The Pelican Brief

Rating:
Summary: 'The pelican became the hero'
Review: "The politicians from the governors down took the oil money and played along. All was well, and so what if some of the marshlands suffered."

Years ago I would read every Grisham book that came out. John Grisham is a fellow southerner, born and raised in Mississippi, schooled at Ole Miss. His characters remind me so much of the people I grew up with, remind me of my home. The Firm is my least favorite of his books which is surprising since the setting for that story is in my hometown of Memphis, TN; the movie was even worse since whoever directed or produced it totally botched the ending.

I read this book in one day in my backyard. I lay motionless in a lounge chair only moving the muscles in my thumb and forefinger; I've never read a book like that in my entire life!

Rating:
Summary: Brainless beach or vacation reading
Review: Grisham has been quoted as saying that he created the character Darby Shaw with actress Julia Roberts in mind. This girl is just too darn perfect-looking to be real. And, oh how convenient that she has a trust fund and doesn't have to work for a living. Now I realize Grisham's novels aren't necessarily about "everyday" life--but when the characters are believable and true to life, then in my opinion it's easier to suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. I'm sorry, but I just can't work up any sympathy for this woman. I actually rooted for the bad guys in this one. By the end of the book, when she's out of the country in her little tropical paradise playing coy with her hero, I'm thinking, "what took you so long, you dingbat?" This book just felt too mass-produced--as though Grisham were starting to write with an eye on what would make a good movie rather than a good book. (The two aren't always related, you know) Still, as mindless escape fare, this one's not bad. Judging by how well it sold and how many people were reading it in Florida when I was there in 1994, it fills that bill pretty well. But that's about it. It's certainly not "must reading" in my book. Grisham's done better. .

Rating:
Summary: a very intellectual review of the pelican brief
Review: John Grisham fans will not need to worry about being disappointed with this fast-paced thriller. The Pelican Brief, like many other novels that he has written is based on law. It has a thrilling plot and is suspenseful from the moment you lay your eyes on the first page. It will keep you reading into the small hours of the morning.

Most of Grisham's characters are related to law or to the government. Thomas Callahan is a professor at law, while Darby Shaw is a student of law. The rest of the characters are government officials and such.

The story begins with the murders of two supreme court justices. Supreme Court Justice Abe Rosenberg and Justice Glenn Jensen are both murdered on the same night by the same guy. Both murders where perfectly executed crimes. The murderer left no evidence and nothing for the government to pick up on.

After hearing about the murders, Darby Shaw gets quite interested decides to do some investigating of her own. After a few days of skipping classes and thorough research Darby put together a theory on what she found. She discarded it later on facts she thought proved it false. Thomas Callahan, a professor at Tulane, is having an affair with Darby. He takes her theory to an old friend in D.C. thinking it was ingenious. His friend, Gavin, thought it was amazing and sent it to the White house. It got to the president and eventually made its way outside of the White house.

When Thomas returned to Tulane, him and Darby went out to eat at a restaurant. Thomas got so drunk that Darby refused to ride with him. Thomas , being stubborn as he is, wouldn't let Darby drive and got in the car and when he started the engine a bomb went off. Darby hit her head on a bumper and got knocked out. While she was regaining consciousness a man dressed in a police uniform took her to a car asked her what her name was and then left her in the car. The police arrived soon after and found her lying there. The police deny that the man was part of the law enforcement.

The police took Darby to a nearby hospital and told her to wait there for help. She leaves when they are out of sight and gets a room at a hotel. She calls the only person she can think of at the moment, Gavin. She then finds out that she is a suspect at the murder of Thomas and the only person she can trust is his best friend.

This novel will take you through many twists and turns. It is gripping and will have you reading through to the very last word. Darby's theory has made someone very upset and they will go at all costs to have her executed. All Darby did was write down her best guess at the murders and now she is running for her life.