331 reviews for:

The Appeal

John Grisham

3.34 AVERAGE

dark sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Appeal, John Grisham’s twentieth novel, was according to its description “...a shocking story of political and legal intrigue...” However, its focus on a court case that is so similar to the one seen in Erin Brockovich, almost takes away from the important focus of the novel and instead has you thinking of Julia Roberts, dead frogs and box office figures.

The Appeal is set in Mississippi following a large verdict against a major chemical company that has been accused of dumping toxic waste. The toxic waste has affected the local water supply causing Bowmore, Mississippi to be cruelly referred to as Cancer County due to the unusual high number of cancer cases in the region. The appeal, which then follows, sets into motion a trail of propaganda, underhand campaigns and dirty tricks that puts the verdict in jeopardy.

With his novel, Grisham, has obviously set out to highlight the role of politics and big company money that plagues parts of the judicial system and this he has done well. He is also careful to point out at the end of the novel that The Appeal is just that – a work of fiction - but one that reflects current practice and tactics in many locations throughout the world.    

The detail outlined on the governmental campaign, one of the main focuses of the novel, encourages readers to re-examine the electoral processes happening around them. In addition, the wide range of tactics used by the big money companies to save stock prices and limit the amount of damages paid in cases where they have been found liable is at the very least surprising and in many instances shocking. Overall I was left waiting for the true shock and excitement to get started, which just never seemed to arrive.

I've been thinking I wanted to read a good court-room drama for a while now and I remembered that John Grisham had written a few pretty good ones...so I gave this one a shot. Unfortunately there was very little of that here but still, an interesting plot was starting to develop and even though there didn't seem to be any central main character in this novel, the various points of view on the plot by the host of minor characters was working for a while.

But then...WHAM! I honestly can’t think of another book I’ve ever read that pissed me off so much at the end. A nice compelling build-up was well-written and fairly absorbing and to be honest I learned a lot about state Supreme Courts and how the appellate process works. That can be a dry subject but Grisham’s style makes it a more enjoyable reading and learning experience.

However, Mr. Grisham (not for the first time) seems intent on preaching his message which this time around is that if state laws call for elections of justices (rather than appointed) then inevitably, large corrupt organizations will buy influence and ultimately lead to massive miscarriages of justice. While I understand and even appreciate the author’s point, the way he expresses it in the form of this novel makes for a horrible reading experience. Indeed, the reader is the true victim of this novel.

I can’t really go into much detail without giving away major spoilers so suffice it to say that I would have awarded 4 stars to the first 90% of the book but the ending negates all of that. In fact I think I would like to appeal and send this one back for a major re-write. If only I had wielded my power and bought my own Supreme Court justice, thus ensuring life would be the way I wanted it.
reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Interesting to me the way Grisham developed his characters - what he did, and did not do with some of them. This book reminds me of Erin Brockovich (sp?)and her story - big corporate money (and toxic waste dumping) vs. a small town in Mississippi.

This book isn't half bad. It's the story of the right-ward drift of the American Judiciary and how big business is attempting to hijack the legal system, so as to avoid messy payouts.

This book as been accused of telegraphing what's going to happen. Well it does, but don't all Grisham's books. The Pelican Brief did much the same and, by all accounts, that came from Grisham's purple period.

The real problem with this book is that it needed a bleak ending. It got one. That's what's irritating people about this book. The readers of this book wanted there to be a happy ending, with the good guys skipping off into the daisies together. When that didn't happen (especially given that there was a twist in the end which would have allowed that to happen), I think people have got irritated. I'm not sure I blame them either. I wanted there to be one, but this book is more typical of real life (and the American legal system) because it didn't get one.

I read this several years ago but am just now getting around to reviewing it. I was reminded of this now due the political climate in the US and due to Trump's ability to shape the US supreme court for decades to come. With that context, I think this is a very important and interesting book.

When I read it, I thought this was a rather depressing and pessimistic book. Even the fact that Grisham stated this novel was inspired by similar real-life cases failed to soften my stance. I still felt the book was quite far-fetched and overly pessimistic. But now though, I no longer think that is the case. It is still terribly depressing and scary, but it is no longer unrealistic. If anything, it is now maybe a bit optimistic compared to the real-life.

Yes, most of us read books for escapism, to get lost in a world where good unfailingly triumphs over evil. But perhaps once in a while it is good that books such as these are written to shake us out of our naive idealism to the scary reality of modern politics, lobbying, justice system and the interplay between them. I wish I had taken this book more seriously when I first read it and I wish more people gave this book some serious thought instead of simply being turned off by it for being depressing.
ranee_samaniego's profile picture

ranee_samaniego's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH

My first DNF for 2023. I found myself cringing every time I turned on the audiobook, so I decided to DNF it.
dark mysterious tense medium-paced
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: No

This book was so boring and used a lot of stereotyping. Spent a lot of the time rolling my eyes. And the ending?  Terrible. 
informative slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No