The Pelican Brief
A few weeks ago, when AgentK was in the shop for repairs, I sat down and read The Pelican Brief. In one evening. I'm impressed at how John Grisham can tell a gripping story using simple but not simplistic language. My dyslexic ass was reading at about 1.3x my usual speed, or I would not have been able to finish it in one day.
The situation at the White House in this book seems to forebode (the book is from 1992) the residency of George W. Bush, at minimum in terms of a weak and disinterested figurehead president with very strong advisors running the show. The president's chief of staff pretty much IS Karl Rove. My only complaint about characters is that we didn't see more of the old codger Justice Rosenberg; he was a loveable old coot and I wish the plot hadn't dictated his exit.
I'm a little amazed at how he managed to write a believable female lead character. I think a big key to his success is in not going into her head for her thoughts & feelings, but in describing her actions. She does some unbelievable things (mainly involving older men), but is overall pretty well-done.
I might actually pick up some of his other books. Generally I shy away from super-popular authors because I have found many to be formulaic and hokey. Grisham seems to be able to craft a decent, original story and keep it engaging. I'm interested to see if he has more than one plot.
The situation at the White House in this book seems to forebode (the book is from 1992) the residency of George W. Bush, at minimum in terms of a weak and disinterested figurehead president with very strong advisors running the show. The president's chief of staff pretty much IS Karl Rove. My only complaint about characters is that we didn't see more of the old codger Justice Rosenberg; he was a loveable old coot and I wish the plot hadn't dictated his exit.
I'm a little amazed at how he managed to write a believable female lead character. I think a big key to his success is in not going into her head for her thoughts & feelings, but in describing her actions. She does some unbelievable things (mainly involving older men), but is overall pretty well-done.
I might actually pick up some of his other books. Generally I shy away from super-popular authors because I have found many to be formulaic and hokey. Grisham seems to be able to craft a decent, original story and keep it engaging. I'm interested to see if he has more than one plot.