Title: The Appeal
Author: John Grisham
First published January 29, 2008
358 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780385515047 (ISBN10: 0385515049)
Rating: 3.62
Overview
John Grisham, a literary legend, has done it again. As his loyal readers anticipate his latest work, The Appeal, they are not disappointed.
The novel follows the ambitious lawyers, Mary and Wes Grace, as they take on a corporate giant guilty of polluting a small town with toxic waste. The stakes are higher than ever as the duo secures a multimillion dollar win, only to face a ruthless appeal.
Grisham weaves a complex web of legal shenanigans, leaving readers on the edge of their seats as they wonder which way the scales of justice will ultimately tip. Will the appeal succeed, or will justice prevail?
Find out in John Grisham’s riveting legal thriller, The Appeal.
About the Author
John Grisham has an impressive track record as an author, with forty-seven consecutive #1 bestsellers that have been translated into almost fifty languages. Some of his recent works include The Judge’s List, Sooley, and his third Jake Brigance novel, A Time for Mercy, which is being adapted by HBO as a limited series.
Grisham has received recognition for his writing, having won the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction twice and being awarded the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.
Aside from writing, Grisham is also involved in the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries, two national organizations committed to freeing those who have been wrongfully convicted. Through his fiction, he tackles systemic issues in our criminal justice system.
In his personal life, John resides on a farm in central Virginia.
Editoral Review
John Grishams The Appeal is a legal thriller published in 2008. Grisham is a prolific writer known for his mastery of the genre, having written many bestsellers over the years, such as A Time to Kill and The Firm.
The Appeal is a tale of high-stakes courtroom drama, political intrigue, and corporate corruption in the American South. In The Appeal, industrial tycoon Carl Trudeau has been ordered by a Mississippi court to pay millions of dollars in damages to a small town for polluting their water supply.
In a desperate attempt to overturn the verdict, Trudeau spends millions on a political campaign to elect a justice to the state supreme court who he hopes will rule in his favor. Meanwhile, the small town’s lawyer, Wes Payton, is fighting to uphold the verdict and seeking justice for his clients.
The story revolves around the court battle between Trudeau and Payton, with both sides employing unethical tactics to win. Grishams writing style in The Appeal is crisp, clear, and to the point.
He maintains a firm grip on the plot throughout the book, slowly building the tension until the final conclusion. Grisham’s characters are well-developed, with each having their own motivations and agendas.
The reader can’t help but invested in their stories and wondering how they will end up. One of the book’s strengths is how it highlights the connection between money, politics, and justice in America.
Grisham poses an important question about how citizens from small towns with limited resources can hope to obtain justice when confronting wealthy corporations with bottomless pockets. These themes resonate with readers in the US and abroad, being just as relevant today as they were upon the books publication.
However, some readers may not appreciate the overlanguages of legal jargon, which could make it difficult to follow the plot if they are not familiar with the legal system. Another flaw is that some characters are painted with broad strokes and lack nuance.
Despite its small detractors, The Appeal is a thrilling book to read, full of twists and turns along with a satisfying conclusion that ties everything up neatly. Legal thriller fans will undoubtedly appreciate the book, but The Appeal is also an excellent choice for those interested in politics, social issues, and the challenges that the average citizen faces when bringing a case to court.
We highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating read. Score: 4/5
