"The Broker" by John Grisham

Advantages: Takes you into Italy and schools you on it. I was satisfied with the ending
Disadvantages: Too much filler in this thriller. Plus, the pacing was sluggish

...In the Author's Note there is the following disclaimer: "It's all fiction.. I know very little about spies, electronic surveillance, satellite phones, smartphones, bugs... If something in this novel approaches accuracy, it's probably a mistake" and also: "Im more terrified of high-tech electronic gadgets today than a year ago". Reading this makes me ask my self, Why then did you write this book? Well further in the Note, we find that it was his love for Bologna (The city that the plot is centered in) is what he really did research and came to love. That is why instead of legal thriller.. we have now ended up with.. an Italian Guide Book with a dash of a spy story. "The Broker" is drenching in all things Italian. From its edible delicacies, to its art and also endless (and I mean endless) amounts of story where the main character is...

zenmachado 17.12.2005 (18.12.2005) · Read review
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Review of The Broker - John Grisham

The Broker

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

......

d155408 13.02.2006 (16.02.2006) · Read review
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Review of The Broker - John Grisham

Nail-biting? My nails never looked better...

Advantages: good lead character, last 100 pages
Disadvantages: boring, long middle part that does not do much for the storyline

...Imagine if you were put in a position where you know that pleading guilty to an offence that you did not commit and signing up to twenty years of jail is going to keep you safer and happier than remaining at large in the real world. This is the life of Joel Backman, a once powerful broker, who people believe has obtained secrets that could compromise the world's most sophisticated satellite surveillance system, JAM. Backman is surprised when he is visited in jail and is informed that the outgoing President intends to grant him a pardon for the crime he has plead guilty to. Backman is suspicious of this development, but when he is put on the spot to make a decision, opts to take the pardon. Though acutely aware that something is not right about this pardon, nobody is aware that it comes as a result of the CIA exercising an enormous...

Delicate_Orchid 31.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Broker - John Grisham

The insurance brokers

Advantages: Funny, surprising
Disadvantages: Peeing yourself cud be one

...Three insurance brokers die in a very vicous car crash and wind up at the gates of HELL. The are approached by a massive creature like formation, he comes up close to the first man in the line and yells SO WHY YOU HERE AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE.... The man explains very in a terrified voice that they died in a crash, and he also has a confession to tell. The man says "well when i was on Earth i couldn't stop drinking". The devil then drags the guy down to a room opens the door, throws in the man and then slams the door behind him and locks it. The devil peeks through the sliding window and shouts to the man "see you in a hundred year". - The man is confused as hes sat in a room filled with the most finest beers, wines and spirits ever. The second man is then appoached by the devil and the man says that when he was on Earth he was...

lukus187 22.04.2005 · Read review
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Review of Jokes

Worthy broker on the cheap

Advantages: Cost, easy access
Disadvantages: Relatively unknown

...BACKGROUND After investing for sometime in numerous managed funds and with a small amount of spare cash I decided to dip into the world of share trading. My initial requirement was to find a broker that could provide me with a cheap service on an execution only basis as I would be dealing in relatively small amounts for my own pleasure rather than in the expectation of making vast sums of money. I spent some time trawling the internet for online brokers, as I find it much simpler to review market prices online and immediately place an order whilst online rather than having to arrange a trade by phone. I was somewhat surprised to see just how much some brokers were charging for execution only services, prices were as much as £15 a trade or more. Now as I was only going to be dealing in amounts of £300-500 per trade, this was...

mattjg01 10.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Hoodless Brennan and Partners plc.

Best online broker

Advantages: Good price
Disadvantages: some times gets busy

...Barclays stockbrokers is one of the best brokers I have used for buying and selling shares. It's simple to use and registeration only takes a short while, you don't even need to be a Barclays customer to apply. You can buy shares by setting up a direct debit so that each deal comes straight out of your bank account no hassle sending cheques. When you come to buy or sell shares you type in the company that you are intrested in and it brings the share price up for you, now you only have about 15 seconds to make your mind up if you want to make the deal. If you buy shares I find that the next day I have recieved all the details about my recent purchase, the same goes for selling them. Barclays bank is a big name and this is the best on-line broker I ever come accross, I will continue to use Barclays for all my future deals. The web site...

philhartley 08.03.2001 (12.03.2001) · Read review
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Review of Barclays Stockbrokers

Stuggling to find the end?

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

...I ama huge fan of thriller novels and get through a few books a week...this one however 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. Definitely not a nail biter, more like a slog to the finish. I found at parts it got swamped with decriptive text and never quite delved into the mind of the main character Joel Blackman - apart from the fact that he was slightly afraid and enjoyed Italian clothes. It felt like you were skimming...

takanoa 07.12.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Broker - John Grisham

feather your own nests.. not your brokers

Advantages: very flexible
Disadvantages: site needs a makeover

...but that is the perks of the job for the broker. It is sad and evident that 1/10 of home-owners actually think that their mortgage would be at risk if they did not take up the insurance offer. Many of which have been beaten down by hardcore sales tactics that are full of huge flaws and unfair truths. What I have found is that when surfing around for deals and getting the best deal, hardly anyone else actually does the same. I would like to hear from anyone who does haggle:) for price reductions. On average, an annual fee of £90.00 can be saved by switching insurances. In the UK insurance companies generally do not reward you loyalty points for staying with them for a particular time. Incredibly 10% of home-owners can save up to £173.00 annually on insurance home content alone. It is vital that you work the competition and cash-in to...

1st2thebar 17.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of PHA Home Insurance

Natwest Brokerline Online Services

Advantages: Quick and easy to use, excellent facilities
Disadvantages: Not the cheapest fees available

...My experience with Natwest stockbrokers has been a very pleasent one. I use the online brokering system, which provides a secure and easy way to trade shares for a minimal fee. There are various options available when buying and selling shares (such as 'market' , 'fill or kill' etc.) and you can buy/sell by volume or by target price - which is very useful if you are on a budget! You also get to choose your settlement period. There are cheaper stockbrokering services out there, but I have found Natwest fairly competetive for the level of service they provide. You get basically, online access to buy/sell shares through the Natwest broker and optionally a nominee account to store your certificates electronically - which saves having to deal with paperwork and saves on certain fees. Although you don't get advice on what to buy...

craigw 12.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of NatWest - BrokerLine

Excellent characterisation

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

...John Grisham's 'The Broker' is a pleasant, though unchallenging read. It's plot is a little difficult to swallow, but Grisham really brings his charaters to life. In addition, his description of Bologna and other cities makes one almost feel 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 the impression that it is designed to fill pages. The most interesting storyline did not develop as far as it could have done. The question...

boozecruise 03.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Broker - John Grisham