Sycamore Row

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Michael Beck

Length: 20 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Thriller/Suspense, 2014

John Grisham takes you back to where it all began...

John Grisham's A Time to Kill is one of the most popular novels of our time. Now we return to that famous courthouse in Clanton as Jake Brigance once again finds himself embroiled in a fiercely controversial trial - a trial that will expose old racial tensions and force Ford County to confront its tortured history.

Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his Black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier.

The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

In Sycamore Row, John Grisham returns to the setting and the compelling characters that first established him as America's favorite storyteller. Here, in his most assured and thrilling novel yet, is a powerful testament to the fact that Grisham remains the master of the legal thriller, nearly 25 years after the publication of A Time to Kill.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2013 Belfry Holdings, Inc (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

Praise for the novels of John Grisham

"John Grisham is about as good a storyteller as we've got in the United States these days." —The New York Times Book Review

"John Grisham is exceptionally good at what he does—indeed, right now in this country, nobody does it better." —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post

"Grisham is a marvelous storyteller who works readers the way a good trial lawyer works a jury." — Philadelphia Inquirer

"John Grisham owns the legal thriller." —The Denver Post

"John Grisham is not just popular, he is one of the most popular novelists of our time. He is a craftsman and he writes good stories, engaging characters, and clever plots." — Seattle Times

"A legal literary legend." — USA Today

John Grisham is a master storyteller!

What did you love best about Sycamore Row?

This is a wonderfully powerful book that grabs you at the beginning and holds onto you until the end.

Have you listened to any of Michael Beck’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Michael Beck was great - he certainly has the southern twang down pat.

Any additional comments?

I encourage any and all Grisham fans to listen to this one!

Overall good, but a few things annoyed me

Where does Sycamore Row rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's about in the middle - not the worst, not the best.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I found it annoying that he set part of the story in Juneau, AK, then threw in some incongruity - referring to 'one of Juneau's hospitals," when there is only one small hospital, then describing the hospital as a a maze, when it's a pretty straightforward square. Then, the strangest thing - saying there was no humidity there? It just seemed very odd to use a real setting, and then be so inaccurate in the use of it.

Any additional comments?

This was my second Grisham story. In listening to this one, I realize it's very clear it's written by a man, the way he refers to women's appearance based on their beauty and sex appeal so much more than men. I realized he's just probably not the author for me at this time in my life.

Brilliant!

What made the experience of listening to Sycamore Row the most enjoyable?

The narrator's performance was stunning! It's rare to be able to listen to a narration and not recognize that the same person is performing all of the voices. Brilliant!

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the fact that characters from "Time to Kill" were resurrected! The entire plot was fantastic! A real "page flipper"!

Have you listened to any of Michael Beck’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I will actively seek him out!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both laughing and crying! Extraordinary!

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book and performance to everyone!

Grisham's best yet

If you could sum up Sycamore Row in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, dynamic, educational

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Grisham has many unexpected changes and unexpected surprises as the story unfolds. He not only has an intriguing twists and turns, but his story gives numerous insights into the world of attorneys dealing with contested wills.

Which character – as performed by Michael Beck – was your favorite?

Jake Brigance continues to be appealing as a small town Mississippi lawyer. Continuing his life and practice after the events in A Time to Kill, Jake continues to fight racism as it was in Mississippi in the late 1980's. He is appealing as an attorney, and as a husband and father.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There are parts of this story that are very powerful and touched me in a profound way.

Any additional comments?

I expect to see this novel as a movie in the future and it deserves to be.

Classic Grisham.

This was classic Grisham. I wanted to keep going as it was exciting yet didn't want it to end. I hope there are more to come from Clanton Mississippi.

Never Judge a book by its cover

Another Grisham classic another Grisham classic another Grisham classic another classic another classic another classic Grisham John Grisham Fantastic Mesmerizing Unusual

The BEST

This Grisham read is spellbounding from beginning to end! The kind of read when you start it, you won't put it down.

Grisham finest

I am a forever-fan of Grisham.
This is my second favorite! Jake is back, and he is as enchanting as before.
I hope to see /read more of the Lucian character

Wonderful, smart story

What disappointed you about Sycamore Row?

Nothing

What could John Grisham have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Nothing

Would you be willing to try another one of Michael Beck’s performances?

Yes

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Sycamore Row?

Nothing

Any additional comments?

This is such an exceptional story. The characters are clearly drawn and the plot is very believable. I have listened to this story several times to have enjoyed it every time.

Gets good at the end.

To be perfectly honest, I found myself at times drifting off during the reading of this book as it was not too exciting. However there were important points throughout the book leading to the reasons for the conclusion which was very good and interesting.