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The Appeal

by John Grisham

3.39 · rating details · 15,325 ratings · 2,426 reviews

Politics has always been a dirty game.
Now justice is, too.

In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the...more

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published January 29th 2008 by Doubleday (first published January 1st 1994)

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Jan 28, 2008

babyhippoface rated it

Recommends it for: people who are on the edge and just need one teensy push to go completely over?

Shelves: infuriating, grown-up-stuff

This book has made me angrier than any I've read in years.

Okay, first off --what is with the absolutely horrid neon orange color of the jacket back? Who picked this? Must have been colorblind. Each time I reached for this book my eyes felt violated.

*SPOILER ALERT* If you haven't read it yet, stop reading now...

Second, well, let's just say it: the ending was even more offensive than the neon orange jacket back. The book was well-written, compelling (and yes, po...more

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Apr 14, 2008

Melissa rated it

Shelves: legal-crime

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I just finished and it left me so mad!

This author used to just write a good story. He would have action and definite good guys and bad guys . . . lately though he has a good enough following that he has decided that he is going to write whatever the heck he wants because he knows that people will buy and read his books anyway. I suppose I am an example of that!

This book is about a lawsuit against a big company that has dumped toxic waste into the town's water supply and ...moreI just finished and it left me so mad!

This author used to just write a good story. He would have action and definite good guys and bad guys . . . lately though he has a good enough following that he has decided that he is going to write whatever the heck he wants because he knows that people will buy and read his books anyway. I suppose I am an example of that!

This book is about a lawsuit against a big company that has dumped toxic waste into the town's water supply and has caused cancer and death among the residents of the town. Well, I expected therefore that the lawyers and the plaintiff were going to be the main characters and "good guys" of the story. Not what I got! He doesn't stick with these characters really, he jumps each chapter to talk about another set of people and there really isn't a main character.

He moves from the main story and ends up on a soapbox about the state supreme court and getting someone elected onto that court and how the liberals are all bought/elected /controlled by trial lawyers who want big verdicts. Conversely, the conservatives are all bought/elected /controlled by big business, religious, and right to bear arms groups.

What started out to be a nice little story about a women who lost her husband and child to cancer and won a $41 Million verdict became a diatribe about legal processes and politics in the judicial system. The book ended with the case being reversed at the state level, the Company getting off scot-free and then to make the point even more clear, the ending is the owner of the company (the one who knowingly dumped toxic waste) earning several billion dollars in market share because he made his company look bad so that the stock plummeted, then bought up millions of shares of his company, all the while knowing that he bought a supreme court justice so that the verdict would be reversed and the stock would skyrocket! Further insult - the final chapter is the multi-billionaire on his brand new mega-yacht (which sleeps 200) having a party!!

I just wanted a nice little story! What in the heck?! I should have just stuck to episodes of Law and Order on TNT - at least I know what to expect and in the majority of cases, the ending turns out right!(less)

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Apr 25, 2008

Jason Miller rated it

Shelves: read-and-didn-t-like

John Grisham's books have been getting steadily worse, ever since the Painted House (another lame book). What happened to the excellent author that produced such books as The Client, The Pelican Brief, The Street Lawyer, and Runaway Jury? I think he's out to lunch. I keep reading his new books, hoping he'll come back, but so far, no luck.
This is his worst in a long line of bad books. Stay away from this one, as well as his other latest, The Innocent Man. They are boring, long, and a c...more

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Apr 12, 2008

Rick rated it

Recommends it for: trial lawyers seeking confirmation of their world-view

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm a Grisham fan - I've read pretty much all his books. If his liberal leanings weren't apparent before, they certainly are now ("not that there's anything wrong with that"). I guess you could call this Grisham's response to all the recent rantings by the right about liberal judges changing the laws to suit their leftist politics and agendas. Make no mistake - this book was written to make a political statement.

According to Grisham, conservative judges are bought and paid ...moreI'm a Grisham fan - I've read pretty much all his books. If his liberal leanings weren't apparent before, they certainly are now ("not that there's anything wrong with that"). I guess you could call this Grisham's response to all the recent rantings by the right about liberal judges changing the laws to suit their leftist politics and agendas. Make no mistake - this book was written to make a political statement.

