A Civil Action

Rating:
Summary: Unbelieveable!
Review: Excellent read. Truly gripping non-fiction. Don't leave the store without it!

Rating:
Summary: The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Review: This book could be entitled "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." It contains all of our favorite villians: Greedy attorneys, corrupt and deceitful corporations, and biased judges. Better than fiction, Jonathan Harr follows this outrageous environmental/personal injury class action suit through the eyes of the attorney and, as the case progresses, one gets a great lesson in just how deceitful man can be. Start early in the day on this one, because you won't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: DON'T DRINK THE WATER
Review: This was one of the best books I have ever read, I read it in four days and it's a BIG book. John Grisham and other so-called best-selling authors of legal books, should read this book closely. This is how books are suppose to read. The good guy doesn't always win and justice can be a missing element in our legal system. Jonathan Harr writes in a manner that makes you want to read and read well past bedtime. I'm sure there are plenty of civil cases that are even more interesting than the Woburn case but without a skilled author like Harr they will never see the light of day. I recommend this book to everyone even though it does not end the way I'd like it to end. I have to wonder if Jan, the plantiff's lawyer, doesn't look at settlement offers in a completely different light these days. I hope he's recovered!!

Rating:
Summary: Stunning.
Review: Finally, a book that shows just how complex, how gut-wrenching, how frustrating, how endless real life civil litigation can be. This book, more than any legal yarn I have ever read, finally puts to rest the ridiculous myths that the good guys always win big, that juries are never wrong, that clients get their cases to trial within days of walking through the law office door, and that lawyers can easily work on only one case at a time. Drew Hasselback, LL.B., St. Catharines, Ontario.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST IMPORTANT LEGAL READ
Review: As a law student in Japan, I read the novel in almost a week. Words are alive, plots overwhelming, making you stick into the very end of the story. And above all, this is all from the facts that all the things described in the book are based on the truth, there actually were people suffering from the water contamination that clearly caused leukemia cluster in Woburn and there are still those, even now you are reading this. A lawyer comes to stand in the way to bring justice to the neighborhood that has lost precious lives of their beloved ones. He fights. To the extent I could barely had imagined. That was an unforgettable experience. Greatly recommended ! Even for Japanese. You will never know what's in there till you finish, especially in this book no way you can ignore the importance of the balance of justice and our very lives, that could easily be endangered unless we are watchful

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Summary: The best courtroom drama ever written?
Review: When it comes to a plot and character development, Jonathan Harr makes John Grisham look like an amateur. This book makes great travel reading: it grabbed my interest and held it. Civil Action is not only entertaining and suspenseful, it's intelligently written and true

Rating:
Summary: couldn't put it down!
Review: Facinating insight into a truely incredible siutation. A refreshing alternative to the "spiced" up legal thriller often found on the best sellers list. Nothing is more amazing than reality. I would strongly recommend this book to a friend

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This was a great book. I read it in a week (mostly in one weekend) which is unheard of for me. I could not put it down. I can't believe it is nonfiction. Highly recommended to anyone who can read

Rating:
Summary: Renders a Verdict Far More Compelling Than Any Court's
Review: I picked this book up on Friday afternoon and didn't put it down until I had finished reading it the next day -- exhausted. The young attorney and his colleagues, who fought the giant corporations and cronyism in the federal judicial system on behalf of people victimized by polluted water, no doubt look back upon the proceedings and see many things they could have been done to secure a better outcome. But Mr. Harr's book renders them a verdict far more compelling and vindicating than any they could have ever asked for in court. - Jim McManu

Rating:
Summary: Writing was superb
Review: As a writer of technical, non-fiction, and marketing copy, I am a perpetual student of exceptional examples of non-fiction writing: how to make the material engaging; how to present it in a readable understandable way; how to leave your reader satisfied and with a comprehension of sometimes difficult and complex information. Jonathan Harr fulfilled every requirement-superbly! Not only did he develop the story into an enthralling drama with action-filled devices and human touch, but he used language that overcame the complexity of the information and educated his readership. A model writer