The Broker

Over and Over

I read this book and loved it! I felt that Grisham really grabbed my attention right from the beginning on this one. From the late night pardon all the way to the trip back to Italy to find the lady who saved Joel's life, it was unescapable!! I bought the audio to listen to while at work and I listen to it over and over. This book is worth the read!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Another 'who should I root for?' mess

While I still call myself a Grisham fan - especially with the goofy cartoon characters that appear in his prose - this book didn't work for me for two reasons: 1- Too much time and energy is spent on the Italy experience. It came across as an Italian travel commercial. 2- Like 'The Brethren', since there was no real protagonist to root for, by the end I didn't care a flying fig how the story came out. I didn't feel the slightest bit of empathy for Joel. Teddy was a sadistic piece of work. Luigi was too cardboard to be of any help. The one engaging relationship - the love interest - was drawn far too subtly for my liking. C'mon - the guy was in prison for six years... would you want to look at porticos for two hundred pages? Extremely disappointing. Terribly.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

true to Grisham...totally unexpected ending

True to John Grisham, a totally unexpected ending.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Coulda, Shoulda been better

This book had potential, but fizzles. Was Marco supposed to be changed into a decent human being by the end? Didn't happen. I never did care for his whiny, self-serving attitude toward everyone he met (including his son). Add to that the fact that the plot became a non-event instead of a climax. I don't need every loose end tied up, but come on! He's hunted by the best, and within one page he very easily catches a plane to DC, waltzes around hotels, & cuts a deal. Who knows where the Tin Man even is (might have gotten the name wrong, I've forgotten already!). Don't make such a big deal about the guy if he's not a player. That said, I didn't mind the tourist info and the language lessons - but he could have tied it into the story a little better (Dan Brown has a REASON for giving all those details). To the reviewer who complained that Francesca's description of the art and buildings was 'straight from a tour guide': well ... Francesca IS a tour guide. Think that might be why? Anyway, too many undeveloped secondary characters too. (Madame from the train for ex.) That said, I bet I'll still buy his next one I bet.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Didn't want it to end

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was glued from the get-go and didn't want it to end. I wanted to know what happened after. I enjoyed reading about parts of Italy and learning a little Italian too - what fun.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good read

Good reaad nice book bit slow

Great Book

Great read

Not so good

Im a huge John Grisham fan but this book was not typical grisham. I had to force myself to finish reading it and when i did I was dissappointed with ending.

Ok

Not as good as the usual Grisham fare. Had to force myself to finish. Won't read again. But won't give up on Grisham either.

A Bestseller book....

In the book, The Broker by Josh Grishman, a powerful broker is born. However he is sent to jail as a safe house because he knows that if he were to stay in the open, he would be dead in an instant just like his law partner. Joel Backman, the broker, was sent to jail for trying to cut a deal with the most powerful satellite system in the world to the highest bidder. He is caught and sent to jail as he knows that is the only option where he will be safe. Many years later he is pardoned by the US and given a new identity. He is sent to Italy and there he has time to learn the culture and language so he can fit in. Word gets loose that he has been pardoned from jail and every single nation hunts for Joel Backman to get the secrets of the satellite system. Joel goes on the run of his lifetime, escaping assassinations and deadly encounters. He finds his way back to the USA, where he tries to makes his lifetime deal that allows the CIA to get off his back, and be allowed to live the peaceful life he had once longed to live for. Joel Backman finally learns that money is not everything in the world. He learns that money cannot buy everything. Joel may have noticed at first that money and wealth will get him to be the most powerful broker in the nation, but quickly learned that later, money becomes the cold-hearted traitor. The major message or the theme in this book Josh Grishman wants to get across is that sometimes money is not worth it whatever amount may be on the line. From the reader's point of view, I really liked this book. It had a little mind game throughout the story as the main character, Joel Backman, had to survive the physical threats he had encountered and also the mind threats he had encountered. It was interesting how the broker had no experience in physically defending himself but still managed to survive death. However there were many parts in this book that I did not enjoy. The first part of the book was a bit confusing as it related to a lot of politics and many political terms that the reader may not know. Also, the book was kind of slow at the beginning. It seemed like it was dragging his secret life in Italy as the author went into much details about the history of Italy and the culture of Italy. Other than that is was an excellent book that I recommend everyone to read. Everyone should read this because it is a wonderful book full of adventure and thrill. I also recommend any other book that Josh Grishman has wrote, like The Associate and The Summons. Overall, I would rate this book, five starts out of five.

