Rating: 
Summary: Definitely up there with The Firm and The Pelican Brief
Review: The Rainmaker by John Grisham is a very exciting novel. I read it in the span of two days because I could not put it down. The story goes around a young lawyer named Rudy; a young lawyer who just passed his bar exam, and stressed out with the bill collectors. So now, he takes a case against a huge medical coverage company because they did not live up to the promise of one of their clients; he eventually died from lung cancer, and they didnt come through with the money to pay for the doctor bills. So now, they hire a huge law coporation to take the case. Now Rudy is over his head, but he wants to win this case because this could make him or break him in his law career. While the case moves forward, he meets what John Grisham calls 'a ambulance chase' and they start taking cases from other people, and Rudy still working on the medical case. Then Rudy meets a woman who is being abused by her boyfriend, so Rudy falls for and protects her from him. Now as the medical case moves along, eventually Rudy wins the case of $50 million dollars in grivence pay and medical bills. Rudy is happy winning his first case. Now he then finds out that the medical insurance went bankrupt and the family and Rudy would not see a penny coming their way. So now, with a old Volvo (it has I believe 130,000 miles on it, correct me if I am wrong), he then leaves the small firm he had with his buddy of his, and his new girlfriend and get out of town. The Rainmaker I thought was a good book, I have not read all of Grisham's novels, but the few i did read (The Rainmaker is one of them), I felt like the man can write a good tale. I cant really call myself a huge Grisham fan, but I like his writing. Anyway, good book and definitely worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Highest Rating!
Review: This was an outstanding story about an above average law student who just wants to make his mark. He just wanted to earn an honest living, but Rudy Baylor had more curves thrown at him that most people would just run and hide after the first pitch. Grisham has young Rudy ready to take on the world, and boy did he ever. I use to work for an insurance company, and I was never very fond of the insensitivity and cold-hearted poeple of the business, and now I hate 'em even more. Well, Rudy goes after "Great Benefit" Insurance and their large team of lawyers. What a ride! There are a couple of other cases Rudy is dealing with aside form the Great Benefit case. Without telling you the story, it has an ending that I didn't quite expect. I loved this Grisham Novel! (I never saw this movie)
Rating:
Summary: This is a laugh riot first, a legal thriller second
Review: This is truly a fantastic book. I dont want to go thru the plot, coz to tell you the truth, this book is less abt a plot, its about humourous narative power unleased by Mr grisham, that will keep you in splits throughtout. Some may think me to be nuts, but really the court room thriller is just a canvas on which I think Mr Grisham wanted to try his hand at humour. And it comes of beautifully. you dont want to read this book, * If you dont like first person perpective in present tense.
* If you want 50 % dialogues which get you through big fat fiction books in one evening.(This book is purely narrative power, only abt 10 % in dailogue).
*If you dont like books where there is no shift in perspective. This book is completely through the eyes and ears of Rudy Baylor the main protagonist page 1 to page last.
*You are looking for big conspiracies and huge climatic endings like the firm.
*You really dont have a sense of humour and infact hate laughing,smirking,smiling,giggling while reading.(I did all of these while reading) For everyone else this book is a joy Humour highlights *The mulch planting section with Miss Birdie.
*The U section in the courtroom (this is the cream)
*Rudy's odd shaped colleague, Deck always waiting for tragedies and disasters so they can make some money representing them for insurance claims. I coud not believe this, lawyers actually waiting in hospital cafeterials wishing and hoiping for bandaged and mummied up patients to be taken up as cleints. The better the car accident the more the claim.
*Dont miss this ..The stupid letter as the bomb in the courtroom scene.
*The pretentious Mr Drummond episodes from the "Trent and Brent" firm with his collection of 4 other pretentious souls like him who all the time keep scribbling on their legal pads god knows what and bill at obscene hourly rates. Lots lots more.. just read it PS:Also dont read this in crowded places..people will take you for some dumb guy who keeps breaking into sudden smiles and chuckles.
