Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Apr 17, 2010

Michael rated it:

This book was so bad I couldn't finish it. I normally have enjoyed every other Grisham book and can depend on them for good light entertainment and occasionally a very well done, enlightening story. Ford County must have been written because Grisham had a commitmment with his publisher to churn something out. The book is a series of seven short stories abouth life in Ford County, Mississippi the scene of an early Grisham novel. I went through the first two stories and wondered; why did he bother More...

19 comments like (10 people liked it)

Dec 04, 2011

Thom rated it:

This is a collection of seven independent short stories depicting a variety of different characters from Ford County, Mississippi. These characters are vividly brought to life and the humid air of the Deep South can almost be felt. Some of these stories show a subtle humor even when the plot is everything but. The language reminds me of Bill Bryson’s romp through a strange country. I can almost taste the grits and black-eyed peas.
The seven stories offer a rare and unique glimpse in a rura More...

0 comments like

Aug 03, 2011

James added it

In this fascinating collection of short stories, Grisham shows his characteristic flare for interesting characters and situations, as well as his ability to turn a plot on a legal storyline. The seven stories in this collection demonstrate a nice variety of characters and plot, some having tinges of a more traditional Grisham legal thriller and some having no legal theme at all. They are all held together, though, by their setting in Ford County, Mississippi, which readers will recall from books More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 21, 2011

Sharon rated it:

I picked Ford County up to listen to as I was traveling to a conference. Interestingly enough, I have not read any other John Grisham novels, but this appeared to me because it consisted of short stories. I like listening to short stories because you can listen for short blocks of time and take a rest without forgetting necessary details to keep you in the plot (as with listening to a novel).

Ford County consists of seven short stories set in and around Clanton, Mississippi. The st More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 19, 2011

Mike The Situation rated it:

Great book! After the first chapter, i was hooked. This book isn't just one story, it is a compilation of stories, all of them taking place in Ford County. The book was written in an interesting and different way. At first I didn't like the way the book was written, however as the book went on I began to like it.
The book was not about just one topic, each chapter was a different story with different characters, but the same setting, Ford County. He is able to introduce the reader to the s More...

0 comments like

May 15, 2011

David rated it:

Did you ever read a book about an area and decide that you might want to go and visit or perhaps retire in that area? John Grisham's Ford County, a collection of stories, had the reverse effect on me. I don't ever want to even get close to that geographical area. Why? It appears that Ford County, if Grisham's works here are any indication, is the capitol of Deep, Dark, Depression, U.S.A. The people in these stories are all so sad and their situations are so dark that on would need the light More...

2 comments like

Feb 03, 2011

Neil rated it:

An absolute delight to read, I am not usually a short story reader, and was surprised this was, off course having read all Grisham's earlier and som sensational work, I was not sure if I was going to read it, glad I did.
He was able to take me to Ford County and give me a glimpse of what the people are like, as in every situation he portrays only a specific kind of family or person. I do not want to get into the story detail and by doing so spoil it for those people who are intending to rea More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 27, 2010

Todd rated it:

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

0 comments like

Dec 03, 2010

Roberta rated it:

An enjoyable series if stories. One story is about 3 rednecks who go to donate blood and get afoul of the law. Another story is about a lawyer who defends a doctor and the loser of the case kidnaps him to show him why he's wrong. Another story is about a husband whose wife leaves him and how he gambles his way to get her back. Another story about lawyer that cheats his clients and leaves his wife. Another story about a death row inmate and his possible last day with his family. Still anothe More...

0 comments like

Aug 05, 2010

June rated it:

I have enjoyed John Grisham's books for years and this is one , "Ford County" with it's several short stories is no exception. Once again Mr. Grisham's use of language has entertained me again. This book is different from the author's usual complete novels, but each story has a conflict, a lesson (of sorts) and a resolution or satisfying ending.

