The Last Juror

Grisham is arguing that justice has to be seen to be done, rather than specifically for the death penalty or even life-means-life sentencing. Though his case is loaded, it is never entirely sentimentalised partly because these events are seen through the eyes of one of his most engaging narrators--a young northern-newspaper editor out to make a name and a fortune for himself, but also committed to the truth and a saintly African-American matriarch who serves on the Padgitt jury. This is a deeply populist book, but never a stupid one. --Roz Kaveney

Reader Reviews:

Comfort Reading (0/0 people found this helpful)

Whilst I don't wait breathlessly for the next Grisham, I do return to them every 3rd or 4th book as they are generally pretty consistent and enjoyable, and definitely easy to read.

This I found to be one of his better books, slightly different to the rest with the main trial over quickly and conclusively but the aftershocks felt several years later in the small Mississippi town of Clanton. It's told through the eyes of Willie Traynor, the young editor of the town's local paper who quickly realizes that the grisliest murder in town for years makes good copy and sells papers. His enthusiasm soon lands him in trouble with the dangerous family of the accused and the local sheriff however. The jury fail to send the perpetrator to the chair, a decision they will come to rue when Danny, murderer, rapist and member of said notorious and influential Padgitt family, is released after less than ten years.....

The story is well (slowly) paced, as Willie Traynor's deep friendship develops with Miss Callie, a descendant of the slave trade and the first black woman ever to sit on a jury, and the town moves on after the atrocity. Grisham enters Bryson territory in parts, with a thinly veiled attack on the Wal-Mart style store opening in town, changing its character for good. He captures small town coffee-shop gossip and mentality perfectly with some humorous asides. What some people may see as padding, others may see as charm and a keen observation on life in the Deep south in the 1970s.

Overall a good read, not a court room sizzler, but enjoyable all the same. I only wish the Padgitt clan had more of an input to spice it up a bit more....

A Fast Read (1/1 people found this helpful)

I was able to read this book in two sittings. Mr. Grisham writing style has improved quite a bit. And I have always liked it. This book takes place in the south in the seventies. A young man just out of college without graduating and moves to a small town where he takes a job on a county paper. The county is in Mississippi, Grisham's old stomping grounds.

This young man, Willie Traynor, ends up being the narrator of our story that takes us through almost a decade of life and turmoil in this town. He ends up owning the paper and interacting with a lot of interesting characters. He makes good friends with the Ruffin family who is God fearing and raised eight children. Seven of which earned PhD's. And runs afoul of the most nefarious family in the county.

We watch Willie grow up before our eyes; there is some courtroom drama and suspense. The plot is definitely character driven. And Gresham tries to put in a twist, but I found it a little to easy to figure out long before I reached the end. (I will not tell you where I figured it out, for that will ruin the ending for you. But the clues are there.)

The Ruffin family is endearing, but the Mississippi in the early seventies was still pretty much segregated. I would love to have known the Miss Callie Ruffin character. This book is worth reading.

The Last Straw (0/0 people found this helpful)

Grisham novels seem to fall into two distinct camps - courtroom based thrillers and whimsical nostalgia trips. 'The Last Juror' seems to be an attempt to combine the two as we follow a young man who moves to a small Southern town to take over their newspaper during the 60s. We follow the events in the town over the next two decades. The one thread that remains throughout is the murder of a young mother and how the man accused effects the town for years to come.

It's hard not to enjoy this book as it's a simple and pleasant read. However, unlike in the best of Grisham's novels very little actually happens. Instead we are left with some parts reading like 'A Time to Kill' and giving the reader an action thrill, whilst other parts are like 'A Painted House' that read like rose tinted views of the Deep South. Overall, the book feels a bit like a mess, without the central murder thread I would say avoid this book. However, this narrative makes it a worthwhile quick holiday read.

Full Of Stuffing ! (1/1 people found this helpful)

Most Grisham novels are well planned, gripping courtroom dramas but this one seriously lacked the gripping and courtroom drama element. The well planned part of the book was actually masses of description of dozens of characters over a ten year period (a prison stretch). The book started quite well at the beginning of the ten years and ended not too badly at the end of the ten years but we the readers seemed to go through much of the nine years of boredom in-between. A bit overstuffed - give this one a miss and try A Time To Kill, The Brethren or The King of Torts instead.

I thought Grisham was overrated..... (0/0 people found this helpful)

....until I read this book. I gave the Firm a try a while back when everyone was harping on about how great this Grisham guy was. I thought the book was an awful read and completely put me off Grisham. I was persuaded to read The Last Juror by a colleage and I have to say it was a very good read. It flowed very well and the main characters develop well. The crime in the book is well described by Willie Traynor, a young journalist who buys a failing newsprinter. The reader generates an instant hatred of the villian, Danny Padgit which persists throughout the book. The ending is rather abbrupt and could have been better. I have to agree with other reviewers that Grisham did blatently try to fill out what could have been a shorter story with irrelevant events. I'm going to give A Time to Kill next and hope its is as good as this book if not better.

John Grisham

Editorial Review: