Patricia answers “Why do you think Grisham had to go into so...”

Paula Mills asked this question about The Reckoning:

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.

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 likab…moreI 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. (less)

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Paula Mills Patricia, that’s an excellent observation. I look forward to his next book being more cohesive, and not written as if it were two different books. I h ...more
Dec 19, 2018 11:28AM · flag

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