... There is nothing wrong with being populist, but their needs to be some originality too and contrary to Mr Grisham’s views not all big city lawyers lack morals, I should know!
But, finding this book half price, I purchased it and read it, well devoured it!
PLOT
Three judges, ... Read review
John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget ... more
he is just one man toiling away silently with a pen, experimenting and improving with each book. While not as gifted a prose stylist as Scott Turow, Grisham is a...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget ... more
he is just one man toiling away silently with a pen, experimenting and improving with each book. While not as gifted a prose stylist as Scott Turow, Grisham is a...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget ... more
he is just one man toiling away silently with a pen, experimenting and improving with each book. While not as gifted a prose stylist as Scott Turow, Grisham is a...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget ... more
he is just one man toiling away silently with a pen, experimenting and improving with each book. While not as gifted a prose stylist as Scott Turow, Grisham is a...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget ... more
he is just one man toiling away silently with a pen, experimenting and improving with each book. While not as gifted a prose stylist as Scott Turow, Grisham is a...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Trumble is a minimum security federal prison, home to the usual assortment of relatively ... more
harmless criminals - drug dealers, bank robbers, swindlers, embezzlers, tax evaders, and three former judges who call themselves The Brethren. They meet each day i...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: in stock
John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget ... more
he is just one man toiling away silently with a pen, experimenting and improving with each book. While not as gifted a prose stylist as Scott Turow, Grisham is a...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget ... more
he is just one man toiling away silently with a pen, experimenting and improving with each book. While not as gifted a prose stylist as Scott Turow, Grisham is a...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Trumble is a minimum security federal prison, home to the usual assortment of relatively ... more
harmless criminals - drug dealers, bank robbers, swindlers, embezzlers, tax evaders, and three former judges who call themselves The Brethren. They meet each day in the law library where they handle cases for other inmates, and practise law without a licence.
Contemporary / American English (Available June 2008) Three former judges are in prison. ... more
They call themselves the Brethren and organize a pen-pal scam. The money is pouring in. But then the Brethren contact the wrong pen-pal - a powerful man with dangerous friends.
Contemporary / American English (Available June 2008) Three former judges are in prison. ... more
They call themselves the Brethren and organize a pen-pal scam. The money is pouring in. But then the Brethren contact the wrong pen-pal - a powerful man with dangerous friends.
John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget ... more
he is just one man toiling away silently with a pen, experimenting and improving with each book. While not as gifted a prose stylist as Scott Turow, Grisham is among the best plotters in the thriller business and he infuses his books with a moral valence and creative vision that set them apart from their peers.The Brethren is in many respects his most daring and accomplished book yet. The novel grows from two separate subplots. In the first, three imprisoned ex-judges (the "brethren" of the title), frustrated by their loss of power and influence, concoct an elaborate blackmail scheme preying on wealthy closeted gay men. The second story traces the rise of presidential candidate Aaron Lake, a man essentially created by CIA directory Teddy Maynard to fulfil Maynard's plans for restoring the power of his beleaguered agency. Grisham's tight control of the two meandering threads leaves the reader guessing through most of the opening chapters how and when these two worlds will collide. Also impressive is Grisham's careful portraiture. Justice Hatlee Beech in particular is a fascinating, tragic anti-hero: a millionaire judge with an appointment for life who was rendered divorced, bankrupt and friendless after his conviction for drunk-driving homicide. The book's cynical view of Presidential politics and criminal justice casts a somewhat gloomy shadow over the tale. CIA director Teddy Maynard is an all powerful demon with absolute knowledge and control of the public will and public funds. Even his candidate, Congressman Lake, is a pawn in Maynard's egomaniacal game of ad campaigns, illicit contributions and international intrigue. In the end, The Brethren marks a transition in Grisham's career towards a more thoughtful narrative style with less interest in the big-payoff blockbuster ending. But that's not to say that the last 50 pages won't keep you reading late into the early hours.--Patrick O'Kelley
Postage & Packaging:£2.75 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Good thriller, good plot Disadvantages: poor end
...good guy wins out in the end? Not this one, I have not been a fan of Grisham’s latter novels, finding that the majority to follow the formula outlined above, I was tired of this and Grisham’s unoriginal subject matter, always taking a popular subject that the population of the world seemed to think was unfair on them (the smoking lobby, the medical insurers etc) he had a point but it was populist. There is nothing wrong with being populist, ... .../>
Three judges, the Brethren are serving time in a federal prison in sunny Florida, these men have been disgraced, lost their social standing and have little to look forward too. To amuse themselves in Prison they have a few hobbies; the first acting as a Prison court to settle petty prison disputes; the second practicing law without a licence (and charging for their work) and the third running a financial scam to extort money from rich ... more
Well, a Grisham novel, could that not be summed up in a couple of lines, Conspiracy, Good (little) Lawyer, Bad (Corporate) Lawyer (or Bad Law), good guy wins out in the end? Not this one, I have not been a fan of Grisham’s latter novels, finding that the majority to follow the formula outlined above, I was tired of this and Grisham’s unoriginal subject matter, always taking a popular subject that the population of the world seemed to think was unfair on them (the smoking lobby, the medical insurers etc) he had a point but it was populist. There is nothing wrong with being populist, but their needs to be some originality too and contrary to Mr Grisham’s views not all big city lawyers lack morals, I should know!
