Sooley: The Gripping Bestseller from John Grisham

Everyone knows that Grisham writes about lawyers, the law and criminals. So a book about an African basketball player was a surprise. I kept thinking that it would get legal, and it did around 90% in! But the story just sucks you in - in true Grisham fashion. Recommended, especially for non Grisham fans.

You learn to like and respect sooley … admire his dedication to his family .. to his sport .. and then ………

I know little about basketball and this book has taught me a lot. It needs to be read with a dictionary or google for interpreting the terms as therir is no glossary in the book. I jump bombs and knew what a slam and a dunk were and hence a slam-dunk but now understand bombing and what "finding only net" means too!I have not finished the book yet so no spoilers from me!John Grisham can tell a good story about anything and his research is amazing. I need to be reminded constantly that this is fiction it is so real.

You need to like and understand US Basketball to enjoy this, too many American expressions to understand some of it, too much detail on games and which seems to pad out the story line. Sorry but in this case, I can't recommend it and I'm surprised it's labelled a best seller.

As always, the author keeps one on the edge of one's seat throughout.

The story moves from a war torn country to modern USA for a talented youngster with strong ties to his family and their suffering, while his life becomes one of luxury and potential. Clever portrail of a youngster filled with dreams, somewhat naive, but also vulnerable to cultural differences of potential damaging nature.Not the usual Grisham "legal"yarn, but an entertaining and moving read.

A truly gripping story.It shows the terrible events following the wars in Africa and the misery it made a simple poor family endured.It shows how the desire to achieve a sporting dream and to provide for the family of an 18 year old boy, who is discovered by a coach who could see potential and who against the odds, got his young hopeful away from Africa and to America where he climbs the heights of success to reach the top of his sport and to provide the means to get his mother8 and brothers out of the poverty of Africa and into America as refugees.This tale is full of highs and lows as it narrates this powerful story.Definately a must read.

Is John Grisham deliberately trying to alienate his international fans? It certainly looks that way. Eight years ago, he wrote the absolutely appalling baseball novel, 'Calico Joe', which, as an Englishman unfamiliar with the game, I struggled to follow, finishing the book with the opinion that I had just finished one of the worst books I have ever read.Now, with 'Sooley' ,John Grisham appears to have written the second most tedious book he has ever produced. A totally incomprehensible novel,(to non-basketball fans, at least) taken up with detailed narrative about the basketball matches that the eponymous central character plays in.As a long-time John Grisham fan, I found this book extremely disappointing, and not of the usual standard that we have come to expect from this author. Unusually for me, seventy-three pages in, I found the book so mind-numbingly boring, I threw it in the bin. Stick to courtroom thrillers in future, Mr Grisham!!!!!!!!!!

I love Grisham, but this one is one that f his non-traditional sports related stories. This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read. I read it in less than a day and have reread it 4 times so far. I was captivated by his characters and their development. I found myself getting really invested in each one and their personal journeys. I’m not typically an emotional guy, but this one got me right in the heartstrings. I highly recommend this book, you won’t put it down. Just bring a second book because you’ll read this one too quick.

What a story! The range of emotions this book triggers I like no other written by John Grisham. The story is deeply moving, inspiring, exciting, heartbreaking, and peppered with just the right amount of humor. One of Grisham's best.

Sou um ávido leitor de John Grisham -li todas sua obras escritas para o público adulto-, e gosto imensamente de seus livros, mas afirmo, com certeza, que Sooley foi o mais marcante e extraordinário que ele escreveu. Uma pena que ainda não esteja disponível em português brasileiro, porque sempre compro o mesmo livro em português, para minha família ler.

For Grisham fans

It is ok