A Civil Action

Rating:
Summary: I Think I Prefer This To A John Grisham Book
Review: This is a great book. Firstly because the characters and their emotions at particular points of time, are very well portrayed. Secondly because the author does not get thrown off course by too much technical detail, yet enough is said to enable us to understand the background of the matter. Thirdly, the description of the trial in particular is very vivid. every moment is captured in great detail. Fourth, I like the fact that there's some humor amid the action and depression. Most of all, it's written like a piece of fiction, and yet everything that's happened is true. I love John Grisham books, but I think this one beats all of 'em!

Rating:
Summary: Gut-wrenchingly good
Review: I won't go into the details of the plot, since all the other reviews sufficiently chronicle what this book is about. Suffice it to say that this is a great read on so many levels. The legal jousting and courtroom battles are great, but Harr's major accomplishment lies in painting a rich picture of the very human characters involved. If you ever wondered what it's like to be involved in litigation, this book will give you a pretty good idea, and it's not a pretty picture. With all due respect to those reviewers who didn't like the book because Schlictmann wasn't "a good guy," I must respond by saying that that's precisely the point. People tend to have this simplistic idea of the legal system and of justice, that it's good versus evil, right versus wrong. Harr shows us in harrowing detail that such is not the case. Law, like most things in life, is a manifestly human endeavor, and hence imperfect. As you read this book, you may feel anger, cynicism, incredulousness, faint moments of joy and laughter. But read it you will. I learned more about what law is really like from this book than I did from going to law school for three years.

Rating:
Summary: Harr's First Hand Account Brings Horrific Story to Life
Review: Jonathan Harr's Civil Action compares to any court room drama with an added dimension. He was there. His coverage of the trial, interaction with litigators from both sides and personal observations paint a story that is both tragic and triumphant. Harr brings the reader into the lives of these families and shows you what they went through. Then he shows the toll such a case can take on a lawyer. The depth in which this book covers the trial is awe inspiring. Harr took this once in a lifetime shot and hit it. By far the best book I have read this year, and the best court room drama I have ever read. Grisham could not have come up with this, congratulations to Mr. Harr for a job well done.

Rating:
Summary: Could this have really happened in America??
Review: I stumbled on this book in airport bookstore last weekend and read it in three days. It is a true story, and reads like you are there with the main character, Jan Schlictman, as he takes on two polluting corporations. An epidemic of leukemia in a small town outside of Boston leads to a lawsuit the families of 8 children who died. S becomes obsessed with winning at all costs, and indeed he takes his law firm deeply into debt while building his case. What is chilling is the partisanship of the judge Walter Skinner, who manipulates the trial to prevent any chance of a fair hearing, yet the appeals court writes him a letter of commendation. I rate this book in my all time top 5. I look forward to a movie treatment due out soon, starring John Travolta.

Rating:
Summary: So vividly portrayed i felt I was involved in the story
Review: This is the true story of a law suit which lasted nine years. It is told from the viewpoint of the lawyers on both sides, but this reader's sympathies were engaged by the plaintiff trying to get a verdict against two polluting companies. The author spares no detail--and there are many both technical and scientific--which makes the reading tough, but also helps build up the tension. just like a good mystery tale, one keeps going to find out the ending.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting Legal Drama-Excellent Depiction of Court System
Review: A Civil ACtion is the best book I have read on Legal System, I have been a paralegal for 12 years and worked on the EPA Superfund cases. The firm I worked for also went bankrupt. The case is writtten beautifully and the steps for presenting a case of this magnitude is vast . If you believe in justice and our legal system read this book it will enlighten you.

Rating:
Summary: don't forget the afterword
Review: I coudn't wait for my wife to finish the book so we could discuss it. When she did finish I said "wasn't that the neatest afterword?" She said, "what afterword?" It gives the book one last very satisfying twist.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally entertaining and scary about legal redress
Review: This book makes the reader look at the heart of what's desperately wrong with the "small folks" seeking legal redress from megacorporations in America today. All the corruption in Washington and other centers of government in this country (and probably a good many other countries)is the final act of contempt for the people who have put their trust in judges and the court system. Forget about getting justice! This a lot of us have recognized for a long time. What's stunning about this book is that the characterization of the various lawyers working on this case is very realistic and human. Jan Schlichtmann is a great Quixotic figure of our times, and one winds up wishing that if one is in the unhappy a position of suing as a plaintiff that a lawyer of his caliber and determination could represent you. Judges like the one in this case should be made to suffer the very effects they deny ever happen(ed) to unsuspecting citizens. The writing is breathtaking. This is a valuable book, a great read and makes one really think about the intricacies and nastiness of the justice system and those few who remain uncorrupted.

Rating:
Summary: excellent characterization and page-turning suspense
Review: it reads like fiction, highest praise for me. The characters are lifelike, idiosyncratic, and sympathetic. Without seeming to, the author gives us deep insights into scientific testimony, courtroom procedure, and the fact that going to law school doesn't make anyone a successful lawyer without hard work,personal charisma, and shrewd interpersonal skills. Read, learn, and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: A landmark trial and story
Review: Harr struggles and doubles back to set up the story of Woburn, but steps back on track to document the story of the mercurial Jan Schlichtmann, the weary Judge Skinner and the enigmatic Jerome Facher. Engaging and important.