Reviews

A Time to Kill by John Grisham

paige71's review

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

stellajonesauthor's review against another edition

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5.0

When I finished this book I had two distinct thoughts-this was one of the best reads, ever, and that there is no way in heck Hollywood would stay true to the realities revealed in this book. So glad I was wrong about the movie depiction. This is one of my favorite reads and a true testament of why this author should be on your MUST READ list.

elinevos's review against another edition

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Op zich was het verhaal goed, over rechtvaardigheid tussen wit en zwart in de Southern-USA. Het verhaal is geschreven begin jaren 80, dus in een andere tijdsgeest. Het is belangrijk om hier rekening mee te houden, maar de herhaaldelijke racistische benamingen en gedachten waren toch storend en maakte het boek moeilijk om verder te lezen op verschillende momenten. Het maakte me echt ongemakkelijk, maar het is waarschijnlijk een goede representatie van de manier waarop mensen in Mississippi toen nog dachten.

Ik las het boek uit omdat ik het cadeau heb gekregen, maar ben oprecht verbaasd dat ik hier niet meer over terug lees in de reviews.

cirakiara's review

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dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sarah_tellesbo's review against another edition

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5.0

I’ve had approximately four million people tell me how great this book is since they found out I’d started reading it. And my partner has long recommended John Grisham’s work, though clearly I do things in my own (always stubborn) good time. There’s a right time for every book, and the right time for this one was now.

A brief synopsis of A Time to Kill: 1980′s Mississippi amidst a lot of racial tension. Carl Lee Hailey, a black man, kills the two white men responsible for unspeakable and unforgivable crimes against his ten year old daughter. Seeing the complexity of the case and hoping for a chance to both prove himself as a capable attorney and protect a man whom he perceives to be in the right, young Mississippi lawyer Jake Brigance steps up to the plate and risks everything in the process including the physical safety of himself and his family.

Here’s why I found this book particularly fascinating right now: a) At the beginning of July, I was selected to be a jury member for a long trial (that’s still going) and it’s been interesting to compare the literary experience with the real life experience of courtroom processes, and b) the non-fictional crime podcast I’ve been listening to also takes place in Mississippi and aims to highlight and unpack the complexities of institutionalized and long-embedded racism in our United States criminal justice system.

This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it whether you’re serving on a jury and listening to crime podcasts or not.

*Trigger warning: rape, racism/racist violence, racial slurs, violence.*

jsydney12's review

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challenging reflective tense

4.5

icygrl7's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

iamnotacentipede's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a very good book that highlights how the justice system can fail and how prejudice can affect a jury.

I found this book very easy to read because of the fast pacing and the intriguing story line. 

There are some very graphic things about this content so please be sure to read trigger warnings.
But overall I very much enjoyed this book and I can see how with this being his first book the attention he would have gotten as an author.

thienthuan09's review against another edition

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3.0

Dài quá, chủ đề cũng không mới, từ đầu tới cuối cũng không có bước ngoặt nào đáng nói cả.

lamanda_quiring's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75