The Rainmaker

what the fuck is going on here nephew. i read this book because i wanted to read a legal thriller!! a drama with lots of jargon!! vicariously live out my dream of being a lawyer thru some white boy!! i should've taken into account this was written by a white man in the early 90s.

there is sooo much misogyny in this book. i did not like kelly at all. she's described as smart, beautiful, but weak :( there are no men in her corner to protect her :( so the duty must fall on Random Dude #3 she just met and recounts her trauma to. while crying. and then flirts with. when she was just crying literally three sentences ago. also! she's 19! why is this guy who just graduated law school pursuing this kid. related to the misogyny, there's a line in show more this book where rydy describes a secretary (ex-stripper) as surprisingly intelligent and "unbimbolike" i want to strangle him. in fact, they (the lawyers and paralegals) all call the secretaries "the girls". i think we need to bring the guillotine back. i would also like a personal apology from grisham for the fatphobia in this book. it's rampant and disgusting.

i don't understand why i'm meant to think rudy did anything groundbreaking -- or anything period. for the first time in history, i think the movie adaptation actually improved on the source material. it did a far better job at making it feel like it's rudy's hard work that gets that verdict, and makes it very plain he's a rookie who doesn't know wtf he's doing. in the book, he clearly only got the verdict he did thanks to the black lawyers (at the black firm he doesn't even work at!) who held his hand the whole way through. he didn't do anything. i'm glad he didn't get a cent for this bc he didn't deserve it!

I READ THIS PURELY FOR THE PLOT AND ONLY GOT TO THE PLOT IN THE LAST 150 PAGES.

this is not smthn i would recommend to anyone i like. at first, i was willing to be a tad lenient with grisham given this was one of his earliest books, and he's published many, many books since then. but then i sampled one of his newer books and couldn't get thru the first 20 pages. it's actually inspiring that such a prolific writer can make absolutely no improvement over the course of 20 years and still be a bestselling novelist. it gives me hope to see that no matter how bad u are at ur job, u can still hit big show less

Book 97 - John Grisham- The Rainmaker

Back again to my favourite author as I nearly complete the set of older Grisham novels with this absolute classic. Again I had vague recollections of the movie of the same name starring Matt Damon and Danny DeVito…but once again like ‘The Client’ I remember very little of it.

The story is all about a law student and a small number of his classmates who, for one of their classes, attend an old people’s home with his professor to pick up some extra experience. Rudy Baylor gets two potential cases. One is a lady who has slightly more to her estate that most and the other and main thread throughout the novel is of a tragically ill young man who is dying and needs a bone marrow transplant. He had a show more twin who is a perfect match and thus begins the damning story of an invented US insurance company and the derogation of their responsibility as they deny claim after claim to pay for the procedure that would give him what he is looking for…time.

The first third of the book is about his fall and continued fall, from promising student to losing a job before he gets a chance to start and then to a shady firm which has the FBI chasing the head of the firm…

It is the story of David vs Goliath…a new lawyer…who just has just recently passed the bar…and his ‘partner’…a ‘paralawyer’…as they go out on their own to survive and look after their two ‘cases’…against a huge firm defending the indefensible…

Not giving too much away, it is near perfect…both cases are fascinating…the relationship between both main characters is the best buddy buddy team up I have come across in ages…the power of a judge in the US system is staggering, as is his discretion….and throw in a love story thread that is the heart of the book and this old romantic loves a love story…and you have one of the best Grisham books of all time…but of course as with a lot of these early novels…the whole thing is turned on its head with ten pages to go…wow

A must read…again show less

I've already read two other Grisham books, and by far this is the best. This book has everything - action, drama, emotion, etc. Some bits are downright realistic and hilarious, with quirky details here and there. it was nice to read a book where the lawyer got quite a few breaks - a good judge, the Stupid Letter, etc. After seeing the hardships he had to go through - losing his job (and losing his employer later on), girlfriend, it was great to see. I could not stop reading this and felt impatient when I had to put it down for whatever reason. There was enough humor mixed with emotion to make the characters feel real - Bruiser, Birdie, and Deck were great characters. A great read - now I want to see the movie!

With a TV series of this book on the way, I thought it was a good time to revisit it. The Rainmaker was my favorite of the Grishams I read back in the day, but it’s been a lot of years since then and a lot of years even since I’ve read any Grisham either, so I wasn’t sure if this would still be my cup of tea, but happily, I enjoyed this all over again.

