Scan barcode
gps1138's review against another edition
4.0
LIke the first book, this keeps you guessing right up to the end. Entertaining and worthwhile.
nedhayes's review against another edition
1.0
Turow's great insight with the legal procedural, was to make the personal matter as much as what happened in the courtroom. In the end, the story of "Presumed Innocent" was that all law is really personal. Every action, at the end of the day, derives from our personal drives.
It is a pleasure to be back in the world of Kindle County with Rusty Sabich.
Rusty was so appealing in Presumed Innocent, because he was always an underdog, someone to root for. He was smart, but an unlikely hero who kept out-witting his adversaries. He was a hero who found corruption.
Sadly, although the personal emphasis is there, this most recent novel from Turow misses the mark in almost every way that matters.
The issues with this novel began with the fact that Rusty is now a comfortable, over-paid (and over-sexed) judge on the bench. Fat, but not happy.
Who identifies with such a man? Some of the elite, but often not even those readers would like this man.
Here, Rusty makes stupid mistakes, compounded by unbelievable situations concocted by the writer, compounded by more stupid mistakes. Here, he IS the root of corruption, not the clean-acting hero who is confounded by other people's perfidy.
I found Rusty detestable here, which made me sad.
It is a pleasure to be back in the world of Kindle County with Rusty Sabich.
Rusty was so appealing in Presumed Innocent, because he was always an underdog, someone to root for. He was smart, but an unlikely hero who kept out-witting his adversaries. He was a hero who found corruption.
Sadly, although the personal emphasis is there, this most recent novel from Turow misses the mark in almost every way that matters.
The issues with this novel began with the fact that Rusty is now a comfortable, over-paid (and over-sexed) judge on the bench. Fat, but not happy.
Who identifies with such a man? Some of the elite, but often not even those readers would like this man.
Here, Rusty makes stupid mistakes, compounded by unbelievable situations concocted by the writer, compounded by more stupid mistakes. Here, he IS the root of corruption, not the clean-acting hero who is confounded by other people's perfidy.
I found Rusty detestable here, which made me sad.
lucyrosa's review against another edition
4.0
it was okay. more like 3.5 but i was feeling generous. i read the first half of the book with no problem. once we got to the trial part, i started skipping through. it just didn’t intrigue me as it should have. great first half, mediocre middle, good ending. i get that it is a standalone book of sorts but it would have been really cool if Turow had included details from Presumed Innocent. it would’ve made it that much more cohesive.
erika_is_reading's review against another edition
2.0
I found myself skimming rapidly to find out what happened, which is a sure sign that the writing is bad. Very few of the characters were well developed or made lasting impressions. The few that resonated (e.g., his lawyer) were caricatures, and some of the personal details seemed distracting. The dead wife had bipolar disorder (I, clearly). That part seemed well researched and resonated, but her character was never really drawn out. It was researched adequately to advance the plot and make an impression, but not enough to really bring her to life. The affair between Anna and the Judge was fairly well drawn as well, but again, only enough to advance the plot, not enough to bring them to life. I was a bit surprised at aspects of the ending (perhaps if I’d read more closely I would not have been). But the writing was too bad for me to linger on the page. At least he made the effort to write from different perspectives and different moments in time, but I find it harder and harder to distinguish his oeuvre from Grisham's.
belewk's review against another edition
4.0
The past few recent books I have read by Scott Turow have been let downs, so I wasn't sure what I was going to think about this book, but since Presumed Innocent had been one of my favorite books when I was in college, I decided to read this sequel. Even thought I had read PI several years ago and didn't have a good recollection of the details of the book beyond who did it and why, I was quickly drawn back into the characters of the book and reminded why I enjoyed the first book so much. I would highly recommend reading Presumed Innocent first before reading this book as it enhances this book to know the characters history from the first book.
Overall,this is definitely not as good as the first, but I enjoyed getting a chance to catch up on what was happening with the Sabich family. If it had been possible, I would have given the book 3 1/2 stars.
Overall,this is definitely not as good as the first, but I enjoyed getting a chance to catch up on what was happening with the Sabich family. If it had been possible, I would have given the book 3 1/2 stars.
hmonkeyreads's review against another edition
4.0
Very good. Kept me guessing until the final pages. It was nice to revist the characters from Presumed Innocent and try to guess about their motivations in the new novel.
april_golden's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to 3/4 of the audio version of this book during a long road trip and then finished the final 1/4 by reading it on my kindle. I enjoyed it, and it was definitely better than the latest by John Grisham, but I was letdown by the ending. I kept thinking the story was going to come to a climax, but I felt like it just petered out.
karieh13's review against another edition
3.0
This was a great book to read for this particular day and time. It was a sunny weekend and I had time to sit on my deck and read – and this story sucked me in.
