Sycamore Row

De: John Grisham

Narrado por: Michael Beck

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • John Grisham returns to the iconic setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill, as Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a controversial trial that exposes a tortured history of racial tension.

“Welcome back, Jake. . . . [Brigance] is one of the most fully developed and engaging characters in all of Grisham’s novels.”—USA Today

Seth Hubbard is a wealthy white 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 defense attorney Jake Brigance 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 many 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?

Look for all of John Grisham’s gripping Jake Brigance novels:
A Time to Kill
Sycamore Row
A Time for Mercy

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Powerful . . . immensely readable . . . the best of his books.”—The Washington Post

“One of [Grisham’s] finest . . . Sycamore Row is a true literary event.”—The New York Times Book Review


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

“In all of Grisham’s best books . . . the reader gets good company, a vigorous runaround and . . . a bit of a legal education.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Grisham’s books are smart, imaginative, and funny, populated by complex, interesting people.”—The Washington Post

“The law, by its nature, creates drama, and a new Grisham promises us an inside look at the dirty machineries of process and power, with plenty of entertainment.”—Los Angeles Times

“John Grisham owns the legal thriller.” —The Denver Post

Grisham at his best (again)

This is a Grisham book you don't want to pass on. In the 90's I loved reading his early works- The Firm, A Time to Kill, and The Pelican Brief, but slowly his books seemed to lose their luster. They've always been enjoyable to read, but not like his early writings I fell in love with.

In Sycamore Row Grisham goes back to Clanton, Mississippi, the scene of A Time to Kill, and reconnects us with Jake Brigance, the struggling lawyer made famous by the Carl Lee Haley trial. His new case immediately takes on a David vs. Goliath feel which emotionally pulls the audience into the story like the best books do. The characters are very well developed, and as the story progresses it will be harder and harder to remove your headphones and rejoin the real world.

This book is John Grisham at his best. I will be recommending it to everyone I know. This is one of those rare times I wish audible could give me a six-star option.

Formulaic but entertaining.

Some say that when a writer has done something successfully, they should keep doing it. Grisham understands this concept, and he does it well. He does it well.

This reminded me very much of a recent Grisham novel with a similar premise (old man, about to die, leaves fortune to a little known (and somewhat suspect) individual while cutting out his family entirely.

In many ways this seems like a re-write of the same story...changing things here, moving things over there, different names, different places, etc...

Grisham is a talented writer, and knows what his audience wants to hear. It was, however, a little too much the same for me. I was tired by the time is was over (and glad it was done). Who cares about somebody else's millions?

There was much about the book that was commendable. Main character was likable. The thrust of the court case was understandable, and was set-up for logical arguments from both sides. Justice had a prevailing influence on the final scene of the book, and the audience (the reader) was given some leeway to decide how they feel about the events (though they are clearly being steered).

Bottom Line: If you like other Grisham novels you can expect more of the same.

Wonderful Grisham at his very best

I wish I could give it 10 stars back to the old style. I love how he includes all the other characters from Clanton even good old Willy Trainor.

I highly recomend well worth the credit!

Another GREAT Grisham Book !!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Sycamore Row to be better than the print version?

Another great Book by Grisham, always waiting until the next one. This is a must listen, the story line is great. NUFF SAID !!!

What did you like best about this story?

Story Line

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

Beck's performance is as good as always

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

Could not stop listening

Any additional comments?

Do it, you will love it !!

Okay but a bit frustrating.

I enjoyed the story, and thought that it had a nice resolution. On the other hand, it suffered from a remarkably annoying premise.

The whole story is contrived around the idea that this old, dying man changes his will at the eleventh hour, but rather than go to the huge law firm that constructed his last will, he writes it himself, and charges the protagonist with defending it.

This causes and expensive legal battle that is the heart of the story. Fine. But it all could have been negated if the old man had just gone directly to the protagonist and had it drafted more carefully. Also, if the old man had articulated the actual reasons behind writing the will, the legal battle wouldn't have been necessary at all.

Anyway, I feel like this plot would have been more at home in 1-hour television episode on some show about lawyers instead of taking up a full-length novel.

I did enjoy the ride, though, and it was nice to get lost in Grisham's words again after all these years.