The Last Juror

A Small Town Story of truth and justice.

In my opinion, this story of the little Southern town with its small town newspaper owner and its citizens was just a super read. I enjoyed the world of Willie as he became more known by the folks of this Mississippi hamlet. Mr. Crisham did an excellent jobe of developing his character in such a way that I couldn't help but read page after page wondering what adventure he would stumble into.
Without hesitation I would recommend this book to all my friends.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

The Last Juror, by Grisham

was such a fantastic read that I hated for it to end!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Unforgettable, Ford County at its Best. Certainly Miss Callie would approve this book as one of Grisham's Best.

Grisham has written a monumental book, enriched with great characters, Miss Callie and her sweet tea, Willie Traynor, the young owner of the town's newspaper. through him, Grisham does a wonderful job narrating the life in Clanton, a small town in the South that changed with a different direction as the years went by since he first arrived. With a very deep sentiment engaged in the life of every character, and unfolding it in a bittersweet ending, Grisham accomplishes a masterpiece. In the aftermath of Danny Padgitt's trial after he was convicted of murdering and raping Rhoda Cassella, he swore revenge on those members of the jury who convicted him, nine years later, he was paroled and the deaths of the jurors began. Willie Traynor, owner of the Ford County Times, followed the events, and the moments when a regular town in Clanton Mississippi, life began to change. Grisham's "The Last Juror" is definitely one of Grisham's best works. Taking readers back to Ford County, Grisham chronicles the events of almost a decade in Ford County. Beautifully written, and certainly edited and proofread by Miss Callie. "The Last Juror" is an unforgettable tale, of life in a small town. With every single character to like, who will be able to forget Baggy jumping out of a third floor drunk during a gunfire, and Harry Rex hilarious intelligence, or thinking about hiring Danny Padgitt's lawyer, Mr. Willbanks. "The Last Juror" is simply irresistible. It will make you laugh, maybe cry, but it for sure will establish Grisham as one of the best writers out there.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very good book.

Well written

Another Grisham great. Four stars

Great setting and time period. A tasteful and open look at the sixty's in the south.

Disappointed

The story does not center around the title of the book. Written from the view point of a newspaper owner, it's more like a reflection on the happenings of Ford County. It didn't help that they synopsis was somewhat misleading as well. I was so anxious to find out if Danny was the killer but lost steam to continue reading after a quarter of the book because it seems like Grisham was more keen on talking about Mr Willie and his newspaper. This is not one of his better books in my opinion.

Slow

The last 100 pages were the best. I found the book slow and boring. I was expecting another "A Time to Kill" or "Pelican Brief" or The Client" or even "The Firm". Grishim's first 4 novels remain his best in my opinion.

Awesome read!

John Grisham is a masterful story teller... I have enjoyed all of his books and this one is par for the course. I rely on the description of the book and then look to reviews, however I don't understand why some feel the need to write a book report... so annoying

Great

I just love it!

A Great Small Town Story of truth and justice

I thought this story of the little Southern town; its small town newspaper owner and its citizens was just a super read. I enjoyed the world of Willie as he became more known by the folks of this Mississippi hamlet. Mr. Crisham did an excellent jobe of developing his character in such a way that I couldn't help but read page after page wondering what adventure he would stumble into. Without hesitation I would recommend this book to all my friends.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Something a little different from John Grisham

I found this book to be a little different than other John Grisham novels. The pace of this books was a bit slower, like the small, southern town it portrays. The main character has nothing to do with the legal field either. The young man who moves to this sleepy little town buys the local newspaper and gets it back on its feet. His biggest challenge was not running the newspaper, but trying to fit in. I love that as soon as he traded in his typical "Yankee" clothes for a typical Southern gentleman's suit, he found it a lot easier to make friends.

There is a guersome murder which shakes up the whole town and has them watching the news reports of the trial very closely, which makes the local paper very successful. There are some very good plot twists and some very good tense situations as well.

Tale of small town Mississippi with some murders thrown in!

Its human nature to assume and I assumed this tale by John Grisham was going to be a legal thriller. There were many scenes in and around a courtroom. There were thrilling scenes and a mystery. There was a vilain or two. This however was just a solid piece of fiction about small town Mississippi and its inhabitants as seen through the eyes of the main character. It was a really enjoyable read. Great stuff.

