Today I am reviewing The Rainmaker by John Grisham. I just finished this book last night, and it occurred to me that it has been far too long since I posted a book review.
Plot Summary (from Amazon)
It's summer in Memphis. The sweat is sticking to Rudy Baylor's shirt and creditors are nipping at his heels. Once he had aspirations of breezing through law school and punching his ticket to the good life. Now he doesn't have a job or a prayer...except for one: an insurance dispute that leaves a family devastated and opens the door for a lawsuit, if Rudy can find a way to file it.
By the time Rudy gets to court, a heavyweight corporate defense team is there to meet him. And suddenly he's in over his head, plunged into a nightmare of lies and legal maneuverings. A case that started small is exploding into a thunderous million-dollar war of nerves, skill and outright violence--a fight that could cost one young lawyer his life, or turn him into the biggest rainmaker in the land....
My Review
The characters in this book were a little confusing. The main reason for this is that there were things you didn't know about all of the characters. The main characters, like Rudy, felt relatively one dimensional, because there seemed to be quite a bit of backstory you never heard. That meant that it was hard to predict what the characters would do, because it was hard to predict their motives for what they were doing. There were also a very large number of characters, and by the end, they were a little difficult to keep track of, especially since the ones who seem important often aren't, and the one's who don't often are.
The plot was enjoyable. I liked the main story quite a bit, and the trial was fun.There were a couple of subplots which were a little strange. One of them ended up feeling rather unresolved, and the other almost too resolved. In fact, one subplot comes to it's climax after the main climax of the book, and it kind of seemed to steal the thunder of the main story. On the whole, I liked the story, despite these shortcomings. On the whole, it is a very black and white story, good and bad are pretty clearly defined, and for the most part, it's always obvious who the bad guy is, and who you should root for.
The writing was good, but not amazing. In my way of reviewing writing (see the link in the header), I would put it slightly below Harry Potter. For the most part, the writing faded behind the story. This means that it's an easy read, and one where the story pulls you along without you even noticing the writing for the most part.
Who Should Read This Book?
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy legal stories, and those looking for a fun, easy read.
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