Rating: 
Summary: The worst book he has written and with a ludicrous premise.
Review: I have read all of Grishams books. Each one is weaker than the last. This one falls in quality and credibility as if it ran off a cliff. His premise is that all street people are wonderful citizens who would live in mansions and contribute greatly to the world if only the rest of us hard working people would stop exploiting them. On the other hand, those of us who take a responsible part in society are money grubbing evil robber barons and exploiters of these poor folk. He further contends that all druggies and alcoholics on the street want to reform, but again, you guessed it, we exploiters won't let them. If you believe this crap, you have your head in the sand. John Grisham has never met a street person in his life while a lot of us have. I will never buy or read another Grisham novel again. I am sure that bothers Mr. Moneybags a lot. Why doesn't he give all his millions to the homeless? You know the answer to that as well as I do.
Rating: 
Summary: He Must Have Needed a New House
Review: I may well be the only person in America who did not like this book. It certainly is not on par with The Partner or A Time to Kill. At times it seems like Grisham has become a "limousine liberal" in his first exploration of the humanity of being homeless. He skews the debate over how to handle the homeless problem by portraying them in an extremely careful and sensitive light. Who could not feel emotionally wrought when the homeless mother and her children die of exposure because they only had a car to live in? He has created the ultimate straw-man, and knocked it flat on its back. For this, his wealth is replenished and there is even talk in these reviews of a Pulitzer Prize. Puh-lease! Only the most hard-hearted, cynical, and uncaring people in our society believe that the homeless are there own problem: all drunk, lazy, or incompetent. Grisham goes to the other extreme, and fails to realize the fact that for every one or two homeless people who really have "fallen on hard times", there is another person who has ridden down on drugs, alcohol or gambling. This book strikes me as patronizing to political thinkers with any intelligence whatsoever, and a blot on Grisham's heretofore superlative body of work. Had this been Grisham's first or second book, another author may well have filled the void that Grisham now occupies.
Rating:
Summary: An atrocious novel
Review: One cannot comprehend what goes into the thought processes of others. As a race, humans seem capable of the most unflappable, yet incoherent thought. The zombies who gush over this slow, silly, and very tired book, would probably chant bravo as the last wetness on a wall freshly painted, slips into dryness. That is of course if John Grishom did the painting. The decline in the intelligence of the American reader can be almost directly traced to the comical ascent of Mr Grisham. It is appropriate that he is the most likely author to be found in the bags of beachgoers since to truly enjoy his books, one must have an affinity for burying one's head in the sand. The Street Lawyer is yet another sub par effort that in essence cannot really be sub par because Grisham has never written anything even remotely above par. It has syrupy dialoge, morose characters, and a plotline so thin, that Twiggy would be jealous. Yet despte all these shortcomings, I as an academic, was still interested in determining why Grisham has attained such monumental success. I have failed in my objective and can only come to the conclusion that we as a people have been "stupided" down to such a degree that many will soon not even know the answer to why the chicken crossed the street. Withered brains notwithstanding, the only folks who see light in darkness, sunshine in clouds, must also learn that good literature is a gift bestowed on us as a people, and ignoring it for this trash is a shame manifested tenfold.
Rating: 
Summary: A somewhat insightful look at homelessness
Review: John Grisham is hard not to like - he knows the law and can tell a darn good story. It doesn't matter that his novels read more like screenplays or that his language can sometimes be sloppy - one can overlook these instances and relish in the fact that his stories move along with fierce speed. "The Street Lawyer" is a nice read, perhaps better than the last Grisham novel, "The Partner" and allows us to think about homelessness. Michael Brock is an up and coming lawyer employed at a prestigious law firm. He and several other layers are taken hostage by a homeless man who is eventually killed. After Michael does some investigating he learns that the man who held him hostage was wrongly evicted and, after further digging, Michael discovers his law firm is a major player in this eviction. Michael receives assistance from a fellow employee of the firm resulting in Michael stealing a file which can damage the law firm. The rest of the novel focuses on Michael's work with the homeless and the law clinic he now works for as a street lawyer. There are many similarities in this novel as in previous Grisham novels - the disheartened lawyer, the troubled marriage and the ultimate resolution that all of Grisham's lawyers make. Still, all in all, "The Street Lawyer" opens our eyes to the world of the homeless and allows us to undersand this tragic situation with a better understanding. If this novel educates one person on the issue of homelessness and what one can do for them, then Grisham has done his job. And, I might add: he has done a fine job, indeed.
