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A review by oxfordcommas91
The Firm by John Grisham
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.5
I am almost semi-ashamed to say that I had never read a John Grisham book, as a former paralegal and current lover of a fast paced legal thriller. I decided I’d start from the beginning and pick up The Firm.
What this book does well it does well - the frenetic pace really hooks you and doesn’t let you go until the final pages. There are plenty of twists and the adrenaline is pumping through your veins the entire time you’re reading. I thought that the plot was reasonably interesting and the characters were well developed (if awful).
But it gets a solid star knocked off because it aged pretty poorly. The book is dripping in racism and sexism - it’s tough to ascertain if it (and its writer) was simply a product of its time (when yes, women and people of color were still being denied jobs at firms) or if Grisham intentionally wrote his characters as racist and sexist so as to emphasize their negative qualities to the reader. I land on “likely a little bit of both” but it certainly detracts from the reading experience, unfortunately.
Another half point gets knocked off for me for some moments where you really have to suspend disbelief. There are some rather glaring plot holes and moments where it seems unlikely that the characters involved are so stupid as to not see exactly what’s going down.
Nonetheless, it was a decent novel and I’m glad I’ve finally read it.
What this book does well it does well - the frenetic pace really hooks you and doesn’t let you go until the final pages. There are plenty of twists and the adrenaline is pumping through your veins the entire time you’re reading. I thought that the plot was reasonably interesting and the characters were well developed (if awful).
But it gets a solid star knocked off because it aged pretty poorly. The book is dripping in racism and sexism - it’s tough to ascertain if it (and its writer) was simply a product of its time (when yes, women and people of color were still being denied jobs at firms) or if Grisham intentionally wrote his characters as racist and sexist so as to emphasize their negative qualities to the reader. I land on “likely a little bit of both” but it certainly detracts from the reading experience, unfortunately.
Another half point gets knocked off for me for some moments where you really have to suspend disbelief. There are some rather glaring plot holes and moments where it seems unlikely that the characters involved are so stupid as to not see exactly what’s going down.
Nonetheless, it was a decent novel and I’m glad I’ve finally read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent