Rating: 
Summary: Quite simply, a masterpiece
Review: The Last Juror begins with humor and ends with pathos. In between, its author paints a detailed panorama of the life of a small Mississippi town called Clanton in the 1970's, when Brown v. Board of Education had not been implemented, few blacks succeeded in registering to vote, and the legal system was corrupt. We watch the town's center of gravity shift from downtown to the suburbs as genuine interracial friendships are formed in an era of token toleration. The plot is painstakingly and plausibly constructed; the characters from both races are fully developed; the ethnic and religious stereotypes that characterize some of Grisham's earlier novels are refreshingly absent; and the writing is flawless. The most sympathetically portrayed woman is a dignified, well-spoken black matron, whose large, successful family is daringly portrayed in a two-part article appearing on the front page of the local newspaper, which is owned by the protagonist. The most respected merchant, owner of a clothing store, is a Hungarian immigrant. The importance of religion to both races is emphasized in a detailed description of scores of local churches, their congregations, and their ministers. Grisham seems to have mellowed and matured to the point that speculation about his rumored interest in entering politics appears warranted.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than his last two books ¿ 3.5 stars
Review: In his last two books "Bleachers" and "The king of Torts", Grisham explored other genres of writing. The former evolves around reminiscences of a high school football team and the latter has to do with big shot lawyers (this is closer to a legal thriller, but not quite there). Neither of these novels was very good, and it seems that the author understood that he should go back to what he does best, writing legal thrillers. "The Last juror" would have been great if he had stuck to this approach. After a very interesting and fast-paced Part One, in which he describes the trial vividly grabbing the reader's attention without letting go, the quality of the novel declines abruptly in Part Two and only recovers somewhat in the last part. The storyteller, Willie Frayner, is a journalist that starts an internship at The Ford County Times after his studies are cut short by his grandmother's decision of stopping the flow of money she was providing. The paper soon gets into financial trouble, goes bankrupt, and Willie convinces his grandma to give him $50,000 to buy it. At about this time Danny Padgitt rapes and kills Rhoda Kassellaw, mother of two little children, and there are enough witnesses and evidence to build a clear-cut case. Nevertheless, the killer belongs to one of the most powerful families in the area; family feared by many because of the way they had disposed of their "problems" in the past. The Times, under Willie's lead, sets out in an uncompromising and daring coverage of the trial and every aspect of the case that shows the "special treatment" the accused receives. This creates a dangerous situation for Willie, who is clearly playing with fire. As it usually happens in Grisham books, the story presents the reader with a shocking view of the social and racial inequalities that existed in Mississippi in 1970, which from my point of view gives a significant added value to the book. In this environment, Willie establishes a very special relationship with a black woman that has an extraordinary family; seven out of eight siblings are college professors in a time in which inequalities are abundant. Even the eighth one is on its way to achieve similar feats, but he has found some added difficulties in his past. Of course, the events regarding this family will be intertwined with the main story. As a final comment, I would recommend you not to read the description provided in the dust jacket, which in my opinion contains a huge plot spoiler. It would be better to find out what happens in the trial and afterwards by yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: I 'm a Grisham fan. This is not his best work.
Review: I didn't connect with any of the characters. He didn't give me a reason to. There was one point where I thought I might connect with Callie, but it never happened. Grisham wasn't sure where he wanted this story to go, so he rambled on for 355 pages with laws from the 70's that were or were not true; elections that I could care less about because there wasn't a reason to care; he threw in a "walmart" taking over the town; a nude sniper. Although I finished the book, on several occasions, I found myslef asking "why am I wasting my time reading this book?" A waste it is.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham is back!
Review: A great read. John Grisham is back to his best form. Couldn't put it down - especially at the end.
