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The Firm (Mass Market Paperback) (平装)
by John Grisham
| Category:
Firm, Fiction |
| Market price: ¥ 108.00
MSL price:
¥ 98.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Not to be read, glanced through, or even looked at by normally disciplined citizens; may present extreme and unalterable damage to body due to lack of movement for a prolonged period of time. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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Wall Street Journal (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
Keeps the reader hooked... From the creepy first chapters... to the vise-tightening midsection and on to the take-the money-and-run finale. |
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Peter Prescott (Newsweek) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
Irresistible... seizes the reader on the opening page and propels him through 400 more. |
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Susie Morris (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
The Firm was the first John Grisham novel that I read. The storyline is fast paced and full of edge-of-your-seat action.
This tale follows the life of Mitch McDeere a lawyer right out of Harvard who goes to work for a large firm in Memphis, Tennessee. The prestigious firm turns out to have numerous skeletons in the closet, which leads Mitch to learn that many of his colleagues are dying in strange circumstances. Then along comes the FBI poking around asking a lot of questions about Mafia connections, among other things.
The characters are powerful and well developed; the storyline is filled with lots of detail and the sub-plots are interesting and lead to the overall excellence of this book.
Another positive was when I heard that this book was going to be made into a movie. I rushed right out to see it and was very disappointed. The movie would have been excellent if it had not deviated so drastically from the book. The deviation made the movie seem far-fetched and, in my opinion, was not an accolade for Grisham. I also feel this movie may deter some from reading the more realistic book.
The Firm is very well written (as is Grisham's norm) and gives the reader an insight into the various pitfalls a lawyer can face. The book is much better than the movie, and I suggest that it be added to your list of books to read!
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Daniel Jolley (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
The Firm was published in 1991, and almost overnight John Grisham became a household name and a force to be reckoned with in the realm of fiction. There must be something in the water down in Oxford, Mississippi; while Grisham is certainly no Faulkner, he is a man who knows how to make a novel come alive and ensnare any reader who comes along. I really do not care for lawyer-type novels as a general rule, and the fact that Grisham makes such stories so gripping and fascinating has me quite in awe of his talents. Mitch McDeere (whom many may still envision as Tom Cruise, since he played in the role in the movie based on this novel) is a highly intelligent yet monetarily challenged law student finishing up his degree with high honors at Harvard. Holding serious offers from prestigious Chicago and Wall Street law firms for his services, he decides to go ahead and hear the pitch from a smaller law firm in Memphis. What he hears is an offer he cannot believe and cannot refuse. A starting salary significantly higher than he would make elsewhere, promises of large bonuses for passing the bar exam and succeeding on the job, an ascension to partner in as short a time as a decade, a new house with a miniscule mortgage rate, a brand new BMW, and other perks soon have Mitch and his wife Abby settling down in Memphis to enjoy a life of luxury (albeit with hard work on his part). The firm really seems to care about Mitch and his family, wanting happy marriages with several children, to a degree that has Abby a little suspicious. Mitch passes the bar exam, and life is great, despite the fact he is working eighty hours or more a week. Then an FBI agent comes to see him, dropping hints of nefarious dealings at the law firm, asking him for help. Thus begins a journey in which Mitch must first decide whether to risk the lives of himself and his wife to violate his legal oaths and sell out the Mafia-controlled law firm, or take his chances, make his millions, and hope the feds don't find enough evidence to eventually land him and all of his coworkers in prison. It is really an exciting story, as the McDeeres have to deal with and evade both the feds and the Mafia in their efforts to somehow bring down the firm without sacrificing their own lives.
I found the schemes Mitch employed on his behalf were quite inventive and plausible, but as the novel progressed in the later stages I found myself wondering how the Mafia could really be incompetent enough in their surveillance to keep losing track of Mitch at crucial times. I can understand the feds having a little trouble staying a step behind him, but you would think that the Mafia could have put an end to all of these games (and to Mitch) long before he got into a position to bring them down. Also, Abby's transition from a housewife who wishes her husband wasn't spending all of his time at work to a wily assistant to her scared and scheming husband is a little abrupt. I also had a hard time completely liking the protagonist after a certain indiscretion on his part early on. I'm not complaining, though, because the tension of the novel ratchets up nicely in the final stages and kept me turning the pages with bated breath. I haven't read Grisham's more recent novels, so I can't say whether or not the quality of his writing has gone down over the years. What I can say, having read both A Time to Kill and The Firm, Grisham's first two novels, is that the man really and truly had it at the start of his career. The action never ebbs, the story never bogs down, and the reader finds himself hanging on for dear life and loving every minute of it as he/she follows the course of whatever events Grisham chooses to relate.
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Chandru Rajagopalan (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
"The Firm" does keep you firmly stuck to the book until you finish it. An interesting and intriguing plot revolving around a clandestine law firm setup in the Grisham's favorite Mississippi area, captivates until about the reader is 70% through. After that the road is straight till the end as we just see the hero effectively gets rid of the unscrupulous company and the agents.
