The Appeal, John Grisham
The Appeal, John Grisham
19 Rating(s)
List: $22.50 | Sale: $15.75
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The Appeal

Author: John Grisham

Narrator: Michael Beck

Unabridged: 12 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/29/2008

Synopsis

In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.
Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?

The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice.

The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave listeners unable to think about our electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again.

About John Grisham

John Ray Grisham, Jr. was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas on February 8, 1955. Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University and later from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981. He was a practicing criminal attorney for over ten years and then served in the House of Representatives from 1984 to 1990. He published his first novel in 1989 after working on it for five years. ‘A Time to Kill’, his first novel, launched his new career and was later made into a major motion picture. His first bestseller, ‘The Firm’, released in 1991, sold over seven million copies and was made into a box office hit starring Tom Cruise two years later. Almost twenty years later in 2012, a TV series was launched and picks up the life of Mitch McDeere and his family ten years after the events of the novel.

John Grisham has had his novels translated into more than forty languages and has sold nearly 300 million copies worldwide. He is a winner of the prestigious Galaxy British Book Award and is one of only three authors (the other two being Tom Clancy and J.K. Rowling) to ever sell two million copies of a first published novel. Nine of his novels (including ‘The Firm and ‘A Time to Kill’ have been made into major motion pictures.

Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Stacey on 2009-06-30 12:35:21

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel...but was definitely caught off guard by the ending. Not my favorite Grisham book, but still a good read.

Goodreads review by babyhippoface on January 28, 2008

This book has made me angrier than any I've read in years. Okay, first off --what is with the absolutely horrid neon orange color of the jacket back? Who picked this? Must have been colorblind. Each time I reached for this book my eyes felt violated. *SPOILER ALERT* If you haven't read it yet, stop re......more

Goodreads review by Baba on June 11, 2024

The more I read John Grisham the more I see his uncanny likeness to Stephen King, both write bestselling immersive stories that are all on the periphery political and critical of the failings of capitalism in the States and of the shocking hypocrisy of many of the enfranchised and self-asserted reli......more

Goodreads review by Suz on June 27, 2016

2 generous stars. I am so quick to admit being late to the party, and also to being so dumb at times. This was one of them! I was alerted to the fact that Mr Grisham could be the male version of Danielle Steel. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I honestly do love a good DS at the right time......more

Goodreads review by Karen on April 19, 2025

When this was donated to my Little Free Library Shed, I was surprised I hadn’t read it yet. In looking over other Goodreads reviews, and noting they were mixed, I was wondering whether I should. But being an avid fan of Grisham’s courtroom dramas, I decided not to list this as ‘currently reading’ on......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on October 17, 2011

Alright...well, I admit that I read a few one and two star reviews before posting mine because I wanted to read what the nay-sayers had to say about the book. I was pretty sure I knew what they wouldn't like, and I was pretty sure I would disagree. I was right. I understand others' chagrin with Gris......more

Quotes

“Building a remarkable degree of suspense…Grisham delivers his savviest book in years. His extended vacation from hard–hitting fiction is over.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“A novel that could become its own era–defining classic. John Grisham holds up that same mirror to our age as Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities.”—The Boston Globe

“Chilling and timeless.”—The Washington Post

“An intricately detailed, involving story…the ending may surprise you.”—People

“Stirring popular fiction that doubles as an important public–service announcement.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Packs a wallop…The timing, in the midst of all the presidential primaries, makes it all the more compelling.”–USA Today

“Fascinating…filled with deadly accurate characterizations by and author who knows both the law and politics from the inside.”–Los Angeles Times

“A clever story and thoughtful plot…Grisham confronts in stark relief the dangers of electing judges in an era of big–money politics.”—Seattle Times–Post Intelligencer

Awards

  • The Washington Post "Best Books"
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