• Bleachers

  • A Novel
  • By: John Grisham
  • Narrated by: John Grisham
  • Length: 4 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (996 ratings)

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Bleachers  By  cover art

Bleachers

By: John Grisham
Narrated by: John Grisham
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Publisher's summary

High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever to play for the legendary Messina Spartans. Fifteen years have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who molded the Spartans into an unbeatable football dynasty.

Now, as Coach Rake's "boys" sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field lights to signal his passing, they replay the old games, relive the old glories, and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake or hate him. For Neely Crenshaw, a man who must finally forgive his coach - and himself - before he can get on with his life, the stakes are especially high.

©2003 Belfry Holdings, Inc (P)2003 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Grisham]'s a sure-footed story-teller with an undeniable mastery of plotting, pacing and tone." (The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about Bleachers

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    525
  • 4 Stars
    231
  • 3 Stars
    149
  • 2 Stars
    58
  • 1 Stars
    33
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    402
  • 4 Stars
    112
  • 3 Stars
    52
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    392
  • 4 Stars
    98
  • 3 Stars
    67
  • 2 Stars
    24
  • 1 Stars
    10

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen!

I didn't want to stop whatever I was doing while listening to this story! John Grisham turns his talents to a football coach and his players rather than lawyers. It was a marvelous tale and will be appreciated by all, but especially those who have involvement in high school psorts.

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47 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Bleachers

I read everything that John Grisham writes. I should have made an exception to this one. This was 4 hours of nothing but a group of x high school football players talking about there dying coach and drinking beer.
If I could, I would give a 00 rating to this book. It will make me think twice about reading any future Grisham books.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Engrossing story

I don't like sports. I don't like football, especially. I think people who are "stuck" in their high school or college years are silly and immature. BUT......it doesn't matter here. The story isn't just about football or sports or guys revisiting their youth. It's much more than that and the story of how one single man could influence the lives of so many was mesmerizing. Another wonderful story from John Grisham. The only negative was the narrator....John himself. He should leave the reading of the story up to a professional reader...one who can act, more or less. John reads in a very monotone like style and it made telling who was "speaking" in the story very difficult to figure out and it tended to tone down the emotion of the story too much. But a good story inspite of the reader.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

disappointment

an unfortunately boring work, made less enjoyable by the author's naration which made all characters indistinguishable.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 02-25-09

Bleachers by John Grisham

This audio/book has no beginning and no end. It does not have a significant plot. I just wonder what Mr. Grisham had in mind when he wrote this book. Very very badly written book. I am very disappointed. I also think that Mr. Grisham should not read his own books. This may have been a problem with the audio itself. It is very hard for me to keep my review in the guidelines because I did, to my chagrin, spend the dollars to hear/read this book. In the future I will be more careful when selecting one of his novels. The hate love with the coach was never developed in the book. He should have spent a good deal more time in defining his hero/antihero approach. I can only give this book a one star for the effort of writing it. I can only support my claims by the total number of books I have purchased in the past several years. This is the worst of all of them.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Not Much Of A Story

This really didn't have much 'meat' to it... I guess from the length (4hours) I should have guessed. Not his best work. I'd pass on it if I knew then what I know now.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Not what you expect

I found the book to be quite slow and definitely not what you expect from Grisham who usually throws a few curve balls. The characters were interesting and I love football but I just never found a plot or a reason to turn on my pocket pc instead of the radio. I was less than excited to finish out the book.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Where is the Lawyer?

I loved it!! I loved it, not because the lawyer was missing but because it is such a great story and because the author read it so well. My son hopes to be a high school history teach and coach soccer. What a noble ambition. I called him up and told him he needs to read this book. I think I?ll read it again. I rarely read books twice.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Deep with something I couldn't find

Bleachers was enjoyable and I could relate to some of the small-town ramblings but overall, it left me not wanting to hear it again. It's worth the time - but not twice.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Ex-High School football players MUST READ!

If you ended your high school football career in a town that cared more about the football coach than the mayor....this is a story is a must. This story gives you the double enjoyment of a great story and a stroll down memory lane. I loved it!

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2 people found this helpful