In his first courtroom thriller since A Time to Kill, John Grisham tells the story of a young man barely out of law school who finds himself taking...
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reviews
Dec 08, 2010
Jessica
rated it: 
Why did I like this book so much? Because it showed the "other" side of lawyering - the side that isn't romanticized in Grisham's other novels. For once, there were no mobsters, no politicians with hidden agendas, no paranoid millionaires with money to burn, no fresh-out-of-college rookies who land in hot water because they accidentally stumbled upon a secret that their storied firms had been keeping for years.
Rudy struggles from the outset. He's handed one opportunity afte More...
Rudy struggles from the outset. He's handed one opportunity afte More...
Nov 07, 2008
Michael
rated it:
“Like a snake creeping through the undergrowth, I sneak into the law school well past noon and hours after both of my scheduled classes have broken up.” I like this quote for a couple of reasons; one is because it’s so well described and descriptive. John Grisham left me wondering what was about to happen every time I was about to turn the page. I couldn’t really predict the book there were constant twists and turns throughout the book, as was curiosity and excitement. I didn’t have a least fa
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Aug 20, 2007
Chelsea
rated it:
im just a highskooler, so i couldnt really understand what the book was saying, but i got a general idea. this book is about a young man named rudy that is a struggling lawyer, but his life turns 360 degrees after he wins this case or something. its about a quiet adventure to the road of success. whoever reads this should feel touched at his will and drive. the fact that he neva gave up at the hardest times, and his determination to make it. i could go on and on, but i guess i got the general id
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Sep 26, 2011
Sabrina
rated it: 
I’ve read a few Grisham novels and I have found them all to be entertaining (except Bleachers – Couldn’t get on board with that one. In fact after Bleachers I stopped reading Grisham, thinking he had lost his touch).
I saw “The Rainmaker” described as his best novel, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Bought it on Kindle. Glad I did, for I don’t feel any great need to have it taking up space in my library.
Don’t misunderstand me, though. I did enjoy the book and I had no tr More...
I saw “The Rainmaker” described as his best novel, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Bought it on Kindle. Glad I did, for I don’t feel any great need to have it taking up space in my library.
Don’t misunderstand me, though. I did enjoy the book and I had no tr More...
Sep 22, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
Ubelieveably, this is the first John Grisham book I have ever read. I picked it up primarily because everythng I wanted to read was not yet into the library, or checked out. I figured, because he is a regular best-seller and a darling of Hollywood, Grisham would be a crappy writer.
Boy, was I wrong! This book was great. Grisham is, first and foremost, a Southern novelist. An Arkansas native, who was educated (undoubtedly in every way) in Mississppi in the '70s, Grisham is a member of More...
Boy, was I wrong! This book was great. Grisham is, first and foremost, a Southern novelist. An Arkansas native, who was educated (undoubtedly in every way) in Mississppi in the '70s, Grisham is a member of More...
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Jun 12, 2011
This book was a book that I had tried to get into in my early 20's, but for whatever reason, I couldn't get into it at that time in my life. I decided to try it again this year and couldn't put it down. Those few extra years of maturity helped me understand the complexities in the story, complexities that I didn't understand when I tried it before.
At times, I thought Grisham rambled a bit too long. For instance, the description of Rudy Baylor's time in law school and post graduation More...
At times, I thought Grisham rambled a bit too long. For instance, the description of Rudy Baylor's time in law school and post graduation More...
