Rating: 
Summary: 4 1/2 Stars...A Bumpy, Memorable Ride
Review: My reaction to Grisham's recent books has been varied. In "The Summons" and "The Brethren", he seemed to have grown bored of his own writing, whereas "A Painted House" and "Skipping Christmas" were attempts at new and great things."The Last Juror" starts off with a long character sketch, as though Grisham didn't have a better way to kick things off, but then he speeds us into a gripping story. He introduces us to some memorable characters, and, as always, his dialogue and insights into human nature are superlative. We witness a murder and the resulting trial through the eyes of a green newspaper editor. We come to love and despise some of the townspeople. And we wait for the dreaded moment when the murderer gets paroled, vowing revenge on his trial jurors. If Grisham had skipped the whole second part of the book, he would have done nothing to disturb the plot. The book would qualify as a breakneck thriller. Instead, he spends a number of chapters providing a look at small town life in the early 70s. War, racism, and capitalism are tackled--with commendable wisdom, yes--but the story drags. Once we wade through to the third part, the story takes off again. And Grisham adds a believable twist at the end. I put this one down feeling that it was one of his best ever, save the social exposition in the middle section. "The Last Juror" will not be Grisham's last word. Thank heavens!
Rating:
Summary: Grisham¿s Greatest
Review: Using a small Mississippi town during the 1970s as a backdrop, John Grisham renders, what I believe, is his finest novel. Unforgettable characters, traumatic events, unforeseen twists and a life-like conclusion combine to create this fast-paced read. Too many of Grisham's books, in my opinion, conclude with forced endings. It is almost as if the author is worn-out by the plot and his characters so he forces the story into an unreal finish. That is not the case with this book. Set in the south during desegregation, the end of the Viet Nam War and the beginning of suburban and rural sprawl, Grisham characters are believable. They reflect the times in which they live. They live; they die. They enjoy success; they struggle with life's dilemmas. This is not your typical Grisham novel. I, for one, am grateful for that. Novelists should grow with experience. With this book, Grisham leaps from the category of "popular novelist" to "great writer."
Rating: 
Summary: Wandering read
Review: This book is like a donut, it doesn't have a middle. What it does have are the kinds of characters you have come to expect from a Grisham novel set in the south: hard drinking lawyers, corrupt cops and bad guys. The plot is pretty basic. A horrible rape and murder takes place. The bad guy is apprehended and sent away for a couple of years, then he gets out and jury members start dropping over dead. The problem is the ten years in between. Grisham fills this void with his social commentary on the Vietnam War, race relations and the rest. Willie, the main character and accidental newspaper editor comes of age during the time. The story moves along like a rudderless ship on a calm sea. Most of us buy his books hoping to read another Rainmaker or the Firm or the Testament. This book was probably an effort to write. It certainly was an effort to read.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Novel
Review: Fans of John Grisham will surely like his newest novel, The Last Juror. It takes place in Ford County, Mississippi, the fictional county John Grisham has so wonderfully created. What was so delightful about this book, was how it portrayed small town America. Mr. Grisham has so vividly detailed Ford County, that after reading this book I felt like I had been there. This book will, of course, please those seeking a legal thriller. It was a quick read, that I had trouble putting down.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 1/2 Stars -- Worth Reading But Not What I Expected!
