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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
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
I must preface this by saying, I always loved John Grisham's courtroom books. That being said, this book made me so mad! I got so angry reading about the way the system is manipulated all in the name of financial gain. I hated being reminded how corrupt the system is. I hated being shown how politics can be used to make the rich richer. What I have always loved about Mr. Grisham's books is how the little guy is given a chance. How, somehow, the underdog wins and proves that there is good to be had from doing good. Which is why, when I read the last paragraph, I threw the book across the room.
As a law major this was a good book to get me a bit familiar with the law.
The Appeal doesn't know what kind of book it wants to be. Is it about a legal case and the appeal process? Is it about a judicial election? Is it a political treatise? It tries to be all these different things at times, doing none of them well at all. This was a muddled mess. Clownish caricatures were created for his political commentary that was devoid of any nuance. Whole sections of the book were political rants. I even agree with his concerns about judicial elections, but was still annoyed at how sanctimonious the writing was. Interesting stories are complicated, they aren't black and white. The ending was very unsatisfying and tried to be all too clever, but was just unoriginal and dull. Major spoiler for ending:
I really liked Wes and Mary Grace who we were introduced to at the beginning as they won a massive jury verdict. I thought we were going to follow them through the appeal, but the book slowly mentioned them less and less, almost making them background characters by the last chapters. It's listed as a thriller, but there was very little thrill in the book. I can't believe we didn't even get to see their arguments for the appeal, we had to follow the judge instead. A story that followed Wes and Mary Grace through the appeal and the judicial election in the background would've been much more grounded and he could've included many of the same ideas, but actually had a story that was compelling for the reader. They even volunteered for the judge's reelection campaign, so they could've been involved enough for us to follow the election, the potential was there for a coherent plot! This felt like a first draft that really needed a good editor, but since he's John Grisham he couldn't be edited.
Spoiler
I don't mind them losing the case but the bait and switch that Fisk was about to have an epiphany was just annoying.I really liked Wes and Mary Grace who we were introduced to at the beginning as they won a massive jury verdict. I thought we were going to follow them through the appeal, but the book slowly mentioned them less and less, almost making them background characters by the last chapters. It's listed as a thriller, but there was very little thrill in the book. I can't believe we didn't even get to see their arguments for the appeal, we had to follow the judge instead. A story that followed Wes and Mary Grace through the appeal and the judicial election in the background would've been much more grounded and he could've included many of the same ideas, but actually had a story that was compelling for the reader. They even volunteered for the judge's reelection campaign, so they could've been involved enough for us to follow the election, the potential was there for a coherent plot! This felt like a first draft that really needed a good editor, but since he's John Grisham he couldn't be edited.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great courtroom drama. It was written over a decade ago and is still very on point.
The Grisham I like is back. Great book, but it made me worry about our judges in our country. I hate the fact that there are greedy people who are so rich that they could basically buy and sell or ruin little people like me.
The book isn't bad, and as a lawyer I appreciate the realism in most of Grisham's books. Yes, the ending is a downer, but that, too, is reality in the real world. However, I marked it down because I get enough of the "down" in the real legal world; I wouldn't have picked up the book if I had known that.