Feb 23, 2011
Alison
rated it:
An inside look at the legal profession from the perspective of a law student who takes the bar exam during the first 1/3 of the book; the insurance industry; and clients. Theatrics, manipulation, withholding of critical documents, contempt of court, are just a few words to describe the defendents' lawyer and the defendents themselves. The story begins with a law student going to a senior center to offer free legal advice (with his instructor of course) to senior citizens-all part of his law sc
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Jan 13, 2011
Trennon
rated it:
This book is a welcome break from the normal lawyer writing of John Grisham. It opens on a law student at Memphis State Law School named Rudy Baylor. Instead of Rudy being aimed at success from the beginning, he is struggling to pass the final bar exam and just get a job. Most of his classmates have promising jobs somewhere, but Rudy has no such luck. His opportunities are very limited and when it seems like his future is brightening, the rug is quickly pulled out from under him. It shows the op
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Sep 10, 2010
Jane
rated it:
4 ½ stars. Wow what a great story teller! A number of events surprised me. I found myself smiling several times.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I love the unexpected which this novel has. His characters might be stereotypes, but they were well done, fun, and had me chuckling. The theme is David vs. Goliath. The ending is happy with a bitter component. The evil, greedy, large corporation leaves a bad taste. The story took a while to get going which was fine. But the last third of th More...
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I love the unexpected which this novel has. His characters might be stereotypes, but they were well done, fun, and had me chuckling. The theme is David vs. Goliath. The ending is happy with a bitter component. The evil, greedy, large corporation leaves a bad taste. The story took a while to get going which was fine. But the last third of th More...
Jan 21, 2010
Tony
rated it: 
Michael Beck (The Golden Seal, Xanadu), who seems to be making a career out of reading books on audio (A Time to Kill, The Runaway Jury), has returned with John Grisham's The Rainmaker, bringing the backwoods of Tennessee's legal world to life. His sultry, southern drawl animates the world of Rudy Baylor, an out-of-luck, budding lawyer who has more things going against him than bedraggled, disaster-magnet Joe from Lil' Abner. The law firm that hired Baylor was gobbled up by a larger firm just th
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Jul 25, 2011
David
rated it: 
This was an unusual reading experience for a Grisham novel. First, although it is classified as one of his legal thrillers, it does have a lot of "legal" but most of the book I was waiting for the "thriller" part. Grisham adds the tension in the last 10 percent of the book, completely twisting the expected direction of the story...the biggest plus here. Mostly, the court room drama is supposed to sustain this book, since there is no danger to the protagonist, no chase sce
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Nov 16, 2010
Mighelon
rated it:
Un giovane avvocato, ancor prima di ottenere l'abilitazione, si trova nelle mani un grosso caso, in cui è evidente la malafede di un'assicurazione che non ha pagato il trapianto di midollo osseo che avrebbe potuto salvare un giovane ragazzo malato di leucemia. Nel frattempo perde il posto ancor prima di iniziare a lavorare, si deve preparare all'esame e continua a servire in un bar per raccimolare ciò che gli serve per vivere... È così che inizia la sua avventura nel mondo delle cause, dei proce
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Mar 11, 2010
Patrick
rated it:
The book tells of a down-on-his-luck law student who stumbles on an interesting non-payment of insurance case while doing pro-bono work for a retirement home. The case involves a lower-middle class couple who bought health insurance for a low premium when suddenly their child gets acute leukemia. The insurance company subsequently refuses to pay because they claim the child had a pre-existing condition that was totally unrelated to leukemia.
I enjoyed this book tremendously not on More...
I enjoyed this book tremendously not on More...
Nov 18, 2011
Peter
rated it:
John Grisham gives me hope that someday my writing will become noticed and that I will be able to make a living as a novelist. I say this because The Rainmaker made it to number one on the New York Times best seller list despite the fact that it is only an average book.
The writing was good enough to keep me turning the pages, but the story lacked and the characters were painfully stereotypical, except oddly enough for the main character. For a good guy, Rudy Baylor was unlikable, not in a More...
The writing was good enough to keep me turning the pages, but the story lacked and the characters were painfully stereotypical, except oddly enough for the main character. For a good guy, Rudy Baylor was unlikable, not in a More...
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Nov 21, 2010
Jason "Book Sniper"
rated it:
I loved this book. I kept reading about how funny it was, so I decided to give it a shot. I didnt think that the book was "that" funny :) If it was it would have gotten my full 5 star review... I only gave it 4. A five from me is very hard to get.
The book started out really slow for my liking. But I'm used to it because I'm a big fan of John Grisham and he usually starts his book pretty slow to paint the picture in your mind of what he wants you to see. JG does a great job More...
