Calico Joe
A Novel
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4.0 • 167 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
#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!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In his latest, Grisham takes another break from blockbuster legal suspense to explore the world of athletics. Decades after the fact, Paul Tracey looks back on the fateful events of the summer of 1973 involving his drunken and abusive father, Warren a pitcher for the New York Mets and a red-hot Chicago Cubs rookie nicknamed Calico Joe. Narrator Eric Singer portrays both Joe and Warren the former innocent and earnest, the latter a bully with energy and passion. The narrator lends Arkansan Joe an accent and cadence that are equal parts aw-sucks nonchalance and deer-in-the headlights wonder. In his portrayal of Warren, Singer effectively channels the character's vitriol both on and off the field; the scenes involving Warren's abusive coaching sessions with young Paul pack a particularly powerful emotional punch. Singer's rendering of the labored speech of an aging Joe in the later portion of the book may seem heavy-handed in some respects, but remains compelling nonetheless. A Doubleday hardcover.
Customer Reviews
Calico Joe
Although clever in his handling of this fictional conflict, I found the story, while sad, to be a little bit too easy to predict. Grisham uses fictional and real people to recreate a fictitious event, but it was far from a jaw-dropping effort. A good look into what many professional baseball players, and athletes in general may go through. I would think that baseball fans, by and large would appreciate this novel.
Kept My Attention...
Bought it in the morning, finished it this afternoon. Enjoyed the read immensely. The story was somewhat predictable though and I would have enjoyed a couple more twists.
Calico Joe
This book was not written by John Grisham. It had to be written by someone who used his name, because it has none of the depth and riveting interest Grisham is known for. In fact, this was the most boring and simple plot one could imagine. No twists, no turns. Just predictable, dull prose.
Very disappointing!