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Summary: This Book SUCKED!!!
Review: I was convinced by a friend to start reading books from John Grisham. I haven't read that many, but this one was AWEFUL. It was sooo drawn out, and basically a waste of my time.However, I must say that I liked "The Summons", "The Testament", and so far I'm liking "The King of Torts."
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Summary: The John Grisham I Love to Read
Review: This brings me back to the John Grisham that I fell in love with reading when I first read A Time to Kill. Not only did I love the story and the twists thrown in to keep my guessing, but I just loved the overall feel of the book itself. I felt like Grisham's writing was almost fluid, his character development being some of the best I can remember from any of his books. At the end when Callie's family was gathered around her bed at the hospital, I felt like I was standing there in the room with them, and that I would recognize any of them on the street if I were to pass them.
Overall, this book was just fun to read!
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Summary: Not the Best Grisham
Review: The book tells a good story, with some thrilling parts. However, don't expect "The Runaway Jury", "The Firm" or "The Pelican Brief". This book is nowhere close to the quality of Grisham's other books. Most of the story is uneventful, without the action levels we are used to.
Rating: 
Summary: Still a good read
Review: My favorite Grisham novels are, in this order: THE FIRM, SKIPPING CHRISTMAS, and this one, THE LAST JUROR. As you can see, I'm somewhat eclectic in my tastes, and this may be the reason for liking three completely different books by the same author. But what I like is not so much Grisham's plots, but his writing style, for even when he changes, there's something there that rings true--some Grishamness that comes to the surface. Perhaps it's excellent writing, perhaps it the way his characters move through his landscapes of not only geography, but the mind. For whatever reason I liked this book. My advice? Get past the fact that not everything will be a thriller on the level of THE FIRM, and read this book for what it is: a well-crafted piece of fiction. Also recommended: BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
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Summary: Not his best work
Review: The protagonist of this book is Willie Traynor, a young man fresh from college who, with the help of his wealthy grandmother, purchases a newspaper, The Ford County Times, in Mississippi. It is 1970 and all is quiet until a local woman is raped and murdered. Now a trial is set to begin with a member of the notorious Padgitt family. The jurors are selected, one of them being the first black female to serve and also a dear friend of Mr. Traynor. The trial is heavily covered in the paper, increasing the sales to Willie's delight. When the convicted, Danny Padgitt, is senctenced to life in prison, the town relaxes...except for those that understand that a life sentence doesn't necessarily mean he will remain in prison for life.1 Tension mounts years later when he is released on parole and deaths occurr once again in the town. Mr. Grisham is back to writing about the courts and laws, the things I love to read by him. But this book doesn't stick to just the courts. It's more of a mixture between his action packed earlier books (such as The Firm) and his later, low-keyed home town books (such as A Painted House). He spends a great amount of time exploring the lives of various characters, sometimes giving more detail than needed. I found myself becoming bored in spots, wishing for more excitement with Danny Padgitt.
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Summary: Now my favorite Grisham novell
Review: I have really loved most of John Grisham's books (though he has had some real stinkers) but this book is now my favorite from John Grisham. There are a lot of similarities between this book and To Kill a Mockingbird. It is a story that took place several decades ago in the Deep South back when black segregation was unfortunately prevalent. It is a story with a court trial that will show you the character of many residents of Clanton... but the court trial is not what makes this book amazing (dislike a lot of Grisham novels). Like To Kill a Mockingbird, the most interesting things about this book are the characters and their reaction to the court trial. The biggest strength of this novel is the character development. You see how the protagonist, Willie Traynor, grows from a new resident working for a small newspaper to somebody who owns the local newspapers and finds a good fit in a town who generally will not trust you unless they trusted your grandfather. You fall in love with many of the characters in this book, including Miss Callie, a black woman with a mountain of faith in God and a strong desire to see her family grow up with as many opportunities in life as possible. She is almost too good to be true, which is her only fault. I would recommend this to anybody looking for a good character book. The town is rich with a cast of lively resident and the story was nearly impossible to set down. I really loved this book and I think you would, too!!
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Summary: HIs best since "A Time to Kill"
Review: John Grisham is probably best known for his many formulaeic legal thrillers. Some are better than others but they became too predictable. Some became his vehicles for commenting on society and social values and sacrificed the story to make a point (i.e. "The Chamber). His most recent book, "The Last Juror" takes us back to the Grisham we saw in "A Time to Kill" which I believe is is best novel. Through extensive character development, we get to know Willie Traynor, Harry Rex, Miss Callie and the other inhabitants of Clanton. Seen through the eyes of Willie, we become immersed in their lives as the biggest murder of the county occurs. The trial, the subsequent years, the release of the murder and the revenge killings happen to people we have grown to know and care about. It becomes a page-turner because we want to know about these people and their lives. The ending is fairly predictable but it is a satisfying tale and well worth a few hours of your time. It is a well written book and much more believable than many of his high-speed "legal thrillers" that leave you breathless but forgetting the story not long after you are done. The well-developed characters and the sense of place(a small Mississippi town in the 70's) are what make this book unforgettable.
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Summary: sleepy time
Review: I must admit that I fell asleep often while reading this book... which is rare because John Grisham usually keeps me up all night with his usual page turners. I thought this would be a come back after "Bleachers", which bored me to tears, but I was sadly mistaken. Can we please see more of the old "John Grisham" next time?
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Summary: What was he thinking?
Review: I was extremely disappointed with the entire book. I forced myself to finish it, hoping it might get better. I found myself skipping entire paragraphs and missing nothing in the process. The characters are all completely forgettable, and so is the story. The end was predictable, and any moron could have guessed why the jurors were being eliminated.
Please don't write another book, Mr. Grisham.
This was a complete waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Juror is Low-fat, Salt-free Grisham
Review: "The Last Juror" - what a disappointment. It started out as such a promising grabber - only to fizzle into a frustrating bore. The character development was lame and where the heck was the plot? When reading Grisham's earlier books, I loved being "taken away"; after reading this book, I just feel "taken". As a Legal Aid lawyer, and having lived in a small southern city, I applaud Mr. Grisham's adroit handling of complex racial and social issues in previous books. In "The Last Juror", the character development and plot did not go far enough to either deal effectively with issues or entertain. I'd like to see Grisham take the same characters and write a sequel that has some bite. Please, Mr. Grisham, give us something rich and complex that we can sink our teeth into and then savor long after reading that last page.
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