Joyfully Retired

Author: John Grisham

Publisher: Doubleday, April 2012

Genre: General Fiction

My Rating: B

This is a book about old-time baseball. Now, I’m not a fan of baseball, but this is a great story, written with passion for the game and the characters involved. I stayed with it and it held my interest to the very end.

The story is told from the point of view of a man, Paul Tracey, whose father, Warren, was a professional baseball pitcher. Warren was an abysmal father, so communication in the past decades has been nil. Now that the father is dying no one in the family cares. Paul, however, feels that one thing needs to be fixed before his father dies.

It all goes started when the son was a young fan of a player named Calico Joe. Joe was an amazing player who set records for hits and runs as soon as he hit the big leagues. He energized baseball fans. But, there were a few who didn’t like Calico Joe, primarily because of jealousy. Warren Tracey was one of those people. His son Paul was in the stands, cheering on both Calico Joe and his dad, when Calico Joe came up to bat. It was Warren Tracey’s turn to pitch. What happened next changed everything. It’s what Paul Tracey wants to fix before his father dies.

This is such a good story that even non-baseball lovers will enjoy it. I listened to the audio version. The very capable reader, Erik Singer, did such an excellent job of sharing his enthusiasm for the story and the game that he helped me stay involved excited until the end.

Recommend? You bet – even if you aren’t a baseball fan. This human story will grab you.