Rating: 
Summary: Better than best
Review: A powerful story that shows how much a father cares about his daughter. Carl Lee went to jail taking revenge for his daughter. The thing I think is a failure though is why the Klan took Ellen. Why did Mickey Mouse help Ellen if he rung up at Jake's house and said 'someone's going to die tonight?' But apart from that, this book is a powerful novel from the beginning to end. Well done John!
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Summary: Left me thinking about for weeks
Review: What can I say? It's the best book I've read in years. The vivid descriptions of a racist southern town, a father's revenge, and the overall humor blended in with the suspense of courtroom drama and kept the intensity level at the top until the last page is turned. READ IT! and watch the movie too. They're both great
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: A time to Kill was a great book, It was a very powerful book that kept me intrigued the whole way through, I recommend this book to anyone, that goes for all of Grisham's books, they are all wonderfu
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Summary: A thrilling novel of law and the equality of man!!!
Review: I just completed the John Grisham novel "A Time to Kill". This was a fantastic novel that gripped you from beginning to end. I saw the movie following the completion and I found it enjoyable but they altered a few scenes. Definitely, finish the book prior to seeing the movie. As we enter the novel, we see a young child violated. When the father takes the law into his own hands, the trouble begins. With action and adventure throughout the novel, it is difficult to put it down. A definite read for those of you that like action and adventure and have a strong stomach for the first two to three chapters. Enjoy!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, Gut wrenching, & Powerful!
Review: I just finished reading 'A Time To Kill' By John Grisham & no I haven't seen the movie! The book is excellent, I like how the author said at the beginning that he would not change one word of it & I agree. The scene is set quite vividly in your mind. As a black girl is beaten & raped repeatedly by two drunk & stoned white boys. I came across this book in a high school, thinking that they would have any decent books. Well I was wrong. Dead wrong. Heart stopping action, even when you do know what is coming up next! Highly recommended
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Summary: ONE OF MY FAVORTIE BOOKS EVER!!!!
Review: This was one of the best books I have ever read, and not just because it has a good script, but because of the way it is written. Grisham kept me on the edge of my seat, and flippin the pages, I absolutely could not put it down, and if by chance I had to eat or sleep it would knaw on my brain till I picked it up again.
When I would hear Jake Brigance arguing with Rufus Buckley at times I would laugh out loud, and when the case looked doubtfull, I was in low spirits almost depressed that day, and I don't even remember a book ever having an efect like that on me before, this is a masterpeice of reading, and I garuntee to anyone that reads this that if they do they will not be sorry, and will have NO regrets what so ever.
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Summary: Definitely a page turner
Review: What can I say? The book was fun. The part where the KKK leader gets blown up was great
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Summary: A FATHER'S REVENGE
Review: SHOWS WHAT PARENTS WILL DO FOR JUSTICE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT INVOLVES THEIR CHILDREN, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR RACE. POWERFUL BOOK
Rating: 
Summary: Superficial Portrayal Leaves Something to be Desired
Review: In the hands of a greater author, or perhaps if Grisham had paid as much attention to some aspects of the book as to others, this could have been a truly powerful piece of work. The subject itself is fascinating: a black man takes the lives of his little daughter's rapists in the heart of the Deep South, where justice is still tainted by color. After reading the book, however, I couldn't help but feel that Grisham missed the mark somewhere.
I was amused when I saw that this book was required reading for an introductory Afro-American history class at my college. First of all, this book is not about a black father avenging his daughter. The book is about a white lawyer who braves the dangers and hatred of his peers to defend that father. In essence, the book ends up being a far weaker, more contemporary version of To Kill a Mockingbird. Anyone who expects otherwise will be disappointed. The black characters in the novel are secondary and painted in very broad strokes: Carl Lee Hailey at times appears to be a slow-witted oaf, his wife Gwen is a subservient black woman, and the black preachers are all stereotyped. Tonya Hailey is perhaps the strongest black character, and well-so. The opening scene of her rape is vivid and heart-rending, and Grisham portrays her later suffering throughout the book in a manner that is poignantly real.
Still, the white characters end up being decidedly stronger than the black. Jake Brigance, the lawyer, is the noble white knight who risks all to save the black man from the Klan, rednecks, and the closet racists of Clanton, Mississippi. His wife is quiet, proud, and believable in her concern for her husband. Ellen Roark, the law student who aids Brigance in his defense of Hailey, is brilliant and vibrant. After the initial rape and murder of the two rednecks, the focus shifts mainly on the whites and the blacks are reduced to cameo roles.
My biggest gripe about the book is the glib manner in which Grisham handles his subject. At times the novel seems to be almost frivolous in content. Harry Rex Vonner, Lucien Wilbanks, Rufus Buckley, and even Judge Noose are all cartoonish and rarely exhibit human depth. The word 'nigger' is used constantly and, at times, unnecessarily, particularly among the more liberal white characters in the novel. There is almost too much humor for a subject of this importance, especially in some of the dialogue. Comic relief is understandably needed in a novel this intense, but Grisham overdoes it.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad book at all. Grisham's breezy writing style makes for a comfortable read, and it is admittedly a page-turner. When he takes his subject matter seriously, he shines. The reader can feel Tonya's pain and sympathize with Carl Lee's justifiable wrath. The trials that Jake Brigance undergoes to defend Carl Lee are vivid and well-told, and his closing argument is perhaps the high point of the entire story. The diverging sentiments of the residents of Clanton both for and against Carl Lee are also well-described. Still, these moments are too few and far between. This is one instance when I can definitely say I thought the movie was more powerful than the book. The black characters and white characters are presented more on an even level and it makes a stronger statement about race and justice in this country. The book, while showing a lot of promise, ends up falling short of what it could have been. Like many other contemporary novels it fails to achieve any real depth, and the characters fail to linger with you after you've put it down. Still, if you are looking for an entertaining read, don't hesitate to pick up this book. Just don't expect it to make you think overlong about real race issues facing this country.
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Summary: A book that goes beyond racial violence--to human values.
Review: I did not read A Time to Kill until after I had read The Firm and The Pelican Brief. It seems to me that he took more time with this first book, and it is still better than any of his subsequent novels. The story is more gripping, and the characters have more depth. It even comes close to being as good as To Kill a Mockingbird
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