Rating: 
Summary: THIS BOOK SUCKS!
Review: I work in a library and Grisham is always top of the requests so I thought I should read one. I knew what was going to happen by page 60. The plot was so clear cut and obviose its disgusting. I could come up with a better plot. There was no suspense. No nothing. The plot was clear from day 1. Yuck. I pity the poor people who reserve this book and wait so long for it. I don't think I'll ever read another Grisham book again!
Rating: 
Summary: Welcome to the wonderful world of Cardboard charactors
Review: Yawn. What a boring, one-dimensional read. The type of book that you don't have to think about as you read it. you simply osmose it. Like photosynthesis the book does not have to be read. It is written in such a way that no effort is required. Compared with the Chamber and the Streetlawyer, the Brethren is a big dissapointmetn. To be sure, there may be a thin veneer of a deep seated, good ole fashion moral underneath it all, but it does not take a whole book to get it out. The dialogue is crusty and hackneyed, the charactors even more so. You have the degenerate lawyer, the cons who were judegs, the shifty CIA man. Only the banker being blackamiled comes across as xomeone to really, really believe. Yes, there are two threads to the story but even when they both are tied together, in unsion right at the end of the book, you feel as if nothing has been gained. Rather like sucking the remnants of a milkshake from an empty cup with that hideous slurping noise, the Brethren will annnoy, will offer little challenge, but may, no IS, a good way of making a long greyhound/ train journey go that little bit quicker
Rating: 
Summary: These 'Bretheren' are not so far fetched
Review: Mr. Grisham's cynical insight to the workings of various segments of our society should give the reader a 'heads up' for the future. This is a tale that is not so far a reach as the naive may think. He tells his story in a succinct and coherent style with just the right amount of humor.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good
Review: Good read! John Grisham shows a story line that is versatile to that of his other books. You will find yourself pleading for just one more chapter before you go to sleep. Satisfying to the end.
Rating:
Summary: "Judge" not, lest ye be "scammed"
Review: Three federal judges gain wealth in prison by creating a fool-proof scam, while a future President goes through the motions to win a basically fool-proof election. These two plots collide causing the reader to attempt to see which character can outsmart the others. Thanks to the CIA in the story, who seemed to magically pull rabbits from their hats at any given moment, the reader was always anticipating the next move from all characters. The only disappointing area was the ending. While reading the book and envisioning what I thought was about to happen toward the final chapter, I developed my own ending that I was much happier with. Die-hard Grasham fans will enjoy this book filled with legal suspense and fast-paced storyline.
Rating: 
Summary: Suspenseful until the Anti-Climax
Review: Overall, I found The Brethren to be an enjoyable book. Just a few flaws that bring it down from a four star to three star review. First, the good: The plot was a great idea, made for a lot of potentially thrilling situations: Three judges in prison team up and put together a scam pretending to be a gay man in prison who placed a personal, and try to find gullible correspondees to get money out of. They just happen to reach the frontrunner for the Republican party in the upcoming election, a closeted bi-curious gentleman. Like usual, Grisham satires men of the law incredibly, showing the flaws that make them human. And he creates some interesting sub-plots, the tension builds....until... Therein lies the problem. The closer you get to the end, to a potentially high-profile climax, the more you realize, there's not much of a climax. Yes, I agree with the reviewers who said that the ending of the book leaves a lot to be desired. Considering the large-scale potential (a potentially gay president, conniving jailbirds who know his secret), I was expecting a much more confrontational, exciting climax. I think most people would enjoy the book as a whole, but might agree the ending could stand to be rewritten...and probably will be if Hollywood ever gets a hold of it!
Rating:
Summary: Grisham lo mein
Review: To me John Grisham books are like chinese food. I crave them, once I get one I wolf it down, and afterwards I ask myself: Why did I do that? If you liked "The Firm", you'll like this book too. It is predictable, but I think this is more than compensated by Grisham's honest and accurate treatment of the law. Plus, it's an amusing premise: 3 disgraced judges "doing time the federal way." Good beach book!
Rating:
Summary: Consistency
Review: John Grisham does a remarkable job in keeping his stories consistently believable and interesting. I've yet to read one of his books where I didn't have trouble putting it down. The Brethren takes you through the minds and schemes of people in jail looking to get back something they lost. Each has his personal agenda but must work with another convict to get what he wants. Trust is a necessary factor in a place full of untrustworthy characters. It's a whodunit that keeps you second guessing yourself right up until the end.
Rating:
Summary: Not the Best
Review: This book had me going for a while but towards the end it left a lot of loose ends and a weak ending.
Rating:
Summary: A welcome change for Grisham
Review: Curious feeling...i was reading this book thinking how like a Clancy novel it is, with a cast of thousands, quick jumps of locale, many plot-lines (including one which really has no relation to the main story ~ just like Clancy), when one of the main characters (no single protagonist here), a bought Congressman running for President on the CIA ticket, writes a note of thanks to Clancy for his latest novel. I wonder if Grisham purposely and consciously moulded this work on Clancy's; that's the sort of thing one should never know, though, about a writer's work. Anyway, this is rather different from Grisham's usual offerings which focus on the law, usually with a major courtroom scene, and clever plot manipulation. The plotting is evident here, true; little else, though. The Brethren of the title are three ex-judges in a federal prison camp; that is about the only contact with the law. And i don't think that there is even one paragraph actually in a courtroom. If you go in with an open mind, though, not expecting just another Grisham (which i have been getting a little bored with, i must admit), this is a fine book ~ an excellent departure for him. I hope that he writes more in a non-Grisham style.
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