The Last Juror

Rating:
Summary: A Simple Soothing Read
Review: I liked the way the story moved,describing the life of a young man and his rise up from a college frat boy to an owner of a small town Missippi newspaper. I liked the way he developed a relationship with the townspeople who were much different than himself. The way he was openminded and grew to love his way of life and the people who made it up. The story flowed with a slow rhythmic beat and sort of felt like a lush breeze blowing over your skin. I don't think there was much of a plot, just a slice of life story that reflected a happiness that comes from openmindedness and fearless nature when we come upon differences in culture, race, social class, etc. It kind of reminds me of how a river meanders and lazily slugs onward. Thats kind of the pace of the story. Which worked for me!

Lisa Nary

Rating:
Summary: Hallelujah!
Review: He's back!! The John Grisham of old has returned. No, it's not his best work (The Firm, The Chamber, Pelican Brief.) But it's far and away better than the last 7... 8.... 9... books he's put out. I was really apprehensive about this one, I have been so disappointed in his books lately. But this is definitely more in his old style and definitely worth reading. If you like "old school" Grisham, this one is worth a look.

Rating:
Summary: The worst of John Grisham
Review: John obviously was having a bad day/week/month/year. This is the worst of his novels I have ever read. The book had no real direction. I was looking for the startling discovery at the end, perhaps tying in this last juror to this Padgitt guy (her long lost son or something) but nothing. It was truly disappointing. Why name the book "The Last Juror" then, what was so special about the last juror? That this Willie guy had lunch with her every Thursday?

Rating:
Summary: Good ... but not his best.
Review: The story is engaging in the beginning, but it then moves into several unrelated characters. A large chunk of this book looked like page fillers to me, especially pages full of information about the black woman, having lunch with her every Thursday, etc. I believed all along that Mr. Grisham would somehow connect all the information towards the end and it would make sense then .. but alas that didnt happen.

The story line is good though and it would have been great if he had packed this up into a fast-paced 200-250 page something instead of tonning it up with extraneous information that really didnt add up with the way the conclusion came about.

I suggest that one should read this book with lots of patience and if you feel somewhere along the middle of the book that there is lot of information that doesnt seem central to the book, dont worry .. it doesnt matter even at the end.

To be frank, Mr. Grisham gave me the impression that he was the bored editor of the newspaper like Mr. Willie Traynor.

Rating:
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."

Rating:
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!

Rating:
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

Rating:
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.

Rating:
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!!