Rating: 
Summary: What a page turner!
Review: What a book! The Firm by John Grisham is a must-read for all of those people who believe books based on law firms are uninteresting, and are without suspense. I simply could not put this book down. I don't even want to watch the movie now because I'm afraid that it might ruin the story with some horrible actor/actress. The book begins with Mitchell Y. Mcdeere obtaining offers from multiple law firms on Wall Street. He is very excited, and he is proud of his accomplishments, but in a modest way. He goes to Memphis for a job interview in a relatively small law firm, but he is very impressed with what he sees. The beginning of the book actually rather makes you want to become a lawyer and work for this law firm in Memphis. However, as the book continues, the reader is introduced to a series of characters, some of which are FBI, who inform Mitch that the law firm is not what it seems. The firm works for very powerful people, and when they suspect that Mitch knows about their secrets, they are after him, to kill him. This is not the first time that the firm has 'taken care' of a suspicious associate, and when Mitch learns of the 'accidental' deaths of these other people, he becomes a bit suspicious. The FBI is after him with information, and documents, and the firm is after him with everything they have. I do not want to spoil anything so I will not say anymore. I recommend this book for everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Give me a break.
Review: A law student gets wooed by a "small firm in Memphis" paying top dollar and promises huge returns. Yeah, that wasn't suspicious. Okay, suspend belief. Greedy lawyer takes obvious bait. Now, go cheat on your beautiful wife with a stranger on the beach? Please. Who does that? Mitch is endeared to his wife, Abigail. Grisham makes that abundantly clear, so he cheats? A bit too convenient, don'tcha think? Photos for blackmail - whew, couldn't see THAT one coming. Come on. The worst thing about the book is that the last 30 pages feels as though Grisham is trying to figure out a way to clear McDeere. He runs around the south east, to Florida, gets on a boat to escape, blah, blah, blah. I think the ending of the movie was more creative than the book. At least the mail fraud was plausible.The central idea of the book was my favorite part. I thought the mafia cover up for laundering money was a great idea, and sucking in unsuspecting lawyers was smart. But Grisham could have done better with the twists and turns, and could have developed a better escape path than just having McDeere run around until he fell onto a boat. Further, having the Firm's security team doctor fake photos of McDeere and mistress would be far better than tarnishing his reputation. Same effect of blackmail without the shame. "The Firm" is an easy read with shallow characters and shallow, convenient plot line, and a lame ending. Enjoy the movie. Cruise is a perfect McDeere, and the ending is better.
Rating: 
Summary: what up with race?
Review: This book seems to be really good, but there is a constant reoccuring talk about the number of white people. At the Manhattan Club, all of the diners were rich, established. And white. In Nashville, it was safe. And all white faces. Dang! The only mention of Black people where the cooks at the firms and delievery guys. John seems to like to point out race-especially when he is talking about status. What is the point? Is John prejudice or something? Don't buy the book if you are senstive to race. Borrow it from the library-but don't support the author financially.
Rating:
Summary: Tense and exciting
Review: Mitch McDeere is at the top of his graduating law class at Harvard and fielding offers from top firms. A smaller tax firm named Bendini, Lambert, and Lock in Memphis, TN outbids all the others, determined to land their top pick. They make him an offer he can't refuse. At first it seems that the firm is a bit controlling of it's employees - it encourages children, it discourages working wives, etc. But after Mitch is approached by the FBI it turns out that the firm is merely a front for a Chicago crime family, and the only way out is through retirement or death (which is more common with the Bendini firm than any other). Mitch ends up running for his life. Overall, the story is very good and quite entertaining. I saw the movie years ago but I'm always surprised at how different it can be from the actual book. The suspense and tension were at times uncomfortable, although the ending seemed to drag out with no escape in sight for the characters. My only complaint would be with the reader (Scott Brick) who read everything with an excessively cool and arrogant manner, which was very annoying. But overall a good story.
