Name: The Brethren
ISBN: 9780385339674

John Grisham

The Brethren

         I have been reading John Grisham since John Grisham has been writing books.  They are typically fast-paced, heart-thumping stories that genuinely propel the reader through an adventure of legal shenanigans.  I read them religiously, yet somehow, I managed to skip this one.  To be fair, it was published in the year 2000, which was my junior year of college AND the year a terrible fire tore apart my parent’s hometown.  I was pretty busy.  Fast forward twenty-four years, and one of my reading challenges has a prompt that has me looking for a book published in the year 2000.  Since I failed to read this one back then and it was the number one bestselling novel of the year, I decided to give it a read.

            Remember how I previously mentioned that Grisham wrote heart-thumping legal thrillers?  This one is not that.  It’s sort of a legal thriller, more of a political thriller, but it doesn’t contain the same heart-thumping elements that made me fall in love with Grisham’s books.  Maybe it’s me…and the thousands of books I have read over the last twenty-four years have raised my expectations.  Maybe I have this romantic notion of how good Grisham’s books are based entirely on the early books I read when I wasn’t reading all the much to begin with (unless it was a textbook, I read many of those).  Whatever the reason, this one didn’t live up to my expectations of a John Grisham book. It was far slower paced than I’m used to from his books, and the primary “conflict” involved a subject that I feel, personally, shouldn’t have even been a thing. 

            I’ll probably continue to believe that Grisham’s books are all fast-paced thrillers, simply because I refuse to let one book ruin my rose-colored view of an author I have always considered one of my favorites.  However, this book is definitely not going on the list of favorites that’s he’s written. 

Kristen Claiborn

         I have been reading John Grisham since John Grisham has been writing books.  They are typically fast-paced, heart-thumping stories that genuinely propel the reader through an adventure of legal shenanigans.  I read them religiously, yet somehow, I managed to skip this one.  To be fair, it was published in the year 2000, which was my junior year of college AND the year a terrible fire tore apart my parent’s hometown.  I was pretty busy.  Fast forward twenty-four years, and one of my reading challenges has a prompt that has me looking for a book published in the year 2000.  Since I failed to read this one back then and it was the number one bestselling novel of the year, I decided to give it a read.

            Remember how I previously mentioned that Grisham wrote heart-thumping legal thrillers?  This one is not that.  It’s sort of a legal thriller, more of a political thriller, but it doesn’t contain the same heart-thumping elements that made me fall in love with Grisham’s books.  Maybe it’s me…and the thousands of books I have read over the last twenty-four years have raised my expectations.  Maybe I have this romantic notion of how good Grisham’s books are based entirely on the early books I read when I wasn’t reading all the much to begin with (unless it was a textbook, I read many of those).  Whatever the reason, this one didn’t live up to my expectations of a John Grisham book. It was far slower paced than I’m used to from his books, and the primary “conflict” involved a subject that I feel, personally, shouldn’t have even been a thing. 

            I’ll probably continue to believe that Grisham’s books are all fast-paced thrillers, simply because I refuse to let one book ruin my rose-colored view of an author I have always considered one of my favorites.  However, this book is definitely not going on the list of favorites that’s he’s written. 

Ricca Pamela F. Tria 

It was very fun and exciting to read. Cheers to the Brethren!!!

Jonathan Tysick

Not a single likeable character in the entire book. Unique but a pretty messed up plot. If it's your first Grisham choose another starting place.

Confraria, A

Magda Pais

sou fã deste autor e comecei este livro com as expectativas altas. Fiquei desiludida. A história podia ter tudo para nos prender mas tal não acontece. As personagens são demasiado superficiais e algumas partes parecem forçadas. Calculo que todos temos direito a um dia mau e os escritores também tem direito a um mau livro...

Sarah Escorsa

Definitely not my favourite Grisham book but an entertaining enough read.

_______________________________________ They're behind bars, but that won't stop them committing crimes. And it won't keep them safe, either. Trumble is a minimum security federal prison, home to drug dealers, bank robbers, swindlers, embezzlers, tax evaders - and three former judges who call themselves The Brethren. The Brethren meet each day in the law library, where they spend hours writing letters. They're fine-tuning a mail scam, and it's starting to pay big. The money is pouring in. But when their little scam goes awry and ensnares the wrong victim, a powerful man on the outside, they realise they're in trouble. Because this man has dangerous friends, and just as the prison failed to protect society from the Brethren, it won't protect them from their victims... _______________________________________ ‘A master at the art of deft characterisation and the skilful delivery of hair-raising crescendos' – Irish Independent 'John Grisham is the master of legal fiction' – Jodi Picoult 'The best thriller writer alive' – Ken Follett ‘John Grisham has perfected the art of cooking up convincing, fast-paced thrillers’ – Telegraph ‘Grisham is a superb, instinctive storyteller’ – The Times ‘Grisham's storytelling genius reminds us that when it comes to legal drama, the master is in a league of his own.’ – Daily Record ‘Masterful – when Grisham gets in the courtroom he lets rip, drawing scenes so real they're not just alive, they're pulsating’ – Mirror ‘A giant of the thriller genre’ – TimeOut