You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
It had been a while since I read a John Grisham book. The last one I read was Painted Houses, which I loved. I was going on vacation and wanted a book for my book. Barnes and Noble had Sycamore Row for a great deal, so I figured, what he heck. Boring. A fairly fast read, but boring. I actually liked the story line, and thought the book had a pretty good ending. I just don't remember Grisham's writing being so REPETITIVE. The book length could have been cut in half, I swear. He repeated the same things over and over and over again. Here's what's happening. Here's the locals talking about what's happening. Rehashing the same stuff over and over. Not up to par.
This book reminded me how much I loved Grisham back in the 90s.
Since this book is a "sequel" of sorts to A Time to Kill, it's impossible not to picture Matthew McConaughey as Jake Brigance now. It's also interesting to realize that back in 1989 everything was done with fax machines not email or text. People didn't have cell phones.
I was thrilled that this was the same narrator that recorded A Time to Kill way back when. He does a wonderful job.
Since this book is a "sequel" of sorts to A Time to Kill, it's impossible not to picture Matthew McConaughey as Jake Brigance now. It's also interesting to realize that back in 1989 everything was done with fax machines not email or text. People didn't have cell phones.
I was thrilled that this was the same narrator that recorded A Time to Kill way back when. He does a wonderful job.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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:
Yes
It has been a long time since I've read anything by Grisham. I listened to the unabridged audio of this book. The reader does a fantastic job which helped keep me engaged through some of the slower parts. Overall, I enjoyed it.
Quite an enjoyable read, particularly if you like legal procedurals.
I have to admit, I used to read every John Grisham book as soon as it was published, but as is the case with a lot of mega-popular authors, the quality generally declines with too much quantity. So, I haven't been as enthralled with Grisham's books in recent years. Most know that "Sycamore Row" is a sequel of sorts to "A Time to Kill," a novel that was quite good. Jake Brigance isn't the most personable main character, but I still followed along, even though the plot of a despised old coot who dies, leaving a new handwritten will, cutting out his despicable offspring from tons of money and instead leaving it to a lowly maid is a bit tired. I found myself skipping parts of the book that just dragged on and on. I guessed the "spoiler" fairly early, and I'm sure other readers did, too. Still, I stuck with it to the end, which I don't usually do if a book doesn't keep me interested. It was just okay for me.
I didn't really think he'd be able to recreate the voice and style of A Time to Kill, but he pulled it off somehow. This was one of his best.
Tune in here for a more in-depth discussion on John Grisham: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-20-a-time-for-grisham
Tune in here for a more in-depth discussion on John Grisham: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-20-a-time-for-grisham
3.5 stars. Will contests just aren't that interesting. And why on earth was it so damn long?