well, what can i say. after not picking up a novel for a bit, i appear to have read two (2) quite quickly. this is perhaps mostly down to me being on my travels of late, look you see, with some journeys planned and, as it happens, unexpected.
so, as would be usual, having read two (2) novels, now is the time to pause and ponder on them. give some form of quasi review, i guess, on the off chance such information is of interest, if not particular use, to any of you out there kind, or bored, enough to pop by and have a gander.
to go with the usual, standard, then, an image of the 2 (two) novels with a spoiler-free sort of overview kind of thing.
right, ok, that covers a more or less spoiler free overlook. except, for those interested, to throw this your way, as it happens it doesn't really seem to matter if you haven't read any of the other Grisham novels concerning the characters in this (further) sequel, he covers the important stuff at the relevant points. but, that said, they are worth reading.
on to a closer, if not necessarily better, look. and do note that, as careful as i shall endeavour to be, please take as a given a *** SPOILER WARNING *** for all else ahead.
it would be exciting not to begin where i did with these two, but also a bit silly. with that in mind, the first of books read for this round, mostly on trains as it happens, was The Burning Girls off of CJ Tudor.
going on to the next novel (of two) what i read, then, means a relatively recent (for me) return to John Grisham. after his breezy, this will do Camino Winds, it was splendid to learn that the next one in paperback was a return to his true strength, the "legal thriller". but, as highlighted above, i did have some reservations, what with this being another sequel.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
provenance of my copy? not really sure anyone is all that interested, but yes, indeed it was the "book of the week" or what have you down Tesco. or maybe it was one on a special price for "club members". don't recall, rightly, but on the basis of her other three, as mentioned earlier a pretty straightforward decision, it is, to buy what she publishes. well, what she writes and her publisher publishes.
never mind that, what of the plot, you may ask (or not). wow that was some negatives there. anyway, a lady vicar (of the female kind) and her teen daughter are kind of sent, with little choice in the matter, to a remote village. the previous vicar sort of kind of died in circumstances i shall not mention, and it was determined that she would be the most ideal, indeed splendid, replacement. being a remote, most decidedly English rural village, there is some consternation at a lady doing a "man's job", of course, and also the mystery, or puzzle, or even if you like controversy, over what, precisely, happened to the previous vicar, and why. a matter which, but of course, the new lady vicar, and daughter, get all somewhat embroiled in.
bit strange, this one. i am not sure how to word it. on the one side i would stop a bit short of calling this novel brilliant, or similar, and yet (allowing for circumstances meaning i had not much to do but read) i found i could scarcely put it down. many of the elements i mentioned there shall probably feel rather "been there, done that" to many readers, as would parts i elected not to mention for fear of spoilers. and yet it is all such a compelling read. there is a finite number of story premises to tell, the trick is telling them again in a new, interesting way. and this does that, magnificently so.
oh, yes, very much so. in answer to any questions about how well this captures the essence, or stereotypes, or even realities, or living in a rural English village, this one does the job. with some considerable, if not formidable, experience i speak so. the way, or manner, in which it is all depicted, described, how the narrative goes, is just full credit to CJ Tudor and her remarkable skills. sure, some, in particular one, of the plot twists (or what have you) don't work as well as they could, which is likely why i am reluctant to throw "brilliant" at this. but, all the same, a highly enjoyable read.
what sort of "category" or genre does The Burning Girls fall into? kind of macabre mystery thriller, i suppose, with a deft turn into really genuinely suspenseful horror, in truth. so no, probably not for the overtly squeamish, but the mildly so should get by just fine. absolutely recommended.
you of course wish to know of the provenance. well, a strange one, this. by chance i had reason to do business with WH Smith, something that most shall be aware to generally avoid, for they tend to price things way higher than anyone else. yet here was the latest Grisham with a half price sticker on, meaning it was probably more or less the same cost as what i would have got it off of Tesco or similar. as for the business i was doing there. likely the post office, or maybe the latest edition of The Viz.
and the plot of this one? once again the central character, maybe flat outright protagonist, is Jake Brigance. here he is pretty much strong-armed, if not flat forced, to take on a state defence ("defense" in American) case that all other lawyers have fled from - the role of defending a 16 year old boy who has shot (and murdered) a rather popular police officer. seems like a rather open and shut case, with any lawyer daring defend the boy likely to become a social pariah. and yet, of course, not all to do with the case is as it seems......
now this really was, is, brilliant. quite excellent. superb, even. know, and note, much of the details and aspects of the novel are rather harrowing, and not comfortable to read, but it is well worth pursuing. if i were called upon to give a brief, sort of buzz quote review, then it would be "compelling reading". there, go stick that on the jacket (or cover) of the next print run of this novel. surely it is so that Mr Grisham checks out my blog to see what i think of his latest works.
my crime with enjoying this is to have a double standard, or be contradictory, or a more aggressive way of describing such. i despair at how much of, in the real world, domestic American matters, of no relevance to the world, dominates the news and associated media here in the UK. yet it is intriguing to delve into this novel and read, with some disbelief, how convoluted, needlessly complex and ultimately possibly unfair the American system is. which is weird, they had a blank canvas and all the resources in the world to build a perfectly functional society, yet they have succeeded in making a right headache of it all. on reading this, one would not like to find themselves accused of being in the wrong, be it minor or as is here major, with the law, for you would appear to be damned and lost no matter what.
it is widely accepted, or a notion taken as a given, that the Jake Brigance character is one which Grisham created as a kind of "alter ego"; the lawyer he would have liked to be had he not become a very, very (very) successful novelist. presumably or probably there is something telling that, after a few decades, all of a sudden he has reverted to using this character once more to tell a narrative. no, i am not sure what the tell is, but i felt obliged to draw attention to it.
every time i do one of these posts my speculative wondering is whether or not i have added anything of value to anyone (at all) about what i have read. also, it strikes me that yes, my proclivity for convoluted, needlessly lengthy sentences is probably why i never became no novelist myself, like. an issue, i guess, is that when i've read something that i particularly liked, well, there is not all that much i can say except that it was good.
well, anyway, on to the next book(s) or novel(s), then. surely, certainly, as and when i have read two (2) further, assuming i am still around then it is likely i shall comment here. but, for now, these ones are books well worth considering and reading.
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