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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"I know the identity of the murderer, and I know his motive."
It is really hard to rate this novel, because I experienced different feelings while reading it and the variance was wide. It started out pretty interesting, with the main character, Malcolm, telling us the story of why he is in prison and we soon find out he has some knowledge that can help him get out early in exchange for information on the murder of a federal judge. The set up definitely gave me high hopes for this to be a great book.
Then things started going a little awry, since the story slowed down and I felt like Grisham was actually repeating himself in order to make the novel longer. Every other chapter we would get an introduction that once again goes over the process by which Malcolm was going to get out of prison. I understand that it's the character's own narration, and this may have been occupying his thoughts, but do we really need to read this over and over?
Luckily, right before the middle of the book, things picked up considerably and I could not put the book down until I was done. There were some holes in the story line, and some of the logic is twisted to say the least, but I cannot deny that it is entertaining. I usually hate when authors use an unreliable narrator, and in this case there are plenty of indications that the description may apply to this book. But even with that fact hanging over my head, I have to say that the final result was mostly satisfying. Whether the narrator was really unreliable or not, you will have to find out for yourself, and there are also plenty of twists and turns for you to try to figure out.
It is really hard to rate this novel, because I experienced different feelings while reading it and the variance was wide. It started out pretty interesting, with the main character, Malcolm, telling us the story of why he is in prison and we soon find out he has some knowledge that can help him get out early in exchange for information on the murder of a federal judge. The set up definitely gave me high hopes for this to be a great book.
Then things started going a little awry, since the story slowed down and I felt like Grisham was actually repeating himself in order to make the novel longer. Every other chapter we would get an introduction that once again goes over the process by which Malcolm was going to get out of prison. I understand that it's the character's own narration, and this may have been occupying his thoughts, but do we really need to read this over and over?
Luckily, right before the middle of the book, things picked up considerably and I could not put the book down until I was done. There were some holes in the story line, and some of the logic is twisted to say the least, but I cannot deny that it is entertaining. I usually hate when authors use an unreliable narrator, and in this case there are plenty of indications that the description may apply to this book. But even with that fact hanging over my head, I have to say that the final result was mostly satisfying. Whether the narrator was really unreliable or not, you will have to find out for yourself, and there are also plenty of twists and turns for you to try to figure out.
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wasn't as interesting as other of [a:John Grisham|721|John Grisham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1413390525p2/721.jpg]'S books. But it's an okay read. Keeps you going till when it rewards you with an interesting end
Man, it's hard to put a Grisham novel down, and this is definitely one of those! The present tense voice he's started using is a little odd, and some of the plot stretches credibility, but the novel twists and turns and jumps and is a really gripping read. Grisham has such a great formula: he starts from a lawyer, throws in some scenario you've never thought of, and spins a great yarn. If you like his other stuff, you'll gobble this one, too.
I would count myself as a John Grisham fan. I think he's a good writer and like the pace of his books. This one was probably my least favorite to date. I listened to it and whether it was the slow pace of the story at the beginning or JD Jackson's incredibly slow cadence in reading it, I almost gave up after the first CD. I'm glad I stuck it out. It got better and Grisham takes all of the twists and wraps the story up nice and neat with a bow as usual. I wouldn't recommend this one but even a mediocre Grisham story beats a lot of authors at their best, IMO.
Enjoyed this one more than other recent Grisham books. Had no idea where the plot was going and really enjoyed it!