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opheliabedilia 's review for:
Sycamore Row
by John Grisham
I've never read a John Grisham novel. I have seen several of the films based on his novels, and know from them that he is very good at courtroom drama, which remains true in Sycamore Row. The biggest weakness in this book is its length. There is too much detail about the preparations for the trial. I appreciate the background, to a degree, and it was never really annoying, but it also wasn't all necessary. We also could have done without a character or two; there were a LOT of people to keep track of. The strengths are that Grisham remains excellent with courtroom drama, and Jake Brigance is a very likable character. Also, he does a nice job with making the main characters three dimensional and keeping them away from being caricatures. Also, even when it went on too long, I was invested, and I was sticking with him and his characters.
I listened to this book as an audio book, and it was narrated by Michael Beck, who I had not heard narrate before. In my experience, a weak narrator can detract from a book (as in Where'd You Go, Bernadette?) or even ruin it (as in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie). A good narrator gets out of the way of the book (as in Before I Fall). And a great narrator actually makes the book better. Michael Beck is a great narrator. I suspect that I may not have enjoyed this book as much as I did had I simply read it; he may well have given Grisham the fourth star on this review.
I listened to this book as an audio book, and it was narrated by Michael Beck, who I had not heard narrate before. In my experience, a weak narrator can detract from a book (as in Where'd You Go, Bernadette?) or even ruin it (as in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie). A good narrator gets out of the way of the book (as in Before I Fall). And a great narrator actually makes the book better. Michael Beck is a great narrator. I suspect that I may not have enjoyed this book as much as I did had I simply read it; he may well have given Grisham the fourth star on this review.