Rating: 
Summary: I stopped after the first 100 pages.
Review: This is the first Grisham novel I have read. The writing style is very good and kept me turning the pages. However, I got to a point around the 100th page where I didn't believe anymore, the magic was gone. For me, the character suddenly fell flat and lost credibility. I couldn't bring my self to finish the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost the Best Grisham
Review: Second only to The Firm, and far ahead of Grisham's last few is The Rainmaker; in it, the author presents us with a character to root for: down-on-his-luck Rudy Baylor. This is one thing that Grisham once did so well. He also tells an intriguing story, and along the way Rudy becomes our friend, and we become his confidants. I have little criticism except that Rudy seems to be presented with fewer obstacles in the court trial than one would expect. And--in spite of what the back cover says--I don't think his life is ever in danger.The Rainmaker typifies the early John Grisham: good story-telling, likeable characters, adequate characterization, no gratuitous sex or violence, and a minimum amount of profanity. Can anyone honestly question why he became so popular?
Rating:
Summary: Just couldn't put it down.
Review: Becaue I was in law school at the time, I immediately identified with the hero of this Grisham novel. Rudy Baylor isn't the top-notch student of some top-tier school, and the mysterious or openly corrupt southern firms aren't about ot bang down his door. Even the mid-level prospects that Baylor had counted on for needed employment after graduation seem to vanish in the wind. But he's determined and not just a little ambitious, and his very first case takes him up against an evil HMO represented by the top law firm in state, a self-contained old-boy network with time and money to burn, and half the state's judges in its pocket. But Rainmaker is more than that. Actually, it's a bundle of stories sharing Rudy Baylor as the common denominator. He finds love with a battered wife, room and board with a widow who may be worth millions, learns things about law they don't teach you in law school and mixes with a rogues gallery of unsavory types who are in equal portions scary and indispensable. Baylor's best hope (for work) is the ambulance chasing king of the hill, served by an army of disbarred minions who can't litigate issues. The book is best in the first half when it's not clear which of these little stories - if any - will take over the book. When Baylor's lawsuit against the evil HMO's takes over, the story necessarily slows down and becomes less satisfying. The trial itself becomes a bit of a dissappointment - the racist old-time judges suddenly keels over to be replaced with one more friendly to Rudy and his cause and openly averse to the defense; the defense attorneys themselves remain the perfect paradigms of their evil breed and the defendants...well, what would you say in the defense of an HMO? As if to balance, Grisham beefs up the other plots (now firmly subplots) with unconvincing melodrama - a violent confrontation with the battered wife's evil husband being the worst example. Thruough it all howver, he remains Rudy Baylor, first year law grad, scared out of his mind and possibly the Grisham's best hero.
Rating: 
Summary: Love it!
Review: I'll admit I was drawn to this book because of the movie (which is one of my favorites). But the book is even better... a much more in depth look at "Rudy's" background and his challenges. Grisham has an amazing way of mixing daily activities with courtroom drama to create absolute masterpieces. I'm a huge Grisham fan and "The Rainmaker" is definitely one of his best.
Rating:
Summary: The Rainmaker
Review: I had to read a book for my 10th grade IGL class and I happened to pick up The Rainmaker. I needed alot of pages so I picked it up, I opened it and started to read and I just couldn't stop, it was just so good, I love to read John Grisham's books but this is the best one I have read yet. I like the lawyer that Rudy becomes and the way he won the case against Great Benefit. Rudy was not interested in seeing the Blacks son but then when he met and talked to him he felt better about it and he really liked him. By: Jesse Cooper
Rating:
Summary: The Rainmaker
Review: I just had to read a book for my 10th grade IGL class and I happened to pick up The Rainmaker. I opened it up and started to read it and I just couldn't stop, it was just so good, I love to read John Grisham's books but this is the best one I have read yet. I like the lawyer that Rudy becomes and the way he won the case against Great Benefit. Rudy was not interested in seeing the Blacks son but then when he met and talked to him he felt better about it and he really liked him. By: Jesse Cooper
Rating:
Summary: Could Grisham Have Struggled At Some Point In His Life?
