Helpful Score: 2
Havent read a Grisham book in a long time.This one I kept reading because it gave me some insight into the coal industry which i knew nothing about. The formula was typical and getting a bit stale. The ending was anticlimactic. It wasn't a terrible book but nothing special.
Helpful Score: 2
I always enjoy John Grishman and this was no exception. However I did miss the exciting courtroom dramas he usually writes, and this story had non of that. It was interesting to read about the big coal mine companies who didn't care about the people of Appalachia as they stripped mined their mountains of coal and left them bare.
I really enjoyed this book and the storyline. I learned about Corporate America and coal mining.
This is a book worth reading for the information about strip mining and what effect it has on the environment in Appalachia. Then add in opioids and wham! What a thriller. By my standards, this is one of Grisham's best.
Another good Grisham, for the most part. i found it wrapped up a little quickly. This is an interesting look into the coal industry, and the power that they wield.
Wonderful book..........opens one's eyes to what is going on in our Appalachian mountains!
I highly recommend, and hope there is a sequel!
I highly recommend, and hope there is a sequel!
This was one of his better books with the contrast in life styles between big city and the boonies as a main thread.
I had high expectations for this book, but was very disappointed. I was hopeful that by the end of the book I would like the lead character, Samantha, but I just didn't. I've never seen a character so unable to commit to anything - her career, a relationship, her parents, etc. I thought the storyline had the potential to be very interesting, but there wasn't really any passion in this book at all.
Awesome book...One of my favorites by John Grisham, and I've read every one!
I usually really enjoy Grisham's novels. But I didn't enjoy this one as much as his others. In fact, I actually felt uncomfortable reading it and have no idea why.
The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer's career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track;until the recession hits and she gets downsized, furloughed, escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is one of luckyassociates. She's offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, after which there would be a slim chance that she'd get her old job back.
In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Mattie Wyatt, lifelong Brady resident and head of the town's legal aid clinic, is there to teach her how to âhelp real people with real problems.â For the first time in her career, Samantha prepares a lawsuit, sees the inside of an actual courtroom, gets scolded by a judge, and receives threats from locals who aren't so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town. And she learns that Brady, like most small towns, harbors some big secrets.
Her new job takes Samantha into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, rules are ignored, regulations are flouted, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack from Big Coal. Violence is always just around the corner, and within weeks Samantha finds herself engulfed in litigation that turns deadly.
Beautiful gift copy!
In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Mattie Wyatt, lifelong Brady resident and head of the town's legal aid clinic, is there to teach her how to âhelp real people with real problems.â For the first time in her career, Samantha prepares a lawsuit, sees the inside of an actual courtroom, gets scolded by a judge, and receives threats from locals who aren't so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town. And she learns that Brady, like most small towns, harbors some big secrets.
Her new job takes Samantha into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, rules are ignored, regulations are flouted, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack from Big Coal. Violence is always just around the corner, and within weeks Samantha finds herself engulfed in litigation that turns deadly.
Beautiful gift copy!
Gray Mountain is typical John Grisham--good reading, hard to put down.
Gray Mountain wasn't the worst Grisham I've ever read (still yawning from the likes of The Last Juror and Runaway Jury), but it was far from his best.
The main character Samantha Kofer was very underdeveloped; her motivation for staying in Brady, Virginia under the circumstances were hollow at best, and made little sense, since she initially had no real emotional investment in the town at all. It's not like she was running away from something...Surely there are people in need of legal aid where she came from?
And so for me, the story ended up being more of an informative read about the horrors and atrocities of coal and strip mining than it was an engaging legal drama. I give it a C.
The main character Samantha Kofer was very underdeveloped; her motivation for staying in Brady, Virginia under the circumstances were hollow at best, and made little sense, since she initially had no real emotional investment in the town at all. It's not like she was running away from something...Surely there are people in need of legal aid where she came from?
And so for me, the story ended up being more of an informative read about the horrors and atrocities of coal and strip mining than it was an engaging legal drama. I give it a C.
I've read most of Grisham's books and for the most part really enjoyed them, with the exception of The Chamber, I didn't even remotely care for this one. I'm just as concerned about the environment as the next person but I read for enjoyment not to read about ALL of the injustices taking place in the coal industry in West Virginia. Granted I don't have any warm feelings for the coal companies but when I do have the time to sit down to read it's for entertainment not 260 pages of all of the wrongs committed by the coal companies assisted by our government. The last 100 pages weren't as intense on the subject but still had a lot of all of the ugliness of the first 260. But if you enjoy that sort of thing then by all means you should read this book. It is well written and informative.
Classic Grisham plot but even more human interaction. I loved it!
Another riveting Grisham tale! I learned so much about strip mining in coal country and how it ruins peoples' lives, the environment, etc. A good story about a big city female attorney who is torn between returning to "big law" or staying and helping the poor folks of Appalachia in their fight against the big coal companies.
Excellant John Grisham book. Loved the story and held interest till the end.
Another excellent story.