"Blood Drive" with it's three Ford County young men who embark on a trip to Memphis to donate blood to a fellow FC who h More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 17, 2010

Wendell rated it:

At the end of this collection of stories, the reader is left with a deep, unsettling ambivalence. On the one hand, Grisham wields a sense of place and of language with a confidence that’s hard to beat. He places his characters in memorable, finely wrought settings, he gives them richly evoked material to work with, he writes dialogue that has the ring of truth to it. And then he observes those characters, as they move, live, and (mostly) suffer, with a chilly, anthropological detachment and emot More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Mar 24, 2010

Jamie rated it:

I have always loved short stories and most of the time wish many novels would have been handled as such, but THEY JUST DON'T MAKE MONEY for the publishing houses so unless your name is John Grisham, the editors and agents will take a good short story and S T R E T C H it out until it is novel length.

So it was fun to read these 6 stories. You are able to get such a glimpse into small town Mississippi life through the eyes of vastly different charachters in such a short time. Ultim More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Dec 28, 2009

Michael rated it:

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

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 18, 2009

Richard rated it:

This is a collection of seven short stories from the ridiculous to most poignant, all set in rural Mississippi. The first story, Blood Drive, is in the finest tradition of Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou? Three casual acquaintances rush off in all directions to get to Memphis to donate blood for another young citizen who may have been hurt or even killed in an industrial accident. One is not seen again for a year after last being seen having unseen persons shooting at him in a parking lot.

More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 05, 2010

Nanette rated it:

Loved it. He makes the people he writes about in Mississippi so believable. Several weeks after reading it, I am still thinking of some of the portraits he gives us:

- the impoverished mother and her two grown sons traveling to the state prison for the third son's execution for murder. She's in a wheelchair strapped to the floor of a van they had to borrow from the older son's boss. The family's last meeting before the prisoner enters the gas chamber is quite poignant. This is the m More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2010

Nicole rated it:

I normally like Grisham and I did like his writing style in this book. My complaint is that the characters were all stereotypical red-necks. Yes, Clanton, Mississippi is rural, but not everyone living there is prejudiced, immoral, lazy, or scheming. For example, one story was about a gay man who returns to Clanton to die of AIDS in 1989. He is shunned by his wealthy family (and everyone else) and must live in the black section of town with a spinster who stands to inherit her house from the More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 08, 2010

Shaun rated it:

I was excited to read this collection of short stories by John Grisham. While not a Grisham devotee per se, I've read a few of his books and enjoyed most of them (I give thumbs up to The Firm, Pelican Brief, The Client and The Partner. No thumbs to The Chamber and A Time to Kill, mostly because I can't get through them.)

Overall, I enjoyed Ford County. Some of the stories ended a bit abruptly (my usual gripe about short stories)with a few head scratching endings. Engaging characteriz More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 29, 2010

Mom rated it:

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

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 01, 2012

Frederick rated it:

These are short stories set in the fictional town of Clanton, Mississippi. They explore small town life in the south.

One that I especially liked is called "Funny Boy". It is set in the late 1980's. A guy from a wealthy family in town realizes he is gay and moves to San Francisco to live in a more tolerant place. He contracts AIDS, and returns home to Clanton to die. His family does not want him in their home, so he is put in the care of an elderly black tenant of theirs. The two More...

0 comments like

Nov 09, 2009

Tom rated it:

Back to what I think of as Grisham's roots; Ford County, MS. This is where it all started, with _A Time to Kill_. The tragic humor in some of these stories reminds me of favorite authors, Larry Brown and Harry Crews.

*SPOILER BELOW*
Especially moving is Grisham's short story "Funny Boy", the poignant end of life story of a young man estranged from his moneyed Southern family. Having been ostracized by his entire town (on his return from San Fran), he is sent by his f More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 15, 2010

Forrest rated it:

I found this book to be very entertaining. My wife started reading this, and after the second short story - said that she could not take it any more, and stopped reading it. I found all 7 of the short stories entertaining. Grisham brilliantly sets up each story with characters and settings and then weaves an interesting story of intrigue and mystery. He, the story teller, is detached from the story, but yet in the same sense, exposes the reader to all kinds of emotions. This book treads on More...

