The Broker - John Grisham > Reviews

Advantages: Easily readable.
Disadvantages: Slow at the start and at the end.

...one is there. The bulk of the story involved the main chatracter, Joel (or Marco), trying to come to terms with the Italian language, in an attempt to pass himself off as an Italian Canadian. This is in order to hide from the various factions who are determined to kill him in revenge for a double-cross some six years previuosly. Although Grisham goes into great detail with this part of the story, it does become quite tedious and sometimes gives ... Read review

Advantages: Indepth desciption of Italian small town life
Disadvantages: unbeliable character

...took a bit longer. Its the tale of a high class broker who loses everything in shady circumstances and ends up being hidden away from his family and possibly his future killer(s) in a govenment cover up. You follow him on his journey from prison to small villages and towns in Italy, but it seems to lack pace and i lost some of the 'thrill' of the book becsue of this. Apart from some handy Italian phrases i didnt feel i got anything from this book. ... Read review

Advantages: you know somthing will happen
Disadvantages: when it does the book is finished

Lets start at the beginning, thats where all stories should start right?. You know a beginning middle and end, well this book has all three! Great character introductions and story plot at the beginning. good continuation with story and keeps you interested. An end of story tieing up all loose ends putting a smile on your face. So what happens? well Ill try and tell you without giving away too much because after all I am recommending this to be ... Read review

Advantages: the detailed description of the location.
Disadvantages: weak plot.

...country. Several secret services around the world are hunting for him and if he wants to survive he must learn to live as if he would be an inhabitant of such a country. These are the ingredients of the a spy story told by Grisham. In order to give more taste to the recipe, the author mix everything with the smell of an Italian atmosphere. In fact, for the most part of book, the story is located in Bologna, which is a quite small town in northern ... Read review

Advantages: thrilling
Disadvantages: all his books are the same

The Broker is an exciting, action packed fiction and page-turner of the top class. I found it as enjoyable as most of his previous titles. I enjoyed this book as a good thriller which left me on the edge of my seat. The characters are masterfully depicted, and so too is the plot. John Grisham's portrayal of international conniving, espionage, conspiracies, betrayal, corruption in government, mystery, suspense, murder and sex are the ingredients that ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to Read - not too demanding
Disadvantages: Literature slightly basic and poor characterisation.

...book is gripping and exciting. The plot is easy to follow and it is generally a nice, comfy read. This makes it ideal for holidays or train journeys. However, the plot ended very abruptly and was not as thrilling as earlier hints indicated. The Italian parts are nice but the intimacy as far as relationships and characters are concerned is poor. This does not take away from the imaginative flair of the plot and, in general I enjoyed it. Grisham handles ... Read review

Advantages: Interesting Thriller
Disadvantages: Usual Style

WIthout damaging the plot too much, the summary is that it is about a broker who stumbles onto some vital information and the CIA wants him killed. He gets a presidential pardon and is sent to Italy to be under a CIA protection programme. You'll have to read it to find out what happens to him as various countries try to hunt him down and how he responds. As with books of this sort, it would be wrong to tell you what happens as it totally ruins the ... Read review

Advantages: Kept me on the edge of my seat!
Disadvantages: Too many bad characters to keep up with and not enough information on them.

I bought this book in the airport while delayed for 5 hours. I couldn't put this book down!! This book was what I would call a suspense/thriller. It had me on the edge of my uncomfortable seat for hours. The only thing I would complain about is when the broker is in Italy it doesn't really talk much about the financial situation of Backman. He is in Italy for months but can afford to hang out in coffeeshops for hours on end on 200euros a week! Also, ... Read review