The book started out really slow for my liking. But I'm used to it because I'm a big fan of John Grisham and he usually starts his book pretty slow to paint the picture in your mind of what he wants you to see. JG does a great job More...
Sep 20, 2011
Alexander
rated it:
Overall it was a fantastic book, Rudy Baylor won over 50 million dollars in court, and forced the insurance company to declare bankruptcy the next day. Knowing that he will not get anything from the bankruptcy, he stops being a lawyer and escapes with his love interest to become a history teacher. This is the very uplifting story of a young lawyer straight out of law school catching the case of his life, and after having his skills turned down by many different firms, he goes to every lengt More...
Apr 24, 2011
Natasha
rated it:
I'm not a huge Popular Fiction person, but I do enjoy these books when I travel; I don't have to think about what's going on and I can leave the book behind on a plane or airport for someone else to enjoy. The Rainmaker is definitely one of these books.
I was surprised I liked the book as much as I did -- the story was fast-paced and engaging, the characters fairly realistic, and, like a television show, I didn't have to think much about the plot. The main premise of the story was very More...
I was surprised I liked the book as much as I did -- the story was fast-paced and engaging, the characters fairly realistic, and, like a television show, I didn't have to think much about the plot. The main premise of the story was very More...
Jan 02, 2009
Antof9
rated it:
About 20 pages into the book, I was dismayed by two things: 1. I'd already read it, and 2. it was the only thing I'd brought on the plane to read.
A typical Grisham, although this lawyer is young and when we meet him, not even finished with law school. But it's in the South, there are shady dealings, a big company is brought before a bunch of people who don't like big companies, etc., etc. Since I had already read this, I was disappointed to get so far into it on the plane that I had More...
A typical Grisham, although this lawyer is young and when we meet him, not even finished with law school. But it's in the South, there are shady dealings, a big company is brought before a bunch of people who don't like big companies, etc., etc. Since I had already read this, I was disappointed to get so far into it on the plane that I had More...
Sep 22, 2010
Adam
rated it:
Sigh. I wanted to give this one more stars. What I love about Grisham is you never feel bad for having met his characters and experienced his stories. The majority of his books are set in the field of law and justice, but they are far from cold, impersonal, or methodical. The procedural aspects of his stories are window-dressing, very interesting and education, but merely a backdrop to experience heart-felt characters in stories and situations we care about and identify with, and The Rainmak
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Oct 07, 2011
Lu
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 14, 2011
Nikole
rated it:
A newly minted layer, Rudy Baylor has already faced a long string of bad luck. Bankrupt and already laid off from two law firms, Rudy is in dire need of a boost, which comes in the form of a lawsuit against a health insurance company.
After ready several Grisham novels, I've found that they usually fall under one of two categories, cheap court room thrillers that fade from memory as soon as you close the book...and court room thrillers that you want to last forever. As I read the first More...
After ready several Grisham novels, I've found that they usually fall under one of two categories, cheap court room thrillers that fade from memory as soon as you close the book...and court room thrillers that you want to last forever. As I read the first More...
Jan 18, 2012
Julia
rated it:
Rudy Baylor is just about to graduate from Law School, has a simple job lined up, and is feeling pretty good about himself. He soon learns that the job will fall through has a difficult time finding another job and is evicted from his residence. Things are not going according to plan.
While giving some free legal service to a group of senior citizens, he meets the Blacks. Their son was denied access to lifesaving treatment for leukemia. At first he is unsure but soon realizes the B More...
While giving some free legal service to a group of senior citizens, he meets the Blacks. Their son was denied access to lifesaving treatment for leukemia. At first he is unsure but soon realizes the B More...
