Rogue Lawyer

Rogue Lawyer - by John Grisham

 

Another John Grisham book that seems, in many ways, like every other John Grisham book.  That’s not meant to be a criticism, merely an observation.  The guy knows how to write a story and hook you in. Rarely do I come across an author where I literally don’t’ want to put the book down.  Even though this is the case with most of Grisham’s work, that’s not always to say he succeeds.  I’ve read many of his ‘page turners’ where the end left me unsatisfied and unfulfilled. I didn’t find that to be the case here. This is not a perfect book – probably not even in what most readers would call his ‘top ten’, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The ‘Rogue Lawyer’ is Sebastian Rudd. He’s one of those somewhat sleazy lawyers who works out of his van and seems to attract lowlifes that most ‘respectable’ lawyers won’t go near.  He really is a good guy and is pure in heart, but he’s seen so much injustice in how his world works, that he’s not afraid to bend the rules in his favor when necessary – and it’s necessary quite often. When he believes in his client, he’ll do whatever he can to prove their innocence. If he doesn’t believe his client, well, he’ll definitely do what he can without compromising his standards too much.

After reading the first couple of ‘sections’ of this book, you might think that this is another compilation of short stories (such as Ford County), but eventually many of the characters in the earlier parts of the book show up again in some fashion.  A bit of what we’re asked to believe is a bit ridiculous, such as the bombs going off while one of his clients is about to be executed (I’m being vague – don’t want to give away too much), but Grisham tells such a good story that I wasn’t really bothered by these random events of unbelievability. 

There’s also a hostile relationship with an ex-wife and mother of his son (she left him for a woman), a lot of the sport known as ‘cage fighting’, and lots and lots and lots of crooked cops.  Again, I know the police force isn’t perfect anywhere, but the level of corruption around Sebastian’s world seems a bit of a stretch.

This is something like Grisham’s 25^th book, and it feels like you’ve read so much of this before to some degree. Therefore, if you’re looking for something fresh and original, you might come away disappointed.  I certainly didn’t feel that way. Again, he tells a great story, which is why he is who he is.  Like most of Grisham’s books, I doubt I’ll remember much about the plot a couple of years from now, but that’s o.k. By then, I’m sure he’ll have churned out many more new books for my enjoyment. Yes, this book is ‘more of the same’, but for the most part, the ‘same’ is pretty darned good.

Folly and Glory

Folly and Glory by Larry McMurtry

Part 4 of the Berrybender Narratives by Larry McMurtry. Many readers just never “got it”. That’s understandable. This is, after all, the man that gave us the “Lonesome Dove” tetralogy. Apart from the stories in both series taking place in the old west, similarities are difficult to find. It’s safe to say, though, if you liked the first three Berrybender books, you’ll find this one enjoyable as well. Now that these books have been around awhile, I can safely give the advice that it’s best to read these four books without taking too much time off between them. There are a LOT of characters between the pages, and if you wait an entire year to read each successive volume, you might find yourself a bit lost trying to remember who is who.  (I read someone’s negative review on Amazon where they read this one WITHOUT reading the other three!  Please please do NOT do this!)

This book picks up (I think) about a year and a half after volume 3 concludes. The story’s center, Tasmin Berrybender, is having her familiar conflicts of love and lust. She now has three children, as she has just recently given birth to twins – a boy and a girl.  The girl, ‘Petal’, is really the only disappointment of the whole book. She’s about 18 months old, yet has the brains, mannerisms, and vocabulary of a six-year old. Larry McMurtry is trying too hard to make her a replication of her mother. Sadly, her mannerisms just don’t wash as a believable toddler.

Other than that, though, the story moves around in a similar fashion as the others.  There’s lots of death, sex, starvation, lust, Indian attacks, and on and on and on. I found that the characters in this book were the easiest to keep track of, compared to the first three books. Maybe because McMurtry has killed so many of the originals off by now?  Or maybe it’s because, after four books, the personalities have finally congealed in my memory. 

With all the craziness that happens in these misplaced people’s lives, I felt the book had a fairly decent conclusion. The author mixes up a well-known historical event into the last few chapters where some of the characters find themselves participants of, but this is a minor distraction.  I think most people, if they give these books a chance, will find an awful lot to enjoy. Just try to forget that the author is the same guy that made us fall in love with Gus and Call several years ago. And, for goodness sake, have a sense of humor.

Life

Life – Keith Richards

I was a bit disappointed when I finished this one.  I was wanting to read about Keith Richards and the The Rolling Stones.  There’s not as much Rolling Stones here as I had hoped, but I suppose you can’t fault the author. The title, ‘Life’, is about….well…his life.  Nothing in the title of this book includes the words “Rolling Stones”. So there are a lot of other aspects of his life here, and even though there is a fair amount of Stones stuff, I simply wanted more.

What consumed most of Keith Richards’ life was drugs.  Oh Lord, do we read about drugs.  It’s truly a miracle this man is still alive.  Although he claims he’s been clean since the 80s, there’s plenty of dirt and disturbance from the Keith Richards’ annals to fill an encyclopedia set.  A few of the stories are a bit interesting, but they get old in a hurry.  When he talks for more than two pages about one of his drug dealer’s German upbringing but then talks less than a half of a page on the making of an album such as “Sticky Fingers”, you may see where some, like myself, come away disappointed. On a related note, perhaps he was too stoned to remember the making of many of the classic albums?

For those who are somewhat familiar with the individual, you know that his whole existence of late seems to be tongue in cheek. Every interview you see with him has him mumbling and giggling throughout. He’s comprehensible during his rants, and can be somewhat entertaining, and that’s the general atmosphere throughout this book.  You definitely feel like ‘Keef’ is telling you his life story.  For that, you need to give him credit. I’ve always been a believer, though, that when you’re a celebrity writing an autobiography (who else would write an autobiography??), you should write mainly on the comings and goings of yourself in the spotlight, since this is what your fans are the most familiar.  A little bit of your upbringing and influence is o.k., but stick to the interesting stuff please.

It also doesn’t help that he comes across as an unrepentant former junkie. If you’re a parent and you want to keep your children away from drugs, you should not use this man as an example.  It’s a bit bothersome, for example, when Keith recalls a car crash where he was stoned and fell asleep at the wheel. Since none of the seven people in the car (fortunately) are killed, he looks back at the episode and slags the whole thing off with the attitude of “Hey – I’m a good driver. I just made a mistake. So get off my case.” You can’t help but feel as though one minor twist somewhere around, say, 1971 could easily have killed the man, and history would remember him very differently (see ‘Brian Jones’).

Still, I’m glad I read the book, and he does a very good job accomplishing what he set out to do. There were parts when I would get to his umpteenth drug binge where I would just scan the pages, but there really is enough here to keep you interested.  Just be warned – there’s more in this book on his recipe for a Shepherd's Pie than there is about his second solo album (Nothing at all. Why??)  So as long as you’re cool with expectations not being too high, you’re probably o.k. to pick this one up.