The Street Lawyer

Rating:
Summary: ENTERTAINING, HEARTBRAKING, AND INSPIRING!!!
Review: A wonderfully fast paced novel that grabs a hold of the readers and places them in the middle of the story, as if they were a character themselves. As usual Grisham's dialogue and descriptions emerse the reader into a world they know nothing about. I was shocked and intrigued by the descriptions of the homeless and their lives and was so deeply moved by the book that I probably have not been able to eat a decent meal since.

I read the book in only 5 days and have thought about it often since I finished it. It is a book that every lawyer should read, for the heart of the book lies in the decision that Micheal Brock makes, in giving up the millions in order to help those who cannot help themselves. Truely a masterpiece!

Rating:
Summary: Grisham's latest, but not his finest
Review: Street Lawyer is brilliantly written, as are all Grisham's, but this one counts on your outrage about the plight of the homeless to carry the entire book. The plot does not contain his usual legal complexities and twists, the very reason I love to read Grisham's work.

His portrayal of the homeless is exceptionally well done, but in my opinion is not enough to carry the story. Grisham's usual legal complexities are what keep me coming back, and this one has let me down.

Rating:
Summary: A realpage-turner that holds your interest from the start.
Review: Grisham has done it again! The Street Lawyer is a gripping book that holds your interest start to finish. He takes an issue like homelessness and shows us that we can all have a positive impact on this problem. As a young lawyer on the fast track to partnership in a major DC firm, Michael Brock's life is turned inside out when he's taken hostage by an evicted homeless man right in own firm. The man's death leads Micheal to the streets to find answers. Those same streets come to claim him after a bizarre turn of events. If you were never a Grisham fan before, you will be after reading "The Street Lawyer".

Rating:
Summary: DID GRISHAM WANT ME TO FEEL GUILTY? DIDN'T WORK.
Review: I have read almost all of Grisham's novels, and have enjoyed some of them. I got a little tired of his "being pursued by the Mafia so entered the Witness Protection Program" format of the Firm, the Pelican Brief, and the Client. But the Street Lawyer, while somewhat enjoyable reading, was way too politically liberal for my tastes. Does Grisham truly believe that homelessness is caused by rich Republicans? Did he ever read the statistics that most homeless are mentally ill and actually WANT to live on the streets? And will not accept help? Anyway, enough of that. I found the book particularly interesting because I am an attorney who practices in one of those large New York City law firms where I make a lot of money. :) Did the Street Lawyer make me feel guilty enough to ditch it all and work in a soup kitchen? Not hardly. It was pretty hard to believe that the main character would dedicate the rest of his life to the homeless and live in poverty. Just didn't buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Unadulterated trash!
Review: If this was Mr. Grisham's first book, he could kiss goodbye any hope of a lucrative writing career and take up ambulance chasing! I find it hard to believe that the same person who wrote "Time to Kill" and "The Partner" wrote this unbelievable liberal, wrong-headed mess. This is the first of Mr. Grisham's offerings that I did not buy in hardcover. Thank God I waited for the paperback. Needless to say, I need to calm down before I read his latest, "The Testiment". If it isn't 100% better than "Street Lawyer", then it's goodbye Mr. Grisham. Unbelievable......

Rating:
Summary: AN EYE OPENER!!
Review: I enjoyed reading this book immensely and could not put it down. It's a good story that makes a statement of those less fortunate. A moving account of the homeless and a reminder of the true hero's of society.

Rating:
Summary: The other Grisham
Review: I can really understand, why people in the US don't like to read this book. And that's not the the problem of JG.

Rating:
Summary: Not even up to par for Grisham.
Review: This book was not up to a Grisham standard. The plot was farfetched and the legal/courtroom action was predictable and boring. His jabs at the Republicans were uncalled for and won't make sense to future readers. This was an obvious "beat the deadline" book. This would have been a better op-ed piece in the Washington Post.

Rating:
Summary: this book in no way resembles grisham's past work
Review: I consider myself a fan of John Grisham. I have read all of his other books, including the Testament, and I am ashamed of this book. The story is weak and unbelievable. The whole book seems to be a vessel for Grisham to clear his conscience in some liberal sense. The adventure, mystery, intrigue and imagery I have become accustomed to in Grisham's books is nowhere to be found. The whole book seems to be a Democratic Party fund raiser. It may explain things if a certain percentage of the proceeds from this book went to the Clinton Defense Fund, but that would be no excuse. This is a poorly written tale, obviously meant to give the reader a feeling of guilt, and I am sorry to say I spent the money to read it. Grisham should get back to being a storyteller and an author, leave the campaigning to the politicians.

Rating:
Summary: Grisham Disappoints
Review: "The Street Lawyer" is the worst writing by Grisham that has come out to date. The idea is noble and admirable but never comes to fruition. It almost seems like Grisham lost steam halfway through the novel and just used frivolous words to take up pages. This book was a great disappointment, and nothing like a Grisham fan would expect judging by his other works like "The Chamber" or "The Client". Let's just all hope this one doesn't get made into a movie.