Review: I had anticipated that The Last Juror was going to be like what I found many of Grisham's other books to be -- a suspenseful, legal thriller. The Last Juor is none of these things. It is not suspenseful and it is not thrilling. What it is, however, is one of Grisham's best books from a more literary standpoint. The Last Juror is primarily about what life in a small town in Mississippi was like during the 1970s told from the perspective of the new owner of the local newspaper, 23-year old Willie Traynor. Grisham covers important events from that time period, including religion, racism, segregation, economic concerns and the Vietnam war. Based on the description in the jacket cover about a rape/murder and the fact that the story takes place in the same town (Clanton) as his first, and excellent, book, A Time To Kill, I expected The Last Juror to be one of his better legal thrillers. Despite my not getting what I expected, I enjoyed Grisham's latest book, and found he's grown considerably in his ability to convey warmth and sentiment and to create strong, true-to-life, multi-dimensional characters. If you can overcome the fact that this is not the typical Grisham legal thriller, I think you will enjoy The Last Juror. If, however, you won't be satisfied without the usual amount of suspense, action and surprises on which Grisham has built his enormous reputation, then you should avoid this book. The Last Juror is not Grisham's best book by far, but it is worth reading. If you decide to read this book, I hope you enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Grisham Abandons Success Formula - Again
Review: Normally, I can not put a Grisham book down. The Firm, The Client, The Street Lawyer, The King of Torts all have that fast paced excitement we expect from a Grisham legal thriller. Such is not the case with The Last Juror. Although there are some interesting parts, this book reads much more slowly and lacks the excitement of most Grisham novels. The Last Juror is much more about life in a small southern town than it is a suspense novel. If you liked The Painted House then you will probably like this book too (I didn't like The Painted House at all). Just don't expect it to be a legal thriller.
Rating:
Summary: A Slow-Paced Novel about Doing Good in a Small Town
Review: There's little left of small-town life and constructive local newspapers in most of America now. Clearly, John Grisham regrets that and writes nostalgically about Clanton, Mississippi, as seen through the eyes of its one outsider, Willie Traynor, the new owner of the local newspaper. He even makes the drunks charming while smoothing out much of the pain of racism, segregation, the Vietnam War and economic woes. Mr. Grisham is so rosy that he sees the glass as overfilled with goodness. His narrator even visits every local church to report on their services. So if you like books that portray startling action, baffling mysteries or heart-pounding suspense, this is not the book you are looking for. While the jacket copy and advertising for the book focus on the trial of obviously guilty Danny Padgitt who raped and murdered a woman while her young children watched, that's just one story among many in the book. The novel builds around a series of short stories about the microcosm of Clanton as it reflected the pressures in the rest of the world. The main focus of the story development is around the growing friendship between young Willie Traynor and Ms. Callie Ruffin, a black mother who has raised an astonishing set of children (all but one of whom have Ph.D.'s). Ms. Ruffin is affected by the murder, having been selected as the last juror for that case. Although the principles that Mr. Grisham supports are ones that I agree with, his book is so prettied up and simplified that I found much of what he wrote about to be unappealing. There's an Aesop's Fables aspect to the story that makes it feel like it's aimed at children rather than adults. Human errors happen, but they are the exception to the reality. Corruption occurs . . . but it doesn't seem to harm anyone very much. Hatred exists . . . but the harm is mostly in creating homesickness. Inevitably, anyone who writes about small town Mississippi will be compared to William Faulkner. To compare this book to Mr. Faulkner's work would demean Mr. Faulkner. Stick to the original!
Rating:
Summary: Liked it very much
Review: I think this latest Grisham offering is very well developed. I like his characters, the southern setting, and in general find it to be worthy of his name. Raymond Austin
Television director of The Saint, The Avengers, Hawaii Five-O, Hart to Hart, Vegas, Quincy, Magnum, P.I., AirWolf, Spencer: For Hire, JAG and many others. And the author of, "The Eagle Heist" and "Dead Again" from the Beauford Sloan Mystery series.
Rating:
Summary: Fast reading, barely worth it
Review: Several good court scenes are not enough to salvage this book, as Grisham stretches the plot needlessly through page after page. Actually, although this book is fast-enough reading, you can get through it even faster by checking out the plot summary on the dust jacket. It takes you up to page 291 (out of about 370). Even then, the ending is rather anticlimactic. Hard-core Grisham fans, wanting to preserve their record of reading everything he's written, will have a reason to read this book. The rest of us can surely find better ways to spend even the short time needed to read it.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed it!
Review: Well written and inspiring, like Jackson McCrae's THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, and yet having elements of Grisham's KING OF TORTS or even A PAINTED HOUSE (if you can believe that-think setting, not plot) I found this to be a truly enjoyable book. Perhaps this was because I understood that Grisham was creating a hybrid work in a sense; combining elements and style from his other books. The guy has written volumes and it's only natural that the would want to branch out and create something new out of his ideas. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good literary read.
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