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

Great stories

I enjoyed every story. I especially liked how he integrated some of the people and locations from his earlier novels. The person who thought the southern accent was too strong, must not live in the south.

Ford County Review

Great stories and loved that John Grisham narrated. His narrative made these stories feel more authentic. Believable southern characters kept the stories moving and provided much entertainment. I can’t believe I’ve never read his books before. Well, now that I know better I’ll do better. Listened to these short stories during a road trip. My husband and I found ourselves anxious to get back in the truck to continue exploring Ford County. Excellent book!

Disappointing Narration!

After listening to a third of the book, I was shocked to learn that the author is the narrator because he sounds like a ninth-grader reading it for the first time. Fill of awkward pauses and almost no inflection. Interesting stories, but Mr Grisham should stick to writing!

When reading a review is most helpful

I would have hesitated buying this time if I had read but a few lines offered by those who went before. Audio books, and thereby their original,suffer bad reviews for poor reading. Could poor Mr. Grisham not hear himself??

Different

Not much legal or mystery/thriller just some Clanton characters in vignettes. I like Grisham's narration a lot.

Great Collection Of Short Stories

I'm a big John Grisham fan. To the point where I will buy one of his books just because I see his name on it, without even reading the description. This collection did not disappoint. It's like little insights to other lives. The fact that the Author was the narrator made them so much better because he knows the cadence and direction of the story in his mind and can read it how he intended it to be read.

Excellent book.

Loved this book. Very entertaining and a small insight into a few different time periods in Mississippi.

One of my favorites!

I absolutely love that each chapter was independent of the others. Short, intriguing stories. I wish John would narrate all his books.

humor as well as tragedy

One things I like about Grissom is that when he tells stories about people in the South, is his understanding of the background they have come from , and reveal, in the story. Some of the finest people I have ever know were from very impoverished backgrounds, in small towns, in the deep south . There is no ridicule. The stories are by someone who knows intimately the characters he writes about and he does not disparage them in any way. In this one, there is humor that my time in AL and the FL panhandle can recall lovingly.

Write, John.....don't read

I have always enjoyed the humor in John Grisham's books, and this one didn't disappoint. His wry wit just brings a smile even in the middle of a not-so-amusing paragraph. In this book, however, I was EXTREMELY annoyed by John's lack of any inflection, emphasis or performance. His monotone drone simply killed the stories for me. I would recommend the stories, depicting life in the fabulous South as John, undoubtedly, intimately knows it, very highly.....if read by someone other than John Grisham.