Friday, July 17, 2009

Review: The Associate by John Grisham


Book Info:
The Associate by John Grisham
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Doubleday (January 27, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0385517836
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3/5



Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father’s small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential. But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget.

The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn’t want -- even though it’'s a job most law students can only dream about. Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.




I haven't read much Grisham lately. His books are ones that I remember loving when they first came out, but his new stuff hasn't impressed me nearly as much. When The Associate arrived on audio at the library I decided to give it a try.

Was it amazing? No, but it was enjoyable. The story was well paced with lots of action to keep me interested, but it was pretty standard. There wasn't a character I loved, or a twist that had me at the edge of my seat. It was a suspenseful read, but not one that will stay with me.

One thing I do want to mention, if you prefer your endings to be neatly wrapped up with all the questions answered, this one might not be for you. About halfway through disk 6 the story was still going strong. When I noticed the book was 8 disks long, I was a little worried the ending was going to be terribly rushed. It didn't really come across that way, but there were a lot of loose ends. This doesn't bother me, but I think the ending could be a little disappointing to some. 3 stars

7 comments:

Cindy said...

I wouldn't like reading something with loose endings...great review :)

Kelly said...

I loved his old stuff, I wouldn't see the movie The Firm, because I was so sure they would screw it up and the book was great. A Time to Kill was awesome too. But after a few books, it almost seemed like he was writing screenplays, not books and I only read them every once in a while now.

Literary Feline said...

I've read two Grisham books and I enjoyed both of them. I keep meaning to try more. Mostly his old stuff.

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

Thanks for the review on The Associate. I have the audio version on my IPOD. Grisham, like Patterson was better in his earler days IMO.

Sandy Nawrot said...

I also used to read everything Grisham wrote for awhile, in his early days, but then I got tired of it. Yes, his books are entertaining, but it all started to blend together. I did, however, love An Innocent Man, his dabble in true crime. It was fabulous.

Sheila DeChantal said...

Interesting. I used to be a huge Grisham fan and with the introduction to more authors, while I still watch for his work, I rarely get time to read it. I have this one on my shelf. Thanks for your review... I will read this eventually.

Zibilee said...

I haven't read anything by Grisham in a long, long time. I have heard that his later stuff wasn't as good as could be expected, so I haven't really felt too compelled to go back. Sorry that this one wasn't perfect for you, but thanks for the insightful review.