Rating: 
Summary: Decent...
Review: After hearing all the hype, and with the movie coming out, I decided to pick up this novel, and see what all the fuss was about. Parts of the novel were exciting, tense, and well written, but others seemed to drag - a 150 page period of discovery could've (well - should've) been reduced to 50 or 75. All in all, a decent read, but not a classic by any means.
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Summary: True to Life Legal Thriller Keeps the Pages Turining
Review: A Civil Action is one of the best legal books based on a true story ever written. Since the beggining, the reader is able to see, feel and understand how this case came about, who the victims were and why their lawyer is who he is. The story not only tells us about one of the most devastating environmental disasters in a community of our time but it also mangages to teach us about the challenges that are placed on lawyers and the motivations that drive individuals to fight for the right thing. A Civil Action deserves credit for its brilliant depiction of the legal system, imperfections and all. The book equally brilliantly depicts the ignorance of environmental dangers by corporate America in the 1970s.
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Summary: Harr shows the ethical process many attorneys go through.
Review: Jonathan Harr's "A Civil Action", is brilliant. A true story that reads like a novel. Harr truly shows what many attorneys go through when moral and financial decisions clash. Harr also does a superb job of making this the kind of book that is able to be read by anyone, not just lawyers. Do not judge the book by the movie.
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Summary: Compelling and tragic, impossible to forget
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. The characters are complex and fascinating, and the plight of the Woburn families is one of the most tragic I have ever read about. Nearly as tragic is the way the legal system works, or does not work. This book will haunt you long after you finish reading it. I'd recommend buying it. You'll want to re-read all or at least parts of it.
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Summary: The book A Civil Action was a definite page turner!
Review: The Book A Civil Action was very inspiring since I intend to persue the profession of law. It always kept you on the edge of your seat from cover to cover, it didn't get boring for one moment. If the movie is half as good as the book, it's definetly worth seeing!
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Summary: COULD'T GET INTO THE BOOK
Review: I GREW UP IN WOBURN AND LIVED IN THE CLUSTER AREA. I PLAYED WITH SOME OF THE KIDS WHEN I WAS SMALL. IT WAS VERY HARD TO READ ABOUT WHAT YOU LIVED THROUGH. I ALSO LOST SOME FAMILY TO CANCER, BUT NOT TO LEUKIEMA. I STILL THINK THE WATER WAS THE CAUSE. I HOPE WE ALL LEARN FROM THIS!THANK-YOU
Rating:
Summary: Positively compelling
Review: This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I simultaneously couldn't put it down and dreaded reading what would happen next. It made me remember the desire to address injustice that caused me to go to law school years ago, recently forgotten in the day to day grind of practicing law. I hightly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Booorrrrinnnngggg.
Review: A snooze, for those of us who really don't much care whether blah-be-de-blah sued blah-be-de-blah and blah-be-de-blah got a directed verdict, etc., etc. Confirms that lawyers are sleazy, and care about one thing, their wallets.
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Summary: One of the most valuable books I have ever read!
Review: The book A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr was definitely one of the best books that I have ever read. The novel was extremely fast paced and factually oriented which made it all the more powerful. This novel brings to light some of the great injustices that go on, unnoticed, in the world around us. It raises the issue of environmental contamination and the power that large companies have over common people. It raises the questions of how many people have to get sick or die before someone will stand up for what is right. The book delves into the complex world of the justice system and how the real issue can get lost or distorted in the mounds of legal rules and regulations. It exposes a corrupt justice system where the real evidence can not be heard and the judges and lawyers try to confuse the jurors into siding with them. "The judge was, in effect, asking the jurors to create a fiction that would in the end stand for the truth." The novel also encompasses the idea of individual change and shows how one man can turn from a selfish, arrogant jerk into a person truly concerned with the welfare of others. By the end of this book the reader is absolutely infuriated with the whole situation. It really makes the reader think about how and where things started to go wrong and why such things are being allowed to take place. This book really opens eyes as to what is going on in the world and makes people think about if it really is possible for one person to make a difference. The issues raised by this book are ones that I will not soon forget. This book has delighted and infuriated me more than any book I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: I received the book for Christmas. I started to read it the next day and basically could not put it down. It was chilling, troubling and certainly impactful. I thought about what happened to the Woborn people, Schlictman and all the apparenly decent people who got handled by the law and by Skinner. I could not tell you what I thought about the Peter Grace's of this world, but you'l determine that for yourself after you read this book. Get this book for some real insight into the story and what it takes to write a great book. Harr is a master at it!!
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