Smart Read

The main character is a 'bad guy' but Grisham tells this story from a perspective that you really end up wanting things to work out for this guy. The last portion of the book kept me on the edge of my seat and the ending didnt disappoint.

An entertaining story with a fast moving plot.

I had an urge last week to read a story by John Grisham and The Broker was my selection. Before that I had read "The Summons"(It was a fair read). I don't read his novels in sequences which fortunately for someone like me there is no need, because each of Mr. Grisham's books will stand on their own. I thought The Broker was an easy read that was very entertaining. There was a lot of intrigue woven into a fast moving plot. I thought the class room instructions on the topography of Italy and the language was a bit too much. Actually, this part of the book got really boring. The main character, Joel Backman gave me fits. I never was really sure if he was decent sort of a fellow or just a down right crook. I could never get the feeling that I should root for him or just hope for his quick exit from the story. In summary, there were parts of the story that I didn't care for, but overall I thought it was real decent book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to all my friends.

Grisham's black sheep

I've read many of Grisham's novels and I actually like this one because he goes in a diferent direction. The characters, the plot, the way he describes is actually funny. I enjoyed the book a lot, the twist and the fact that it's not another Grisham lawyer's novel.

Dull dull dull!

I am used to staying up late because I can't put Grisham's books down. Sadly, The Broker was definitely the exception. This slow-moving tale of spies and an international manhunt left me wanting more. Save your money.

What an exiting read this was.

When I first started reading the book I was not really to interested in the story, but when I got past the first few chapters I could not put it down. The book had great characters and a decent plot. After reading the book I was interested in reading more books by John Grisham. I do highly recommend this book for book clubs. One of the best parts in the story is the ending because of the emotions that are shown.

Great Book.... And then......

This is a really good book. The story hooked me from the opening and before I knew it I was done in a week. The characters were interesting enough that you wanted to know what happens to them. The author does a great job of painting a picture with details without going overboard or being too drawn out. There are definitely suspenseful moments, the ones where you're trying to hurry though to the next page to find out what happens (at lest I get like that anyway).

If there's anything critical of the book, it's the ending. It left me with a lot of "What about....?" "What happened with....?" "How did.....?" and so on.

Overall though this is definitely worth your money, especially if you're a fan of Grisham books.

A good read

This is the fifth Grisham book that I've read and I though it was a really good book. It was sort of slow at points but it eventually picked up. It was good to see the author step away from legal thrillers and try something different. John Grisham is a great author and you can't go wrong with reading any of books.

The Broker is another one of Grisham's fictional works that seems very real and leaves the reader on the edge of his seat with suspence.

Grisham's captivating writing as well as legal expertice is evident in this fictional work. The reader can gain much legal information while experiencing the usual suspence found in Grisham's novels. The reader takes a tour of Italy enjoying the sights, sounds and language, as he hides out in Italy with the main character, Joel Backman. The reader turns each page and hopes Joel will continue to be alive as the story unfolds.

this abridgment cut some good parts

Having read the book, I feel this abridgment cut some worthwhile parts. I would look for the unabridged next time. Grisham does a good job, cutting it is cutting out more good stuff.

Lackluster.

The characters in this book are very flat and the main protagonist is not someone that endears you in many ways. The story seems to just run around in circles and ends in a very anti-climatic way. At the end of the story, you say "Is that it?".