...
The story of The Chamber revolves around 2 men: Sam Cayhall, a man who faces the titular gas chamber, and Adam Hall, Sam's grandson lawyer who is trying to get him off death row. I'm not going to go into detail about what happens in the book as it would take too long, but it is essentially ... Read review
At first listen, the narration of this abridged version of John Grisham'sThe Chamberseems ... more
flat and uninvolved. But Michael Beck has chosen his vocal style well, purposely eschewing unnecessary adornment and allowing this searing indictment of racism an...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
At first listen, the narration of this abridged version of John Grisham's The Chamber ... more
seems flat and uninvolved. But Michael Beck has chosen his vocal style well, purposely eschewing unnecessary adornment and allowing this searing indictment of racism ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
At first listen, the narration of this abridged version of John Grisham's The Chamber ... more
seems flat and uninvolved. But Michael Beck has chosen his vocal style well, purposely eschewing unnecessary adornment and allowing this searing indictment of racism ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
At first listen, the narration of this abridged version of John Grisham's The Chamber ... more
seems flat and uninvolved. But Michael Beck has chosen his vocal style well, purposely eschewing unnecessary adornment and allowing this searing indictment of racism ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
At first listen, the narration of this abridged version of John Grisham'sThe Chamberseems ... more
flat and uninvolved. But Michael Beck has chosen his vocal style well, purposely eschewing unnecessary adornment and allowing this searing indictment of racism an...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: A worthwhile good v evil take on the issue of capital punishment Disadvantages: Dull, listless, and on the whole an unsatisfying and uninspiring read.
...immediate disclaimer - this is the first, and so far only, John Grisham book that I've read. I'm more of a technothriller person, and not really into legality and courtrooms. So when my girlfriend, an avid Grisham fan, said I should read this book, I was actually looking forward to reading something a bit different to what I would normally look at. I'm afraid to say, however, that I remain unconverted.
The story of The Chamber revolves ... ...detail about what happens in the book as it would take too long, but it is essentially a lesson on the rights and wrongs of the death penalty in America. I can tell you that as a person with no real opinion on the subject, I finished the book and still had no real opinion on the subject, but that is not the fault of the author, just my own personal viewpoint.
I have to say that I didn't enjoy the book. I felt that Grisham's narrative ... more
I have to start with an immediate disclaimer - this is the first, and so far only, John Grisham book that I've read. I'm more of a technothriller person, and not really into legality and courtrooms. So when my girlfriend, an avid Grisham fan, said I should read this book, I was actually looking forward to reading something a bit different to what I would normally look at. I'm afraid to say, however, that I remain unconverted.
The story of The Chamber revolves around 2 men: Sam Cayhall, a man who faces the titular gas chamber, and Adam Hall, Sam's grandson lawyer who is trying to get him off death row. I'm not going to go into detail about what happens in the book as it would take too long, but it is essentially a lesson on the rights and wrongs of the death penalty in America. I can tell you that as a person with no real opinion on the subject, I finished the book and still had no real opinion on the subject, but that is not the fault of the author, just my own personal viewpoint.
I have to say that I didn't enjoy the book. I felt that Grisham's narrative style did not lend itself to easy reading. The actual story is very compelling, and the characters and their interactions with each other are excellently created and developed, but I just felt that events were being purely described - you are told in intimate detail about trifling details, like walks that the protagonists take, or places they visit. You aren't told nearly enough about how they actually feel, or what they think, or what they hope and fear. Converstaions are at times dry and boring, and it was often a real effort to make yourself read another 5 page conversation between two ultimately inconsequential characters about nothing in particular. My girlffriend assurs me that Grisham's other novels are different, and maybe they are, but I'm afriad that reading The Chamber has not persuaded me to rush and buy his other novels to check them out.
Finally, we come to the ending of the book, and apart from the main thrust of the story (will Sam Cayhall live or die), nothing is resolved. You may think that this is all that matters, but in every story there are subplots and minor storylines that require conclusion, and I felt that nothing was closed or dealt with. The story ends without really ending, and the result is a rather unsatisfied feeling on completing the last page.
Ultimately, I felt this novel had a message it was trying to convey to its reader, and whether or not it conveyed it depends mostly on the readers' original viewpoint, and the strength of their belief in it. As a legal thriller, it has its moments, but unfortunately often becomes weighed down by its own dull, listless narrative style, and is not an enjoyable read. Grisham fans may love, but I'm very sorry to say that personally, I didn't.
Advantages: An entertaining read, Deals well with the racial issues Disadvantages: If your not a fan of Grisham you probably wont enjoy it
The next novel in my John Grisham series is one of the best books I’ve read, the chamber. He has become one of those authors that people either love or hate, personally as I’m sure you’ve been able to tell I love his work, well most of it. I can’t really say I’m a big fan of one of his latest. and although he features heavily in my current book selection, I have started to branch out a little bit. Grisham, a former lawyer has made a very good living ... ...he writes his books on the subject he is familiar with keeping a law theme within almost all of his works to date. His Knowledge of the criminal system obviously helps a lot in explaining exactly what he means in an easy way so that someone like me, with only basic knowledge of legal proceedings can follow easily. The book focuses on two main characters Adam Hall a young lawyer from Chicago is in his first year with one of the cities top law firms. ...
