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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
huh. not your best work, mr. grisham. i loved the idea of this, and loved the parts about coal mining and black lung disease and the infuriating injustice suffered by these mining families of appalachia... but samantha was lame and wishy washy and kind of a snot (with a good heart at least, but take a dang stand, woman!). then, the last bit of the book (and apparently the whopping important part, if the title is an indication) is basically unrelated. so much sucky dialogue and boring narration throughout (ending a chapter with "she was craving a burger and fries" isn't the kind of cliffhanger that keeps me up at night... maybe i've just been reading too much dean koontz, aka the master of cliffhangers, imo). i feel too guilty to give it 2 stars, because i really did like most of the characters (badasses mattie and annette especially rocked), but for such a big name author, this just wasn't the best.
It's been too long since I've read this to say too much, but I do remember this being one of the few books that I've read that has made me audibly gasp at a plot twist I did not see coming!
picked up at a little-free-library in IL and later returned to a little-free-library in Madrid, Spain.
picked up at a little-free-library in IL and later returned to a little-free-library in Madrid, Spain.
I don't usually read Grishim novels. Just not usually my jam. But this was 50 cents at the local library sale so I snagged it randomly and it has been sitting on my shelf for a few months. I needed a pallet cleanser book - something quick and easy to read after some heavier stuff lately - so I gave this a shot.
Overall this is a fine piece of fiction. Though I did expect it to have a bit more suspense. It started out feeling like a Dan Brown or Kathy Reichs story - both authors I read regularly. But I there was no real central mystery here, no but puzzle to solve. Just a story about a woman from New York who finds herself in coal country and dealing with the implications of big coal. There are plenty of interesting bits - lots of history and detail about how coal companies work, some interesting and sad cases she works on - but not really a ton in terms of the typical suspense novel I was expecting.
It was overall fine. I read it quickly and was engaged, but I was also always waiting for something big to happen, and nothing ever really did.
Overall this is a fine piece of fiction. Though I did expect it to have a bit more suspense. It started out feeling like a Dan Brown or Kathy Reichs story - both authors I read regularly. But I there was no real central mystery here, no but puzzle to solve. Just a story about a woman from New York who finds herself in coal country and dealing with the implications of big coal. There are plenty of interesting bits - lots of history and detail about how coal companies work, some interesting and sad cases she works on - but not really a ton in terms of the typical suspense novel I was expecting.
It was overall fine. I read it quickly and was engaged, but I was also always waiting for something big to happen, and nothing ever really did.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Although this legal adventure by John Grisham doesn't especially stand out to me, it was entertaining to read. I enjoyed the main character and the descriptions of the beautiful Appalachian landscape, and the characterization of Samantha's parents was interesting.
Dialogues are very poor, protagonist seems like the most uninterested parson yet everyone wants to keep her around.
*audiobook *
So as it friends out I do really enjoy John Grisham novels. This one I didn't love as much as some others only because it didn't wrap up nicely, I want to know more about Samantha's cases. There were some twists in this book I can honestly say I didn't see coming. I suppose that would call the book successful though because it left me wanting more.
So as it friends out I do really enjoy John Grisham novels. This one I didn't love as much as some others only because it didn't wrap up nicely, I want to know more about Samantha's cases. There were some twists in this book I can honestly say I didn't see coming. I suppose that would call the book successful though because it left me wanting more.
John Grisham has written many different types of novels ... all excellent. Early in his career he focused heavily on the legal process and its tendency to reach ambiguous compromises. Later on he used his best-selling-author podium to advocate for causes.
Gray Mountain by John Grisham is in this second camp. This book is squarely targeted at the coal mining interests in Appalachia.
For a little more see: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2015/07/gray-mountain-by-john-grisham.html
Gray Mountain by John Grisham is in this second camp. This book is squarely targeted at the coal mining interests in Appalachia.
For a little more see: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2015/07/gray-mountain-by-john-grisham.html
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No