The Last Juror

Rating:
Summary: The real John Grisham is back!!!
Review: I loved everything about this book, and it reminds me of one of Grisham's first books, A TIME TO KILL. The characters were so real and well-developed. His books are always so full of rich detail that I just sink into the words and almost become a participant in the plot. There were really two plots going on in this book. The first one was the murder and rape of a young mother in the small town of Clanton, Mississippi and the subsequent arrest and trial of Danny Padgitt. The second plot was the friendship between Willie Traynor, the newspaper owner,
and Callie Ruffin, the last juror. Grisham does a remarkable job of weaving these two plot lines together and having them mesh at the end. The result was just so good that I savored every word. I really hope that all book-lovers will get a chance to read this wonderful story.

Rating:
Summary: Where does he get the names?!
Review: I enjoyed this book more than any other since "The Testament." It seemed like he tried to use more humor here than in his previous legal installments. The scene where Willie is trying to learn how to shoot is hillarious! I just have one question. In every one of his books, it seems that he has a fun time with his characters last names? Am I the only one who notices this? My favorite from this one is "Reverend Clinkscale." Thanks, John, for the good stories without the irrelevant, unnecessary foul language.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe Grisham's finest work
Review: In my experience, Grisham either writes excellent books (The Chamber, The Runaway Jury) or very mediocre ones (The Client, which is possibly the most pointless thing I have read in years.) The blurb of The Last Juror - which tells of a small Southern town, a rape and murder trial, a defendant send down despite threatening revenge if the jurors convict him, and a "retribution" 9 years later upon his release - makes it sound a very promising thriller, and I was expecting to read what might be Grisham's best book. However, the blurb is slightly misleading in its focus and its suggestion of time. Indeed, the trial doesn't happen until about halfway through, and the release not until about the final 50 pages. As I realised this, I changed my expectation to disappointment. Big but: I was very wrong. Because, in spite of that, this is STILL probably Grisham's finest novel.

While it is partly about the trial and conviction of local boy Danny Padgitt, The Last Juror is actually about the town as a whole and how it changes over time, through desegregation and other social shifts. It's about it's eclectic residents and how they cope with the changes and crimes in the community, as seen through the eyes of the dubiously-named Willie Traynor, one of Grisham's most engaging narrators in years, a 23 year-old journalist who has recently acquired ownership of the Ford Count Times, and gradually turns its fortunes around as he writes with endearing passion about the town, and anger at the corruption in its justice system. The journey Grisham takes us on, through the panorama of 9 years in the history of this town in the seventies, is a wonderful, touching, and also thrilling, and The Last Juror is a wonderful, touching and thrilling book.

There is an inexplicable tendency, even among fans of the crime genre, to look down on Grisham and other huge populists, and it is a tendency which is denying lots of people some great reading experiences. His books aren't particularly challenging, no, but he is a brilliant and instinctive storyteller. His prose is so easy and languid, so polished, that it flows past the eyes and invites one simply to be carried along with the ease of the experience. It is remarkable prose, unlike anyone else's. Thus, his books don't require much effort to read, but the rewards of a captivating, entertaining story are copious and potent for the fact that his books asks so little - apart from a little emotional investment in his characters - and give, comparatively, so much.

Grisham's books tend to be very plot driven, but this one also puts a bit more focus on characters; a quirky and warming bunch. The town colourful inhabitants are drawn, on the surface, wonderfully, even if there is no real depth to some of them. They are an unthreatening, entirely innocuous group, a personification, almost, of Grisham's approach to his books. It's sometimes remarkable to think that in the gratuitous world of crime writing, Grisham's books are never ever brutal, and in all his back-catalogue he's only ever "murdered" about 7 people.

In the end, this is a great legal thriller with some nice twists, but more than that it is a compelling meditation on the life of a small American town in the 70's. In the very moving final chapter, Grisham's message seems to be that the only person who sits in on our final judgement, our own last juror, is ourselves. Or God, depending upon what you believe, I suppose.

Rating:
Summary: insightful look at social relationships in 1970s Mississippi
Review: By 1970 the Ford County Times went bankrupt sped up by local boycotts when the owning family began adding obits of Negroes to the newspaper. Former cub reporter Willie Traynor, who went north for college, drops out of school, takes over the troubled paper from the aging Caudle family to the dismay of most of the white populace of the Mississippi County.

Willie's paper gets a circulation boost when the police arrest Danny Padget for the vicious rape murder of Rhoda Kasellaw, a widow mother of two young children, who identified the culprit before she died. Being a spoiled member of a prominent family, Danny threatens the jurors if they convict him, which they surprisingly do as the evidence besides the deathbed statement of the victim is overwhelming. Less than a decade later, Danny is freed and the jurors are being killed off one by one. Willie, who admired the first black juror in the county's history, Miss Callie Ruffin, risks his life to keep her safe, but retribution is coming.

The insightful look at little things that add up to major social relationships in 1970s Mississippi during a time of revolutionary change is John Grisham at his best. Those minor items like an obituary for a deceased black person or the first black juror brings the era into stark reality. However, when the tale twists into a serial killer storyline, that subplot is very exciting, but also takes the focus away from the social lens of change and upheaval. Still John Grisham entertains his fans with a terse suspense tale that is
quite as superb as A TIME TO KILL, thus pleasing his vast readership.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Who is the last juror?
Review: In my opinion, this is by far Grisham's best since The Testament. What I loved about this was that it had a very suspenceful story (Danny Padgitt's), a rather touching story (Callie's), a bit of a legal story, but best of all underneath everything was a very meaningful one that I wonder if anyone else saw.