According to Grisham, conservative judges are bought and paid for by evil "big business", never saw a trial verdict for the underrepresented and oppressed victim that they didn't want to overturn, and always rule in favor of evil "big business" even where the liability is clear-cut.

Here's the capsul summary of the book (some spoilers, though not as to ending): Evil "big business" dumps toxic carcinogens in a small town for decades. Drinking water is contaminated. Hundreds get cancer, dozens die. Corageous self-sacrificing trial lawyers take on big business, win $41m verdict at trial for woman whose husband and child were killed by "big business". Big business' stock takes a dive, with hundreds of other plaintiffs waiting in the wings. Unwilling to take responsibility for its evils and pay the verdict, big business appeals. With current make-up of state's supreme court generally voting 5-4 in favor of plaintiffs with righteous claims (the 4 being big-business-loving evil conservatives who hate victims), big business devises plan to replace a moderate state supreme court justice up for re-election with a conservative. Big business recruits unknown, inexperienced and naive conservative lawyer to run for election to state supreme court against the reasonable, compassion-filled moderate justice. Big business runs campaign that is the dirtiest in the history of the world, yet at the same time typical of judge-buying conservatives. In campaign big business distorts the facts, painting moderate justice as gay-loving, Christian-hating, gun-hating, business-hating looney liberal. Conservative candidate is mere puppet of big-business money machine. Big business puppet wins close election (close only because "big business'" nefarious tactics were exposed at the end, but the truth wasn't enough to counter-act the gazillions of $ spent by bit business in the end). In every case where a person was injured by an evil business or corporation, and awarded damages by a jury, conservative justices reverse and send the plaintiff back with nothing.

In the "Author's Note" at the end of the book, Grisham makes clear that the book is entirely fictional, so far as the facts go, but the descriptions of the issues, tactics, factions and results are accurate. In other words, this is a true story told with fictional characters. While I'm sure Grisham raises some legitimate issues, if he's going to attack all conservative justices and judicial elections this way, I'd like to see him have the balls to do it without relying on the guise and cover of fiction. Not to mention the fact that Grisham totally ignores the other side of the coin. I don't know - if Grisham keeps politicizing his books to such a degree, this may be the last one I read. In novels the good guys generall win, but Grisham tries to make his political statement all the more poignant by haivng the bad guys win at the end, laughing all the way to the bank. (less)

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Mar 19, 2008

Johnny rated it

Shelves: thriller

The Appeal wouldn't make a successful film. At times, it appears to accede to the Hollywood formula, but then, it retreats to Grisham's forte'--realism. Oh, I know Grisham's work isn't as gritty as the descriptions of the world of meat-packing in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, the vivid characterizations of a couple fighting in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and the Damned, or the depiction of blatant sexism in Sinclair Lewis' The Job (or even in Ann Vickers, his thinly veiled roman a clef ba...moreThe Appeal wouldn't make a successful film. At times, it appears to accede to the Hollywood formula, but then, it retreats to Grisham's forte'--realism. Oh, I know Grisham's work isn't as gritty as the descriptions of the world of meat-packing in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, the vivid characterizations of a couple fighting in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and the Damned, or the depiction of blatant sexism in Sinclair Lewis' The Job (or even in Ann Vickers, his thinly veiled roman a clef based on his relationship with Socialist activist Dorothy Thompson). I simply find that, whenever he stays away from his tendency toward sentimentalism, Grisham can conjure up images of the South of not so long ago with a vividness reminiscent of Faulkner and blend those images with stark, insightful looks at the humanity we see everywhere.

I could feel the heat and humidity as I read these pages (though perhaps it was because I was exercising as I read) and practically itched all over from his frightening depiction of the pollution in the region. I think Grisham's most realistic characters have been Troy Phelan, the billionaire who commits suicide in The Testament, and the young, conservative Christian lawyer tapped to run for Supreme Court Judge in Mississippi in this novel. With both characters--though they are in distinctively different novels--we get the sense that they are acting with the integrity of their convictions, even though we may not agree with their convictions or how they arrived at them.

