girl's father takes justice into his own hands. He kills the two whites on their way to jail. For days the nation sits spellbound as the defence lawyer struggles to sa...
people of Clanton see it as a crime of blood and call for his acquittal. But when extremists outside Clanton hear that a black man has killed two white men...
girl's father takes justice into his own hands. He kills the two whites on their way to jail. For days the nation sits spellbound as the defence lawyer struggles to save his client's life and then his own.
attacked and raped by two local men. Carl Lee, Tonya's father, shoots them. Now only his lawyer and friend, Jake Brigance, stands between him and the electric chair.
attacked and raped by two local men. Carl Lee, Tonya's father, shoots them. Now only his lawyer and friend, Jake Brigance, stands between him and the electric chair.
A review by kthdsn on A Time to Kill - John Grisham August 30th, 2004
Author's product rating:
Would you read it again?
Absolutely
Story
Outstanding
Characters
Outstanding
Readability
Excellent
How does it compare to other works by the same author?
Not applicable
Advantages:
Brilliant read, unputdownable
Disadvantages:
Some parts are distressing
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I have just finished reading my first John Grisham novel and I was most impressed. I have also watched the movie and was somewhat less impressed. It was not a bad film, just weaker than the book as many films are.
The book opens with a scene depicting the brutal rape and torture of a ten year old black girl by two white men. It is very distressing to read as it is very detailed and graphic and almost led me to put the book down. However I persevered and I am glad I did.
The aforementioned white men are arrested and put into jail. they are taken to the court for the pretrail matters and the black girls father shoots them both dead, also wounding a deputy. The focus of the novel is on the trial of the father for the shootings.
Characters
Carl Lee Hailey - The black father on trial for shooting the two white men who raped his young daughter. Carl Lee spends most of his time in jail awaiting trial and so does not feature often in the novel. He is a devoted family man and although not well off strives to provide well for his wife and children. He is torn apart by his daughters brutal treatment and shot the rapists as he believed they would be set free because they are white.
Jake Brigance - Carl Lee's lawyer who previously defended Carl Lee's brother for murder and got him off. He is a young ambitious white man with a wife and daughter but it seems his main passion is his failing law practice. The Hailey case will be the biggest of his career and will make or break him.
Ellen Roark - A law student commited to stamping out the death penalty and bringing justice to black people as well as white. She offers her services to Jake and helps him by researching the legal background relevant to the case. She also provides him with a welcome friend after his wife and daughter leave town.
Harry Rex Vonner - Jake's friend, also a lawyer who deals with divorce cases and has a lucrative career. He lends legal and moral support to Jake throughout the trial.
Lucien Willbanks - A disbarred lawyer who tutored Jake and helped him to become successful. He is now a drunk but his vast experience is called upon to help Jake defend his client to the best of his ability.
Ozzie Walls - The black sherriff of Clanton, Ford County, Mississipi where the story is set. Ozzie is friends with almost everybody and helps Carl Lee see his family in the time before the trial. He also has to deal with the Ku Klux Klan when they begin their antics.
The Klan - These men are obviously against Carl Lee, being black and having killed two whites. They show up and cause chaos burning crosses in peoples gardens, threatening jurors, rioting in the streets and attempting to harm Jake and his associates.
Judge Noose - The judge residing over the case. His legal obligations are overshadowed by threats from various people and his dicisions affected by this. This then affects the trial, for example he refused to grant a change of venue even though the people involved in the case were being threatened by the Klan.
Rufus Buckley - The district attorney who is representing the state. He is a typically self obsessed smarmy creep who it seems would go to any lengths to please the public and win the case. Rather cliched but welcome in the novel as someone to really detest.
The verdict
Well obviously I'm not going to tell you the outcome of the case, more my verdict on the book.
The book was at times difficult to follow because several characters were introduced in close succession and then mentioned later on without a little something to remind you who they were, but perhaps this is just my bad memory. Overall it was easy enough to read with explanations of all the legal jargon throughout so that ordinary people are able to understand the technicalities. John Grisham is clearly knowledgable about the legal system and the politics surrounding such cases. He obviously writes from experience going into great detail without alienating the reader.