0 comments like

Jul 31, 2011

Michael rated it:

Ford County is a book of short stories written by John Grisham.

Those familiar with Grishams writing will recognize this southern location in Missisippi as it was referenced in a few of this other novels.

Grisham does a wonderful job of with his writing to make you feel at home in Ford County. If you have ever lived or worked in small town surrounded by a rural setting you might find Ford County similar.

The stories are engaging, and the characters quite color More...

0 comments like

Feb 19, 2010

JoAnn/QuAppelle rated it:

Tonight I finished this book of stories by John Grisham. I thought the book was very well-done. I am very particular about short stories and think they are a difficult format in which to write. To write an economical piece that is also "complete" has to be a great challenge for a writer, and Grisham has succeeded. Some of the stories were better than others, but all were good.

In these stories, he returns to Clanton, the setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill. The charac More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 15, 2010

Sarah rated it:

When beginning Ford County I was pulled in to the first story, "Blood Drive". I honestly didn't like the second half of the story as much as the first. I wasn't seeing much of a point to it, which made me not as inclined to pick the book back up.

One thing I found interesting is that I haven't really liked any of the characters. I wonder why he wrote all of the characters to be so unlikable. This is a question I'd like to ask the author as I do feel it is intentional. It ma More...

0 comments like

Apr 04, 2010

Judy rated it:

In Ford County, John Grisham returns to the location of his first novel, A Time to Kill. In this book of 7 stories, most longer than average short stories, but shorter than novellas, Grisham introduces a cast of unforgettable characters. One of my favorites involved three good old boys from Ford County who are traveling to Memphis to give blood to an injured friend. Problem is they don't know how badly injured the friend is, what hospital he is in, and they can't seem to drive by a store sell More...

0 comments like

Aug 23, 2010

Diana rated it:

Grisham's Ford County Stories offers a distinct departure from his other works. While reading, I realized that while I thoroughly enjoyed this collection (as a former Southerner and law professional), I am not sure that this work would appeal to a great many other people. Fans of Grisham's legal thrillers will be disappointed by the lack of the same in these stories, while lovers of short stories will find these lightweight, and in many instances not fully fleshed out.

Several stori More...

0 comments like

Dec 03, 2009

Michael rated it:

John Grisham heads back to his literary roots of Ford County. For those of you who don't recall (or didn't read the dust jacket), Ford County is the setting for his first (and possibly best) book "A Time to Kill."

After a disappointing legal thriller for his last new book, it's nice to see Grisham get back to the business of storytelling again with this collection of short stories.

Grisham pushes his boundaries as a writer, offering up stories that offer humor, p More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 21, 2010

Kasa rated it:

Yes Grisham is a million book seller, yes he produces prodigiously, yes his books transcribe to the screen successfully. But he is also that wonderful commodity -- the southern writer, a storyteller, a weaver of tales that keeps a reader turning pages. These 7 short-ish stories may be germs of ideas he had for novels, but he was wise to keep their length in check, to say only what he had to say. Like that other crime writer from the south Carl Hiaasen, he sells books because he writes well an More...

0 comments like

Jan 10, 2010

Kendra rated it:

I loved this book. I was needing something to listen to, and I finished this short story collection in two days. John Grisham reads his stories with his southern accent, and it's just great.

This is his take on a small town in rural Mississippi and some stories about a few of the folks that live there. Grisham's superb descriptions made these characters come alive. If you grew up in a small town, and especially if you have known a few "good ol' boys" in your lifetime, th More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 29, 2011

Nilesh added it

An absolutely gem of a book. The seven stories are as different as they come and evoke strong but vastly different emotions.

Most of the stories are without any unpredictable twists, and that somehow proves to be the strongest aspect of the book. Essentially, the stories are not there to surprise but to live the interesting lives of simple people from countryside.

In almost all the stories, characters are well-developed. It is an amazing feat to not only finish the complex stories with multiple More...

0 comments like

reviews