feared coach. I can honestly say that this book made me laugh and cry.
Macsmithy
Oct 27, 2007
Don't read this book unless you're American...
... and before you shout me down, as a UK reader, I really didn't enjoy this book and feel it was because it was so firmly set within US cultural high school mores. I spent my 10th. year in 5th grade of a Miami elementary school, and returned to family in the States throughout my teenage years and beyond - so I 'got' most of the baseball references and aspects of the culture but just couldn't work up any engagement with the characters. The sports coach at my elementary school was indeed an evil sadist - so I could even identify with that aspect of the tale. Maybe it was because the story lines were very tired and cliched. The 'familiar stranger' who revisits his high school haunts and sees everyone with an insight that their lives have been too shallow for them to share... groan. I tried to read the book twice, eventually forcing myself just to finish it and get it over with. It was given to me by a committed Grisham fan here in the UK who felt disappointed with the book and wondered if my knowledge of the US would make a difference. It didn't: we have to recognise that 'Bleachers' just doesn't travel well.
Trilless
May 8, 2007
A super fast read! I finished this book in a day.
If you've ever had a tough coach in your high school years, you can easily relate to this tale of teammates looking back on their past. The love/hate relationship is beautifully illustrated and its a pleasure to see Grisham doing something so different from all the law and mystery.