It amazed me how much of the preperation for trial involved detailed research into the backgrounds of the prospective jurors and witnesses rather than legal research. The outcome of the case it seemed depended on whether or not the jury could sympathise with a father protecting his family or whether they simply saw him as a black murderer. It also seemed more important for the oposing sides to discredit each others witnesses than it did for them to provide credible ones to begin with.
But this book not only gives a wonderful insite to the politics and procedures of American law, it also tells a gripping story of a family torn apart by such a tragic event. A story of a father who, in an effort to protect his family may cause them to fall apart as if he is convicted he will certainly face the gas chamber. He is obviously guilty by law, as he shot the two men in cold blood, but will Jake be able to convince the jury to send him home to his family who need him more than ever?
Another side to this book is the racial prejudice that is present throughout. We see black people who detest whites, and whites who detest blacks, with the extreme being the Ku Klux Klan. We also see people who see past race and believe everyone should be treated equally and these people seem to have the most trouble in the town. Jake has his life threatened on several occasions by the Klan for being a "nigger lover".
These issues are all dealt with realistically and I found that throughout the book I felt as though I was there with the characters, sharing all the fear and pain, the apprehension and doubt, and most of all the compassion and love for a little girl and her father who so desperately wanted to protect her.
I felt something for all the characters, some I loved, others I hated, some I was afraid of, but there wasn't one person that wasn't brought to life and nobody I felt indifferent to.
So can Jake prove to the jury that Carl Lee was legally insane, and enable him to go home, or will Rufus charm the jury into finding him guilty as sin and send him to the gas chamber? As Lucien states, this is a strange case because either way justice will prevail. If Carl Lee gets guilty then a murderer will be brought to justice, and if he is found not guilty then the rapists will have been brought to justice and a loving father not punished.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers as although it is not really a thriller, it has similar qualities. The suspence is held throughout as you wonder if Carl Lee will be given the death sentance or not. There are also enough incidents involving the Klan to provide action. There are even romantic issues as Jake's marriage suffers his devotion to the case, and Jake and Ellen become ever more friendly with each other.
Do be warned that this is not for the faint hearted. The opening scene is very graphic and upsetting and there are references to the rape throughout the book. The powerful descriptions, however distressing, really add substance to the narrative and bring the scenes to life making them feel very real. Many points in the story stirred my emotions and the ending brought me to tears.
I will definitely be reading more books by this talented author and recommend this one highly.
Advantages: Suspense till the end, a book you cannot put down Disadvantages: None
A Time To Kill by John Grisham is a captivating novel that is almost impossible to put down. A true masterpiece by an excellent author.
When this book was first released the response to it was luke warm. However upon the release of “The Firm” people began to appreciate Grisham’s work and suddenly “A Time to Kill” was in demand and was re-published as if it were a new book altogether. The books brings alive a sensitive ... ...novel, the story is about a black man named Carl who takes the law into his own hands when he shoots and kills two young white boys who brutally raped and beat his 10-year-old daughter. The peoples of the town are at loggerheads between the law and a father’s natural instinct to protect his family. A local lawyer, called Jake takes up the daunting and almost impossible task of defending Carl. This decision causes mass media attention as well ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Strong character development, well integrated plot, emotional and provocative read Disadvantages: Some distressing moments
...with this work. It takes a lot for an author to genuinely impress me as I read a lot when I find the time to do so. I found this book to be extremely good and the characters and the plot were meticuously formed and well maintained throughout the book. Once I started reading I found that I could not put the book down; even staying up until 4 AM one night to finish.
The book begins bu describing the rape of a black ten year old girl by two drunk and ... ...for dead and this was a distressing part of the book to read. I am grateful that I read on however, as the book proved to be a very good read.
The two white men are arrested by deputy Ozzie Walls and are taken to court for the pertrial arrangements. When they are being escorted back to the jail the father of the raped girl shoots both the men killing them both. It is his trial that the book focuses on.
Characters
Ozzie Walls - A black deputy who ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Good plot, makes you think Disadvantages: Slightly predictable ending
...though it is just as a thriller it also carries a message that certainly made me think. The basic plot is two racist rednecks in Mississippi kidnap and rape a 10-year-old black girl. They are arrested but the girl's father, unconvinced that he will get justice, decides to take matters into his own hands and he machines guns them down. He is charged with pre-meditated murder and faces execution if convicted. Along comes the hotshot lawyer who wants ... ...we, if we were on a jury, would treat a person who'd killed two men for raping his daughter at the same time he explores race hatred in the Deep South. In doing this he also highlighted the huge differences in culture between the American South and the UK (and incidentally made me glad I was living in the latter).
