The Brethren

Rating:
Summary: On The Run With Fourteen Feet
Review: Only a master storyteller like Grisham could take historical fact and weave such a compelling fictional tale. Obviously a fan of the famous Blitman Brothers - Siamese quintuplets born in Chicago in 1950 - the author outDoctorow's E.L. Doctorow, sprinkling real life characters Jimi Hendrix, Ed Sanders, Ken Kesey, Ronald Reagan, Ralph Kramden, Bella Abzug and the Checkered Demon throughout this dark, relentless yet hilarious story of five brothers who share a single set of buttocks. Succeeding against all odds, devising never before imagined codpieces, the brothers - Harpo, Groucho, Zeppo, Gekko and HiLo fight their way through unimaginable adversity, performing as a five man band in the smoky, reefer-drenched blues bars of Chicago's South Side by night, selling merkins by day, squirelling away every hard-earned dollar in their quest to open the first boutique to cater exclusively to Multiple People. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, Grisham takes us deep into the brothers' psyches as they endure endless, disgusting questions from insensitive boors concerning their bathroom habits and methods of self-abuse. When Zeppo and Gekko marry Siamese Twins Juanita and Benita - on the run from the INS - the fun really begins. Hounded by the evil Sergeant Erector, the brothers and their wives are forced to flee to Canada, where, posing as a rugby scrum, they manage to slip across the border to safety. Their subsequent "adoption" by a wealthy Canadian sweatshop owner suffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease offers them the opportunity to both display their natural nursing qualities and obtain a stake for their dream. The sex scenes, though steamy and mathematically complicated, are handled with taste and charm. This is Grisham's finest work to date, surpassing even the fabulous bookjacket photos of the author with his famous "five o'clock shadow." I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A little disappointed
Review: When the story got going (after about 100 pages), I thought it was going to take off. While an interesting plot(s), the storyline could have been a real page turner- instead it just dies-and the ending was very disappointing indeed. It leaves you with way too many unanswered questions, and I felt Mr. Grisham was just plain tired of writing, and wanted to end this novel as fast as possible. I've truely enjoyed some of his works in the past, but this one I wish I had skipped.

Rating:
Summary: good read
Review: John Grisham isn't a paragon of literary skill, but The Brethren is good enough to spend a few hours on. I didn't really find a "good guy" in this book, and that made this book unique from his others. Comparing it to his earlier novels, The Brethren reminds me most of The Firm. Don't come to this book expecting gripping suspense or great writing -- it's good to entertain you over the course of a few evenings, though.

Rating:
Summary: Character Development
Review: Not one of his best. I wish he would take more time with his characters, like Turow or Martel.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Every time Grisham releases a new book I always tell myself that I am not going to buy it. (I have not enjoyed a Grisham novel since he wrote The Pelican Brief). However, I usually end up giving in about a week after publication. I should have listened to myself with this novel too. I feel that he has lost his ability to write novels and is now just writing screenplays. Oh well, there is always the next one.

Rating:
Summary: pitiful. the reader doesn't have any imagination pitiful.
Review: i am dearly sorry to say that this book failed to stretcch my imagination

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: (Originally submitted 02/09/00) I must say up front that I loathed "The Partner" and "The Testament" and so it was with some trepidation that I went ahead and bought "The Brethren" in hardcover. But you know what? I liked it! This is the story of 3 felonious judges -- The Brethren -- incarcerated in a federal prison in Florida who, to while away the time as well as fuel the larceny in their hearts, devise a scam to extort money from affluent, closeted gay men. Their "courier" is down and out lawyer Trevor Carson, who spends most of his time either drunk or sleeping in his filthy office when he's not screaming at his long-suffering and surly secretary and dodging creditors. (I think I used to work for this guy!) At the same time that a presidential election is being bought and financed by the CIA, the candidate gets caught in The Brethren's net. The truly creepy CIA director spares no expense in intercepting Trevor, infiltrating The Brethren, hauling out the latest in covert bugging and surveillance equipment -- whatever it takes to quell any hint of scandal from attaching to his hand-picked candidate. The political scenarios are scary and depressing, as is the ease with which the con is launched from a federal prison, the humor is genuinely funny (I laughed out loud at Jan the secretary's breakdown), and the novel is an interesting and entertaining read. (The premise of the con itself is not as far-fetched as one might think; read "Mississippi Mud.") I was somewhat disconcerted by the ending in that I thought some of the wrong characters paid with their lives while certain others were unjustly rewarded for their wrongdoing but, I guess if you read the paper every morning, that pretty much parallels real life, huh?

Rating:
Summary: Could have been better
Review: Being a John Grisham addict, I bought the Brethren with high expectations, considering the quality of his last novel, The Testament. However, I was very disappointed. When I finished it, I was asking many questions that had gone unanswered. The end was a big let-down, possibly the worst part of the story. Grisham had a great idea going with the 2 sub-plots, but it just didn't deliver like I was hoping. For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, don't start with this one. Maybe his next will be better.

Rating:
Summary: Not worth it at all - save your time and money
Review: I am a big Grisham fan, but this book was a tremendous dissappointment, it seems that the idea of the scam (which I think was based on a true story) was the only believable aspect of the book. It is well written (as his novel usually are) but weak in main plot and characters. Bad ending. It seems that the pressure of writting another bestseller pushed the author too far this time. I understand that his next novel will not have a single lawyer in it, and, although it sad to see Grisham part ways with the subject he has been so strong at, I hope it is better than this dissappointing book.

Rating:
Summary: Bad, boring and unbelievable!
Review: I am in agreement with the many others who have reviewed this book. Don't waste your time or money.