Grisham engrosses with the story and the nitty-gritty details, enabling the reader imagine clearly without a stint.
I read the story before I saw the movie and I woundn't have read if I had seen the movie before. The movie also was well taken and the selecting of artists was just perfect.
An enjoyable read. If you like Grisham, then you will love this one.
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Joseph Boone (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
I had seen movie adaptations of Grisham's books but this was my first attempt at reading one of his novels. The Firm is certainly an engrossing read and the story zips along at a good pace. Grisham does a nice job of building tension and suspense as events progress and the book is quite successful as a page turning thriller.
If The Firm has a weakness, it's that none of the characters are very well developed. There are many ethical and emotional dilemmas raised during the story yet we seldom learn how Mitch feels about them other than him finding a pragmatic solution to escape the trouble he's in. He fears the consequences of his actions and situation but if working for the mob troubles him in and of itself the reader really doesn't see it. All in all this is a good book that is well written and fast paced. But only buy it if you're looking for a mental version of a light snack... there's no food for thought here.
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Adam Dukovich (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
This book is the story of Mitchell McDeere, a young, poor lawyer out of Harvard Law. He finished among the top three in his class and has recieved offers from law firms all over the country, including the small, conservative tax firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke in Memphis, Tennessee. They offer more than any other firm: a new BMW, a new house, a large salary with many incentives and bonuses, student loan relief, and a community and way of life. But before long, Mitch is confronted by the truth: the firm is actually owned by a powerful Chicago mafia family and once you are in, there are but two ways out: dying and retiring while keeping your mouth shut. The whole book is fascinating, from the beginning when the lawyers were outlining the terms, to the middle, when we discover why those terms are in place, and the espionage begins, to a suspenseful manhunt for the McDeeres which includes the police, the FBI, and the mob. This is absolutely compelling reading and makes you think about if a firm that controls every aspect of your life, that can hear every word you say, does exist.
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Jeff Edwards (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
Not my first Grisham book, but better than his first outing with 'A Time To Kill'. This one took a totally different ride than his 1st book, too. More imaginative, and no matter how outlandish a firm of lawyers run by mafia men might be, it sure did make for entertaining reading.
Mitch McDeere is fresh out of law school, not doing all that well financially, but he IS being courted by several law firms who believe he has great potential. He finally settles on a firm in Memphis that has a tiny little secret that he only finds out after almost passing the point of no return. A few too many of his co-workers suddenly and mysteriously turn up dead, and if Mitch wants to avoid an untimely demise of similar situations, what he needs to do is keep his big mouth shut and just move on like everything is hunky-dory. His office is bugged...his home is bugged, so is his car...his every move is being watched, recorded and manipulated to make him commit to the firm-for life. But on top of all this is the FBI's casual connection. They carefully contact Mitch and inform him of his Firm's nasty little secret and work very hard to get him to work for them. Mitch is very aware that by doing so, he's putting himself and his wife in serious danger. How do you get out of a situation like this? I have to admit, I asked that question several times as this plot not just took off, but was launched into motion. From the Grand Cayman Islands to Washington D.C. 'The Firm' is a unique view of law and it's potential pitfalls.
Grisham is far from being the best author that this genre has to offer, but he HAS written a few really compelling and most of all, entertaining legal-thrillers, and 'The Firm' is definitely one of them.
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Scott Baxley (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
PLOT: Mitch McDeere is fresh out of Havard Law School with an ambitious attitude and the will to succeed. He receives the best job offers from the largest firms in the country, but a small firm out of Memphis brings him in with the best pay, a new home, relief of his student loans, and a new BMW. Within his first week at the firm, two of his coworkers are killed in a mysterious explosion off the coast of Grand Cayman Island. This makes him suspicious and later finds out that five lawyers have died in the past fifteen years, all very suspicious. An encounter with an FBI agent investigating the firm arouses his curiousity with the security of the firm and starts to unravel a downward spiral of crime, corruption, danger, and possibly death.
GENRE: Drama-Suspense
STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Grisham's character development is perfect in a sense where you know the characters, but not too well. The predictability of the book is impossible as well as the ability to put it down. The scene changes act as a stimulant for the reader, not elaborating one part of the book too much. Grisham did a supurb job in entailing drama, suspense, and humor into his work.
This book was the first of Grisham's I read and it will not be the last.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
This is a truly amazing Grisham book, full of plot twists and suspense. It's no wonder it catapulted Grisham into the bestseller arena.
The story starts out simple: Mitch McDeere is recruited into a creepy law firm situated in Memphis. They give him a high salary, a BMW, and a good mortgage. No one has ever quit this firm, which seems to be a good thing... But then Mitch realizes that people from the firm have a tendency to die, and the FBI is involved too. No spoilers, but it gets even more intense as the book goes on.
This is a great and fairly easy read. Like most Grisham books, you will find yourself hooked to this book from the start. The ending is good, and you may even find yourself re-reading it sometime in the future. You will not be disappointed with this book.
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1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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