Rating: 
Summary: favorite Grisham novel
Review: This is not your typical Grisham novel. No powerful villains stalk these pages, and no tangled legal conspiracy reveals itself at the end. Instead unfolds a chronicle of life in a small Mississippi town as seen from the perspective of a once aimless twenty three year named Will Traynor. In the first pages, young Will borrows a little money from his Memphis aunt so he can buy and become the editor of a dying weekly paper, The Ford County Times. His new job leads him into a long and wondeful friendship with the book's title character. She's Calia Ruffin, an insightful, religious black matron who's raised a very unusual crop of kids. For Will it's the beginning of his long overdue "coming of age". This tale is filled with quirky characters and colorful anecdotes that felt authentic. I kept wanting to tell myself that this kind of material couldn't be made up. No, this novel does not meander. Yes, there is a murder trial and a secret. Would it be a Grisham novel without both? But here, the answers lie not in some insidious plot but instead in characters and flaws of ordinary people. Grisham applies his usual narrative skill but adds the self-deprecating humor I witnessed a one of his lunch speaches. I strongly recomend this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A Character Study
Review: The Last Juror seems to show Grisham's change as an author. In his early works he wrote suspense stories. In The Last Juror the suspense which is secondary to the development of wonderful characters. Miss Callie is a wonderful woman who shows how a powerful force for good can make her whole family better. It is worth reading this book just to meet her. The rest of the small town characters such as Harry Rex and Baggy as well as Will himself and his grandmother are wonderfully drawn. Some reviewers have commented that the book lacked suspense. It seems that Grisham is moving in his work. Rather than a fast moving book such as Angels and Demons with little character development, Grisham is now writing slower moving books with wonderful characters. The Testament and the King of Torts are examples. I think that the new Grisham is every bit as enjoyable as the early Grisham but just a little different.
Rating:
Summary: Another fine Grisham book
Review: I just finished reading this book and I cant understand why so many people gave it bad reviews. I thought it was an excellent book. Willie was great and all the characters of Ford county were interesting to say the least. Grisham once again shows how talented of a story teller he is. Who couldnt like Baggy, Harry Rex, Miss Callie and her huge family and everyone else. I felt this book to be just as good as Grishams other novels that I have read (The Brethren, The partner, The Last Testament, King of Torts, ect.). Once again Grisham delivers with your not so typical lawyer book, and does a great job. A small town feel with lots of drama I recommend this book to any Grisham fan.
Rating:
Summary: A fun, fast read...
Review: Not familiar with Grisham's work other than the fact that he seems suspiciously prolific, I wasn't expecting anything particularly special. Therefore, I was very plesantly surprised by how well written, compelling and seemingly personal this very entertaining story turned out to be. Great for that long plane ride or to take along on vacation, this smartly written story which says quite a bit about the author's sensitive impressions of the world around him, will keep you interested every chapter of the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Grisham Fell Down
Review: Not your typical Grisham novel. It lacked quite a bit of the detail you normally expect from him. He spent quite a bit of time weaving characters and events into the story that never really added anything. It just seems to meander. I'll buy his next book and hope he wakes up in time before he becomes another James Patterson.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Juror
Review: A fantastic read! Grisham deviates from the "greedy lawyer" genre he helped to popularize (tho the book contains several characters who are attorneys), and he does what he does best- storytelling of the people in the deep South. Woven into the main plot- a murder and trial- is a fully fleshed corps of characters, some likeable and others not, and as the book proceeds, I found myself truly interested in most of them and the outcome of the plot. This is by far his best written novel.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the worst book he has ever written
Review: This is the by far the worst book I have ever purchased. I would love to have my money back. What was John Grisham thinking about, when he wrote this? Obviously, he wasn't thinking. I have read everyone of his books, and if the rest of them are going to be like this, I will have to pass. I am an avid reader of John's; I am the one that can't wait until his next book comes out. I will have to wait next time, because I won't ever read another one like this!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting characters make for a good read.
Review: John Grisham's "The Last Juror" is a great book and one of my Grisham favorites. In "The Last Juror", we learn about living in a small southern town during the 1970's. As we get to know the various characters in the story, many components of individual life, family life, community life, and small town life are revealed. It is through the owner of the local, weekly newspaper, and the newspaper itself that we learn of the town's many lives. The work ethic surrounding the local newspaper appears to be lax, but in spite of individual shortcomings, the job gets done. The editor, reporters, photographer, and others all do their part to get the paper out on time. One particularly interesting aspect of the paper is the importance and detail placed on the obituaries, a carry-over from the previous owner. Murder happens in small towns, too, and this Mississippi newspaper covers the trial with ardent abandon. Among the jury members is one black, the first to ever serve here on a trial jury. You will enjoy knowing this juror, who, outside the trial, shares family, religion, friendship, input on segregation and integration, and much more. In fact, before the jury selection took place, readers of the newspaper were presented with a detailed, two-part biographical look at this person. As serious as this story is, Grisham still manages to include humor throughout the book. Political events occur and are ones that make you wonder about "the system". The community, businesses, and individuals are faced with change that affects all these lives.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic! An intense page turner!
Review: The Last Juror is one of the most intense of John Grisham's works. It keeps you riveted every step of the way. I couldn't tear my eyes from the pages for more than a second! This book is expertly written and meticulous in its genius. John Grisham shows off his definitive writing style with every turn of the page. He keeps you wondering and wows you with a final twist that is sure to please.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Reading
Review: I found this to be another of John Grisham's interesting easy to read books. With the help of a rich relative, Willie Traynor buys the paper where he is employed in Clanton, Mississippi. From there he observes and participates in the story surrounding a rape-murder and its aftermath. This is another story of good versus bad. The Padgitt family living on a small island near Clanton represent the bad. Their activities over the years included stealing, counterfeiting, moonshining and gunrunning. They have pretty much "owned" the county sheriff for a number of years and have been left free to pursue their own activities. Danny Padgitt is charged with rape-murder as the victim has accused him by name just before her death. He is tried and convicted in Clanton. He leaves the courtroom with a threat to the convicting jury. The good is represented by the Ruffin family. This is a colored family living "across the tracks" so to speak, in a part of Clanton called Lowtown. The mother, Callie, was a member of the Danny Padgitt jury. The Ruffins had seven children and six of them had earned a PhD. Willie Traynor spends considerable time with Callie and her family and often enjoys her sumptuous southern cooking. After a few years in the state prison Danny Padgitt is released and jurors begin to meet untimely deaths. Through Willie Traynor the author weighs in with opinions on a number of social/moral issues. These include segregation in Mississippi, prohibition, and the impact of powerful discount stores on businesses of small towns.
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