Ford County

Stories

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: John Grisham

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

In his first collection of short stories John Grisham takes us back to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill.

Wheelchair-bound Inez Graney and her two older sons, Leon and Butch, take a bizarre road trip through the Mississippi Delta to visit the youngest Graney brother, Raymond, who's been locked away on death row for eleven years. It could well be their last visit.

Mack Stafford, a hard-drinking and low-grossing run-of-the-mill divorce lawyer gets a miracle phone call with a completely unexpected offer to settle some old, forgotten cases for more money than he has ever seen. Mack is suddenly bored with the law, fed up with his wife and his life, and makes drastic plans to finally escape.

Quiet, dull Sidney, a data collector for an insurance company, perfects his blackjack skills in hopes of bringing down the casino empire of Clanton's most ambitious hustler, Bobby Carl Leach, who, among other crimes, has stolen Sidney's wife.

Three good ol' boys from rural Ford County begin a journey to the big city of Memphis to give blood to a grievously injured friend. However, they are unable to drive past a beer store as the trip takes longer and longer.

The Quiet Haven Retirement Home is the final stop for the elderly of Clanton. It's a sad, languid place with little controversy, until Gilbert arrives. Posing as a lowly paid bedpan boy, he is in reality a brilliant stalker with an uncanny ability to sniff out the assets of those "seniors" he professes to love.

Clanton is rocked with the rumor that the gay son of a prominent family has finally come home, to die. Of AIDS. Fear permeates the town as gossip runs unabated.

Featuring a cast of characters you'll never forget, these stories bring Ford County to vivid and colorful life. Often hilarious, frequently moving, this collection makes it abundantly clear why John Grisham is our most popular storyteller.

©2009 Belfry Holdings, Inc (P)2009 Random House

A wonderful book

This book is one of Grisham's best works. It puts lives to the people in many of his books. There are tales of how the characters lives affected their families. The tales made me laugh and cry and all of those emotions made all of the tales so real.
The best part was hear Mr. Grisham narrate.

Worth Reading

I really liked the short story approach. I just found some of the stories more interesting than others. Personal Preference, still, worth reading.

A very much read

john Grisham is the ultimate author with extraordinary attention to every detail to the story

Excellent writer, poor narration

I love John Grisham, I’ve read just about everything he’s written. John Grisham is not however a very good narrator. Just keep writing John, love your work, but please don’t read it to me

Just okay.

Anti-climatic. Does anything good ever happen to Black's in Mississippi? Makes you wonder, hmmmm! Always poor with no hope.

Delightful

These short stories are a wonderful addition to John Grisham’s world based in Ford County. Although they are all stories that are different from his usual genre, they completely fit in to his southern town.

Ford County

Simply beautiful! I've read all of John Grisham's books written about Ford County and liked them all. But this compilation of short stories touched my heart. I cried listening to the story about Adrian. It was heartbreaking and sad but at times so witty and funny. But, I never expected anything less from John Grisham.

Quality Stories - Stiff Narration

What did you love best about Ford County?

I am a big fan of John Grisham's stories and Ford County was interesting and entertaining. I enjoyed the story set in the nursing home the most.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ford County?

The comedy of errors with the boys looking for the wallet.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

John Grisham is not a narrator. He is stiff and his sentences did not flow. It was as if he would pause at the end of a line on the page, rather than pausing at the punctuation. Things that were written to be funny were dry and stunted due to his discomfort as the narrator. I would have expected the author to bring more life to his characters and his story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the young man with AIDS passed away.

Wonderful Narration

John Grisham did a wonderful job. I enjoyed the stories about Ford County and having this narrated by the author.

Excellent Writing

John Grisham - the modern Faulkner in American literature - has shared several memorable stories about everyday life in the South, except he has elevated our common stories to the level of brilliance and excellence worthy of being designated as literature.