Calico Joe

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Erik Singer

Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A surprising and moving novel of fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, set in the world of Major League Baseball…

“Grisham knocks it out of the park.”—The Washington Post

It’s the summer of 1973, and Joe Castle is the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone has ever seen. The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas, dazzles Chicago Cubs fans as he hits home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shatters all rookie records. Calico Joe quickly becomes the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing New York Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faces Calico Joe, Paul is in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his dad. Then Warren throws a fastball that will change their lives forever.

Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!

©2012 Belfry Holdings, Inc (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Grisham knocks it out of the park.” (The Washington Post)

“An enjoyable, heartwarming read that’s not just for baseball fans.” (USA Today)

“Grisham has hit a home run.... Calico Joe is a great read, a lyrical ode to baseball, small-town America, youthful innocence and a young boy’s search for heroes.” (The Buffalo News)

A little sappy but still enjoyable

Not a baseball book per se. The second half was a little ploddy, sappy and rather predictable. Best when baseball fans were talking about the game. Researched well enough that you sometimes forget it's fiction.

Excellent Read

This is certainly one if Grisham's best books. Extraordinarily well done in the plot, the characters and the subject matter. It is meaningful and highly entertaining,

Wonderful Story

Very engaging story. We listened on our vacation -my husband enjoyed it thoroughly. He didn't want to listen to it at first, but couldn't wait to get in back in the truck once he started.

Baseball kept alive.

What made the experience of listening to Calico Joe the most enjoyable?

The history of baseball needs to be told, even if some is fiction.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A sexual to "Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa."

One of the best books I've read so far!!!

John Grisham step outside of his box and wrote a classic!! If you like baseball or if you don't this is a must read I know you will like it!!! This book is about a son who hates his father and his father plays Major League Baseball. He's a bad dad and a bad baseball player.. His sons favorite player is Joe Castle not his dad, Joe is a rookie who is on fire and breaking records left and right until he meets Warren Tracy!! This is a night a little boy will never forget!!! And thirty years later they will all meet again!!!! You won't put this book down...

Calico Joe is a grandslam!

Would you listen to Calico Joe again? Why?

No, but only because when I finish a book I never care to reread it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Calico Joe?

I love the ending. It was perfect! I love the Chicago Cubs, so references to some of the old "Cubbies" brought back memories from my childhood.

Have you listened to any of Erik Singer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes I have. He did an amazing job in the narration of this book too.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

1. Grisham hits another one out of the ballpark!

2. Calico Joe is a grandslam!

Any additional comments?

I am a huge Grisham fan. He never disappoints. I loved Calico Joe!

Sports and Family all in one!

My second book I chose was Calico Joe. I’m a sports fan so it was a no brainer for me. The narrator has a fantastic way of making the characters come alive and intertwines the events with an artistic flair. This allowed me to effortlessly switch between the flashbacks of how the events unfolded when Paul was young and Paul’s journey to right them as a grown man. So I was able to picture different characters young and old in my head as I listened, which I think is important to a listener or reader that way you don’t mesh everything together and it becomes a lost cause of separating characters. I have a good knowledge of baseball, and for anyone who’s not a major follower of baseball, I will caution you that the first chapter may be difficult to listen to, but worth sticking it out. Plus if you never knew a thing about baseball maybe this will give you the drive to get into it, or maybe not, either way just get through the 1st chapter and the book really opens up. Once the relationship between Paul’s father and Joe is revealed, baseball knowledge is no longer necessary. I understand why Grisham layered the details of Joe’s first few games, and baseball geeks will love it, but Calico Joe is really a book about people, forgiveness and relationships. Therefore, it’s good for anyone, sports fan or not. This book wasn’t as good as Beat The Reaper, but it was a breath of fresh air after listening to that one, that’s for suuuuuuuuuuure!

wow what a great story!!!enjoyed every part of it.

fantastic story should be made into a movie every baseball fan will love it very good.

Great for the baseball lover, young and old

I stopped reading Grisham books after the first few. This is not a typical Grisham book. What a great short book, about baseball in 1972, about father-son relationships, about leaving a legacy, about doing the right thing. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a short simple great book.

Superbly Written and Read

Another wonderful Grisham sports related short story. Moving and with a touching theme that goes well beyond sports.