Review: If you've ever had to live on a tight budget while trying to "make it big," then you'll enjoy this book. Grisham's main character, Rudy Baylor, is on the verge of bankruptcy and his job situation is less than glamorous. But you can identify with everything and laugh at the similarities between Rudy's life and your own. Plus, the story line will keep you hooked page after page. Don't just shrug this book off as "another lawyer book by Grisham" or you'll miss out on an excellent novel.
Rating: 
Summary: How can you like this book?
Review: I don't understand how people can actually like this book. Compared to Grisham's previous novels (such as The Firm, the Client, and A Time to Kill) this novel absolutely sucks. He takes no time in development in his characters. Rudy Baylor is an arrogant, self righteous lawyer who preaches about the woes of big corporations. It's not if he has any experience in the matter. He's fresh out of high school. His girlfriend Kelly is the sterotypical beat up woman who returns to her man again and again and almost gets herself killed. Why can't he return to the helpful and intelligent women such as Abby in the Firm? Or in the Client? Kelly has to depend on Rudy, who isn't a stable himself, to get her out of the mess she's gotten herself into. The Rainmaker lacks character, it lacks orginality, and it lacks thought. Spend more time on your novels John Grisham!!
Rating:
Summary: Best Grisham book yet
Review: Grisham added a lot more humor to this book than his others. Had my attention every minute. Development of characters was very strong in this book. Thought the main character, Rudy, was very strong with a great first name.
Rating:
Summary: Seriously, "The Rainmaker" is Grisham's funniest novel
Review: "The Firm" still remains John Grisham's best novel, but "The Rainmaker" is his funniest. I have never read a book that better managed to hit my funny bone straight on without tipping over the edge into farce (i.e., John Irving). This time around Grisham's hero is Rudy Baylor, in his final semester of law school and required by one of his professors to provide free legal advice at a Senior Citizens home. There he meets Miss Birdie, an old lady who apparently has millions of dollars salted away and who definitely needs a new will, and Dot Black, who's son Donny Ray is dying of leukemia while their insurance company refuses to pay for medical treatment. In the legal world a "rainmaker" is someone who brings in big clients (i.e., big money) to a law firm. When Rudy's future job suddenly disappears in the wake of a surprise merger, these cases might be his ticket to a promising legal career. The villains are lawyers from a giant firm and a heartless insurance company, which is certainly stacking the deck but part of the fun. As with "The Pelican Brief" there is a bit of misdirection at the beginning in terms of getting a read on the main character. Rudy is broke and has some shady friends in the legal profession, but the bottom line is he is a good guy and he will do the right thing. Even if it means playing David against Goliath in a stacked courtroom where the presiding judge is best buds with the great Leo F. Drummond of the giant law firm Trent & Brent, representing the Great Benefits Insurance Company. But then Rudy gets a break. The presiding judge suddenly drops dead and his replacement, Judge Kipler, is a plaintiff's dream. Better yet, Rudy has the truth on his side. The joy of this book is watching Rudy beat the bad guys. Every single lawyer's trick used by Drummond fails with Judge Kipler. Every dirty trick by the insurance company is exposed by Rudy, who comes up with some little twists of his own. Sure, all the rabbits getting pulled out of the hat is a bit excessive, but that is what makes this such a fun read. At the heart of this book is the quest for justice, but that does not mean we can not enjoy a little payback along the way. The romantic subplot between Rudy and Kelly comes across as something of a diversion from the main story, but at the end it gives the hero someone with whom he can ride off into the sunset. "The Rainmaker" is one of those books where you pick it up from time to time to read the good parts. If you saw the movie and enjoyed Rudy sticking it to the bad guys, then you should enjoy much more of the same in this novel.
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