Rating: 
Summary: *NOT* a thriller by any means
Review: Most Grisham novels are true thrillers: they're entertaining stories with enough plot twists to keep you up past your bedtime. Of course, the protagonist's fate is never in doubt, but he/she certainly takes a long time in getting there. "The Rainmaker," however, is not a thriller by any means. Yes, it's an engaging -- sometimes even moving -- story about the search for justice against an amoral insurance company. But Grisham seemingly wrote the novel with an axe to grind, and this moral agenda prevents the novel from becoming a truly great, make-your-heart-skip-suspense-tale we've come to expect from the author of "The Client" and "The Firm." Three criticisms: 1. The plot is too black & white "The Rainmaker" moves from one event to another in a near linear fashion -- there's no surprise revelation, no complicating obstacle that places the outcome of the case in doubt. The protagonist, Rudy Baylor, simply gets one lucky break after another and faces no setbacks at all in taking down the evil insurance company. 2. Side-plots and characters are abandoned instead of being woven into the fabric of the story-line Even the most promising side-stories (Rudy's shady boss, his landlady's will), are slowly abandoned out of convenience somewhere in the middle instead of being skillfully integrated into the main storyline (as Grisham has so wonderfully done in the past). Characters richly characterized in the beginning -- like Rudy's best friend Booker -- are virtually forgotten, only to be picked up again at the *very* end when Grisham realizes he's forgotten to mention them. 3. Great development in the beginning; virtually nothing in the end Finally, the pacing is off: there's so much rich depth in the first 200 pages as the author develops Rudy and fosters reader loyalty (you really do root for him and cheer as he triumphs). There's all kinds of great background information, the pace is thoughtful and deliberate throughout...then Grisham crams together a conclusion in a rather thin 10-page spread near the end. All in all, an entertaining narrative about a fictional insurance company getting its just punishment -- but certainly not a Grisham "thriller" by any means, and thus, a disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Not his best work
Review: This is my least favorite Grisham book. Aside from the underdeveloped plot, the characters are very flat. And, the story, especially the ending, is so completely far-fetched, it makes the endings of The Firm and The Pelican Brief seem plausible. I don't understand the hype this book receives, it certainly doesn't deserve it. Grisham knows how to keep the reader captivated, so it's disappointing to read something like this and know that he could have done a lot better.
Rating:
Summary: Baffled
Review: I think I understand some of the enthusiasm for The Rainmaker; I too found that I wanted to keep reading, that the plot was energetic enough to push me through the pages. When I read overall praise of the book, however, I'm baffled. It was entertaining, but very flawed. I found the characters flat and dimensionless, and never even felt as if I had a sense of protagonist Rudy Baylor. He seemed a living stereotype-- the bright, well-meaning, down on his luck, little-guy lawyer, blue-collar background, who takes on "the man" in one of his many incarnations: an enormous white-collar corporate conspiracy. Satisfying, but hardly original. There was no greater depth to either Rudy's character or the conflict; both were kept on a simple, surficial level, one most conducive to a fast-paced plot. Indeed, most of the characters were slightly embellished stereotypes, were vehicles for plot and never real people. Rudy's bosses were the heart-of-gold petty criminals; the opposing lawyers were Ivy League money-grubbers, etc., etc. The girl, Kelly, came off the worst. I found sitting through the patronizing relationship between Kelly and Rudy sickening-- Grisham and feminism ought to be on bad terms after this book. She was a battered woman whom Rudy set out to rescue, but she was never given any autonomy or a character of her own. She was only an idea, a helplessness embodied, a vehicle by which we were meant to see Rudy's chivalry and good-heartedness. The scenes of him dispensing advice to her, with a total disrespect for the person she might have been, the way she coped with her situation (which was of course far out of his understanding), were wretched. But, like any good cardboard cut-out, she obediently fell in love with him and seemed grateful for his condescension. The book was, as I said, satisfying, amusing, but too easy. Grisham took the easy way out at every step. We never had to think about sympathizing with the bad guys; we never had to contemplate the ethical dilemmas before us, because the 'right' answer was always clear. We didn't have to struggle through the inner conflicts of the characters because there weren't any such conflicts and there were barely any characters. If you're home sick, The Rainmaker is a fine choice. But for substance look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: MAKES YOU HATE INSURANCE COMPANIES MORE
Review: WHAT A GREAT BOOK I LOVED IT. MY BLOOD BOILED AS READ ABOUT THE SCUM AT THE INSURANCE AGENCY. I WISH WE COULD SAY THAT THIS WAS A FANTASY NOVEL BUT IT IS NOT, WELL OFF THE BAND WAGON AND BACK TO THE BOOK. THIS BOOK IS TRUE TO LIFE AND VERY VERY GRIPPING.
