Calico Joe
by John Grisham
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Description
A surprising and moving novel of fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, set in the world of Major League Baseball…
Whatever happened to Calico Joe?
It began quietly enough with a pulled hamstring. The first baseman for the Cubs AAA affiliate in Wichita went down as he rounded third and headed for home. The next day, Jim Hickman, the first baseman for the Cubs, injured his back. The team suddenly needed someone to play first, so they reached down to their AA club in Midland, Texas, and called up a twenty-one-year-old named Joe Castle. He was the hottest player in AA and creating a buzz.
In the summer of 1973 Joe Castle was the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone had ever seen. The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas dazzled Cub fans as he hit home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shattered all rookie records.
Calico Joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faced Calico Joe, Paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his Dad. Then Warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever…
In John Grisham’s new novel the baseball is thrilling, but it’s what happens off the field that makes CALICO JOE a classic.
Customer Reviews
See the movie...
...when it comes out. It will be better than the book, which, for me, was rather short, weakly written, contrived, very predictable, disappointingly sappy in its attempt not to be, and for the most part boring. Just my opinion. That said, I can see why some people will like it. It's a fast read, and was probably written by JG over a weekend with the idea of ultimately selling tickets at the box office as a movie. Reads like a screenplay. Just not a lot to get excited about as a book, however, and I am a JG fan, as well as a baseball fan. Frankly, I was expecting a lot more from JG with this book, and feel a bit let down. Could have been twice as long and twice as interesting, even given it's simple template, especially for baseball fans. I am looking forward to Spielberg taking this on as a movie, however. Should be easy to turn it into baseball's version of War Horse.
Great book
This will keep your attention from the very first word - even if you aren't a baseball fan.
A Great Read
I enjoyed every page, and both my sons - 12 & 14 - are looking forward to reading it! Thanks John for such a great read!
- $12.99
- Category: Fiction & Literature
- Published:Apr 10, 2012
- Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Seller: Random House Digital, Inc. (Books)
- Print Length: 208 Pages
- Language: English