Admittedly, I enjoyed the romance and the ending a little less than the rest. I was interested in the love interest’s situation, I just would have preferred seeing that play out with Rudy strictly as her lawyer and nothing more. As for the ending, it wasn’t terrible and it does mostly wrap things up, it’s tied into the romance though and really just wasn’t the direction I show more wanted Rudy to go in.

Everything else worked really well for me, providing a much needed distraction from a not great time in my life. Grisham does an excellent job of juggling all that’s going on, Rudy needing a job, needing to pass the bar, dealing with his first clients and ultimately his first trial, you never feel short-changed or bored, the pacing felt really spot on, moving seamlessly back and forth between the various storylines.

While there were moments here or there during the trial where I thought this seems maybe a little too smooth sailing for a first-time trial lawyer, the case was still so timely (even though this was written in the 90’s) and so emotionally engaging that a little stretching of reality here and there didn’t trip up the entertainment value, this is very much a page-turner. show less

Law student Rudy Baylor is graduating from law school and is ready to start working for a firm. As part of finishing his coursework, he visits a retirement center where students provide law assistance to seniors. He researches a case that becomes important in his working life. When the firm’s employment offer falls through, he finds himself in a situation with little money, no job, and the need to pass the bar exam. This is another of Grisham’s legal-related books, though more of a courtroom drama than a thriller. The villain is an insurance company and the victim a poor family whose son is dying of leukemia. The storyline is engaging. It is filled with colorful characters. It is told in the first-person present tense by Rudy, so show more the reader is privy to his thoughts and motivations as he searches for a job and pursues his cases. He has a quick wit and sarcastic sense of humor. It explores legal ethics from the perspective of a new lawyer who wants to “do the right thing” while dealing with unscrupulous tactics of others. The story is entertaining and a fast read despite its length. The downsides include a bit of ageism and sexism, and a subplot related to an abused spouse does not work as well as the court case. Recommended to those that enjoy a story that engages the brain and provides an opportunity to root for the underdog. show less

I'm with the reviewers awarding 3 or less stars. This was a long-ago read which I never reviewed. Now I know why: upon a re-read this week, I was frequently bored with repetitive details and descriptions which bog down moving the story forward.

An additional irritant was featuring a law student claiming to be in the top third of the class, and held to be clever, except he certainly is not skilful enough to manage his finances and keep his valuables safely stowed. The break in might be a minor plot point, but really? It was a terribly contrived way to ensure Rudy (MC) had no assets and was rock-bottom broke. Rudy was hard to admire and engage the reader in what should have been a smart, intuitive lead in the narrative.

Like other show more reviewers wrote, the Kelly character is too improbably lame and the dénouement sappy. I think this is one of Grisham's poorer novels. For example, 'Rainmaker' doesn't compare well with the sharp prose and tight plotting in Pelican Brief or The Firm. show less

Mad, Sad, and Laugh out Loud funny! The movie tries but its just not possible to convey the humor. But along with the humor comes absolutely infuriating heartbreak. Reading this I'm reminded why I Hate the Insurance Agencies. I firmly believe that insurance agencies have far too many loopholes to wriggle out of and way too many political friends to help them do so. But the insurance agencies are just the example of how Big Business gets thing done on the broken backs of common people. They call it the disappearing middle class. How the divide between rich and poor just keeps getting wider. Basically it just shows how the rich screw the the little guy or in this case a sick young man and hos devastated family. It happens everyday. When show more you make make less than minimum wage because you get tips but you are required to split your tips with chefs, busboys, and whoever else your employer deems worthy (co-workers that already make more then you). Oh and if you don't get tipped you have to make up the shortfall. Not a waitress but that is outright unfair and the employers get away with it. When (here in Canada) the government makes it so that you have to work 5hrs to get a 15min break when it used to be four. That's especially nice for all the after school kids that work all evening from 4 to 8 (schools out at 3:30 so they rush to work and don't get supper till they get home at 8:30 or 9). I'm so grateful my employers don't do that to these kids. Its also fantastic the pension we pay politicians in this country for their few years of "service". This book brilliantly highlights the corrupt immorality of the whole system. It should make you furious and sad. show less