Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
One of the best John Grisham books. Easy to read with enough intrigue and plot twists to make you want to keep reading.
I haven't read a Grisham since 1997 but this was well written and contained some interesting themes.
challenging
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was excited when I first heard that John Grisham had returned to the characters and setting of his first published novel, [b:A Time to Kill|32542|A Time to Kill (Jake Brigance, #1)|John Grisham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390195915s/32542.jpg|1804929], which was published way back in 1989. I had mistakenly assumed that this second novel would occur in our present day and we readers would experience lawyer Jake Brigance’s life in 2013 or thereabouts. But no. While "Sycamore Row" is still set in Ford County Mississippi, in the fictional town of Clanton, it takes place only three years after the events of that first novel. Jake Brigance is still a relatively young lawyer and living off the fine reputation he achieved during the trial in that first novel, at least from the perspective of most people. He is, however, also the subject of disdain by the KKK in the area so is the subject of domestic terrorism by those who felt he betrayed his own white race three years ago.
Good paying legal cases are few and far between in that part of the country and Jake is having difficulty making ends meet. So when a nice juicy case comes his way, he relishes the opportunity to sink his teeth into it.
The case itself begins when Jake receives a letter from Seth Hubbard containing a new holographic will that renounces a will he filed the year before. In this new will, written just a day prior to his own suicide (he was dying of lung cancer), Mr. Hubbard stipulates that his children will receive nothing, five percent will be given to his church, and another five percent will be left to his brother. The remaining ninety percent is to be given to his black housekeeper Lettie Lang. Oh my. Even more intriguing is that Seth Hubbard’s estate is upward of $20 million.
So of course the argument brought by his children is that ol’ Seth was unduly influenced in some way by Ms. Lang and the new will should be nullified.
This novel is a by-the-book courtroom drama. Few authors do that as well as John Grisham. I found Jake Brigance as engaging a character as the first time around (I just read the first book this year so it is pretty fresh in my mind). Besides the legal case at the center of the novel, Jake also has to manage the ever-present racial prejudices that seem to interlace everything and everybody in the story, an unfortunately realistic portrayal in that regard. There is drama aplenty here and enough legal proceedings to satisfy even those who need to know every detail of the court process. For my taste it was a bit too much. While I enjoy a nice legal battle, I don’t like to get bogged down in so much detail that it begins to read like a real-life court fight, which tend to run towards the dry side. And there was a little too much repetition of basic facts. We are told several times about how the challenge to the will would play out as Jake describes it to several individuals at different times. And I lost track of the number of times that Jake had to tell people that he was the lawyer representing the will, not representing Lettie Lang, even though their interests were aligned.
Most of this novel was a 5-star read for me and I particularly enjoyed the diverse cast of characters brought to life in these pages. But I knocked it down one notch because of the unnecessary details that were inserted throughout. I still recommend it, particularly for those who like a good courtroom drama and I’m hopeful to see Jake Brigance again in the future.
Good paying legal cases are few and far between in that part of the country and Jake is having difficulty making ends meet. So when a nice juicy case comes his way, he relishes the opportunity to sink his teeth into it.
The case itself begins when Jake receives a letter from Seth Hubbard containing a new holographic will that renounces a will he filed the year before. In this new will, written just a day prior to his own suicide (he was dying of lung cancer), Mr. Hubbard stipulates that his children will receive nothing, five percent will be given to his church, and another five percent will be left to his brother. The remaining ninety percent is to be given to his black housekeeper Lettie Lang. Oh my. Even more intriguing is that Seth Hubbard’s estate is upward of $20 million.
So of course the argument brought by his children is that ol’ Seth was unduly influenced in some way by Ms. Lang and the new will should be nullified.
This novel is a by-the-book courtroom drama. Few authors do that as well as John Grisham. I found Jake Brigance as engaging a character as the first time around (I just read the first book this year so it is pretty fresh in my mind). Besides the legal case at the center of the novel, Jake also has to manage the ever-present racial prejudices that seem to interlace everything and everybody in the story, an unfortunately realistic portrayal in that regard. There is drama aplenty here and enough legal proceedings to satisfy even those who need to know every detail of the court process. For my taste it was a bit too much. While I enjoy a nice legal battle, I don’t like to get bogged down in so much detail that it begins to read like a real-life court fight, which tend to run towards the dry side. And there was a little too much repetition of basic facts. We are told several times about how the challenge to the will would play out as Jake describes it to several individuals at different times. And I lost track of the number of times that Jake had to tell people that he was the lawyer representing the will, not representing Lettie Lang, even though their interests were aligned.
Most of this novel was a 5-star read for me and I particularly enjoyed the diverse cast of characters brought to life in these pages. But I knocked it down one notch because of the unnecessary details that were inserted throughout. I still recommend it, particularly for those who like a good courtroom drama and I’m hopeful to see Jake Brigance again in the future.
Nothing better than Jake Brigance in Ford County, MS, plus his buddies Lucien Wilbanks and Harry Rex, read by Michael Beck.
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Terrific insight into the horrible lynching of Blacks in Mississippi in the 30’s and the consequences years later. How one man’s conscience lead to truth.
same formula as the first book, with all the same characters playing the same roles — for each missing character, there was an appropriate stand-in. this would have been 3 stars bc it was entertaining but pretty hollow, if not for the reveal at the end. that little bit made this book actually really, really good.
Well this was my first book by Grisham I did like him I didn't get bored he got me into the story. I enjoyed the book and I'd really suggest you to read it :)
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-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