Rating: 
Summary: A Long Sigh.....
Review: Sometimes, bad writers are similar to murderers, because they both killing people. Bad writers are even worse, not only they waste people but also their money and more, their precious time, and killing their lives more subtlely and slowly. This newly baked novel only proved that Grisham really needs to take a break at least 3 years. There is nothing in this book, man. I really don't understand how other readers could give it a higher rating. Maybe their tolerance and taste are so different from mine and they tolerate bad writers and bad novels still could have an income & market. Grisham had admitted in a TV morning show that after putting out so many (bad) product in such short period, it's hard for him to keep writing (or was it "keep making money?) and wow--still coaching baseball (give me a break, John!) Stop using those formats in your writing factory to continuously produce lousy stuff, will you? Take some time off, please--at least 3 years--just coaching your Little League, ok? Don't keep murdering us with your Museless pen (or keyboard?), give us both a long long break.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT setup, mediocre ending
Review: This book starts out really well. In fact, throughout the first half, I was thinking, "This is Grisham's best book since The Firm." It was a cool idea, there are twists and surprises, and it looked like it was going to culminate in a really mindblowing ending.I thought the book was a return to classic Grisham. I had personally thought he was getting soft, as The Street Lawyer and The Testament didn't grip me like his earlier books. The Brethren is gritty, ugly, can't-put-it-down reading. The plotline includes homosexual seduction through the personals, extortion, sleazy lawyers, false accusations, and great men who have fallen (don't worry, I'm not giving anything away - you learn this much in the first chapter). I won't spoil the ending for anyone, but I personally thought that he didn't live up to the potential of the ending he could have created out of such a first-class setup. (If they ever made a film out of this book, they'd have to rewrite the ending--it's that tame.) HOWEVER - I still recommend this book to fans of earlier Grisham. The setup alone is worth reading, and it hints at the promise of his future novels.
Rating: 
Summary: You people are nuts
Review: This book was fine. I think the big problem is that people try to look at Grisham as a "fluff" author, who sets up a problem and then gives a neat and tidy solution, and that doesn't always happen in his books, just like in real life. What do you want? You want the bad guys to lose everything and the good guys to win everything? It doesn't work like that in the real world, and Grisham's novels rarely come down to that anymore. He stands out among current authors for this exact reason. There are no real "bad guys", so there's no reason that the characters we don't really like to lose. That's life. The story is terrific and a great read. Get over it.
Rating:
Summary: A real letdown!
Review: I juet finished the Brethren and while I am a big time John Grisham fan, I did not have the "can't put it down" reading experience that I have had with so many of his other books. I guess the primary reason is that in this novel, we don't have one particular character who dominates the book. Characters in the past like Jake in A time to kill, Rudy from the Rainmaker, Danilo Silva the Partner, and most recently Nate from the Testament. It seems this book took a while to develop and did not get going until the final 100 pages. But who am I to critize this best selling author and I am sure this book will sell well. I guess my expectation was higher and did not get that satisfaction after reading it. I hope the next novel will make up for this one.
Rating:
Summary: Different, but great!
Review: I have read every book that John Grisham has ever written. This may not be written in the same style as his previous books, but don't let that take away from the excellence of the book itself. The characeters are a little bit underdeveloped, but that doesn't really hurt the book overall. The suspense is taut, tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife. The fact that there really is no protagonist, no-one to root for, only adds to the desperate nature of the story. The publishers hit the perfect release date. The subject matter coincides perfectly with the Primaries, and only creates more interest in the book. "The Brethren" may not be written it the popular style of Grisham, but this is him at close to his creative best. Hope this helps!
Rating:
Summary: So, I was wrong
Review: I have read every Grisham book. My husband likes to buy me the hardcovers when they hit the shelves. When we saw this one in the stores, my husband asked if I wanted it, and if I thought it would be good. I said "Of course it will be good! All of Grishams books are good." Now I have to tell my husband I was wrong. I don't know if I can forgive you for that John.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, a normal Grisham book
Review: As a reviewer said, Grisham has never claimed to be a great writer--Who is? His sales are of course helped by movies being made of his first few books--As many bestselling author's sales are (You know, the old saw, "If a movie was made of it, it had to be a great book"--which is actually the farthest from the truth). So critics need to back off a little. If you do want to read a Mississippi born writer who is still turning out good tales despite also having the "movie-made-of-book-hype" to not have to write good to sell his books, try Thomas Harris (Though Hannibal wasn't quite up to his norm). Or try Charles Wilson. He's never had a movie made of one of his books, and yet I would rank him the best Mississippi writer of the bunch--His latest, Game Plan, is certainly a top notch read--one of the best I've read in a long, long time.
Rating: 
Summary: All you people must be reading the wrong book...
Review: First of all, I want to make something clear-John Grisham isnt going to write "The Firm" or "The Partner" EVERYTIME he writes a book! Yet, all these reviews seem to think that everytime Grisham releases a new book, that its going to be a blockbuster like those two. Before you even get a chance to read his new books and evaluate them for what they really are-GREAT, all of you constantly compare them to his earlier works, which isnt fair to Grisham. I think that The Brethren was an excellent concept for a novel, and that once again, Grishma produced a masterpiece of fiction. Cant wait for you next one John...
Rating:
Summary: Grisham has "missed the boat" with this book!
Review: The reviews online tell it all. "The Brethren" was a disappointment to myself, and the majority of Grisham fans. It started out as a "page-turner," if for no other reason, than to see just how The Brethren (three unsavory judges serving time in a prison), the CIA, and a presidential candidate, were all going to fuse together. The potential was there, but it fell apart very quickly, and was a disappoint to the end. I am glad my book was borrowed, and not purchased. It would be like buying tickets to a Barbra Streisand concert, and seeing Willie Nelson instead.
Rating:
Summary: ooookay and then?
Review: What in the world was Grisham thinking when he wrote this book? Probably the same thing Thomas Harris was when he wrote "Hannibal". "Oh those crazy publishers will print and sell anything I write." Good grief this was about as close to nothing as you can get. This is the person who wrote "The Chamber" a wonderfully affecting character study and also a social commentary on the death penalty. This book was a half baked idea that he pounded out just because he is John Grisham. If the writer of this novel had been anyone else we would have never read it because there is NO way this would have ever made it to print. Take a look at Dennis Lehane, and David Wiltse if you want a good read and leave this fluff alone.
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