Rating: 
Summary: This may be the best of Grisham's recent novels
Review: Each February, a Grisham novel hits the stores and immediately scores a place at the top of the bestseller list. What ensures this success? Some of it has to do with predictability; some with unpredictability. Cracking the spine of a Grisham thriller, readers know they find themselves submerged in a legal battle. The characters that will be encountered and the social issues that might be addressed are unpredictable. This combined with the effects of law and the legal system on everyman --- and just plain good storytelling --- makes Grisham's books intriguing adventures. THE LAST JUROR does not disappoint at any of these levels. Many readers think Grisham's first book was THE FIRM, but that book was not Grisham's first publication. A TIME TO KILL was his first shot at courtroom fiction. Fifteen years ago, with a press run of 5,000, a small Southern publisher published A TIME TO KILL in Grisham's home state. The book received little notoriety until the popularity of THE FIRM and Grisham's second blockbuster, THE PELICAN BRIEF. After its re-release, A TIME TO KILL reached not only the bestseller list but was also a popular movie THE LAST JUROR is set in the fictitious town of Clanton, Mississippi, in Ford County, which readers may recall was the setting for A TIME TO KILL, Grisham's first book. The events that are the narrative of THE LAST JUROR are recounted through the eyes of Willie Traynor, a Memphis-born and eastern-educated journalist. He comes to Clanton because one of his fellow journalism students advised him that a small local newspaper was in fact a gold mine; in addition to printing newspapers, his presses would make him fast money. After a short-term internship for the Ford County Times, the paper is forced into bankruptcy. Fortunately, Willie has what every young entrepreneur needs to start a business: a wealthy relative. With $50,000 borrowed from his grandmother, Willie rescues the paper from bankruptcy and begins his career as editor, publisher and reporter for the Ford County Times. Potential readers need not fear that Grisham has written a tale of journalists and the woes of publishing a weekly tabloid. Be assured that the Grisham formula of crime, courtrooms and attorneys is still a cornerstone of this novel. In fact, savvy Grisham readers will note that several of the attorneys who they previously met in A TIME TO KILL also are characters in this novel. The crime that forms the foundation of THE LAST JUROR is a brutal rape and murder committed by Danny Padgitt, scion of a powerful outlaw Ford County family. Residents fear Padgitt will use his power and influence to escape punishment for his crime. The trial occupies a substantial portion of the book and reaches an ugly climax when the defendant, upon completing his testimony and leaving the witness stand, turns to the jury and announces, "You convict me and I'll get every damned one of you." One of the jurors threatened is Miss Callie Ruffin. Willie meets Miss Callie as he is writing a local interest article about her unique family. All of Callie's children, save one, have overcome the segregated life of Mississippi in the 1960s to become college professors. Like many blacks in that era, they left the South to accomplish their goals. Traynor goes to Miss Callie's house in order to write about this remarkable woman and the rest, as they say, is fate. Miss Callie is selected to be the first African American to serve on a jury in Ford County. She is the last juror selected in the trial of Danny Padgitt. There is something loving and stirring when John Grisham writes about his native Mississippi. His affection for his home state shows, as he describes not only the people of the South but the lifestyle they have cultivated. As Grisham describes the region during the tumultuous time frame of the Civil Rights era and the Vietnam War, he is honest enough to acknowledge both the good and bad of the region. Reading Grisham, the reader is struck by the fact that the South is not as evil as most Northerners often portray, but also not as noble as most Southerners would like to believe. In addition to the historical ruminations about his beloved South, Grisham delivers the twisting and turning conclusion that his readers have grown to expect. THE LAST JUROR may be the best of his recent novels. Just like Miss Callie's comforting home cooking, it is pleasant to have another John Grisham novel on the reading table --- and it's as satisfying to complete this as it is to finish a fine meal of Southern cuisine. --- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
Rating:
Summary: This book not the thriller the book description promises
Review: I have been increasingly disappointed in John Grisham's work over the last several years, and this book was no exception. After reading the book description, I thoroughly expected a murder/mystery/thriller story line. Though Grisham's story begins with a bang, the book loses heart in the middle and drags the reader down with a "historical biography" feel. For those expecting to read about Danny Padgitt and his vow of retribution, Grisham focuses more on the life of Willy Traynor and the Clanton community in the South during the 1970s. Of course, since Grisham is a master of legal proceedings, the trial of Danny Padgitt consumes Part I of the book, and he is finally sentenced to prison on Page 168. Danny Padgitt is not paroled and released until Page 291 and the book ends on Page 355! Just as Grisham begins to hit his stride and captivate the reader, the book comes to a startling end. If you are looking for a murder/mystery/thriller book, please try Patricia Cornwell.
