Reviews

A Time to Kill by John Grisham

martin_books's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

4.0

kimdanya's review against another edition

3.0

Liked but loved his other novels better!

dorothy_gale's review against another edition

3.0

3★: NOT SURE THIS WITHSTANDS THE TEST OF TIME. This is a race-centric courtroom drama with several parallels to To Kill a Mockingbird. Published in 1989, I can't put my finger on why it just feels unacceptable. Maybe it was the million uses of the N word that were just a huge turn-off. I wouldn't be surprised if it was accurate for the time and locale, but it was still hard to put myself there. It is John Grisham's most popular novel, and possibly his first. I have loved several of his other books/movies. Needless to say, I won't be pursuing the rest of the Jake Brigance series.

aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jogin1's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mwellemeyer's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.75

alisonsmithlong's review against another edition

3.0

I’m a big fan of John Grisham generally. I like his characters and his storylines and find I’m quickly engrossed and that carries through to the end. Except with this one. I was super disappointed when I finished and felt weirdly empty. This felt like a weird attempt at a literary flex that just did not land for me.

If you want a good Grisham novel, skip this and pick up The Last Juror!

gucekawk's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

maimaireads's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

blester042590's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25