And, even though I don't consider The Appeal to be one of Grisham's more sentimentalist efforts, I would be dishonest to imply that there weren't times when tears came to my eyes as I considered the plight of many of the characters and certain "no win" situations.

If you are any kind of political junkie (the "Karl Rove" character running the campaign for the judge's race is uncannily true-to-life), this is a "must read." It says as much about political campaigns as it does about jurisprudence. If you've ever invested years of your life and portions of your possessions (or all of them) in what others tell you is throwing your life away on a hopeless cause, this is a "must read."

Frankly, I think this may be the best book I've ever read by this author. It may well be his masterpiece, even though I don't think it will be his most successful by any means. (less)

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Feb 02, 2008

Alicia rated it

Recommends it for: liberal politicians with a distinct agenda

As I began reading this book, I was very worried that it sounded too familiar. It reminded me of "Law & Order" episodes that are "ripped from the headlines." Whenever I hear that, I think, come on, can't you guys think of anything new? Saying that, the storyline of Grisham's latest began in that similar sort of way. I was pretty convinced that it was going to be boring.

I was very pleasantly surprised that only after a few chapters, I started to find it pretty inte...more

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Dec 23, 2011

Daniel rated it

I read this in April of 2008 after Justice Nehring (of the Utah Supreme Court) told me he was listening to it on CD during his commute each day. Three quarters of my way through it, he told me it was not worth finishing. He was right.

Talk about much ado about nothing. The novel starts strong, provides an interesting conflict, and than (spoiler alert) completely drops the ball. Not that the bad guy has to lose and the good guy has to win every time, but the characters are skewed a...more

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Dec 29, 2008

Johnny Story rated it

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Jul 15, 2008

Emily rated it

Recommends it for: no one, or maybe people who are idiots

Recommended to Emily by: my mom

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was MADDENING. I really enjoyed John Grisham's first books, but this one I can imagine him writing for two reasons. 1) to see who he could get to buy it and 2) to make everybody mad. It's the story of a chemical company that dumped toxic waste in the ground, which contaminated the drinking water and caused massive amounts of cancer and killed lots and lots of people. The book begins with a verdict of guilty for the chemical company, and an award of $41 million to a woman who lost both ...moreThis book was MADDENING. I really enjoyed John Grisham's first books, but this one I can imagine him writing for two reasons. 1) to see who he could get to buy it and 2) to make everybody mad. It's the story of a chemical company that dumped toxic waste in the ground, which contaminated the drinking water and caused massive amounts of cancer and killed lots and lots of people. The book begins with a verdict of guilty for the chemical company, and an award of $41 million to a woman who lost both her husband and son to cancer. The lawyers who took her case are broke, bankrupt, and the verdict is a huge deal for them. Then it takes a turn for the worse. The story is told from no one's vantage point, just an all-knowing somebody, and so there is no emotional connection to anybody. You don't know if you're supposed to root for the chemical company owner or the lawyers. The book goes on for 200 pages explaining a campaign to replace a judge so that when the case gets appealed to the MS supreme court, the verdict will get overturned and the chemical co. won't have to pay. Seriously, 200 pages of "then we got $5000 from these guys, and she got $2500 from those guys"...and "he gave a speech here, while she gave a speech there". It was AWFUL. Then, since it's a work of fiction, I expected a happy ending. Nope. The new judge gets instated, he overturns the verdict, and the book is over. I was furious. I threw the book against the wall and almost threw it in the trash. I have no idea what Grisham expected us to learn from this, and so my only idea is that he was trying to make people really mad. It worked. The poor lawyers who gave up everything for that case get NOTHING. Their lives are completely over. Seriously, what was the point? If you're writing fiction, why make it end like that? If it was a true story, then maybe we could learn from it: don't elect judges, let them be appointed by people who know better, change election laws, etc. But it's not real. He specifically says that at the end, it was simply a work of fiction. If he was here right now I might punch him in the face. A complete waste of time.(less)

