Rating: 
Summary: the most boring grisham so far
Review: there is the thrill missing in his latest novel. Grisham gets lost in details that detract from the main topic. Hopefully the next grisham is back to old grisham.. thrilling and nail biting.
Rating: 
Summary: Thanks for the sermon, John
Review: This book was like being preached at for 200 pages, and then being left without an ending. It's obvious that now that Mr. Grisham has reached a certain level of success, he wrote this book for himself, and to express his personal political and social views. I have always been a Grisham fan and feel that he has written many great books (The Firm!), and I will probably read his next book also, however I don't feel that being a loyal reader of his books deserves the punishment that this book inflicted. Please don't make this one into a movie!
Rating:
Summary: Last Grisham I'll ever read
Review: Somewhere along the line, Mr. Grisham toppled off his storytelling ladder deciding that the social statement was a more compelling exercise than the entertainment of his readers. I suppose we should have been forewarned with his recent engagements with the tobacco and insurance industries, but our continued purchases in hopes of another 'Firm' or 'Client' seems to have stimulated him to continue in this (moralizing) direction. Surely, the pharmaceutical industry is next, followed by professional sports then Bill Gates and company. If you revel in moralizing lecture/statements on (name the subject), you'll want to read this and all subsequent Grisham books. Me, I prefer stories and entertainment. I'm sticking with P.D. James, Louise Erdrich, Larry Bond and Patrick OBrian. I want my money back.
Rating: 
Summary: summary9
Review: i feel street lawyer, is one of his best work i could not put it down, i finished the book in one day.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Grisham's Best, But Worth Reading.
Review: <P<The Street Lawyer is plot-driven, not character driven. I could believe Grisham's lawyer characters in the Firm and the Client. I cannot believe that Michael Brock, earning 150,000 dollars per year and on track to earn a million before age 35, would chuck it all to become a street lawyer. And deliberately turn major thief risking disbarment along the way. In Michael's own words, "Only a fool would jump away from the gravy train I was riding." Somehow, being splattered with the blood of a hostage-taker brought down by a police sniper bullet doesn't seem reason enough to jump off that gravy train.
That said, a willingness to suspend disbelief allows the reader to lenjoy Grisham's considerable writing skills. We can shamelessly root for stree lawyer Michael to beat the system, to punish the Bad Guys, and maybe even to convert one of the Chief Bad Guys.
Okay, so we see life lwith the homeless. It is a depressing picture, and designed by Grisham to be that way. But he is a good enough storyteller to get me on Michael's side. Sometimes I like contrived. Sometimes I like happy endings. Just imagine what tomCruise could do with the role. Let the script writers handle the property. I'll buy a ticket. END
Rating:
Summary: Grisham grows a conscience
Review: The Street Lawyer is by far the least entertaining of his books, but he wakes up your mind to see how desperate our society needs people to help out the less fortunate
Rating:
Summary: Preach It Johnny!
Review: Mr. Grisham has become a wealthy man. For some reason (perhaps an incident involving a homeless man in New York referenced in Newsweek) John feels guilty about the fruits of his talent. The liberal heart bleeds without clotting, "If we could all just give the homeless money, then they'd be fine." If an author wants to preach to his readers, fine. But try to have a good story, building tension, and developed characters worth feeling for. This book was amazing, it had none of that. John needs to keep two quotes in mind when he feels his heart seep: "The poor will always be among us." and "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." Well, Mr. Grisham knows how to "fish" and he needs to fish another good thriller from his mind before he alienates his audience with whiney diatribes.
Rating:
Summary: New Respect for One of Our Most Popular Authors
Review: I doubt if STREET LAWYER will be considered one of Grisham's strongest commercial efforts. But my admiration for him grew as I read this book. I have always admired his ability to tell a dramatic legal tale that hooks us at the beginning, and keeps us turning pages to find out how it will all come out. His ability to do this has given him power and freedom as a writer. In STREET LAWYER, he attempts to use this power to do more than entertain. STREET LAWYER graphically and realistically depicts the plight of homeless people in our nation's capital. (His "Author's Notes" imply strong research to ensure realism.) We do not have to agree with his entire point-of-view to be moved by the book's gritty reality. But by using his power in this way, he has an opportunity to raise the consciousness of millions of people about this difficult subject. Oh, and don't worry, STREET LAWYER also works as a compelling story!
Rating:
Summary: It's worth reading...
Review: Certainly not one of his best books, but obviously a nesessary one for some of the readers. After all I have seen in NY and some other cities in the US the homeless might have a need to find someone like Grisham that tells a story like The Street Lawyer. If this only changed the views of one out of ten that behaved like most people described in the book it would be a great help for those amongst the homeless who certainly don't deserve a living on the streets. I had the experience to work with the homeless in Munich in the early 80's when the economical situation was not as bad as it is today. Luckily, the situation of the homeless in Germany was and still is far distant from the one you can see in the US, our social net is much better....
Rating:
Summary: Terrible - save your time and money
Review: Grisham's worst book by far (and I've enjoyed most of his stuff to date). A mediocre apology for the self-inflicted losers in society (drug abusers and prostitutes fare better than guy working 90 hours a week). Apparently, Grisham, having made plenty of money to date (which he earned), now feels sufficiently guilty about it that he wants the rest of us to help bring social "justice" about, so long as he gets to define the term. I could have lived through the social whining if there had been a story there, btu there wasn't much of one. An embarassment for Grisham and a complete waste of time.
|