In my opinion, this book was not about a killer, not about racism, not about the law, not about religion, not about careers and not even about the press. I feel that this story was about life in general. That was why all of the above were included. It started with Willie Traynor finding a job, and ended with his retirement. Just as he went through this, the writing of the story (not just the story itself) continued to get faster and faster, just as life seems to move faster as we grow older. I thought the way it was written was brilliant.

So, who is the last juror? At the beginning of the book you assume it is the last juror to survive. At the end of the book most, and I partly agree them, would probably say that it is Callie. However, I also think that there could be another possible way of seeing this. If you notice, the last word in the book is "obituary". Everyone is on trial, everyone is afraid of death, and wondering when it will come. Throughout our lives, the jury is always out making its decision. In other words, I think the last juror is referring to God, or (if you refuse to believe in that "garbage") possibly death itself.

Have I got this right? I don't know, all that I can know for certain is that what I did get from it has been incredible for me. And I can be sure that you will get quite a bit out if it as well.

p.s.-by the way Mr. "poo", which book are you trying to review?

Rating:
Summary: A different angle.
Review: Yes, this is another lawyer story...but Grisham expands the parameters this time, giving more focus on characters and their development. A nice leap forward for the writer. As a fan, I've waited for him to break out of his usual shell, and he has certainly done so with "Last Juror."

On a more tenuous note, "A reader from New Orleans" should concern him/herself with more important things. Nobody likes a whiny little narc.

Rating:
Summary: Made me really understand why I like Grisham's stories
Review: I had expected this to be yet another good-lawyer vs bad-lawyer/law but though it was about the law, it was more, at least for what I enjoyed, about the characters.

Grisham's Novels seem to have such colorful participants in them and this book, does not disappoint or detract from that. Yes, this is a different type of book from what has been published in the past, but it is none the less, a very entertaining addition to his body of work.

Rating:
Summary: A LITTLE DIFFERENT FOR GRISHAM BUT A GOOD READ
Review: Here we are back in Ford county mississippi in 1970 in the town of Clanton the type of small town where you have the courthouse downtown with most of the businesses in the general (like a plaza) the type of town where a friday night football game is on the verged of being a religon and where all the local politics and local gossip is discussed in the diner or cafe.The local newspaper The Ford County Times through mismanagment and the fact that the editior main focus is on the obitituaries has gone into bankruptcy.Much to the dismay of the locals the paper is bought by a 23 year old willie traynor who has spent 5 years at syracuse univerisity and does not have much direction until his grandmother who was providing the funding cuts him off and tells him to find a job.The town folks do not take kindly to a socalled northerner or yankee.

As willie gets settled he starts to get the papered turned around and starts to get a following and gets his big break for increased paper circulation with his coverage of the brutual rape and murder of Rhoda Kassellaw by Danny Padgitt who is from a prominent family who made money form legal and illegal activities who had the money and influence that swayed elections and court cases.
As the book moves forward and the case against danny goes to court many feel that the power of the Padgitts will come to play but surprisingly danny is convicted.While the trial is going on Danny tells the jury that if they find him guilty that he will get payback on everyone of them.Because of the messeed up court and parole system even though he was sentenced to life he serves nine years and plots his revenge

I thought this was a pretty good book seems that grisham is changing direction of some his books wish he would go back to books like pelican brief and the firm.

Rating:
Summary: A Fresh Change
Review: When buying this book, I read the inside flap and saw that the book was to be about a man who goes to prison for muder, gets paroled, and ten goes after the jurors who sent him away. It seemed interesting, and another Grisham novel. Nver judge a book by the summary.
For starters, Danny Pudgitt does not get out of prison until the last fift pages or so -- the the dust jacket has lied (which turned out to be a good thing). Instead, the book follows, through an amazing first person narrative, the life a reporter/newspaper editor in Clanton, Mississippi. We learn how he becomes involved in this case through the stories he publishes... and through a juror.
In all, this bok is about Willie's relatioship with the juror, who is only a juror for a short hwile. Instead we learn of her life, Willie's life, and the desegregation of the 1970's in Mississippi.
Rather than give a usual courtroom brawl, Grisham steps away from attorney here, and only writes about the court as a reporter would. The reporter knows nothing of law, except was he has learned from... Harry Rex Vonnor.
This book reads like Clancy, where you wonder how so many storylines will tie in, but is smooth like Grisham has always been. It brings back past characters (Harry Rex, Judge Atlee, and, nicely, we meet Lucien Wilbanks before he is disbarred).
All in all a suberb story, though at times Grisham reiterates himself so strongly that you wonder if he had forgotten what he has written.
The story had snares, which made me ask to get back to the story... to Danny and the jurors.
If you are looking for a mirder mystery or courtroom drama, don't buy this. Rather, this novel excemplifies teh fact that life goes in in the world, and, even with a small town murder, there are other things to talk about. It is a new way of writing for Grisham, with two surprises at the end -- one of the endings should be spotted by anyone who has read "The Summons" or "The King of Torts," but it still leaves you thinking of how real the story is.
When I began reading, i could not put it down, and am glad for the fact. Stunningly written, beautifully crafted, truly original. Four out of five stars. This novel is a magnificant triumph from Grisham that shows he is still original and at the top of his game. I only have one request for the author -- please give Harry Rex his own novel.

Rating:
Summary: Another great piece of art
Review: I'm a die-hard Grisham fan, this book is as great as other books.

btw, could you at least be polite and not plug "your" book in other reviews?