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May 17, 2008

Marcy Nisbeth rated it

Recommends it for: all my friends

Recommended to Marcy by: myself

Another amazing book by Grisham! At this time of elections, we are facing a few judicial seats to be elected instead of appointed by a non-partisan board. This, as Grisham has so aptly pointed out, is not what the judges should be doing . . . running a campaign for a judicial seat! These people, for the most part, are judges with a full time job on the bench and should NOT have to try to go out and stump the campaign trail while trying to decide very important cases in front of them at this v...more

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Feb 05, 2009

Shevawn rated it

I admit, I like a lot of Grisham's novels; I especially like them when spending long hours on an airplane, as I did recently. I found this book to be very disturbing; it has definitely affected the way I will view future election campaigns for judges. I also liked how his Christian characters were reflective of the current Christian culture, even though they bothered me at times because of that. The ending surprised me, as it took some surprising turns the last 60 or so pages.

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Jan 01, 2009

Laura rated it

I'm a Grisham fan and enjoyed the book, but don't think it was one of his best. The plot twist at the end came kind of late to impact the story correctly and parts in the middle were a little slow. I fear that the book's premise that judgeships are too political and people are too easily bought is likely all too accurate, and the story causes some thought in that area. One has to wonder, however, how appointments would necessarily resolve that problem -- especially in light of the problems Il...more

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Dec 15, 2008

Claire rated it

Shelves: not-great-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 27, 2009

Eliece rated it

What I learned from this book is that supreme court justices should be appointed not elected like politicians because then they get bought out by big businesses and the one with the most money wins and this is BAD, BAD, BAD. (point made, Mr. Grisham) This book is lacking a storyline, character development, excitement of any kind, and all other desireable elements of a novel. I usually like John Grisham but this book is BORING, BORING, BORING. In Grisham's honor I will recommend The Innocent M...more

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Apr 18, 2009

Ty added it

don't read this piece of shit. what the hell grisham?, you're usually so solid.

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Aug 09, 2011

Fabio added it

(ITALIAN VERSION HEREUNDER) Great Novel. After the short "break" from fiction with the trues story depicted in "Innocent Man", now back to close-to-fiction. Why close and not pure fiction? Because it's a novel to talk about the controversial fact of a judicial system where judges are elected from the People and not nominated on the grounds of their merits. Hence leaving space for "buying" an election and therefore buy jurisprudence! A great novel, well written with ...more

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Feb 22, 2009

Corey rated it

The story is ok, but the political statement is quite prescient. Big corporations must engage in extremely hazardous activities in the ordinary course of business. Often it is expensive and disruptive to follow rules and basic common sense. Sometimes ordinary people get in the way and happen to die of nasty things like leukemia. When this happens they sue. Big law firms drag these cases out for many years, spend many millions, and avail themselves of many procedural tools to delay, obfuscat...more

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Jan 15, 2009

Michelle rated it

I have read numerous John Grisham books and have continued to pick them up because I have enjoyed them. I have always found his books to a be an entertaining and easy read. Once I pick up the book, I usually have to keep reading until the end. With this book, I was bored by page two. The book is about the big bad company that poisons the water of the unsuspecting small town. The company is bad, bad, bad, and the small town villagers are good, good, good. The lawyers for the company are BAD...more

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Jan 12, 2009

Schnaucl rated it

Shelves: borrowed, fiction, january, read_2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. John Grisham has improved a lot since the last book of his that I read, which, granted, was probably The Pelican Brief. There are still an abundance of characters, but this time I didn't have trouble keeping track of them. There were fewer superfluous scenes or random one off scenes from a character that is never heard from again. His story telling is certainly tighter than it once was.

His style is still very objective, however, and it made it difficult to connect with the charac...moreJohn Grisham has improved a lot since the last book of his that I read, which, granted, was probably The Pelican Brief. There are still an abundance of characters, but this time I didn't have trouble keeping track of them. There were fewer superfluous scenes or random one off scenes from a character that is never heard from again. His story telling is certainly tighter than it once was.

