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jimbowen0306's review against another edition
3.0
This book isn't half bad. It's the story of the right-ward drift of the American Judiciary and how big business is attempting to hijack the legal system, so as to avoid messy payouts.
This book as been accused of telegraphing what's going to happen. Well it does, but don't all Grisham's books. The Pelican Brief did much the same and, by all accounts, that came from Grisham's purple period.
The real problem with this book is that it needed a bleak ending. It got one. That's what's irritating people about this book. The readers of this book wanted there to be a happy ending, with the good guys skipping off into the daisies together. When that didn't happen (especially given that there was a twist in the end which would have allowed that to happen), I think people have got irritated. I'm not sure I blame them either. I wanted there to be one, but this book is more typical of real life (and the American legal system) because it didn't get one.
This book as been accused of telegraphing what's going to happen. Well it does, but don't all Grisham's books. The Pelican Brief did much the same and, by all accounts, that came from Grisham's purple period.
The real problem with this book is that it needed a bleak ending. It got one. That's what's irritating people about this book. The readers of this book wanted there to be a happy ending, with the good guys skipping off into the daisies together. When that didn't happen (especially given that there was a twist in the end which would have allowed that to happen), I think people have got irritated. I'm not sure I blame them either. I wanted there to be one, but this book is more typical of real life (and the American legal system) because it didn't get one.
autogeek's review against another edition
5.0
I read this several years ago but am just now getting around to reviewing it. I was reminded of this now due the political climate in the US and due to Trump's ability to shape the US supreme court for decades to come. With that context, I think this is a very important and interesting book.
When I read it, I thought this was a rather depressing and pessimistic book. Even the fact that Grisham stated this novel was inspired by similar real-life cases failed to soften my stance. I still felt the book was quite far-fetched and overly pessimistic. But now though, I no longer think that is the case. It is still terribly depressing and scary, but it is no longer unrealistic. If anything, it is now maybe a bit optimistic compared to the real-life.
Yes, most of us read books for escapism, to get lost in a world where good unfailingly triumphs over evil. But perhaps once in a while it is good that books such as these are written to shake us out of our naive idealism to the scary reality of modern politics, lobbying, justice system and the interplay between them. I wish I had taken this book more seriously when I first read it and I wish more people gave this book some serious thought instead of simply being turned off by it for being depressing.
When I read it, I thought this was a rather depressing and pessimistic book. Even the fact that Grisham stated this novel was inspired by similar real-life cases failed to soften my stance. I still felt the book was quite far-fetched and overly pessimistic. But now though, I no longer think that is the case. It is still terribly depressing and scary, but it is no longer unrealistic. If anything, it is now maybe a bit optimistic compared to the real-life.
Yes, most of us read books for escapism, to get lost in a world where good unfailingly triumphs over evil. But perhaps once in a while it is good that books such as these are written to shake us out of our naive idealism to the scary reality of modern politics, lobbying, justice system and the interplay between them. I wish I had taken this book more seriously when I first read it and I wish more people gave this book some serious thought instead of simply being turned off by it for being depressing.
ranee_samaniego's review against another edition
1.0
My first DNF for 2023. I found myself cringing every time I turned on the audiobook, so I decided to DNF it.
ecscoby's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book was so boring and used a lot of stereotyping. Spent a lot of the time rolling my eyes. And the ending? Terrible.
anamelon's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.75
alice_wonders's review against another edition
2.0
Grisham's latest legal thriller (been a while) involving a lawsuit against a chemical company responsible for dumping carcinogenic by-products into the drinking water of a small town in Mississippi.
So-called big bad company tries to overturn the verdict by buying its own puppet judge to place on the state supreme court.
Interesting premise but not enough character development.
So-called big bad company tries to overturn the verdict by buying its own puppet judge to place on the state supreme court.
Interesting premise but not enough character development.
deborahwithanoh's review against another edition
I'm not sure this book has any redeeming qualities. The most charitable interpretation of its message is as a cautionary tale/critical commentary on allowing the judicial branch to be decided by election, but if this was indeed the intended message, it couldn't have been delivered in a more boring or soulless way. The book has a real problem with "tell not show"; its attempts at creating "suspense" are pathetic; its characters function more so as plot devices, given little to no interiority and with their presence in the narrative dictated entirely by the needs of the plot, making them difficult to sympathize with or even keep track of. There's one tantalizing moment where a character seems about to experience something resembling an arc, as some kind of reward to the reader perhaps for slogging through the first 90% of the book, but then nothing happens. It's like somebody tried to execute a plot twist but didn't twist hard enough and the plot's inertia of predictability straightened it back out. Complete waste of time, but I'm not sure what I expected.
emerygirl's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first Grisham book I've read in awhile. Got to say, it was one of my favorites. I love a book that makes me want to learn more...and I am proud to say that after I finished I researched how the Utah Supreme Court judges are chosen, according to Wikipedia, our judges are appointed. I will sleep better at night.
susan_c's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25