Despite or probably because of its deep thought provoking properties I really enjoyed this book a lot and had difficulty putting it down: ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Readable, tightly plotted novel which is unafraid to grapple with some sensitive issues Disadvantages: Harrowing opening chapter
...the highly successful author of a string of legal thrillers, many of which have been made into high-profile films – among the best known of which are The Firm and The Pelican Brief.
Grisham, an ex-lawyer (no surprise there) is probably the best-known and most successful, though certainly not the only, exponent of this genre. However, his first novel, A Time to Kill, which was first published in 1989, did not originally attract that much attention. ... ...that the first one gained a wider readership. A Time to Kill was also subsequently made into a film starring Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L Jackson and Sandra Bullock.
An interesting introduction to this edition of the book by Grisham provides some insights into the background to how he came to write it, and his feelings about it now.
A Time to Kill (original working title “Deathknell” – probably a bad idea, although I’m ...
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Would you read it again?
Story
Characters
Readability
How does it compare to ...
very helpful
05.06.2005
A Time To Kill Review ofA Time to Kill - John Grishamby
Andy.mack
Advantages: Very addictive book with good solid storyline Disadvantages: Maybe a bit too addictive
...time I started to edit a load of my old ops, well not edit as such, more like completely rewrite. So to follow up from my ops the other day on The Pelican Brief I’ve decided to start this editing process with another of Grisham’s books. In fact I believe this was in fact the first novel he wrote. For anyone whose not aware of Grisham’s work he is an ex lawyer, who after writing a couple of successful novels decided to pack in his ... ...seems to do it in a very creative way. As I mentioned during my Pelican Brief op, he takes a complex subject like law, which I never would have thought to be that interesting and turns it into a thoroughly enjoyable read.
The plot is quite dark and from the start of the book it’s obviously going to be one that really tackles the issues. Set in Clanton, Ford County, Mississippi like many other Grisham books it focuses on the plight of Carl ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: the print is easy to read Disadvantages: too many characters
...the author has written, however the book is still a good read. But it is no way near as good as 'The Testament' and 'A TimeToKill', which are two other novels that JohnGrisham has written in the past.
Nine years after the murder 'Danny Padgitt' is granted parole, which Traynor and the other residents of the town are disgusted at.
After 'Danny Padgitt' is released all of a sudden members of the jury that found him guilty are found dead, and Danny or one of the Padgitt family are prime suspects in the killings.
The ending of the book is absoulety brilliant and it made me keep reading, until I finished it....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Funny, easy to read Disadvantages: Short
...'Luther unfolded a spreadsheet and began pointing. "Here, my dear, is what we spent last Christmas. Six thousand, one hundred dollars. And precious little to show for it. The vast majority of it down the drain. Wasted. And that, of course, does not include my time, your time, the traffic, stress, worry, bickering, ill-will, sleep loss - all the wonderful things that we pour into the holiday season."
You're telling me this is from a JohnGrisham novel? THE JohnGrisham? Master of the 'egde-of-your-seat-fast-paced-courtroom-drama'? THAT JohnGrisham?
Unbelievable you might say, but it is. Skipping Christmas is indeed a far cry from the likes of A TimetoKill and the Firm, the books that made us love the intricate and gripping storytelling genius of Mr Grisham. This is not to say that it isn't just as well received, in fact it made...
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...Korea at war.
The Spruills (hill people) are made up of Mum and Dad, Hank (Nasty), Tally and Trot, Bo and Dale. Trot is quite simple and gets away without doing too much work.
Mexicans don't really come into the story too much excpet one, "Cowboy". Him and Hank hate each other. The situation comes to an end about half way through the book, but I wont give too much away.
Each year the Chandlers struggle to make ends meet. The crop of cotton is normally destroyed by floods before they can finish the harvest, and this year is no different. Each day is a struggle for them and JohnGrisham manages to get you completely gripped in their lives.
HIS OTHER BOOKS:
Other books JohnGrisham has written include, The Pelican Brief, The Firm, A TimetoKill.
My Opinion:
I didn't really want to read this book, but now...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
helpful 01.12.2001
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20.04.2005