Andy.mack 28.11.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Chamber - John Grisham
Advantages: an interesting and thought provoking story Disadvantages: doesn't flow as well as other grisham novels
...top Chicago law firm, working the usual drone work, when suddenly after only nine months of working his way up he switches to pro-bono work and volunteers for the toughest assignment any lawyer could ask for, his client, Sam Cayhall, doesn’t want any lawyers and is resigned to serve out the rest of the time he has left in peace. Adam’s client prison term will end suddenly, as he is on death row for a violent crime committed in 1967.
But there is ... ...on this case, as the man is Adam’s grandfather, a racist to who being a member of the Ku Klux Klan and lynching were a way of life. A man put away for the murder of two small Jewish boys who were killed when a bomb went off in the law office where their father worked.
The Chamber is one of John Grisham’s first novels and if you’re a fan of his later works you can tell. It still is excellently written, but the flow seems to stutter and start at some ...
Squinkle 02.08.2007
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Chamber - John Grisham
Advantages: A good read Disadvantages: Too much legal jargon
...of John Grisham’s books, and the more I read the more I like his style of writing. Being a lawyer himself, the books can go a little overboard on the laws of America, but then it does help to understand some of the intricacies of the stories.
The two main characters in the book are Sam Cayhall and Adam Hall.
Sam Cayhall ^^^^^^^^^^^
Sam is a 70 year old man who is on Death Row in Mississippi for killing 2 Jewish boys in a bombing in the 1960s. ... ...carried out the bombing as a vendetta against the Jews, who were sympathetic to the cause of the Blacks in the Deep South. There was a whole series of bombings, but he was only convicted of the one which killed the boys and it took 3 trials to convict him even then.
Adam Hall
^^^^^^^^^^
Adam is a newly qualified lawyer who takes on Sam as his first case, when an execution date is set for Sam to be gassed in The Chamber. Sam is the reason that ...
Jackietob 04.11.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Chamber - John Grisham
...of John Grisham, this is the third book of his that I decided to read. As usual I was not disappointed, but highly surprised by his flair for writing. Never have I met an author with the capabilities of Grisham. The Chamber is the story of a Klu Klux Clan member who is sitting in Prison waiting for his call to the death chamber. However, his grandson, a promising lawyer, working for the lawyer's that represented him in his original trial for bombing ... ...up for somebody. The story keeps you on the edge of your seats right until the closing lines of the book, where the weird ending will have you tearing your hair out. As the story develops, you can develop a sense of sympathy for the Sam Cayhall, the man on Death Row. Will he get that last minute pardon or will he be proved innocent?
How many appeals need to be filed before the entry into the gas chamber to gain an official pardon?
You'll just have ...
jai_shah 07.07.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Chamber - John Grisham
Advantages: Interesting Disadvantages: Might be a little slow for some peoples tastes
The Chamber is based around a death penalty case. Sam Cayhall planted a bomb as part of a KKK attack on Jewish citizens in the '60's which when it blew up the office murdered the two small Jewish children who were playing inside. After 2 mistrials he is tried for a third time, 30 years after the bomb.
In this time his grandson has qualified as a lawyer and has taken an interest in the case. His grandson Adam Hall joined the firm who were representing ... ...the case.
The story develops as a countdown to the final moments where you go through a mixture of emotions for Sam. On one hand he believes in what he did and cannot see anything wrong in it but on the other he believes he has down nothing wrong , almost as if he was part of an army following orders except his "army" was the KKK. It is an interesting story and certainly makes you question your own beliefs as you go through the book.
I would recommend ...
tommy7 12.07.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Chamber - John Grisham
Would you read it again?
Story
Characters
Readability
How does it compare to ...
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "The Chamber - John Grisham"
Advantages: Lighthearted, Easy to read Disadvantages: None
You will probably be familiar with JohnGrisham as a thriller writer. I first came across him when I read "The Chamber" and since then he has written many good thrillers some of which have been turned in to full length movies.
Playing for Pizza is a break from his traditional tough thriller style. The plot is revealed on the flyleaf of the book. Rick Dockery is an outcast from the NFL after a series of disasterous seasons he is finaly forced to leave the NFL and seeks refuge in Italy playing for Parma Panthers.
The novel is written in an excellent style. The description of Rick settling in to his new lifestyle in Parma, the new environment, the food and wine, the people are all brilliantly described. You will probably want to visit Parma after reading this book.
As the Italian NFL season progressess all of the elements of a good ...
Advantages: Very interesting and riveting Disadvantages: Understanding some of the "hill" language
. Latcher
Several young children
OTHER BOOKS BY JOHNGRISHAM
A Time to Kill
The Firm
The Pelican Bried
The Client
The Chamber
The Rainmaker
The Runaway Jury
The Partner
The Street Lawyer
The Testament
The Brethern ...
Product Information for "The Chamber - John Grisham" »
Product details
Author
John Grisham
Title
The Chamber
Genre
Thriller
Type
Fiction
ISBN
0099179512; 0385424728; 0440295335; 0712654542
Manufacturer's product description
Cayhall, a death row prisoner, is a Ku Klux Clansman convicted in 1967 of the murder of two Jewish children. A lawyer takes over his case, and discovers new evidence that might save Cayhall. Unknown to Cayhall, the lawyer is his grandchild, who vowed to meet the man who destroyed his family. See all Product Description
Compare The Chamber - John Grisham to other similar Thriller Books »