But, finding this book half price, I purchased it and read it, well devoured it!
PLOT
Three judges, the Brethren are serving time in a federal prison in sunny Florida, these men have been disgraced, lost their social standing and have little to look forward too. To amuse themselves in Prison they have a few hobbies; the first acting as a Prison court to settle petty prison disputes; the second practicing law without a licence (and charging for their work) and the third running a financial scam to extort money from rich gay men fearing that they could be outted by the Brethren. Oh yes, these old judges pose as young gay men in rehab looking for pen pals!
One Congressman, Al Lake, an unknown from Arizona, but with a presidential race in the offing and an offer from the CIA to run with limitless funds, the CIA think that Al has no skeletons in his closet that he is a saint amongst the dirty world of Washington politics, is he? Will he get a nomination for the presidential race and will he win? What would the CIA be prepared to do, to have a president that owed them everything?
So begins the Brethren and yes the two separate plots merge as Al contacts the Brethren’s little scam wanting a young gay pen pal and the CIA are in the dark. The plot and pace thickens, everybody is dirty, everybody has their own selfish motives and will anybody truly win and have what they want without having to look over their shoulder?
STYLE
Grisham as always writes in a pacy way, there are no meandering descriptions or clever use of language; he uses the minimum number of words to convey the story and the tension between characters. Certainly this is no bad thing, but as with all commercial thrillers is means that the book can lack a little bit of depth, motives are kept simple and characters a little one dimensional. However, it is for the plot rather than the characters that you read a Grisham novel and the absence of lawyers as the central characters is refreshing. (Although there are lawyers in the plot.)
But, Grisham crafts a great plot and writes in such a smooth style that the book is very easy to read and ideal to take away to a nice beach and relax and read.
MESSAGE
Is there a message to this book? Well, buying the Whitehouse that is certainly a contentious and current issue in the States, is it the candidate with the most money that wins? Grisham thinks so and in this book he is certainly pushing for a limit on campaign spending.
As per usual with a high percentage of Grisham books the CIA is the dark shadow, the organisation that can control everything in America. Now as neither Mr Grisham or myself have worked in the CIA at top level I am not sure that this is an analysis based on fact, rather than a popular ploy to sell books. The CIA are feared in the States and a lot of people think that this organisation wields the real power. (I worked in the States for a while and so have some idea of how the CIA is perceived.) Grisham has the CIA in an operation to buy their own president, and the Al Lake, appears to have an uncanny resemblance to George Bush! What could he be saying? To make the affinity even more complete the democrat candidate is the current vice president! Hmm spot the similarities?
There is also a swipe at low security prisons, with Grisham portraying the Florida prison as more of a fancy holiday park, with top line facilities, lax security and very little punishment element to having committed a crime. Except take away a man’s liberty and you take away the man.
What is nice is that part of the book centres upon how lonely and isolated gay men in positions of power are. They cannot come out, yet they live a lie and are desperate to escape. For gay communities everywhere it is good that this issue has been pushed out like this by such a popular author, with global appeal.
But, to be honest there is not a great deal of thoughtful depth to the book, just a good plot of suspense about powerful men, with few morals and a desire for something, whether it be money, the presidency or exerting maximum influence over the planet. There are no heroes in this book, all the characters are tainted and I found that refreshing in a commercial thriller. Part of me feels that Grisham writes for Hollywood, but all the same this is a good thriller.
