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Bleachers
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Bleachers (2003) (edit title/settings)

by John Grisham (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

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... read more

Summary edit see section history

My opinion on the book was it was very well written. The plot was very mysterious and never really told you Neely’s true view of Coach Rake until the very end. During the story bits and pieces of Neely Crenshaw’s past are revealed throughout the book with each old friend he reunites with.... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

My opinion on the book was it was very well written. The plot was very mysterious and never really told you Neely’s true view of Coach Rake until the very end. During the story bits and pieces of Neely Crenshaw’s past are revealed throughout the book with each old friend he reunites with.

I believe having Neely as a character was a good addition to the book because it showed the viewpoint of someone who could not give up or make peace with his past. It also showed the point of view of someone who had suffered from Coach Rake and had never forgiven him since.

Having Nat Sawyer as a character was a good addition to the book because even though Nat was a terrible football player, openly gay, and owned the only book store in a backwoods town Coach Rake still loved him and accepted Nat for who he was and helped him. This shows that even though Coach Rake was harsh and brutal, he still loved his players even though he didn’t know how to always express it.

Silo Mooney was also a good addition to the book because even though he was the most cursed player by Coach Rake, no other player loved Coach Rake more than Silo Mooney. Even though Coach Rake despised Silo he still gave Silo a place to live when no one else would take him in. Silo gives the reader the idea that no matter how much Coach Rake despised some of his players he still loved them as if he were his own family.

Sheriff Mal Brown was a character that showed the reader that Coach Rake, no matter how brutally he treated them, deeply touched the lives of each of his players. An example of this is when the Sheriff was serving in Vietnam, he and his crew were ambushed while patrolling a river on a motor boat. The Sheriff was the only one left alive after the initial attack and he eluded the enemy for hours until help arrived. Sheriff Brown even said that when he was eluding the enemy he didn’t think of him friends or his family, instead he thought of Coach Rake and tried to impress him by not giving up.

Paul Curry is one of the characters in the book that I believe wasn’t a bad addition, but also could have been removed. Throughout the book he provided Neely with information on what has happened to the town and the people who live within it. Besides providing information for Neely, in my opinion, Paul Curry did not serve that great of a purpose during the book.

Characters edit see section history

  • Neely Crenshaw: A fictional high school All-American quarterback who had a career ending knee injury while playing college football and has not returned to Messina for 15 years because of his hatred for Coach Rake
  • Eddie Rake: The head football coach of Messina High School who coached for 34 years and was fired for causing the death of a player by working him to hard. He is considered to be one of the greatest High School football coaches and has won 13 state titles.
  • Paul Curry: Now a banker in Messina, he was Neely's favorite reciever and his best friend.
  • Messina: The name of the town the Spartans played football for.
  • Jesse Trapp: Jesse played for Messina and was the only Spartan to go into the NFL. He soon became addicted to drugs and lost everything. His family tried everything to kick his addiction but nothing worked and Jesse soon went to prison.
  • Scotty: He is the boy who Coach Rake killed by working him to hard. His death led to Rake losing his job.
  • Randy Jaeger: He is the player who holds the record for the most number of laps in the Spartan Marathon. He ran a total of 83 laps.
  • Mal Brown: He was a player for Coach Rake during the streak and his jersey was the first to be retired. He is now the Sheriff of Messina and he is the one to bring news of Coach Rake's condition to all the ex-football players.
  • Silo Mooney: He played football with Neely and played on the '87 team. He was the meanest player on both offense and defense and was cursed by Coach Rake the most but still Silo loved his coach more than any other player. He now owns a chop shop which illegally scraps and sells parts from cars that have been stolen.
  • Mona: Paul's wife.
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “"No piece of ground in Messian was more revered than The Field. Not even the cemetary." (pg 3)”
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • those who are timid and frightened have no place among the victors. Those who take no risks receive no rewards.
    Highlighted by 15 Kindle customers
  • Fear is inevitable, and it is not always bad. Harness your fear and use it to your advantage.
    Highlighted by 13 Kindle customers
  • And you want to thank him for teaching you that success is not an accident.
    Highlighted by 11 Kindle customers
  • Then the voice will tell you to pick yourself up, to set a goal, work harder than everybody else, stick to the basics, execute perfectly, be confident, be brave, and never, never quit. The voice is never far away.
    Highlighted by 10 Kindle customers
  • Never quit, never quit. You win because you’re tougher mentally than the other guy, and you’re tougher mentally because your trainin’ is superior. If you’re winnin’, never quit. If you’re losin’, never quit. If you’re hurt, never quit.”
    Highlighted by 9 Kindle customers
  • THE RUNAWAY JURY THE PARTNER THE STREET LAWYER THE TESTAMENT THE BRETHREN A PAINTED HOUSE
    Highlighted by 8 Kindle customers
  • His genius was simple—stick to the basics, and work nonstop until you can execute them perfectly.
    Highlighted by 7 Kindle customers
  • THE SUMMONS THE KING OF TORTS BLEACHERS THE LAST JUROR THE BROKER THE INNOCENT MAN PLAYING FOR PIZZA THE APPEAL THE ASSOCIATE FORD COUNTY: STORIES
    Highlighted by 4 Kindle customers
  • Books by John Grisham A TIME TO KILL THE FIRM THE PELICAN BRIEF THE CLIENT THE CHAMBER
    Highlighted by 4 Kindle customers
  • ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil … thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’
    Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers
Show all 11 quotes from this book

First Sentence edit see section history

The road to Rake Field ran beside the school, past the old band hall and the tennis courts, through a tunnel of two perfect rows of red and yellow maples planted and paid for by the boosters, then over a small hill to a lower area covered with enough asphalt for a thousand cars.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 4 of 10 in Publishers Weekly Bestselling Novels of 2003. (authoritative list)

Preceded by The King of Torts, and followed by Armageddon.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. John Grisham (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Doubleday
Country: United States
Publication Date: September 2003
ISBN: 978-0385511612
Page Count: 163

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: CPB Box no. 2255 vol. 11
  • Dewey: 813.54

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

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