IT TAKES TWIST AND TURNS EVERYWHERE, YOU CAN FEEL RUDY BAYLOR'S EMOTIONS , DEFINATELY HIS FEAR.
Rating: 
Summary: Surreal, but Gripping
Review: Rudy Baylor's luck ebbs and flows like the tides. At one time everything is going wrong, no job, no house, no money, no prospects, no girl. He is forced into a job with a questionable character for a boss, and soon, things fall apart there also. His one case is going badly, lawyers are trying to cheat him, and the judge is biased to the other side. Just when you think he's down, Grisham turns the tide, and soon Rudy can do no wrong, and everything is conveniently falling into his lap. Reading this book, you can't help but squirm with amusement as the tables turn on the Goliath of all law firms, with little Rudy and his sling swinging away with the assistance of his friends, including the new judge. Don't hold your breath though, because as quickly as the good luck comes, it vanishes, leaving you headed off in a new direction. This book is a thoroughly entertaining read, albeit impossible, but amusing, sad and satisfying at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: NO WONDER PEOPLE HATE INSURANCE COMPANIES
Review: THIS IS ONE GREAT BOOK. A LITTLE SLOW IN THE BEGINNING BUT THEN IT TAKES OFF. WORTH EVERY MOMENT I SPENT READING IT.
Rating:
Summary: The Rainmaker
Review: The Rainmaker: Legendary
**** "Donny Ray sits with his cane between his legs, resting his chin on it." In John Grisham's book The Rainmaker, the lawyer deals with clients very often. The author's purpose in writing this novel is to create a drama that will capture the reader until the end.
Basically, a son goes to college and law school and then starts the lawyer life after he passes the bar. He starts his own firm after working for other people. He has some clients, but one big one in which he has put his hopes in. He then goes to court with the case. The end of the story comes soon after.
In the book the setting has much to do in the way of understanding and comprehending where the characters are. Many times in the novel Grisham changes the setting fairly quickly, but in some places he leaves it where it is for a while. An example of a short setting is Deck and Rudy discussing things over a meal. The court room is a good example of a longer setting because Grisham keeps the story there for about eleven pages.
There are many small characters in the novel, but only one real major character. Rudy Baylor is the main character, who is young and learning but matures throughout the book Deck, Rudy's assistant ("paralawyer"), is underhanded and conniving, but in and innocent sort of manner. Judge Kipler is like the elder; he is wise and very helpful. He is Rudy's arch enemy; he is older, knows the ropes, and a wanna-be that makes himself into a fool. Rudy and Drummond's personalities collide because they are different, and they are opponents. There is also Kelly who is a passionate person who bands with Rudy, but the rest cannot be told for the sake of the ending.
The plot of the story happens to be excellent, but it takes awhile to achieve the goal of interest and suspense. This story gets off to a slow start when Rudy is obtaining information about the case, and getting a job. The action picks up after that though and the escape from the government by Prince and Bruiser along with the Kelly incident at the hospital picks up the plot and run with it. Of course the court case becomes the best of the plot it starts to wind down, but the end gives it closure with a good plot sequence.
The lawyer jargon such as the "briefs" and the happenings that go on like the jury selection, are not normal because the readers don't usually know these things, but Grisham does a good job of explaining everything. Other than that the conversation and such are normal communicating language. Grisham's style is mostly descriptive and partially very easy to read and blunt.
This book captures the reader and they won't want to put it down. It is intriguing, entangled with deception, lies, and court battles. It is capturing. Read this book or loose a great experience. This novel truly deserves a five star rating.
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