His style is still very objective, however, and it made it difficult to connect with the characters in a meaningful way. I wish he had stayed more with the Paytons and let us see what they were going through and the emotions they were experiencing.

I think the campaign was a pretty accurate portrayal of what can happen in judicial elections. I'm still not convinced that appointment is any better, however. Especially since all big business and the insurance companies have to do is fund the seat of the person who would appoint the jurors (Bush and the massive appointments of conservative justices, anyone?). It's practically a twofer. But there's certainly a lot of out of state money and the truth is that most people have no idea who the judges are and don't really care anyway. I work in the legal field and I have trouble knowing who some of the judges are, the difference is that I have a pretty good idea of where to find more information and a motivation for doing so.

I absolutely think that the moderate to left leaning justices get most of their funding from trial lawyers and unfortunately, they just don't have as deep pockets as big business and the insurance industry. And the insurance industry and big business have done a great job of convincing the American public that "frivolous lawsuits" are cloggging the courts and a waste of time and money. Nevermind that personal injury and malpractice cases in general make up a very small percentage of cases the court hears (divorce cases are a much bigger factor in terms of court time than personal injury and malpractice cases).

The court manipulations as portrayed by Grisham are pretty typical, I think. Groups form PACs and 501c entities that are really just a front for a big interest (and yes, trial lawyers do it, too). The stuff with the bank I can see happening very rarely in the highest levels. But the disparity in resources between the plaintiff's attorney and the insurance company or many businesses? Oh yeah, that's absolutely real.

I'm still conflicted about the ending. I really wanted things to work out for the Paytons, but I think it's more realistic the way Grisham wrote it. And maybe it'll make people think.

If he'd wanted to present a more balanced view he could have absolutely spent more time on the people who joined the class action who really had no injuries but wanted a piece of the pie. I would have had no problem with that. (less)

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Jan 11, 2009

ambimb rated it

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I picked this up in the Minneapolis airport on Christmas day during a 4-hour layover on my way to Montana. It was the number one paperback bestseller at the time and I had interviewed for a job three days previously where the book and the related real-life SCOTUS case were part of our conversation, so it was a natural choice. I've also always enjoyed the Grisham stories, although I think the only other one I've read (rather than seen in movie form) is "The Firm."

In all res...moreI picked this up in the Minneapolis airport on Christmas day during a 4-hour layover on my way to Montana. It was the number one paperback bestseller at the time and I had interviewed for a job three days previously where the book and the related real-life SCOTUS case were part of our conversation, so it was a natural choice. I've also always enjoyed the Grisham stories, although I think the only other one I've read (rather than seen in movie form) is "The Firm."

In all respects, this is a typical "legal thriller" with clearly painted good and bad guys and no pretense at subtlety. What struck me as different about it is the way it sometimes preaches openly its message that "tort reform" is just another name for big money (corporations) protecting itself and cheating the common people out of what we deserve. If you find that message objectionable, you'll probably hate this book. If you're not sure what I'm talking about,the book could be a bit of an education for you.

But what really makes this book better than just a typical legal thriller is that it so closely mirrors real life. Right now the Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) is considering Caperton v. Massey, in which it must decide whether it was proper for a W. Virginia Supreme Court justice to decide a case in which one of the parties was a corporations which had given that justice more than 60% of his campaign funds for the judicial election that occured just prior to the state court's decision. In short the issue is: If I have a case before a court, and if I spend $3 million to make sure a certain judge is elected just before that court hears my case, should the judge I purchased get to have a vote on my case? The answer should obviously be No!, but who knows what the SCOTUS is going to decide. Money is speech, you know. More here.)

Perhaps I'm just a simpleminded geek, but I enjoyed the book. Trying to see it objectively, I can understand why many people would find it ham-fisted and even maybe a little boring. Oh, but if you liked "Erin Brokovich" (for reasons other than that you just enjoy watching Julia Roberts) then this book should be right up your alley.

