John Grisham's first collection of short stories is a winner. He is a master storyteller in the tradition of such writers as Mark Twain. They quickly paint you a picture that on the surface is relatively simple, but in reality is very complex. We are shown a wide range of emotions and characters. The humor of country boys getting caught up in the not so big city. A quiet town lawyer who just may have a chance to change his life for ever. An older man who learns to gamble it all for the woman he loves. A sympathetic hustler who with a few kind acts, shows more compassion for his marks than their families ever did. A story of prejudice, ignorance and fear that builds a bond between two unlikely people. We would be very happy to see more short stories from this magnificent storyteller. ( )

Short stories are weird. More often than not, I find myself questioning everything I’ve just read as I close the book and set it down. Mainly, I question why the story was written, what point was possibly trying to be made, and why I should care.

Luckily, John Grisham is good enough to silence the inquisitions. Grisham’s ante-courtroom fiction is always a nice change of pace from the nail-biters he usually serves up. And, as with every legal thriller he’s written, "Ford County" sucked me in from page one. This collection of seven short fiction tales all focus on characters from Ford County, Mississippi – the setting of many of the former lawyer’s bestsellers, beginning with "A Time to Kill."

The cover shows a two-lane country road curving up a hill and into the horizon, and it’s a fitting image as many of the stories center around a trip of some sort. First off is one of my favorites, Blood Drive, a tale of three good ole’ Ford County boys heading to the big city. In a situation as realistic as if it happened in my stomping grounds of Mitchell County, Ga., a juicy story gets bigger and more convoluted as it passes from person to person. A hometown boy, Bailey, has been in an accident in Memphis, and though he’s only suffered a few minor breaks and scrapes, by the time the story makes its way across town, poor Bailey is barely clinging to life.

Facts fall by the wayside as rumor and supposition take charge. It’s decided that, due to Bailey’s fading condition, the three brave young men should embark on the two-hour drive to Memphis to donate their blood. A simple task turns into a saga, however, as the boys end up outrunning the law, and shortly thereafter, a shotgun-wielding homeowner. A beer or two for the road turns into a six-pack or two, and by the time they reach the Memphis city limits, the plans include a short stop at the friendly local strip club. And then, of course, straight to the hospital they will go.

Except that one of them gets lost in an inner-city gang shootout, and the other two end up on the wrong side of a rumble involving strippers, the Memphis vice squad, and some rowdy bikers. And poor Bailey never gets his blood donations, which is just as well since he ends up safely at home long before anyone else.

The best part about Grisham’s Ford County characters is how real they feel. Someone who wasn’t born in the South or who hasn’t spent a good deal of time here might perhaps think characters like this couldn’t truly exist. I beg to differ. I know these people. I went to school with these guys, I’ve worked with these folks, or my friends are related to them. People like Aggie and Calvin, who, when they finally reach the information desk at the first hospital they could find in the city, tell the clerk they need to find Bailey. The problem is, they don’t know his full name. And they couldn’t imagine why the hospital wouldn’t just list patients by their first names.

Calvin- “I thought Bailey was his first name.”
Aggie- “I thought it was his last name. They used to call him Buck, didn’t they?”
Calvin- “Yeah, but his Momma’s last name is Caldwell.”
Aggie- “How many times has she been married?”

It is in dialogue like this that Grisham makes me feel at home. He’s not an outsider mocking the South, he’s just a guy telling a story that is funny and down-to-earth and, most of all, very probable.

One reason short stories can be difficult is that there is an inherently short amount of time to develop a character. Many end up feeling aimless. But Grisham is in control at all times, telling simple stories about hometown people going about life. You may not know which direction you’re heading, but you know that you’ll enjoy the ride.

Since A Time to Kill is my favorite Grisham book, I was excited to read these stories based on the country where it took place. These stories (although brief) were great reads. ( )

I not normally a 'short stories' reader but I have to say...I really enjoyed this collection. A few of them I would have enjoyed as a full novel. I would definitely recommend this book. ( )

I just want to start of saying that this is more about me than the book. I don't want to give you the impression that, though I really didn't like it, this is a bad book by any means. As other reviewers have said, these are "slice of life" stories all set in the same county as some of John Grisham's previous titles, and though I didn't recognize any of the characters, more thorough readers of his oeuvre probably will. It's different from his usual fare: there are several lawyers in Ford County that make an appearance, but courtroom dramas and legal thrillers are not really a part of these tales. It's much more about the characters simply living out their lives.

Basically, however, I dreaded picking up the book. Ford County is a pretty depressing, impoverished place as described in these stories, and the characters are depressing too. There were only a few with whom I sympathized, and even fewer that I actually liked. None of the stories were particularly hopeful, so reading it generally put me in a bad mood.

Why then did I finish it? Why give it any stars at all? Well, as I told you, this is more about me. I generally have no problem putting down a book I dislike or even one that I would enjoy in a different mood - no use putting myself through it when there are so many other great books out there that I want to read now. But before finishing this book, I had already abandoned two books and only finished one, and I was determined not to start of the year with a 3:1 abandoned to finished ratio. Added to that, I reached page fifty (the place where I would normally abandon a book) in the second story, "Fetching Raymond" which was just as depressing as the others but also managed to make me care about characters that I didn't like - and that's saying something. It's because of that story and the fact that I appreciate Grisham trying something new - and doing so decently well, even if not to my taste - that I'm giving the book two stars. ( )