What readers think of The King of Torts, plus links to write your own review.

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The King of Torts by John Grisham

The King of Torts

by John Grisham
  • Critics' Consensus (1):
  • Readers' Rating (24):
  • First Published:
  • Feb 1, 2003, 384 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Dec 2003, 480 pages
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There are currently 25 reader reviews for The King of Torts
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momo

this is my first grisham book and i liked it although i have read better books this one was good but it took me a while not a quick read if you want one! but worth your time
Kasper Rueskov

I must admit, that I felt a little disappointed at the end, though reasonably well entertained in the middle of the book. I feel that the ending was an antiklimax. I mean, suddenly the Feds stop contacting Clay, but nobody asks why? However, I enjoyed many of the characters, as I found Patton French and Ridley pretty realistic, though Rebecca was too feebly descriped. I do recommend this book, but compared to e.g. The Firm (an obvious 5 out of 5) this leaves you wondering, what this one missed.
Timmy O

The story was okay for me. I agree the ending was weak.
(By the way, does anyone else think Grisham has his own Gulfstream jet from the details he gives?...Funny how he mentions one in "The Summons"...like he was thinking of buying one when he wrote that book. By the time he wrote King of Torts, he must have purchased one; the book's characters are obsessed with them.)
johnnybgood1234 on AIM

Overall, I enjoyed The King of Torts. It had a great plot, good characters, and entertained me for the most part. I would give it eight thumbs up, but I did not like the ending. It was if Grisham just decided to stop writing. He put great effort into the first 6/9 of the book. But after Clay Carter got beaten by the two men in dark clothes, it just went downhill. Sorry Grisham, nice try on an ending.
Dionne

I understand that all books can't have happy endings. However, this ending was not typical of John Grisham's usual talent. I feel that the first half of the book was captivating-a dream come true! It was almost as if Clay won the lottery-and I found myself wondering, "Why don't things like this happen to me everyday?" I feel the ending was rushed. I would've appreciated if Mr. Grisham had given us a little hope for a sequel to this book ...To make a long story short(excuse the pun), I think Mr. Grisham could write about the big fees associated with being an author, because it's obvious he compromised his creative talents in order to satisfy the nice advance and deadline he probably got for "The King Of Torts".
Scott

I've become a fan of the Grisham novels. I've read A Time to Kill, the Pelican Brief, The Runaway Jury, The Rainmaker, The Firm, The Brethren, parts of The Painted House and finally, The King of Torts. I loved the previous books, the Rainmaker and A Time to Kill my favorites. The King of Torts was a great read for about the first 2/3 of the book. Clay's rise from Public Defender to multimillionaire torts attorney was captivating. However, his demise I feel was haphazardly written and put together in a slipshod fashion. It lacked the deft prose and exquisite descriptions that are trademark of his other novels. This one just seemed lazy. Nonetheless, it was a quick read (six hours) and will make for a great book report.
Dave

A fun, quick and enjoyable read. It's a book ready made for the beach.

Grisham delves reasonably deep into the business of tort litigation, but only skims the surface of what's driving the main character: Clay. What are his motivations? Why does bite on the offer by Pace? What motivates and defines his friends? Same for his family. For example, one of the characters is willing to give Clay a big chunk of money -- millions. The book's explanation for this generosity is that they worked together for five years. Yeah, right.

By the end of the book you know as much about the characters as you could have guessed in the beginning. I wish Mr. Grisham had spent more time building character in his characters and less time "stringing zeros" in the tort litigation mathematics.

I didn't like Clay, I didn't hate him, I just didn't care what happened to him.

Worth buying? Yes, in paperback, so you can leave it at the beach when you're done.
Ghada

I admit, this book was horrible. However, you do have to give credit to the fact that it kept you hooked until the very dissapointing end. I kept expecting the plot to appear but it didn't. It was just an extremely long narration of some sort with no point to it. If you're looking for a great Grisham read, try The Runaway Jury, but DO NOT watch the crappy film adaptation. They change the plot completely.

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