(less)

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Dec 30, 2008

Regina rated it

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers

Like most John Grisham novels, this book is a fast, entertaining read. As always, I was intrigued by the legal facts: in this case, that supreme court justices are elected rather than appointed in many states. At the conclusion, I immediately went to the Internet to find out what is done in my home state. Also, I found myself constantly telling my husband the plot line while reading the book and he and I kept laughing at our speculations on who will get the roles in the blockbuster movie that...more

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May 17, 2008

Vince Carter rated it

This is a suspenseful tale of an attempt by a wealthy polluter to overturn a jury's finding of his fault by arranging for election of a pliable new Supreme Court justice. You almost feel that the unconscionable characters behind the plot are over the top and overly drawn. Then you recall that there actually have been folks, some caught and held responsible and some not, who match and surpass them in what they were found to have done. Good plot and an ending more realistic than expected!

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Dec 06, 2011

Tim rated it

Shelves: thrillers, blog

The Appeal not the best-written book in the world. John Grisham is clearly more of a "tell" rather than a "show" kind of writer -- so much so that he barely even bothers to write dialogue for his characters, and as a result they end up as cardboard cutouts with no voice, no personality. We have the mustache-curling villain and the saintly minister. He does a little better with the exhausted plaintiff lawyers, but none of them really come alive in the way you want them to. ...more

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Oct 28, 2011

Joel rated it

Recommends it for: Lawyers, legal experts, and law students

Recommended to Joel by: Facebook friends recommended another Grisham novel, but I chose this one

As Grisham claim in the epilogue following this work, many of its elements are made up although the setting is fairly realistic. It takes place in a fictional town in Grisham's native Mississippi. The case involves an unrealistic chemical being unleashed into the drinking water supply of this community in the southern part of that state. The illegal dumping is responsible for some of the cancers and other diseases reported in the area, some of which happen to threaten the health of young chil...more

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Oct 17, 2011

Michelle rated it

Shelves: legal, adult-fiction

Alright...well, I admit that I read a few one and two star reviews before posting mine because I wanted to read what the nay-sayers had to say about the book. I was pretty sure I knew what they wouldn't like, and I was pretty sure I would disagree. I was right. I understand others' chagrin with Grisham's choice of ending, but I thought it was refreshing. It's about time someone bucked the system and didn't give us a patented ending, all tied up with a pretty bow.

So here is the deal. Mi...moreAlright...well, I admit that I read a few one and two star reviews before posting mine because I wanted to read what the nay-sayers had to say about the book. I was pretty sure I knew what they wouldn't like, and I was pretty sure I would disagree. I was right. I understand others' chagrin with Grisham's choice of ending, but I thought it was refreshing. It's about time someone bucked the system and didn't give us a patented ending, all tied up with a pretty bow.

So here is the deal. Mississippi just happens to be one of many states that elects it judiciary, including the members who sit on the supreme court of the state. Now you may think this is a good thing - leave it in the hands of the voter to decide who should make judicial rulings. But it is NOT! Judges, you see, should be free from the shackles of political biases so that they can make fair rulings without any pressure - decisions based on the merits of a case and the correct application of the law. The story explores what might happen if a supreme court judge just happened to be elected by a group hired by a man with money - billions of dollars, to be exact - and an agenda for winning a particular case.

I do not want to spoil the ending, and perhaps it is true that Grisham is making a political statement. Okay, so it's pretty obvious. Even if he is, so be it. He still tells a fast paced and satisfying story of the type that I had once come to expect from Grisham. And while the book deals with torts and mass tort litigation, unlike The King of Torts, the book has some meat on its bones.

Instead of decrying mass tort litigation involving large corporations (product manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and the like), Grisham delves into the one on one cases where such companies should be held liable for polluting the water and creating dangerous products in cases involving just one plaintiff. Tort litigation is the seedy underbelly of the law. Still, there are several law suits out there - think Erin Brockovich - that deserve attention in our courts. Huge conglomerates should be held responsible when they skirt the law and poison the water, create dangerous drugs, or manufacture products that are unsafe.

