John Grisham and The Appeal
By Peter on Jan 28, 2008 in Crime Books, John Grisham
John Grisham is a writer I enjoy and like. Both as a person and as a writer. He is, as far as I can tell, a straight-talking, socially conscious, and likeable guy. John Grisham puts his money where his mouth is, both in politics and in charitable, philanthropic and other matters.
He was recently interviewed in Time about his writing in connection with the release of his new thriller, The Appeal, on January 29th. His answers are honest, fun, and informative:
Has the legal world ever reacted negatively to your work? —Diana Parrish, Boston
There have been tons of negative reactions. I have been routinely trounced by lawyers and legal critics, but I couldn’t care less. A huge part of my readership is made up of lawyers, and every book was inspired, in some part, by something that really happened.You churn out a book almost every year. Does that impact the quality? —Cynthia Moyer, Salt Lake City
I don’t think so, because if I had more time, I wouldn’t use it. I’d wait until the last three months and write the book. I learned how to procrastinate in law school, I perfected it as I practiced law, and now I am an expert. I’ve written stuff when I had plenty of time, and it wasn’t very good.[...] My mom thinks you are better looking than Tom Cruise. Why didn’t you star in The Firm instead? —Durriyyah Usman, Islamabad, Pakistan
It is very simple-I have no acting talent whatsoever. It is amazing what you can do with photography these days, so don’t be too impressed.
As to The Appeal, here’s a little quote from the start of the book:
( From The Appeal, Chapter 1:) “The courtroom was in a state of high alert, as if bombs were coming and the sirens were wailing. Dozens of people milled about, or looked for seats, or chatted nervously with their eyes darting around. When Jared Kurtin and the defense army entered from a side door, everyone gawked as if he might know something they didn’t. Day after day for the past four months he had proven that he could see around corners, but at that moment his face revealed nothing.” (Read our review of the Appeal here!)
I think The Appeal will be a winner. And, to me, Grisham is a guy who deserves it!
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