Jean's Reviews > Sparring Partners

This is a collection of three novellas. Needless to say, considering the author, they are all well-written. I enjoyed all three of the novellas; but I think that the second one “Strawberry Moon” was the most interesting particularly the scene between Cody and the retired Nebraska school teacher. Cody was fourteen when he was arrested and sentence to death. He spent fifteen years on death row. The teacher sent him paperback books (the only ones allowed by the prison) every month then Cody would write her about the book. I found the conversation between them on the day of his execution fascinating. He could barely read when arrested and on day of death he was a well-read articulate young man with a great vocabulary. I was intrigued at the choice of books she sent him and which ones he liked best and read many times. He only wanted fiction. This was an enjoyable fast reading book.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book was eight hours and fifty-seven minutes. There were three narrators: Jeff Daniels, Ethan Hawke, and January LaVoy with a brief overview of each book by John Grisham.