Rating:
Summary: The dialectic paradigm of narrative and realism
Review: The main theme of Grisham model of the dialectic paradigm of narrative is not theory, but subtheory. However, the stasis, and hence the collapse, of postcapitalist narrative which is a central theme of The Pelican Brief emerges again in The Last Juror, although in a more self-sufficient sense.
The characteristic theme of the works of Grisham is not discourse, as Derrida would have it, but postdiscourse. If the dialectic paradigm of narrative holds, we have to choose between neodialectic rationalism and deconstructivist capitalism. Therefore, the dialectic paradigm of narrative holds that consciousness serves to marginalize the underprivileged.
Marx promotes the use of neodialectic rationalism to modify sexuality. However, the primary theme of Long's analysis of the dialectic paradigm of narrative is not desituationism, but predesituationism. The premise of neodialectic rationalism holds that the State is part of the fatal flaw of consciousness, given that art is interchangeable with consciousness. But any number of narratives concerning realism exist. "Art is intrinsically impossible," says Derrida. The destruction/creation distinction prevalent in Joyce's Finnegan's Wake is also evident in The Last Juror. In a sense, Baudrillard's model of the textual paradigm of reality suggests that reality is part of the defining characteristic of narrativity.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I had really been looking forward to this book, expecting (and hoping for) a return to the great legal thrillers that made me a John Grisham fan. Unfortunately, this book wasn't what I expected at all. The book centers around a young newspaper editor in Clanton, Mississippi during the 1970's. Rather than a murder mystery or a legal suspense book, it is a story about a small southern town dealing with the issues of the day, including Vietnam and desegregation. The murder and trial are only a very small part of the actual plot. They help to explain the town and the people living there and it provides some action to keep the plot moving, but don't expect to be surpised at the ending. All in all, it wasn't a bad book if you're looking for a story about a small southern town, but if you're looking for a good legal thriller, this isn't it.
Rating:
Summary: Life and death in a small town.
Review: John Grisham's new novel, "The Last Juror," is set in Clanton, Mississippi in the 1970's. Joyner William Traynor is a twenty-three-year-old college dropout with a background in journalism. His wealthy grandmother lends Traynor the money to buy "The Ford County Times," a bankrupt weekly newspaper. The young man, dubbed "Willie" by the folks in Clanton, is determined to turn the newspaper into a profitable enterprise. When a young widow named Rhoda Kassellaw is raped and murdered in Clanton, Willie reports the crime and the subsequent trial in lurid detail. "The Ford County Times" gains a host of new readers and Willie becomes a fixture in Clanton. He also makes himself the target of some dangerous people. Danny Padgitt is accused of the Kassellaw murder, and his family is well known for bribing public officials and killing people who cross them. The Padgitts are not at all happy with Willie Traynor's coverage of the Kassellaw murder. Danny even has the temerity to tell the jurors that if they convict him, he will get them sooner or later. With "The Last Juror," Grisham is in top form. He beautifully depicts the assorted characters in Clanton, including the corrupt politicians, the drunken reporters, the gun-toting citizenry, and the good Christians who have a personal relationship with the Lord. One of most memorable characters is Miss Callie Ruffin, a black woman who has raised eight children, seven of whom went on to earn PhD's. Willie writes a lengthy and complimentary feature in his newspaper on Miss Callie and her family. He also becomes Callie's dear friend and a frequent guest at her bountiful table. Miss Callie is the first black woman voter as well as the first black juror in Clanton, having been picked to serve on the Padgitt jury. "The Last Juror" has suspense, excitement, warmth, and gentle humor. Without preaching, Grisham perfectly captures the racial tension and the social upheaval of rural Mississippi in the seventies. He tells his story through Willie Traynor with effortless simplicity and with great affection. "The Last Juror" is a pleasure to read, and it is one of Grisham's finest novels.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Grisham Story
Review: All of the stereotypes are here in this well-written and entertaining novel.
Jack Bryan
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