I am a Pagan and a Goth with a deep love of creating through writing. I keep a Journal of roughly 40...
I am a Pagan and a Goth with a deep love of creating through writing. I keep a Journal of roughly 400 000 words on my life. I love new experiences, original people and individuality.
Member since:23.07.2004
Reviews:8
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I have just finished reading this book and I will admit that I am impressed 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 stoned white men. The men abuse her and leave her 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 is responsible for keeping the law and order in Clanton. He is a very friendly man and most people respect the deputy. He attempts to help Jake when the Ku Klux Klan begin their antics.
Carl Lee Hailey - The focus of the book. He is the father of the raped black girl and is responsible for killing the men who raped his younger daughter. He believes that he did the right thing and would be set free but soon discovers that the following months will prove far harder than he could have previously realised. He is devout and devoted family man.
Jake Brigance - The lawyer he represents Carl lee Hailey at the trial. He is a presbyterian, married and has a daughter of his own. His sympathies lie with carl Lee Hailer and states throughout the book his support for his actions. He is ambitious and the Carl Lee Hailey case will prove to be the biggest case of his career; a chance to make or break for the young white lawyer.
Ellen Roark - A liberal law student who is hired by Jake after his daughter and wife leave town. She helps him gather background information about the case and serves as an assisstant for Jake in legal matters building up to the trial.
Lucien Willbanks - Lucien is an alcoholic lawyer who has been dissbarred. His abilities and knowledge are greatly helpful to jake who calls on him to assist him in the case.
Harry Rex Vonner - Harry is a moral and legal support aide for Jake throughout the book. He himself is a divorce lawyer and rich.
Judge Noose - He presides over the trial. His motivations are warped by threats to himself and thus his decisions are impared. He refuses a change of venue even when people are threatened by the Ku Klux Klan.
Rufus Buckley - Lawyer for the state. He is smarmy and self-obsessed and is easy to despise.
John Grisham writes from previous experience as an ex-lawyer cum author and writes well. He manages to explain the technicalities of the legal system for the reader without alienating them; something that is not easy to achieve. The book is full of legal information but it presented in a way that is easily assimilated by the reader which I personally appreciated as I know very little about law.
The outcome of the book seemed to depend not so much upon legal matters but the jury. The book focuses heavily on the prejudices and judgements against the blacks and the reasoning of Carl lee hailey. The book repeatedly asks the question of "if you were in the same situation, what would you do?" to the reader. The outcome of the trial depends on how Carl Hailey is seen, murderer of merely a man protecting his own?
I found that there were no characters that I was able to feel indifferent towards. I either loved them, hated them, was scared by them but I felt indifference to none of them. the characters within this books are a masterpiece in themselves; very well thought out and created. I felt a very real empathy towards them and I congratulate Mr. Grisham on his ability to evoke this in his readers.
This is not an easy book, as such. I found that once I had picked it up I found it very hard to put down. The subject matter that it delas with however is not easy to assimilate. if you are faint-hearted then perhaps this is not the book for you. If you enjoy a really good read, founded with strong characters and a well thought out and original plot then perhaps it is.
This book is a compliment to the thriller genre.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Thsi was a perfectly comtenet book review, thus I rated it Very Helpful. You presented the book well and justified your opinion. Some info on price/availabilty would be good though. *** Personal Comment: the more Grisham I read the more I was surprised at how bad a *writer* he actually was, epspecially in his later books. He plots well, but his use of the language is not better than any other author of airport novels. I hope you will get less impressed by the likes of Grisham as you read more and more good literature.
MAFARRIMOND 01.02.2005 10:12
I do enjoy Grisham's writing. This is a good book. Maureen
kthdsn 31.01.2005 18:48
I really loved this book. As you say the characters are so vividly described you have to either love or hate them. Great review. Kate xx
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