Of course, you want the bad guy to get his due here. Maybe he does and maybe he doesn't. But Grisham leaves the reader feeling uncomfortable and perhaps a little guilty for playing into the game of big political campaign spending...naively believing everything one hears on t.v. about a candidate and his or her record based on a thirty-second commercial that takes sound bites completely out of the context in which they were meant to be be heard. He even makes one a bit uncomfortable with the idea the a judiciary is elected and that a judge would feel beholden to those who paid for his or her election. And in the end, I liked that he gave me something to think about.

It reminded me of The Client and The Rainmaker, and that is a good thing. (less)

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Sep 23, 2011

Marie-jo Fortis rated it

Frankly, I don't get all the negative reviewing about THE APPEAL. I read about a dozen of Grisham novels and got addicted, not so much for the style, but for the cleverness of the plots and the message of redemption at the end of many of his novels. When I got to PLAYING FOR PIZZA, however, I thought, what's that? Where has Grisham gone? But I didn't give up. I then pickep up THE LAST JUROR. Slow, slow pace there. Still, I appreciated the psychology and the Balzacian approach and I could see Gri...moreFrankly, I don't get all the negative reviewing about THE APPEAL. I read about a dozen of Grisham novels and got addicted, not so much for the style, but for the cleverness of the plots and the message of redemption at the end of many of his novels. When I got to PLAYING FOR PIZZA, however, I thought, what's that? Where has Grisham gone? But I didn't give up. I then pickep up THE LAST JUROR. Slow, slow pace there. Still, I appreciated the psychology and the Balzacian approach and I could see Grisham emerging from muddy waters. My Grisham addiction was still alive apparently when I grabbed THE APPEAL. I plunged into the book and heard that voice in my head proclaim, "Yeah! Grisham is back!" And he is. There is a verve, a bite, and sense of satire that match the plot. A momentous plot. A chemical company has dumped toxic waste in rural Mississipi and caused cancer and death amidst its population. Local lawyers have won a suit against the company with the jury awarding its plaintiff a huge amount of money. But to get the money, they must win the appeal at the Mississipi Supreme Court.

And that's when things get complicated, for the chemical company manages, through money and manipulations, to install a judge at aforementioned Court that they know will rule in favor of them. Until the end, there is tension, and the reader hopes against all hope that those capitalist bastards will be defeated. Okay, as a member of the Green Party aware that our most precious asset (our planet) has been attacked and violated by greed at the expense of health (not to mention survival) and justice, I wanted them to be defeated. As a Western PA resident who along with many other residents once fought a company that was about to do what Grisham's chemical company did to its Mississipi residents, I prayed for the bastards to be defeated. Are they in the end? Well, start turning the pages and find out. This may be a work of fiction but it reaches a core of truth that journalism can never attain. What matters in the novel is the powerful message, the needed message sent by a writer who was effective and appealing nine times out of ten, and who now, with this novel, has become an important author. I hope he keeps writing in the same vein. I do believe however that THE APPEAL needs a follow-up book. The reason why I gave four stars instead of five to the novel is that the ending is a tad too precipitated.

But --damnit-- Grisham is back! (less)

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Sep 21, 2011

Erika rated it

I could get into a lengthy discussion about this book, but I'm not going to waste my time on it.

This book is nothing more than a specifically detailed screen play with flat characters and no real dimension to the story other than the author's own opinion about certain issues. He even lists some of personal thoughts and opinions about issues in between descriptions and dialogue. It left my eyes wide and my mouth agape. I guess if you're as successful as Mr. Grisham, you can do what...more

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Aug 03, 2011

James Korsmo added it

Grisham hits with another enjoyable read. In The Appeal, Krane Chemical, a chemical firm that has been illegally dumping carcinogenic chemicals near the small town of Bowmore, Mississippi, is on the hook for millions of dollars because of its pollution. The book opens with the the conclusion of the trial, and the huge verdict against Krane. And that is only the beginning of the action. The real story is what happens next: the appeal.

Carl Trudeau, the majority owner of Krane Chemical, takes a hug...moreGrisham hits with another enjoyable read. In The Appeal, Krane Chemical, a chemical firm that has been illegally dumping carcinogenic chemicals near the small town of Bowmore, Mississippi, is on the hook for millions of dollars because of its pollution. The book opens with the the conclusion of the trial, and the huge verdict against Krane. And that is only the beginning of the action. The real story is what happens next: the appeal.

