The coach
The Coach (original title: Bleachers ) is a novel by John Grisham . The English first edition was published on June 22, 2004, the German translation by Tanja Handels was published on April 1, 2005.
content
Messina is a small town in the United States . The locals are crazy about American football and support the local high school football team, the Messina Spartans, which were particularly successful under Eddie Rake. Rake was the head coach of the Spartans for 34 years , won thirteen championships with them and trained 714 players. One of them was the All-American Neely Crenshaw, who had a love-hate relationship with his trainer. Crenshaw played for the Spartans as a quarterback for three years and then went to Georgia Tech , where he played for their football team. After a hard hit, his playing career is suddenly over and he wanders around the world. When he learns that Rake is dying, he returns to the small town. There he meets old teammates and other Spartans. They tell stories and indulge in memories. He also meets his old childhood sweetheart whom he left for a quick number . He admits that he still loves her, but the happily married mother of two lets him down. Finally dies rake and Crenshaw keeps at his funeral a grave speech .
reception
“This is a book designed to make a certain type of grown man cry, and the author knows exactly which buttons to push: dying father figures, the scars of tough love, middle-aged regret and the mythology of the gridiron. What saves the story from melodrama is Grisham's refusal to offer pat resolutions; he allows his ambivalent characters to remain so. It also helps that he's a sure-footed storyteller with an undeniable mastery of plotting, pacing and tone. "
“This book was written to make a certain type of adult man cry, and the author knows exactly what buttons to push: dying father figures, the scars of hard love, middle-aged regrets, and the mythology of the field. What keeps the story from becoming a melodrama is Grisham's refusal to offer an easy resolution; he allows his ambivalent characters to stay that way. It also helps that he is a sure-footed storyteller with an undeniable mastery of plot, tempo and tone. "
expenditure
- The coach . Heyne, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-453-87737-3 .
- Bleachers . Doubleday, New York City 2004, ISBN 0-385-51161-2 .
- Bleachers . Random House, New York City 2004, ISBN 978-0-440-24200-0 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Jeff Turrentine: Books in Brief: Fiction; Grown Men Crying. In: nytimes.com. New York Times, September 28, 2003, accessed September 27, 2015 .