The Appeal

John Grisham is now an institution -- a writer whose bestselling status is assured, So assured, in fact, that expectations for each new book are as high as can be imagined. Does The Appeal make the grade? And will it appeal to Grisham admirers -- or disappoint them?

The stakes in the novel's plot are high: corporate crime on the largest scale. The duo of lawyers at the centre of the narrative are Mary and Wes Grace, who succeed in a multimillion dollar case against a chemical company, who have polluted a town with dumped toxic waste. A slew of agonising deaths have followed this, but lawyers for the chemical company appeal, and a variety of legal shenanigans are employed -- and it is certainly not clear which way the scales of justice will be finally balanced.

As ever with Grisham, the mechanics of plotting are key, and the characterisation is functional rather than detailed. But it is (as always) more than capable of keeping the reader totally engaged. Given John Grisham's much-publicised conversion to born-again Christianity, it's intriguing to note here the implicit criticism of the moral majority's religious values, but that is hardly central to the enterprise. What counts is the storytelling, and while the writing is as straightforward and uncomplicated as ever, few readers will put down The Appeal once they have allowed it to exert its grip on upon them. --Barry Forshaw

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Not his best - Rated
After I finished The Associate, which was gripping and exciting, I started the Appeal. What a difference. This book is not very gripping or really interesting - it seems much greyer to me. 'Therea re some interesting characters but everything is a bit fuzzy and I wasn't so interested in who was doing what - The Associate was simply much better.

Average Big Busines vs. Ambulance Chasers Story - Rated
The plot has been described adequately elsewhere.

What Grisham seems to be doing in this book, is describing a process which he finds almost grossly obscene, that is the ability to 'buy' your own Mississippi Supreme Court Justice. The whole conspiratorial story centres around overturning a large damages award against Krane Chemicals, and the machinations from big business in New York, and a bought Senator in Washington, in manipulating an election to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

I haven't really enjoyed Grisham's recent novels (this was a gift), and I get the impression he is simply fulfilling a contract with his publisher. The ending, in my opinion, is unsatisfactory and rushed. You get the impression reading the book, that the ending would be a large played out scenario, but when it actually happens, it smells of a publisher's deadline.

It's not actually a bad read, but I wouldn't say it's a page turner that some of the reviews say.

Interesting, a page turner - Rated
This was my first Grisham's book, and I really enjoyed it. Maybe it isn't its best but it captured me. I was impressed because of the atmosphere created around the judicial elections, and I've been shocked and captured by some of the characters. You feel fighting for the trial lawyers, but still trying to analyze the candidate. I fully recommend it if you are interested in judicial proceedings and in power-law issues, mostly regarding environment. I had enjoyed a lot. A good summer book, indeed.

The Appeal - Rated
The latest legal thriller from Grisham. gripping with a few twists and turns along the way which the readers do not expect. Grisham's knowledge if the legal system is a bonus and adds to the overall effect as he help the reader to feel involved. A story of the orfinary man/woman in the street taking on the giant multi-national. A story of sensitive subjects with a heart felt story line, that also gives us an insight of the power of companies who will stop at nothing to secure the iutcome they want, A real page turner.

An OK novel, but Grisham has done much better...... - Rated
An irresponsible chemical company, people getting sick and dying, and the politics involved in getting a business-friendly judge to sit on an appeal are at the heart of this story.

There is nothing special about either Grisham's writing or his characterisations, but he does suck the reader into hoping that the town-folk can triumph over evil business interests.

It is a very political novel and perhaps too political, although I don't mean this in terms of Grisham expressing his views, but rather in terms of the book's balance. The bulk of this book is actually about political campaigning rather than the legal appeal I was expecting to read about. (I'm a bit funny like that in expecting a book's title to be some indicator of its content!). That said, Grisham does raise a very significant issue in highlighting the problems of having members of your judiciary elected by political means and I have no problem with him getting on his soapbox.

There is a result, of course, but the ending appears hurried and some matters are left open.

In summary, not as good as his best, but not the lost cause many have argued it to be. It is an easy read which doesn't provide too many challenges, but does tackle a topical issue which needs airing.

I have this lingering fear that my comments are harsher than they deserve to be, simply because Grisham is the author. I therefore wonder if my rating would have been higher if this was a new author's debut novel. In other words, I think there is enough there to give this book a try provided your expectations aren't for perfection. 7/10