Paula Mills
asked:
Why do you think Grisham had to go into so much detail about the war story? I don’t think it really was that relevant to the plot and was way too long and graphic. It was not his usual style and I was disappointed with the book.
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The Reckoning,
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Pam Leibowitz
I skipped the entire war story and believe the book was more enjoyable because I did...
This is the 1st book of Mr Grishams that bored me often... far too many unnecessary descriptions or diversions that I found irritating.
This is the 1st book of Mr Grishams that bored me often... far too many unnecessary descriptions or diversions that I found irritating.
Satchmo
I thought the war story was the best writing Grisham has ever produced. It was fascinating and extremely well written. The beginning and the ending was his usual good story telling but the war story in the middle was superb writing.
Ben
Personally, I think the horrors he went through in WWII helped explain his actions in the first third of the book, namely his blase attitude about getting sentenced to death, being held in jail, etc. He'd already been through hell, so the Mississippi situation was almost a vacation for him. I think it helped explain some things in the back third as well. Just a personal opinion.
Steve Powell
I loved the part about the Bataan Death March and the gorilla activities. I thought it was fascinating and gave depth to Pete's character and helped explain his actions.
Hank Sweet
I thought the War Story was fascinating- didn't know much about the Bataan March or the Guerilla war in The Philipines.
Carol Kenton
I just finished this book. Actually skipped over the lengthy war part. I was able to get the idea of the terrible treatment during the war to be able to understand Pete's reaction without having to read all the details. Way too long. Very disappointed in book. I have read all of Grisham's books and this is not up to par in my estimation.
Maybe Grisham should write an entire book about war as the theme and plot.
Maybe Grisham should write an entire book about war as the theme and plot.
Neophyte Novelist
I have just finished reading it and plowed through it all. I enjoyed the detailed war section (if you can "enjoy" war) which could have been a book in itself. The ending was anti-climactic for me in that after all that detail and lengthy war story, the ending was tame, and for me, didn't warrant the whole build up. Perhaps shocking at the time, I kind of lost track that it was in the late forties. I love Grisham's storytelling and have read all his books (can't remember each and every one mind you!) but this was a letdown in my humble opinion.
Claire
I'm glad it wasn't just me thinking this.
Carolyn
I think he may just have been interested in that period of history and it was a good vehicle for the story. He certainly included more than most readers wanted to know.
James
The war story was the best part of the book. It also gave insight into why Pete did what he did. I was more disappointed in the third half of the book.
Ella Harris
I agree with Allison, the portion about World War II was riveting, extremely educational, well-written and the first thing I've read that has had a profound impact on my opinion of dropping the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was the best historical overview of a portion of the second world war that I have ever read. It was far more informative that anything I learned in school.
Wendy
I have no clue. Lost his touch? I thought he was finally redeeming himself after a few dull books in a row. The war story was a turnoff, I skipped over all the narrative about it in Part 2 of the book. He never gained any strength after that, and just like the Banning fortune, he petered out. So disappointed!
Kathryn Miller
That's funny because I thought the war story was the best part of the book. The rest, not so much.
Patricia
I think sometimes an author indulges himself. The first part of the book was wooden and stoic, very black and white, and Pete Bannon wasn't very likable. In the second part, it goes all technicolor, we see him and Liza meet and mate, spend their early years having babies, leave the army to run the farm and then Pete goes to war, and experiences the worst war has to offer, including the suffering of others and not being able to do anything about it. My impression is that Grisham wanted to write about the Bataan Death March and wanted to relate it to this scrap of a story line he remembered hearing during his days as a practicing lawyer. The middle third of the book is the most vibrant, human writing, the rest doesn't hang together well.
Jon
Whilst the WW2 part of the book was unknown to me (being from Europe, we tend to concentrate on that part of the war!) and actually I found rather fascinating. I read a Grisham novel for the clever lawyering, which this book only put up a half hearted attempt to do any of.
Nancy Mills
I thought the war story was a fascinating and well-written sub-plot, but I kept expecting a solid connection at the end ... a revelation by one of his comrades in arms, or by the reporter who insisted on reporting the story in detail. but that part just left me hanging. Kind of puzzling ... it's like, the novel went there, but then just stopped.
Iris
Personally I found the first part of the novel rather boring but the war part was riveting.
It is good that a writer can change his style, who wants to read a writer that churns out the same formula time after time.
It is good that a writer can change his style, who wants to read a writer that churns out the same formula time after time.
Dolly Martinez
My thoughts? Filler. I can’t believe so many people don’t know about the Bataan death march. Especially people that read.
Brenda
I just scanned through the war story! It showed that Pete could kill without any guilt or remorse!
Dee
I haven't finished the book but am struggling through this Second part.
Marybeth
I agree it was too much info and irrelevant to the story. Kept waiting for some part of the war story to matter to the beginning and end. Nada. This was not up to the old Grisham books I loved.
Paul Adams
Filler to make up for gaps in the rest of the novel.