Carl Trudeau, the majority owner of Krane Chemical, takes a huge hit in the stock market because of the negative verdict. In order to save his company from huge liabilities in the Bowmore case, and in hundreds of others like it, Trudeau recruits a secret firm to get a corporation-friendly judge elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court in the fall, tipping the balance of power on the court and making it likely that the decision will be reversed on appeal in the name of "lawsuit reform."

Ron Fisk is that candidate, though he doesn't know it. He is recruited by a high-powered group of supporters to run for the Supreme Court. He knows there are a lot of people behind his candidacy, but he has no idea that it is primarily being funded by Carl Trudeau, in hopes of essentially buying a seat and securing a verdict. Fisk will be running against Justice Sheila McCarthy, a centrist justice who is coming up for reelection. The Fisk campaign gets everything ready, including its huge fund-raising machine, but doesn't announce until shortly before the deadline, leaving McCarthy surprised and mostly without cash or a plan for a campaign. The Fisk campaign quickly pounces on her record and saturates the market with negative advertisements characterizing her as a liberal justice. Barrie Rinehart, the mastermind behind the Fisk campaign, also arranges for a gay couple from Illinois to move down to Mississippi and try to get married, injecting gay marriage as an issue into the campaign as well.

Sheila McCarthy, after a slow start, raises some support, primarily from trial lawyers, and gets her own campaign moving. But she is no match for Fisk and all of the money that pours into his campaign, and she is narrowly defeated. Fisk assumes a seat on the Supreme Court, and it is immediately obvious that he is living up to his pro-business billing. But as the time to decide the Krane Chemical appeal approaches, Fisk's son is injured by a line drive in a little-league baseball game, and the bat that was used was illegal. As his son clings to life, Ron comes to realize that the manufacturer of the bat should hold some liability for making the faulty and dangerous equipment, and this begins a shift in his judicial philosophy toward more compassion for the victims. But when the time for the Krane decision arrives, he reluctantly sides with the chemical company none the less, ending hope in Bowmore for cleanup and compensation for all of the toxic dumping and the resulting sickness.

I think Grisham has achieved a great blend of readability and enjoyment, together with thoughtful fiction. He certainly makes me think twice about the process of electing judges. This book is another good read, with believable characters and always-interesting legal plot twists.(less)

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Aug 02, 2011

Tanja Seppä rated it

This book is about two lawyers who have staked everything in a trial against a company which has dumped carcinogens into the groundwater of a town. The jury finds the evidence convincing and the verdict is very much in favor of the plaintiff. Of course the chemical company appeals. This is vintage Grisham with convincing characters and a warm human touch in all perspectives.

Appeals take time. In the state of Missisipp, where the fictive town around which the story centers, judges are voted to th...more

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Feb 16, 2011

Janelle rated it

A little disappointed with this book. I felt like this book was a lot of background into how the election works in the USA for Supreme Court Judges, but not really a strong story line. I didn't really connect fully with the characters for that reason, so didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. Grisham is one of my favourite authors, but this won't be one of my favourite books. I did like that I got an insight into the process of elections, but not within a 355 page book.

War...more

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About John Grisham

"Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a ...more"Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.

One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988.

That might have put an end to Grisham's hobby. However, he had already begun his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time career—and spark one of publishing's greatest success stories. The day after Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991.

The successes of The Pelican Brief, which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed Grisham's reputation as the master of the legal thriller. Grisham's success even renewed interest in A Time to Kill, which was republished in hardcover by Doubleday and then in paperback by Dell. This time around, it was a bestseller.

Since first publishing A Time to Kill in 1988, Grisham has written one novel a year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have become international bestsellers. There are currently over 225 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29 languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his first foray into non-fiction.

Grisham lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea. The family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm in Mississippi and a plantation near Charlottesville, VA.

Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books' protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a jur(less)

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“How could homosexuals possibly srew up the sanctity of marriage any worse than heterosexuals?” — 12 people liked it

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