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The Appeal (John Grisham) | 
 enlarge | Author: John Grisham
Creator: Michael Beck
Publisher: Random House Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $44.95
Buy New: $23.15
You Save: $21.80 (48%)
New (35) Used (18) from $16.47
Avg. Customer Rating:  390 reviews
Sales Rank: 20527
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 10
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 6 x 5.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0739316532
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780739316535
ASIN: 0739316532
Publication Date: January 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: unopened
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
As the author of twenty bestselling books, John Grisham has set the standard for legal thrillers since the debut of The Firm in 1991. Enjoy this Q&A--as well as a personal note to Amazon readers--from John Grisham. 1. Your new novel starts off where most courtroom dramas end--with the verdict. Where did you get the idea to reverse the usual order of events this time around?
The actual trial is not a terribly significant part of the story. Most all of the action and intrigue begins after the trial is over, with the verdict and the subsequent appeal.
2. The Appeal overtly suggests that elected judges can be bought. If the novel is meant as a cautionary tale, what's next--the Presidential primaries?
Why not? Over one billion dollars will be spent next year in the Presidential primaries and general election. With that kind of money floating around, anything can be bought.
3. Speaking of electoral politics, you've been more vocal recently about your political views ... first supporting Jim Webb for Senate and now endorsing Hillary Clinton for the White House. Have you given any thought to running for office yourself?
No. I made that mistake 25 years ago, and promised myself I would never do it again. I enjoy watching and participating in politics from the sidelines, but it's best to keep some distance.
4. This is your first legal thriller in three years. How did it feel to get back to the genre that started it all, and can fans expect another thriller from you next year?
I still enjoy writing the legal thrillers, and don't plan to get too far away from them. Obviously, they have been very good to me, and they remain popular. I plan to write one a year for the next several years.
5. Your nonfiction book The Innocent Man continues to be a bestseller in paperback. In your ongoing work with The Innocence Project, have you come across another story of the wrongfully convicted that begs to be written as nonfiction?
There are literally hundreds of great stories out there about wrongfully convicted defendants. I am continually astounded by these stories, and I resist the temptation to take the plunge again into non-fiction.
6. What's on your bedside reading list at the moment?
1. The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin
2. Eric Clapton's autobiography
3. East of Eden by John Steinbeck.
Product Description
In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.
Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?
The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice.
The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave listeners unable to think about our electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 385 more reviews...
 waste of time July 1, 2008
I think the biggest problem with this book was the plot, or lack thereof. Yes, it was informative. Yes, there was some excellent character development. But unlike his other books that catch you from page one and keep you going, the plot with this book was slow, almost non-existent. I couldn't really tell where he was going. At the very end it picked up for a few pages but that was just a tease, because what happened was inconsequential anyway. What should have been the pivotal part of the plot was mentioned in one sentence (the verdict for the Krane case by the judge dude who was bought in to his position by big corporation). A major disappointment from a long-time Grisham fan. If you want to listen to blah blah blah his opinions on special interest and frivolous lawsuits, this is your book. He should have used a different forum for all that than a so-called novel.
 OK thriller, but ending left me somewhat disappointed June 26, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
John Grisham reverts back to form with THE APPEAL, a
political thriller about a jury reaching a decision involving
a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste.
What's unusual about the book is that you know what
the jury decided by page 9 . . . what happens from that point
on takes you through a mostly suspenseful ride that
includes an attempt to purchase a seat on the Mississippi
Supreme Court.
As is usually the case, Grisham's writing kept my interest . . . for
instance, there were the following passages that I thought were
especially well-written:
* "I feel awful," Brianna said, feigning disgust. Her full-length black Prada
coat was split so that the backseat was dominated by her amazing legs.
Legs from the floor up to her armpits. Legs unadorned by hosiery or
clothing or anything whatsoever. Legs for Carl to see and admire and
touch and fondle and she really didn't care of Toliver had a good look,
either. She was on display as always.
* "We know that, and that's why we like you. Sitting judges make tough
decisions. Tough decisions are sometimes controversial. They leave
trails, records that opponents can use against them. The best candidates,
we have learned, are bright young guys like yourself who don't carry the
baggage of prior decisions."
* Nat was on his fourth wife. Sheila was looking for husband number two.
"And besides," she said, "how could homosexuals possibly screw up the
sanctity of marriage any worse than heterosexuals?"
Overall, there were perhaps a few too many characters thrown in
(some of them could have easily been eliminated in my opinion) . . . I
liked the interesting plot twist plot toward the end that I won't
reveal . . . yet just as I was becoming curious in what was
going to happen next, THE APPEAL ended in a fashion that I
thought was too abrupt.
 Disappointed at end June 24, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Appeal may not appeal to you if you are a dyed in the wool conservative, but even if you're not, the ending left a lot to be desired. Don't want to say more for fear of giving away the ending. First 3/4 of book was good but at the end I felt like I had wasted my time reading it.
You used to be so good... June 23, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is by far the worst novel Grisham has written. It was convoluted, boring, drawn-out, too many useless characters, too many side stories, and a really lame ending. Grisham is so much better than this in his older novels. It took me around six months to read this book because I was so bored with it... but I had to finish it. If I had cheated and went to the end immediately, I would have chucked it aside. Sorry.
Starts out so very slow June 23, 2008
This book starts out extremely slow. Really slow. So slow that I can't believe I even finished it. The first third of the book is boring. After that, it picks up speed and reminds me why I love Grisham's legal books.
I was hoping for a happy ending. Where the bad guys get theirs and the good guys win. A hope that someone changes their moral views. No such luck. In this sense the book is realistic. It does get me thinking about how often seats really are bought by large corporations or trial lawyers. I think it's this idea that makes me dislike the book, voting, lawyers, politicians...right now I dislike them all. It's not even Grisham's fault. It's just the whole idea behind it. It makes me not even want to vote anymore...which I know is stupid.
Thank you John Grisham for luring me out of my happy bubble of a world for a short while. I will be retreating back to it now and staying there until after this years election season is over.
Anyway, three stars for being insightful.
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