Book #2: The Firm

Title: The Firm
Author: John Grisham
Genre: Crime/Legal Thriller
Pages: 501
Pages to Date: 730

The Good:
The second of three John Grisham books I picked up from Goodwill for under $3, The Firm is fast paced and grips the readers attention from the get-go. The tension as the action and drama rise is palpable, as Grisham does a fantastic job not only making the stakes high, but making me care about them. For a book of 500 pages, it also does a good job remaining interesting throughout, even bits of the story that contribute little or nothing to the central storyline. It's also a very fast read in the best kind of way, as it is hard to pull yourself away from the crescendo of drama that builds steadily until a predictably satisfying climax.

The Bad:
For a very dramatic and suspenseful storyline, there really is not much intricacy to the villainous schemes the protagonist finds himself involved in. As to the protagonist himself, I feel that he is meant to be portrayed as confident and intelligent beyond his years, but he just comes off as pompous; in particular, with the way he interacts with his loving wife. Honestly, I was not drawn to finish the book because I needed to see a character I love survive and overcome tremendous odds; instead, it was to simply see how he could ever escape the no-win scenario he found himself. As to that escape effort, I did feel the ending was a tad rushed and convenient, but sometimes a writer has to do what he can to ensure a satisfying emotional ending rather than a particularly clever one.

Verdict:
Overall, a fast paced thrill ride that may not keep the reader guessing, but will entertain for a couple hours. Definitely a good bit of reading for a plane ride or on a beach. There is also a movie version starring Tom Cruise, so reading this book will give you an excuse to rent another film from everyone's favorite scientologist.

Book #1: Bleachers

Title: Bleachers
Author: John Grisham
Series: none
Genre: Drama
Pages: 229
Pages to Date: 229

The Good:
Bleachers taps into the nostalgia for youth felt from those who peaked in high school. The pace is fast, with strong imagery that sucks the reader into a world obsessed with small town high school football. Not enough mainstream literature deals with the fallen hero, the disgraced former star who simply never reached his full potential; Bleachers unflinchingly examines the emotions felt by a man who will never escape the giant shadow cast by his 17 year-old self. Furthermore, the scenes portraying former teammates discussing triumphs from years past are extremely real. Only three years removed from high school myself, I cannot help but be reminded of conversations I have with former teammates that are eerily reminiscent of the dialogue in Bleachers. Overall, a wonderful mixture of how wistfulness regarding the past holds one back and the lifetime bonds created through sports.

The Bad:
The "mystery" of the national championship of the main character's senior season was completely devoid of suspense; honestly, it just dragged the book down a notch. Furthermore, there is a completely disproportionate amount of wonder towards achieving a college scholarship. Yes, it takes a lot of hard work and there is plenty of great high school players who never play at the college level; but when several Geneva High School grads are playing right now at Northern Illinois, I have a really hard time taking the notion that barely anyone from a school described as an unbelievable powerhouse goes to play DI football.

The Verdict:
Despite the page count over 200, Bleachers is a fast read with skinny pages. While it will not expose you to any revolutionary ideas or concepts, it is absorbing. I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed high school, enjoys football, or just wants to read about the type of futile exist destined for those who yearn to relive their high school glory days.