I loved the book “Presumed Innocent” and enjoyed the movie as well. This sequel drew me in just as that one did – and I didn’t really want to put it down.
As with most courtroom thrillers, I spent much of the book trying to figure out what the truth was and where the next twits might come. Some things I guessed but there were certainly a few surprises.
The main character, Rusty Sabich was fascinating to me, but I think the most interesting and well drawn of the characters was his son Nat, a young child in the first book. We learn much about how this boy was affected by the events that took place twenty years ago and through him, learn about another side of his father.
“In the meantime, every so often another police officer will arrive and ask my father about what happened. He tells the story again and again, always the same way. What was there to think about all that time? one cop will say. My dad can have a hard way with his blue eyes, something he probably learned from his own father, a man he despised.”
Nat’s mother Barbara, is at the core of the book, although we only view her through the eyes of others, given the circumstances.
“From the time I was a little kid, I sort of felt responsible for her. Maybe all children feel like that. I wouldn’t know, since I’ve only been me. But I realized that I was more than important to her. I was her lifeline. I knew that the only time my mom felt completely right was with me, tending to me, talking to me, thinking about me.”
Though I suppose this is a book that is primarily about “Who?” – who did what…I ended it feeling like the more important question was “Why?” Why do people do the things they do, make the choices they do? Especially those choices that even in the moment they know are wrong…that will come back to haunt them. And when people realize the consequences of their actions…why so rarely do they learn from them and make different choices next time?
This book is full of flawed individuals, few who are genuinely “bad”, but even fewer who are completely “Innocent”.
I loved the book “Presumed Innocent” and enjoyed the movie as well. This sequel drew me in just as that one did – and I didn’t really want to put it down.
As with most courtroom thrillers, I spent much of the book trying to figure out what the truth was and where the next twits might come. Some things I guessed but there were certainly a few surprises.
The main character, Rusty Sabich was fascinating to me, but I think the most interesting and well drawn of the characters was his son Nat, a young child in the first book. We learn much about how this boy was affected by the events that took place twenty years ago and through him, learn about another side of his father.
“In the meantime, every so often another police officer will arrive and ask my father about what happened. He tells the story again and again, always the same way. What was there to think about all that time? one cop will say. My dad can have a hard way with his blue eyes, something he probably learned from his own father, a man he despised.”
Nat’s mother Barbara, is at the core of the book, although we only view her through the eyes of others, given the circumstances.
“From the time I was a little kid, I sort of felt responsible for her. Maybe all children feel like that. I wouldn’t know, since I’ve only been me. But I realized that I was more than important to her. I was her lifeline. I knew that the only time my mom felt completely right was with me, tending to me, talking to me, thinking about me.”
Though I suppose this is a book that is primarily about “Who?” – who did what…I ended it feeling like the more important question was “Why?” Why do people do the things they do, make the choices they do? Especially those choices that even in the moment they know are wrong…that will come back to haunt them. And when people realize the consequences of their actions…why so rarely do they learn from them and make different choices next time?
This book is full of flawed individuals, few who are genuinely “bad”, but even fewer who are completely “Innocent”.
nglofile's review against another edition
2.0
I'm intrigued that the more I read, the more I liked Tommy Molto's character and disliked Rusty Sabich.
The decision to juggle more than one timeline was ambitious, and I don't know that it was entirely successful. It also seemed odd to have Anna thrown in as a fourth narrator, especially when so sparingly used.
audiobook note: Edward Herrmann is just as riveting as you might expect.
The decision to juggle more than one timeline was ambitious, and I don't know that it was entirely successful. It also seemed odd to have Anna thrown in as a fourth narrator, especially when so sparingly used.
audiobook note: Edward Herrmann is just as riveting as you might expect.
kleedc73's review against another edition
4.0
This is a strong, compulsively readable sequel to Presumed Innocent. The plot is expertly crafted and the pacing is terrific. Even though the original novel was published decades ago, you jump right back into the characters from the original novel and the incredibly complex relationships between them, particularly Barbara/Rusty and Rusty/Tommy Molto. Although one particular plot line is a little far-fetched, overall the very clever, deliberate legal thriller carries the day. Reading the original novel enhances the experience but isn't necessary to enjoying this book.