Wanda Keith
I did not see the need for so much detail about the war. It just didn't fit into the rest of the story. The book 'Ghost Soldiers' is a great book on the Bataan Death March and much of Grisham's descriptions seem to come right out of that book. I was extremely disappointed in this book and feel that Grisham's best work is behind him. I have continued to read his books looking for the old Grisham but this is my last.
denise oburota
I wondered about this as well. In the author's note at the end of the book he goes into detail about his fascination about the Bataan Death March (I didn't even know it was a non-fictional event, actually), and he also goes into his inspiration for writing this draining pointless story.
Sharon
I agree! Way too long. I skipped a lot of the book.
Sally-Anne Lambert
The Bataan part is central to the story, it's a mystery hidden there. MacArthur was born with Pluto on alGol the demon star. He was sent to Philippines as a punishment by General Pershing because Louise Cromwell the most desirable woman of DC chose MacArthur over Pershing who'd had an affair with her. MacArthur deliberately prevented the forces sent to destroy the Japanese before they could attack the air field in Philippines after Pearl Harbor. The Japanese immediately decimated their entire air force there, and surrounded them.
Then when they retreated to the Bataan jungle, MacArthur deliberately left the food supplies (massive amount including rice that could have fed them for years) behind, ensuring they were starved, couldn't fight in a desperate situation, and ended with the biggest US defeat ever and biggest surrender ever. Then they were massively abused as POWs including massively larger number of Filipinos.
All because MacArthur was obsessed on his fatal love for a taunting woman and in a hugely spiteful triangle in which he was blindly infuriated at his ultimate superior the General of the Armies Pershing. He retained a hatred of his superiors all his life and had to be removed from the Korean War leadership by Truman, and would have nuked 34 military targets in North Korea/ China. (But at least he didn't intend civilian targets like others did.) In his memoirs he never once mentioned Louise by name. She had a femme fatale horoscope with 8 grand trines. He struck her on at least one occasion and she humiliated him at social functions. He was also denied a medal by Pershing.
Pershing himself had heavy karma. He fought against the American Indians and his first wife and 3 daughters died in a fire. He caused the sister of General Patton to remain a spinster all her life after breaking their engagement. He had a secret marriage to a French-Romanian artist, and he was friends with the Nazi collaborationist French Vichy leader Petain.
Then when they retreated to the Bataan jungle, MacArthur deliberately left the food supplies (massive amount including rice that could have fed them for years) behind, ensuring they were starved, couldn't fight in a desperate situation, and ended with the biggest US defeat ever and biggest surrender ever. Then they were massively abused as POWs including massively larger number of Filipinos.
All because MacArthur was obsessed on his fatal love for a taunting woman and in a hugely spiteful triangle in which he was blindly infuriated at his ultimate superior the General of the Armies Pershing. He retained a hatred of his superiors all his life and had to be removed from the Korean War leadership by Truman, and would have nuked 34 military targets in North Korea/ China. (But at least he didn't intend civilian targets like others did.) In his memoirs he never once mentioned Louise by name. She had a femme fatale horoscope with 8 grand trines. He struck her on at least one occasion and she humiliated him at social functions. He was also denied a medal by Pershing.
Pershing himself had heavy karma. He fought against the American Indians and his first wife and 3 daughters died in a fire. He caused the sister of General Patton to remain a spinster all her life after breaking their engagement. He had a secret marriage to a French-Romanian artist, and he was friends with the Nazi collaborationist French Vichy leader Petain.
Melinda
I skipped through that section. I rarely do that. I really enjoyed the first third of the book and the last third although I didn't love the ending.
Gracie Hill
I agree with Allison, it was great writing but didn't do anything to move the plot at all. I felt like it was totally unrelated in fact and found myself skipping pages. Not at all up to his usual standards.
Sharon Ouderkirk
The war story was gripping, and I think the point was to clarify why Pete was so betrayed by Liza's behaviour when he returned to war. If you put yourself in Pete's position, having gone through hell on a daily basis for years, staying sane by thinking of your wife and children, and you come home to discover that Liza was out with someone else, your feeling would be betrayal and resentment. After all he went through, his attitude would likely be 'you couldn't stand a little loneliness in the comfort of home?" It's totally understandable how Pete reacts.
Deborah Horton Core
I agree. I think he failed to have an actual plot, so he made it a longer book by adding the war story. It seemed out of place in the "center" of the plot. Just didn't work for me as a mystery at all. I read it all, but should have skipped the entire war section.
Greg Strom
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Amy
I think this was the book Grisham wanted to write and then around that he put his Mississippi locale and characters and of courses the lawyers. He made his war hero sympathetic until we and probably Grisham , as his story evolved, realized neither the south nor his character were that sympathetic after all
Terri Lee
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Mickey
That was the only part of the book that was a riveting, except for the insane human suffering. I didn't know about this piece of history.
Malcolm
You're correct in saying that it was really relevant to the plot, however as it turned out, it was the best part of the book and could have made a stand alone story in itself. The rest of the book was very disappointing.
Ashish Vishwakarma
Same I am disappointed to.
Gretchen
I agree, it was a little different than other Grisham novels. I skimmed the pages about Bataan and did not feel that the my enjoyment of the book was lessened. If I want to know that much detail about WWII I will read nonfiction.
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