SUMMARY
If you want an easy to read book, that will get you hooked, then Grisham is your man and of his recent books the Brethren is the best that I have read in a long time. As said, it is an ideal Beach read, but be prepared for a disappointing ending. But when will Mr Grisham get tired of his conspiracy theories? I have heard that the Painted House is a break from this and I will read it with interest.
Advantages: Light, fast paced easily read crime drama. Disadvantages: Insubstantial
I’m sure you’ve read the book that has two entirely separate story lines. You know the set-up: Chapters 1, 3 and 5 are really Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of plot 1 and Chapters 2, 4 and 6 are Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of plot 2. You know as well that in some sort of way the plots will overlap and the characters from one will eventually become enmeshed in the trials and tribulations of the other. The main questions are the how and why – and whether the outcome ... ...Seller’. Plot line 1 concerns the machinations of Joe Roy Spicer, Finn Yarber and Hatlee Beech (The Brethren) – three members of the judiciary, sentenced to prison terms for various misdemeanours and Trevor Carson, their seedy, down-at-heel lawyer on the outside. Because of who they are they have brought a sort of rough justice behind bars and act as arbiters of disputes and dispensers of justice to other inmates to which something of a blind eye ...
Newfloridian 29.12.2002 (30.12.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Brethren - John Grisham
Advantages: Good plot Disadvantages: underdeveloped characters, weak ending
If you can get past the first 50 tedious and somewhat confusing pages you will be rewarded with a decent plot and Grisham’s inimitable style. I have read all of JG's work and seen all of the film adaptations to boot, so it is safe to say that I am a bit of a fan of his writing. This book seems to break the mould of his usual courtroom dramas and to me this is a shame as these are what he does best. There are two story’s interwoven in ... ...the other being three judges (The Brethren) locked up in a minimal security prison who are blackmailing gay guys who have answered their personal ad and threatening to 'out' them unless they pay extortionate sums of money to them. As you can probably guess Aaron Lake gets mixed up in all of this and when the brethren find out how much they could make out of him the blackmail demands skyrocket. Although very cleverly written the story is a little ...
byrnehel 07.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Brethren - John Grisham
Advantages: Hard to put down, it's well-paced. Keeps you wanting more. Disadvantages: None
...put down. The main part of the story begins in a minimum security prison named Trumble, with three former judges who are now inmates themselves. Somehow, they've managed to create their own little business in jail, helping the other prisoners with appeals and legal advice - at a price. And dispensing justice in the jail - it's minimum security so they don't want any jailhouse brawls going on to mess it up. That suits the warders fine too, makes their ... ...they cook up from within the walls of their confinement. Well, they've nothing to lose, they're already in jail - right? Life outside may have fallen into a hole but now these three are planning their freedom, and do not intend to spend the rest of their lives as paupers, once they get out.
At the other end of the scale is Aaron Lake, suddenly whisked into the spotlight as a serious contender for the next presidential election. Where did he spring ...
poet831 24.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Brethren - John Grisham
...returns with another bestseller with the brethren. without giving away the plot the story centres around the cia and their attempt to select the next president of the usa. in a side line it also focuses on three convicted judges in a minimum security prison and their money making scams. the book twists and turns although it becomes predictable at an early stage. the ending seems to be a little poorly constructed - rather like a childs story where ...
Themastertaylor 22.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Brethren - John Grisham
...a down-and-out lawyer stumble into the centre of a mammoth conspiracy in John Grisham's latest novel. But the letter of the law has only a small role in The Brethren, a cat-and-mouse con game of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in which Grisham lets his sense of humour come into play. The judges, all late middle-agers who've fallen from grace, are serving easy time in a minimum security federal prison in Florida. Small-time heavies in the big house, ... ...a secret bank account in the Bahamas. Over the years, they've accumulated a tidy sum with help from a drunken courtroom-shy lawyer who collects cash from their clients' families on the outside. But that's small potatoes compared to their earning potential from a new scam. Using a borrowed photograph of a hunky young man they've dubbed Ricky, they've begun corresponding with middle-aged, closeted homosexuals through pen-pal ads in a gay magazine. ...
Mohammed 26.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Brethren - John Grisham
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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, I was a little disappointed when reading the book about how the other spies except the Israeli's who were in the same town didn't get the same level of write up.
I am now hooked on JohnGrisham, and am working on the Brethren now! ...