Rating:
Summary: The Firm
Review: The Firm by John Grisham is a fast-paced and exciting novel about Mitch McDeere, a lawyer fresh out of college trying to make the big bucks. Mitch is asked to join the law firm of Bendini, Lambert, and Locke. They offer him a huge salary, a free BMW, and a low interest mortgage on a nice house. Mitch immediately takes them up on the offer. It sounds too good to be true and he finds out that it is when he is contacted by the FBI. The FBI knows that the firm is connected to the mafia and they want Mitch to help them bring the firm down. Mitch knows that he has to help the FBI but he also knows that he could end up dead like the other lawyers who tried to blow the firm's cover. John Grisham did an excellent job writing the many plot twists and surprises that this book contains. This is a very exciting and suspenseful book that is impossible to put down once you begin reading. If you like books with a lot of action and surprises The Firm is the novel for you.
Rating:
Summary: A classic!
Review: I believe this is one of John Grisham's best three legal thrillers, along with "The Partner" and "The Runaway Jury". It's a must.
Rating:
Summary: Wealth and Trust
Review: "He was their top choice. In fact for this year there were no other prospects. The list was very short. It was Mcdeere or no one" (pg 2). The Firm by John Grisham is a wonderful book about a lawyer fresh out of Harvard expecting money and extravagances. This book plays on every whim of a realist's imagination. Mitch McDeere, the main character, becomes entangled in a fantasy life as a lawyer in a very wealthy firm called Bendini, Lambert, and Lock. Money, cars, vacations, work, Mitch is given the life of luxury. The only setback is a mysterious death of some of the company's associates. But almost as quickly as he was swept into his dream the FBI pulls him out, when he finds that his wonderfully rich law firm is corrupt and sketchy. In further examination of his surroundings, Mitch finds his life threatened by mobsters associated with the firm. This great book holds your attention and keeps your imagination reeling.
Rating:
Summary: The Firm
Review: This book was great. I was surprised by how easy it was to get into and how it kept me interested the whole way through. It was one of the few books that I have read that I found impossible to put down. All of the action in the book kept me reading and made me feel like I got to know all of the characters - now I want to know what will happen for Mitch and Abby.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, man, is this ever good!
Review: What a fantastic read. By far this is Grisham's best effort and worth every cent. Grisham has taken a classic "caught between a rock and a hard place" idea and spun it into a wonderful page turner that you will NOT be able to put down. With its themes of mafia, the FBI, and a "too good to be true" job handed to the main character, this flawless tale will keep you up at night. Excellent writing, believable characters, and a tour-de-force plot make this one of the best buys for your money. Can you tell I like the book? Have also read two other very good novels lately, though they are completely different in theme and pace from this one: "Birth of Venus" and "Bark of the Dogwood." Both are great, but please, please, please buy "The Firm" first!
Rating:
Summary: A ripping good read! Filled with surprises and suspense.
Review: This is the book that made John Grisham famous, and it is a ripping good read. By now who doesn't know the basic outline of the plot? Mitch McDeere, a top Harvard Law grad, is recruited into a small, exclusive, Memphis law firm. The perks are incredible: they buy him a BMW, set him up in a beautiful home, pay off his huge student loan, and promise to make him rich. What's not to like? Quite a bit, as it turns out, and that a basic summary of the ingredients of an engaging and exciting read. No spoilers here: if you have somehow managed to spend the last 10 years or so on Mars and don't know the story, I won't ruin it for you here. Suffice to say, the story has more twists and turns than a pretzel, but Grisham does a good job of keeping it all together. The storyline never plods--it races. This is a wonderful read, and a very creative tale. Grisham's background as a lawyer shines through. His observations as regards the practice of law are as insightful as they are cynical. They are also largely true, at least for some lawyers some of the time. (I'm a lawyer myself, God forgive me, grin.) As far as being a good read goes, this book rates five stars, or even six. It is not "great literature" by most reckonings, which is the only reason I deprive it here of that fifth star. The reader will not miss that fifth star, and this is a novel that no reader should pass up. This is one of those novels that you will be reading until three in the morning. Enjoy it if you already have not. Or even if you have: I've read my copy a half a dozen times.
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