Great read!

Once again, Grisham writes a book that is captivating! My husband and I have listened to this book twice, and have recentely passed it along to a family member.

true to Grisham form

a surprising and satisfactory ending.

Willie Traynor and the Ford County Times

William, Willie, Traynor grew up in an affluent Memphis family, studied journalism at Syracuse University for five years. Willie returned to Memphis when his education funds ran out and almost by default inherited a Mississippi weekly newspaper at the age of 23.
Willie¿s first edition of The Ford County Times, located in Clanton, Mississippi featured a front-page photograph of the entire staff. One of Willie¿s first changes was to include Ford County blacks on the obituary page.
The paper was almost bankrupt and Willie figured it would take at least a year of hard work to turn things around, and that was counting on help from his rich grandmother.
However, The Ford County Times fortunes changed with a violent murder in a rural setting some twelve miles north of Clanton.
The rape and murder of Rhoda Kassellaw took place with her two young children looking on. The rapist killer was quickly identified as Danny Padgitt, the youngest son of a wealthy, clannish family that lived on an isolated and protected island.
Willie Traynor followed the investigation of the murder case with the fervor of a Tabloid reporter.
The introduction of Callie and Esau Ruffin and their children came just as the court hearings got under way. And at that point the story begins to espouse civil rights causes and Miss Callie became the first black person to be seated on a jury in Ford County and the last juror seated in the Kassellaw murder case.
The court case took several weeks to play out and with an overwhelming amount of physical evidence along with eyewitnesses Danny Padgitt was found guilty.
In the sentencing phase of the trial the jury deadlocked on the death penalty and as a consequence Padgitt was awarded a life sentence.
Following the judges¿ life sentence announcement Danny Padgitt made an awful scene where he threatened every member of the jury
John Grisham¿s story line and pace were somewhat erratic but even so, he uses the twists and turns in the plot to bring the story to a satisfactory conclusion. Not his best effort, yet good enough to recommend.
Tom Barnes www.tombarnes39.com

Life altering

I don't read very much but I will tell you that after reading this book, I will continue to read Grisham until I read them all.....it was awesome.

'a general reveiw'

The Last Juror takes place in 1970, Clanton Mississippi. A new college grad from New York, Willie Traynor came to this town not sure what to do. Within a year of living in Clanton he bought the local newspaper ¿Ford County Times.¿ Oddly the paper is known for its lengthily and well written obituaries. While 1970 America was caught up in political turmoil and social change, Clanton Mississippi was still living in the past. Brutal crimes where almost unheard of in this small southern town. Murders and rapists were a thing of the big city, until one murder struck fear and anger into the entire county, Willie Traynor owned the only weekly paper in town and had to cover this sensational story. Over the next nine years as he covers this gory crime and many local events, he goes from an outsider to a well respected fellow citizen. He also covers things from the war in Vietnam to desegregation in Ford County. The murder that occurred nine years earlier now almost forgotten is abruptly brought back to front page news. Now nine people who served on a jury are now being gunned down as a smart and deadly killer exacts revenge on a almost forgotten trial.

The great southern writer returns!

I have read many of Grishom's books. In fact I got tired of the same old story, in the same old setting, with the same old type of characters. This book brought back the excitment of novel's like A Time to Kill. A genuine dislike for the Padgitt's and and sympathy for the Ruffin's made this a great read!!!

The Last Juror

I really enjoyed the book . It is about Willie Traynor who is 22 years old and decides to move to Ford County. There he purchases the newspaper company with help fom his grandmother. He writes the columns and the most important one is about a young widow who gets murdered and Danny Padgitt from the rich Padgitt family is accused. As he goes to trial they find him gulity but they cannot agree on the death penalty.

A Great Book

I would recommend this book for reading. I admit that the first chapters you really have to read it slow because Grisham is introducing many characters and it is very easily to get them confused. Then the second chapter starts out exciting. He then proceeds to tell you about the different people in the town. How he got started in the newspaper business and his experience that he soon became aware of. The ending will shock you but I will not say too much because I do not want to spoil it for you. Hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.