A Life Changing Moment

This is a good Grisham novel. It has substance. It primarily deals with the subject of homelessness and how the poor are viewed by the society at large, particularly how big business holds money as more important than the lives of homeless women and children. Grisham handles the subject in a sensitive yet entertaining way.

As a result of a life threatening trauma, Michael makes a life changing decision. However, it is my opinion that because of his personality and character, he could have made the life changing decision without the intervening trauma. This is the kind of Grisham that I like, an easy listen. Well narrated by Frank Muller who uses the right amount of skills and performance to bring you right into the story. Recommend....

39 people found this helpful

A Gem

Let me first preface my comments on The Street Lawyer by John Grisham by saying that discovering John Grisham is one of the unique pleasures of being alive. One of the "wonders of the world", I would have missed out on something really inspiring had I not discovered his writing. No faint praise you say, but I thought I should state my bias before commenting further. Having read practically all of his books and loved almost all of them, they are easy to read, clearly written, have humor, insight, and inspiration. In this particular case, it is the story of a lawyer from a huge, money-driven law firm whose life goes through a series of events that transform his life. A common thread in most of Grisham's books - the transformation, through life's events and conscious choices, of an individual who happens to be a lawyer. Naturally, lawyers in general have a very bad rap so hearing about their transformations, individual by individual, book by book, is very appealing even before you start reading. The characters he draws are interesting, the events fascinating, and the stories compelling. You can't put the book down - you can't stop listening. You want to hear more as quickly as possible and as the book draws to an end, you are satisfied, he doesn't just leave you in the air, but yes, definitely, you always want more. Though in the category of Legal Thrillers, it crosses numerous genres. If I were a teacher in today's school system, it would be required reading. Not only an example of excellent writing, its story would generate discussion and encourage, dare I saw, conscious thinking - a human interest book - a story to be remembered, a "Classic". The reader, Frank Mueller, awarded for his work and for this book in particular, is terrific. See his recording of The Testament, another favorite Grisham novel. So there you have it, Audible listeners: a gem, a perfect package - great book, great reader. Enjoy! Rating: A+ (as good as it gets)

34 people found this helpful

A Good Read

Grisham writes so well about lawyers and their cases, and this one is no different. A rich and accurate portrayal of life on the street, the main character actually tries to help. I would highly recommend this book.

19 people found this helpful

Wish it was Real

I loved it. I only wish it was real and firms had this type of conscience.

7 people found this helpful

Great book with great narration!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was the first audiobook I bought with my first credit and I loved it. Grisham could develop characters when he wrote this book. I don't like his more recent work as much. I think this book and The Testement are his best.

What did you like best about this story?

You really got to know the characters in this book like Michael Brock, Mordicai Green, and even Mister. Grisham also put you right into a winter in D.C. And Frank Muller was masterful!

Have you listened to any of Frank Muller???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Frank Muller is one of my very favorites. A lot of people say he's "breathy" but that's him and it makes it good.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I usually listen to it every winter. It listens better in the cold.

12 people found this helpful

Street Lawyer

Riviting, Spellbinding. Affects your social concience.
John at his best

12 people found this helpful

Irritating narration; irritating story

I found the main character very hard to like. And the narration was distracting. Not John Grisham's best, to say the least.

4 people found this helpful

A True Grisham masterpiece1

Where does The Street Lawyer rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best I've listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

In true Grisham fashion, it kept you guessing until the end. I had an idea how it would end, but there was an extra little twist!

12 people found this helpful

Vision Expanding

A well written tale of the big city and the problems that lie within, A look into the mind of driven man with a concious that changes his life and may yours as well.

7 people found this helpful

Unexpectedly disappointing and overly preachy

Would you try another book from John Grisham and/or Frank Muller?

I have been a big fan of John Grisham for many years and recently started listening to audible books so I was excited to hear a story I had somehow missed. I had not heard Frank Muller before and although for the most part I found his speaking style alright, I was a little put off by the over-affected accents he gave the characters. As for the story, I can emphatically say that I will not make the same mistake of downloading only one story at a time as I was stuck with no music, no radio, no wireless and no other options on a very long cross country drive with nothing but this book ... so I kept listening hoping it would improve ... no such luck. The book starts out with a bang (literally a gunshot) that changes the main character's life forever and not just temporarily as everyone and perhaps himself hope. And although I suppose I am supposed to feel empathy for the characters and the plight of those he is trying to help, I instead just felt like the author was trying to beat me over the head with his repetitive refrains to help the poor. Don't get me wrong, I understand the issues of the homeless, the poor, the mentally challenged, the legal system and how it is biased against those that suffer but the main character gives up all worldly possessions and donates both them and all of his legal talents to helping others. A worthy cause I am sure all of you would agree but instead this book just serves up a monochrome character who is ultimately smug and morally superior to all of those who only donate, oh let's say, just half of their worldly possessions and talent/time.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Historical biography

What aspect of Frank Muller’s performance would you have changed?

An accent is meant to convey a personality but that can be a double edged sword as I could not get the thought of a southern black baptist preacher/mentor/lawyer to northern white wasp lawyer/idealist out of my head based merely on the accents. Not sure that I like the characters being pigeon-holed for me by the narrator. Then again this is only Frank Muller story I have listed to so I will listen to another and then decide how I like Mr. Muller's style of speaking.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

My father liked it so it must be popular with some people

4 people found this helpful