Mar 03, 2010
Ann
rated it:
Another "quickread" by John Grisham. In true Grisham style, he weaves an interesting story of a young lawer who graduates from law school, gets involved with a rather unsavory law firm, breaks away and starts his own practice, and gets involved in the lawsuit against a huge evil health insurance company. He eventually, through hours and hours and hours of hard work, wins a HUGE settlement, only to realize that he will get exactly NOTHING because the company declares bankruptcy. It d
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Dec 03, 2011
Nrul
rated it:
My first attempt to read Grisham after a few fail purchase at the book store - Thanks to Matt Damon who played the character so well in the motion picture - yeah I just watched it last night and immediately get this book from a friend who is a huge Grisham's fan - With exam coming up I dont know when will I really get started!
Eventually i finished this book.Since I watched the movie first, it is much easier to follow the story as I know exactly whats going to happen next.
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Eventually i finished this book.Since I watched the movie first, it is much easier to follow the story as I know exactly whats going to happen next.
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Apr 12, 2011
ayundabs
rated it:
Well, since I've read a few other books by John Grisham and totally loved it, I had great expectations for this one. Turns out the book wasn't as great as the books I've read before (The Runaway Jury and A Time to Kill). I still liked it and I don't think it's awful, but the story is just a little weird, especially the ending. But I like the author so much, and I really like the flow and characters. What I don't understand is some of the useless part in the beginning, why didn't he just skip to
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Mar 12, 2010
p. 43
8.
He is very enthusiastic because his situation wasn't hope and weak(because he was new). But he didn't obey his destination. He become to find his case and fight against powerful insurrance company. He is very strong and justice. Actually, I didn't finish yet, but I expect he grow up as honest lawyer.
14.
This novel is about law. John Grisham was a lawyer for a while. It's his major. Maybe he got a lot of case when he was lawyer. So he can find ideas More...
8.
He is very enthusiastic because his situation wasn't hope and weak(because he was new). But he didn't obey his destination. He become to find his case and fight against powerful insurrance company. He is very strong and justice. Actually, I didn't finish yet, but I expect he grow up as honest lawyer.
14.
This novel is about law. John Grisham was a lawyer for a while. It's his major. Maybe he got a lot of case when he was lawyer. So he can find ideas More...
Jan 30, 2011
Hilary
rated it:
This book was interesting in that I discovered I can be really interested by one single aspect of the plot, without giving a damn about the main character at all. Whenever the main character's life was the only storyline, I found this book dull. Whenever the plot (I refuse to give any spoilers) was the main storyline, I was fascinated. The fact that I read a whole book, both narrated by and about a character that I didn't care one whit about shows that the plot itself was pretty interesting.
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Dec 14, 2010
Lilly
rated it:
Fast-paced legal thriller!
An amazing legal thriller. The story has a little bit of everything; from the law student who finds himself in the role of David versus Goliath, the comical character played by Deck, there are the complimentary thugs and the token beautiful woman. Grisham weaves the story together magically and it makes for a very exciting read, building into a crescendo at the end with an unexpected twist.
While you read it all kinds of emotions penetrate your heart a More...
An amazing legal thriller. The story has a little bit of everything; from the law student who finds himself in the role of David versus Goliath, the comical character played by Deck, there are the complimentary thugs and the token beautiful woman. Grisham weaves the story together magically and it makes for a very exciting read, building into a crescendo at the end with an unexpected twist.
While you read it all kinds of emotions penetrate your heart a More...
Mar 24, 2011
Carol
rated it:
I loved this book. The book started out really slow for my liking. But I'm used to it because I'm a big fan of John Grisham and he usually starts his books fairly slow to paint the picture in your mind of what he wants you to see. Grisham does a great job in this book. He takes his time describing the characters. After a couple of chapters you feel as if you know these guys personally or "you are that person".
A new law student hitting the road of life hard! A story that co More...
A new law student hitting the road of life hard! A story that co More...
Feb 20, 2011
Hannah G.
rated it:
I absolutely loved this book! Rudy is a very intelligent young man and by the end of the book I felt like I really knew him and I think that really helped me connect with this book. Rudy seems very easy to get along with and he is just all arond likeable. When Rudy agreed to help that family I was so glad! He definetly did the right thing. The law aspects of the book got kind of boring and so I really enjoyed the romantic parts of the book. I think that them winning the case wasn't about money a
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