The Last Juror

Rating:
Summary: Ignore the title, there are hardly any lawyers in this one!
Review: My wife Michelle bought this book for me recently, and judging by the title I sat down prepared to read another of Grisham's famous books about lawyers. To my surprise, this one was very different. It seems Grisham has branched out recently with the Painted House, and Bleachers, and that has given him a different writing style than the one he was famous for in the Firm, Pelican Brief, and others.

This book takes place in a small town in 1970's Mississippi, and centers on a young man who has taken over the local newspaper. The young man is not form the area and therefore is an outsider to the community he writes his newspaper for. The story flows with the slow steady pace of life in the Deep South, and is rich with detail and the mood of the time. While not as quickly engaging as some of his lawyer books, this one has far more substance.

Grisham depicts the struggle with racism, the naiveté of youth, and the "above the law" clans of bootleggers and crooked police. The best aspects of the story were the ways in which this 23 year old owner of the local newspaper has to learn the ropes. Blessed with a youthful enthusiasm, yet to be tempered with wisdom, he finds himself in the eye of the storm. When he prints news articles about the murder, and the accused, he suddenly finds himself center stage in a hotbed of corruption and a public trail he is seen to have influenced.

I won't spoil the plot any further, as this book is a great one to pick up and read cold. Overall, I recommend this as a good departure from Grisham's usual formula. If you liked a "Painted House" then I think you will find this book closer in style to that one.

Rating:
Summary: Not your typical Grisham
Review: THE LAST JUROR reads like a cross between some of Grisham's more famous courtroom thrillers and two of his other novels: A PAINTED HOUSE and BLEACHERS. This is not necessarily a bad thing, for what seems to have happend is this--he's developed his writing styles and ideas into one finely-tuned work of fiction with a compelling story, great characters, and all the color and tension of the South.

There are too many elements to this book to mention here, but one of the more intriguing aspects is that of the old south vs. the new. Add to this the eccentric townspeople that Grisham parades before us, throw in some humidity and racial tension, a few unpainted storefronts, a great plot, wonderful pacing and dialogue, and you've got THE LAST JUROR.

Of all of Grisham's work, this one is by far his best. Don't miss it.

Also recommended: THE FIRM, McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, POMPEII, GIRL WITHE THE PEARL EARRING

Rating:
Summary: Literate Grisham
Review: After the travesty that was "King of Torts," John Grisham returns with a novel that appears, on the cover, to be another legal thriller but is, in fact, something else entirely. This is not about courtroom theatrics or terrible murders or greedy, corrupt lawyers seeking justice that will benefit their pocketbooks. No, "The Last Juror" is much, much different than your typical Grisham fare.
It is a story of humanity. John Grisham has entered a new field while treading on familiar territory. He has written something that touches the pulse of the 1970's in Ford County. This is the story of Willie Traynor, newspaper editor, and his friendship with Callie Ruffin, a black woman and mother of eight, and a fledgling newspaper founded on obituaries. Danny Padgitt's actions are known fairly early on, and there truly is no question as to his guilt.

There are some courtroom theatrics here, but they are secondary to the relationship between Willie and Miss Callie; indeed, the courtroom scenes are secondary to the character development and onset of desegregation that the denizens of Ford County are faced with. If anything, "The Last Juror" is the sort of novel one would expect to read in a 20th Century literature class. There is a fair amount of suspense, and there is some criticism of the legal system (70's and current) and of course a bit of preaching, but it all works.

Grisham has crafted one of his best novels and given us a slew of memorable characters; the Ruffin family will stay with you long after completing the novel. As will Willie and the eclectic bunch of "old folks" who dominate the town. Social criticism is also a bit heavy, with the arrival of Bargain City and the Padgitt clan's unsavory vocations. I would hesitate to compare this to such literary giants as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Huckleberry Finn," the major theme in "The Last Juror" is similar to that found in both the aforementioned novels, that of racial tolerance and the transendance of boundaries.

But, when the jurors start to fall, you will believe that Danny Padgitt is indeed guilty of fulfilling his promise...but then Grisham wants you to believe it, which makes the ending all the more impactful.

Be wary, diehards and casual fans--this is not your typical John Grisham. It's something better.

Rating:
Summary: Worst Grisham Ever
Review: This is by far the worst ever Grisham book. It is like no other Grisham, in that there is barely any courtroom action. The chapters seem thrown together, and NOTHING happens. The only reason I kept reading was to see if anything would develop. Read any other Grisham.

Rating:
Summary: Another hit for John Grisham!
Review: I bought this book on a Friday afternoon knowing I would be on an airplane and waiting on a connecting flight for several hours that evening. By the time I reached Dallas I had read almost half the book! I finished it in the early morning hours Saturday. The book is so interesting and typical of Mississippi (and Louisiana) politics.
The Last Juror covers a ten year span in the life of a young man, just out of college....five years of college without a degree... who buys a small town newspaper with money borrowed from his grandmother. Shortly after his purchase the most horrific murder of a young mother occurred. This book is a chronicle of how small southern towns really are.

Rating:
Summary: A Loyal Reader
Review: I am a Grisholm fan but have been disappointed and almost quite reading his works. This book, along with Bleachers and A Painted House have brought me back.

This story is a 'one off' It is about the law - not from a lawyers point of view but a newpaper editor. I like how the story moved and the details were revealed.

He developed good characters-Callie was my favorite and I wish I knew someone who cooks the way he wrote it.

Rating:
Summary: Some good & some bad points
Review: I guess I always compare a new Grisham book to The Firm, which was my first exposure to him and one of the best books I've read. The Last Juror is written in a nice, first person, very conversational style. It is believable. It has a positive social message. There is some clever humor woven into the tale. Those are the good things. The bad things are not so much bad as just a bit dull. The book is definitely not a page-turner. There are no surprises or twists to the story at all. The characterization is as unremarkable as the plot. Still, I read the whole book, so it wasn't THAT dull. If you are a die-hard-read-everything-Grisham-writes person, you'll want to get this and read it. But if you are looking for the kind of writing you'd find in Mystic River by Lehane, for example, you will be disappointed in this book's lack of it.

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.