<![CDATA[The Brethren]]>

false <![CDATA[The Brethren]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165518893m/5354.jpg 5354 51 John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget 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 book yet. The novel grows from two separate subplots. In the first, three imprisoned ex-judges (the "brethren" in the title), frustrated by their loss of power and influence, concoct an elaborate blackmail scheme that preys on wealthy, closeted gay men. The second story traces the rise of presidential candidate Aaron Lake, a puppet essentially created by CIA director Teddy Maynard to fulfill 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 a 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 toward 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 your reading light turned on late. --Patrick O'Kelley 1854517 book 2000 The Brethren total:9762|5:1426|4:2940|3:3999|2:1149|1:248| 9762 33433 11887 372 4 1 false false Sun Dec 07 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 11 12:03:27 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 11 18:12:58 -0800 2008 The Brethren by John Grisham

I found this to be a pretty interesting book. It is the story of the brethren, three ex-judges in a low-security prison called Trumble, who come up with a scheme to extort money from older homosexual men. Two vi...more...]]> 2 2 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Feb 06 07:53:13 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 06 07:53:13 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Oct 24 22:32:57 -0700 2007 Thu Oct 25 15:12:12 -0700 2007
I thought Grisham tackled sensitive subject material with with grace and intelligence. We all know, paying attention to the news, that there are in fact closeted gay men...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 12:15:11 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 12:34:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 14:04:49 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 14:11:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Apr 13 13:08:59 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 13:09:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 true false Thu Mar 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 05 20:49:21 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 05 20:49:30 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 11:26:46 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 11:33:06 -0800 2009
There are 2 stories happening simultaneously.

There is a guy running for president. The CIA picked him because he was clear and free of anything in his past or present that would cause a problem for a candidate.

There ar...more...]]> 1 1 false false Thu Mar 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 13:24:01 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 16:26:10 -0700 2009
Three things:

1:

There was something about the homophobia in the novel that made me squeamish. I understand there are homophobes, but there was nothing in this novel to offset it. It's a dominate theme in the nov...more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Jun 27 08:17:09 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 27 08:22:48 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false true Mon Apr 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 07:25:46 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 07:33:58 -0700 2009 I was a little surprised by the ending *spoiler alert* but I guess in a book where there are no heros and no a...more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Jan 09 07:04:50 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 07:04:50 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Nov 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 19:53:12 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 20:18:32 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Wed Nov 12 20:46:04 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 13 19:50:48 -0800 2008
The "Brethren" are three ex-judges who have been incarcerated in a minimum security federal prison for a variety of avaricious crimes. W...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 27 15:50:01 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 27 16:28:34 -0700 2008 #10
This story was interesting. Two different events not seem unassociated, but they were linked when the three Brethren found out that Al was Lake who was the presidential candidate. They threatened to free them and 2 million dollars each, or they would reveal his secret. Final...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 17:41:30 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 18:10:17 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Fri May 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 23 21:46:51 -0700 2008 Fri May 23 10:18:54 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Jan 01 08:21:36 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 01 08:28:21 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 18 13:35:43 -0800 2007 Tue Dec 18 13:43:52 -0800 2007
The Brethren themselves are just developed enough that you get a feel for each of them...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Sat Nov 24 20:52:35 -0800 2007 Sat Nov 24 20:54:28 -0800 2007
Narrator: Frank Muller
Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio, 2001
Length: 11 hours and 38 min.

Publisher's Summary
Trumble is a minimum security federal prison, a "camp," home to the usual assortment of relatively harmless ...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=5354