The Summons

Rating:
Summary: Review of The Summons
Review: I would rate "The Summons" among the top four of Grisham's books. One positive.......there were not too many characters making it difficult to keep names straight. I hope a sequel is in the wings...enough was left unsaid that another book could be written on the heels of this one....(Let us know how brother turns out). John keeps you guessing all of the way through the book; I could hardly put it down because of the suspense. Finished it within two days and am now waiting for another. Great!!!

Rating:
Summary: back to the earlier Grisham
Review: I enjoyed this book. It was not his best, however. I read it in just 2 days so it moves. The characters were not people one would like to have as best friends. Ray could become special with a little encouragement. I could imagine the wonder of discovering his find (do not want to divulge too much). It could happen to any of us. I could see my Dad as the father and could relate to his style of no nonsense lifestyle. I recommend the book to all of you who like Grisham.

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable, readable, quite forgetable
Review: I can't imagine why a laywer teaching at UVA would have to go three times to a casino to see if his "found" money was good. Go to any 7-11 or Quickstop and they'll tell you if your 100 bill is legitimate. Why drive around with 3 million in cash in a flashy car in rural Mississippi and not expect the car to be broken into? I was kind of hoping it would be stolen. It would have added something to the story.

...What's the big surprise? I think Mr. Grisham should go back to practicing law so he can catch up on real life, which is stranger than fiction.

It goes to show you that the big name authors can write anything and still get $15 for a book.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I don't know if the real John Grisham is "back" or not. This seemed like a half-hearted attempt at a legal thriller for a man who has given us such great books in the past. There is no real courtroom drama here. Readers who loved such books as The Firm and A Time to Kill for their complexity and attention to detail will be particularly disappointed. Grisham makes hard to really care one way or the other about the characters because the development is not as deep as in past books. The plot twists at which Grisham is usually so adept seem contrived in this book (what few plot twists there are). Still, people who really, really enjoy Grisham will still find some value in this book. But, if you are new to Grisham--go back and buy A Time to Kill and start from the beginning.

Rating:
Summary: Cookie Cut out copy
Review: There is nothing original or unpredictable about "The Summons". The ending is obvious from the first paragraph of the jacket summary. Grisham's attempt to capture the mood and atmosphere of the south reads like a comic book version of a Pat Conroy novel, a very poor imitation of the real thing.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: It seems as though Grisham had a deadline to meet ... and fast. Usually Grisham makes his characters deeper and he is fantastic in the courtroom and with attorneys. However, in this book you receive neither in depth.

It was a far-fetched story line to begin with. What was so disappointing was the ending of the book. Again, it seems as though a deadline had to be met and fast.

Rating:
Summary: Back To The Future?
Review: This is the old John Grisham, returned. "The Summons" lived up to my expectations. I highly recommend it. Is this back to the future for him? His bestseller for Christmas, "Skipping Christmas", (isn't that ironic?) was a successful thrust into comedy. It was what you might call a walk on the light side. And, speaking of a walk on the light side, I just finished a book called "West Point" by Norman Thomas Remick that I read after "Skipping Christmas" and before "The Summons". It was also, surprisingly, a walk on the light side for a subject that is so important to Americans, especially since 911. I strongly recommend it to everyone after you have finished "The Summons".

Rating:
Summary: Pure Grisham
Review: John Grisham's newest "legal thriller" is just that - a thorough and easy-to-read story enmeshed in human weaknesses no matter where you turn. He provides few clues to the outcome and weaves in and out of goodness and badness with alacrity. The character development is credible, the story believable, and he passes the anxiety of the main character directly to the reader. I found myself counseling the professor with actions to take only to find him digging his hole deeper and deeper such that it appeared he would never get out alive. The fact that time after time, the author has been able to come up with a new twist that involves the law, greed, whirlwind travel, intrigue, surprise and plausible events will lead me back to the next production. Too bad I have to wait a year. This book has the ingredients for a great movie - unlike my favorite - The Partner - which would be nearly impossible to duplicate on the screen. I rate this Five Stars.

Rating:
Summary: Another fast read from John Grisham
Review: John Grisham is pretty much the king of pop-fiction/pop-thriller novels.

"The Summons" moves at warp speed thru the first 330 pages, and the reader is primed for an intense resolution. For me, the ending was a most unsatisfactory conclusion. It was as if Mr. Grisham either got tired or bored and just ended it. I have had that feeling with a couple of his titles.

Still, those initial 330 pages are well worth the price of admission. The ride is better than the destination---and that certainly is not a bad thing---and it is quite a ride.

Characters that I found most interesting kept appearing. One more intriguing the the next.

His red herrings continued to trick me, as I kept changing my deduction on who the villain was.

This is a fast read and would be a most pleasant way to spend a weekend. Reading John Grisham is like eating peanuts---you cannot put the book down until all the pages disappear.

Rating:
Summary: Not Grisham's Best But Still a Good Read
Review: I won't give a description of the book, as that's set forth above. I didn't find "The Summons" by John Grisham to be one of his best, but I still found it to be worth reading. And actually better than some of his others. I love the character Harry Rex -he makes the book! Being a Grisham fan, I anxiously await the next.