Rating: 
Summary: Dull but "nice" ending
Review: I found the first two thirds of the book hard going and dull. How many times do we have to hear that it's tough on the street? It gets a bit tedious. The ending was predictable and "nice". Good job - if he'd done another like The Partner I would have NEVER bought another Grisham.
Rating: 
Summary: This book moved me to do something about homelessness.
Review: The latest Grisham thriller pits a "blue-eyed Ivy-educated legal boy wonder turned homeless advocate" against his former uptown law firm,with the firm guilty of negligence and malpractice that resulted in the deaths of six innocent people. The journey through the financial descent but spiritual ascent of our hero is an educating look at the plight of the homeless and the miserable manner in which our cities and we as people have failed them.
Rating:
Summary: Celebrity author publishes tripe
Review: In other Grisham novels one can atleast expect a story that may be of interest or a theme that is fresh. There is non such here, the characters are flaccid and predictable and the subject is nothing new to thinking, caring people. Happily I don't buy the books but borrow them so feel I'm not adding to Grisham's cult of greed he so busily puts down...how much pro bono or help does Grisham do? How much more could we all do for our community? It doesn't take a job change. As a novel it shouldn't have been published, but because he's a celebrity author it has been. Let's ask the publishing houses to go on a sabbatical and publish a greater variety of voices that are out on our streets. Let's forget how many times we had to read "I'm a street lawyer" and get some real insights and talent into the publishing circles.
Rating:
Summary: Another KO for Grisham
Review: A great novel, I could hardly put it down. Not the best of his works, but still one of the best on today's market.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Grisham Novel
Review: A must read, his best to date!
Rating:
Summary: It has potential, but the plot development holds it back.
Review: *The Street Lawyer by John Grisham has a promising setting and characters but never meets the expectations set in the beginning of the book. The beginning of the book includes an exciting hostage situation that brings about changes for the main character. This sets up the book but becomes the most exciting scene in the story because of the relatively dull plot. *Grisham never was able to develop the plot's quality equal to that of the characters. Grisham continued throughout the story to develop characters that were real and entertaining. The characters were interesting and not shallow. Each one had their distinct personality that was consistent throughout the novel. Michael Brock, the main character, was particularly entertaining because of his slightly sarcastic sense of humor and the way that he dealt with the situations brought to him by the plot. The characters were one of the better points of the book. *It seemed as though Grisham was already thinking about making the book into a movie when he was thinking of a few of the characters; for example, Mordecai Green seems to be a natural James Earl Jones. He is a large and respected man who can get attention by the sound of his voice. His appearance and personality are key to the book. *The setting also contributed to the positive expectations that Grisham failed to meet because of the plot. Grisham chose the setting as an excellent backdrop for a good David and Goliath tale. Michael Brock, the main character, has a revelation and decides to quit his job at one of the biggest national firms in Washington D.C.; the novel's setting. He begins to work for the homeless in the nation's capital where it is a major problem and a hot issue. He takes on his former employer, who represents the other scale of the social class system, in a city where politics and publicity are key and do come into play. *The developed characters, Grisham's entertaining voice and style of writing, and the perfect setting of the book helped make a book that appeals ! to the reader, somewhat, in entertainment value, but more to the reader's emotions toward the homeless. The Street Lawyer is a great book to motivate one to start in homeless volunteering. The book showed a little bit about what goes on in the minds of the homeless and how to help them. It shows how the homeless have no real bounds of where they stay. They just pick up their few belongings and leave. The book shows where the homeless tend to live. Grisham had his homeless characters sleeping in cars, volunteer and government projects, or anywhere to shield them from most of the elements. The book is more effective as motivation for volunteering than of an entertaining story.
|
