The Street Lawyer

Rating:
Summary: The worst Grisham yet
Review: I have been reading Grisham since the beginning and genuinely like his books. The last couple of books before "The Partner" had been rather bland, but "The Partner" displayed a Grisham ready to be daring and different, and not play connect-the-dots with his plots. I feel cheated with "The Street Lawyer." This one shows that - for all intents and purposes - he's forgotten how to let the characters be themselves. I was unconvinced in 90% of the scenes. Also, I think Grisham - like many of this country's highest paid celebrities (i.e., movie stars and recording artists) - is hypocritical in his constant slander of the rich. When he is one and shows no signs of intending to become otherwise. I admire his social consciousness; I despise his over-simplifying of the issue.

Rating:
Summary: Still reading
Review: I am about two/thirds of the way through The Street Lawyer And I cannot put it down. Not since The Deer Hunter has a book grabbed me this way. I am truly looking forward to the conclusion. ****************************************** Thank you, Kenny

Rating:
Summary: A little heavy-handed on the moralizing but enjoyable
Review: We just listened to the cassette version of this book. It made a long drive seem much shorter! The moralizing was a bit too much...but did make me think twice about what I could do to help the plight of the homeless. The story and character development wasn't as good as some of his earlier novels, and his big law-firm bashing is ever present. I think the cassette version is worth a listen if you have a long drive ahead of you. I'm not sure I'd have the patience to sit down and read the whole book though! Finally, the question that continues to run through my head is: What is Grisham doing for the homeless? Is he giving a portion of his book profits to the homeless shelters? I sure hope so! It would be nice to see someone that actually practices what they preach!

Rating:
Summary: WHAT A WASTE OF TIME
Review: AUTHOR SHOULD WRITE AN ARTICLE ON THE HOMELESS AND NOT MASQUERADE THIS AS A THRILLER.

Rating:
Summary: Second worst Grisham book! (Chamber being the worst)
Review: Let me start by saying that I am a huge Grisham fan. The first day this book went on sale I left the office at lunch to buy a copy and couldn't wait to start it. What a letdown! This book starts off great, but quickly runs out of gas.The initial 30 pages sucked me in and then the next 70 pages I could barely trudge through. An extremely dull look at a characters failed marriage and an attempt to make the court of public opinion feel incredibly sorry for the homeless by telling you repeatedly that it could happen to any of us. (very unlikely) This may be a very unpopluar opinion but this book did not make me change my view of the homeless and quite frankly I hate it when Grisham gets on his democratic soapbox. This book had such potential, but unfortunatley falls short. I never had any feeling for the characters and never felt that the main character was in any compromising situation or in any trouble. Maybe if I had a gun held to my head it would change my life, but Mr. Grisham did not do a convincing job of it. Even though it was one of Grisham's worst books, I know I will be in line eagerly awaiting his next novel.

Rating:
Summary: Grisham is finally back on track!
Review: A Time to Kill was his best, and they have gotten progessively worse since. He seems to be turning the corner with this one.

Rating:
Summary: A good book, but I'm tired of fighting for social justice.
Review: Has anyone noticed how authors like Grisham and Crichton are using their influence in the world of fictitious novels to share their opinions on world events? The Runaway Jury was a slam at tobacco companies, and large corporations in general, and this one was trying to make us feel for the homeless. The Lost World was a major slam at the heartless executives of corporate America, and Airframe was against the press.
Knowing that Grisham was writing partially for public awareness, and partially to put money in the bank, this was an incredible book. At 14, I read it in less than 6 hours, and I literally didn't sleep until I finished. The Street Lawyer was definitely the most violent of all of Grisham's books, but one of the more plausible in plot. There are definite allusions to The Firm, but they didn't detract from the overall book.
The Street Lawyer started like most books of the type, a young handsome attorney from a working-class family who was the pride and joy of his parents, and making money he had never dreamed possible. Then, his life is suddenly changed by a total fluke of luck, and he begins to fight for the rights of those he used to despise. While the book is very good, Grisham should have spent more time developing who Michael Brock was before his face was covered with blood spewing from a homeless man's head. Also, I am getting very tired of people writing to address social issues. Clive Cussler and Tony Hillerman haven't reached that point yet, but Cussler is beginning to. For those of you who like Grisham, I would have to recommend Stephen Frey, who writes Grisham-style books with Ludlum-style impossibilities. I preferred his latest, The Inner Sanctum, to The Street Lawyer, but only because he wasn't concerned about making me give to my local Goodwill Foundation.

Rating:
Summary: Not one of Grisham's best. But still pretty good.
Review: I just finished reading John Grisham's new book and I would have to say that it is not one of his best. The story starts out with Michael Brock a promsing lawyer has a run in with a homeless man who decides to take the law office where Michael works hostage. After the homeless man gets killed Michael decides to steal a file on an eviction that took place and split. Grisham does it again by making you want to finish it to see what happens with Michael and his old law firm. And for that I would have to give credit to Grisham.

Rating:
Summary: A Grisham Masterpiece
Review: I'm always so puzzled when I read the online reviews of a Grisham book. Some absolutely love them, like me. Then there are those that write every time and say that book was his worst ever. I loved this book Like I loved The Rainmaker. It gives me the great feeling of following a character going up against the odds. It also made me think about my current situation. They should put a warning on this book: Attention: This book will induce extreme guilt. But is guilt a bad price to pay for an eye-opening?

Rating:
Summary: Good but not great; no pages skipped
Review: I always judge a book by how many pages I skip because I'm bored. So far I've read about 3/4 of the book and have not skipped any pages. I don't think the book has enough plot twists. It appears that John Grishman selected a plot about the homeless, visited the sites, and then incorporated that information in the text. It could have a lot more interesting plot points but it is readable.