The Street Lawyer
Written by John Grisham
Narrated by Michael Beck
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Michael was in a hurry. He was scrambling up the ladder at Drake & Sweeney, a giant D.C. law firm with eight hundred lawyers. The money was good and getting better; a partnership was three years away. He was a rising star with no time to waste, no time to stop, no time to toss a few coins into the cups of panhandlers. No time for a conscience.
But a violent encounter with a homeless man stopped him cold. Michael survived; his assailant did not. Who was this man? Michael did some digging, and learned that he was a mentally ill veteran who'd been in and out of shelters for many years. Then Michael dug a little deeper, and found a dirty secret, and the secret involved Drake & Sweeney.
The fast track derailed; the ladder collapsed. Michael bolted the firm and took a top-secret file with him. He landed in the streets, an advocate for the homeless, a street lawyer.
And a thief.
From the Hardcover edition.
A Random House UK audio production.
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Reviews for The Street Lawyer
1,531 ratings45 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another page turner by John Grisham. What would you do with knowledge gained through nefarious actions? How would you react if you were held as a hostage?
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent book. Grisham at his best. Wonderful plot line and characterization.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It was great
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5His stories are easy to read. This one was a bit predictable but well written as always.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Michael Brock gives up a lucrative practice at a prestigious DC law firm and becomes an advocate for the homeless as a street lawyer. Filled with realistic characters this is a well written book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Take it from a guy who reads about once a year, it's a pretty good read! It even managed to inspire me to get out and do some community service.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Michael is a lawyer in a big American firm and climbing his way up to a bigger position with the associated salary and sees nothing changing that. However everything changes when a homeless man forces his way in with a gun and takes several people hostage including Michael. Who is he and what does he have against this particular company?
Michael decides to investigate and finds himself in the world of the homeless which is totally out of his comfort zone.
This book follows the usual Grisham mould of a lawyer forced to reconsider his life choices and does it well.
Everday people live without knowing where they will sleep or where the next meal is coming from and this book gives an insight into the struggles faced by them. Michael is somewhat idealistic at times but through the book gets to know what his real values and priorities are. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Attorney Michael Brock of Drake & Sweeney, a giant D.C. law firm with eight hundred lawyers, was involved in a violent encounter with a homeless man,Michael survived, DeVon "Mister" Hardy, the homeless man, did not. Michael did some digging and learned that his assailant was a mentally ill veteran that was living in an abandoned building. Mike quit the law firm to take practice as a poverty lawyer for the homeless, prociding to uncover facts that proved that the homeless people living in that building were illegally evicted from property, they were paying rent therefore they were not squatters but renters and had rights before eviction into the streets.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lawyer quits ritzy job and takes on homeless social activism
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book was ok. I seem to always be disappointed with Grisham. Because of all the hype and the bestseller status, I expect so much more. Although the stories are usually well-written, I just don't find them interesting or worth my time. This book took me FOREVER to finish...lol
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I know that John Grisham's legal thrillers shouldn't be approached expecting literary fireworks, but nonetheless, I was very disappointed in this book. The street lawyer presents a dichotomy in the legal profession between big firm lawyers who bill at $300 an hour, interact with only corporations and lust after money and poverty lawyers who don't care about money and are selfless advocates for the poor. This leaves out the large majority of small to medium firm attorneys who help people with mundane tasks like divorcing, writing a will, adjusting child support or getting reparations for an injury. This type of lawyer wants to help people, but also has to make some money to support themselves and their families. I felt like the two categories Grisham sets up in this book felt false. Also false, I felt, was the main character's continual dwelling on his whiteness when interacting with the poor and homeless. He was always referencing his fear being the only white face or his feeling of being out of place. I understand that Grisham was trying to reflect the thoughts of someone who had lived a relatively cushy existence suddenly being thrust into a world different from his own. However, I found it unbelievable that someone who has gone all the way through law school and lives in the very mixed city of Washington D.C. would have never before reflected on issues of race.
Usually the one thing that you can depend on in a Grisham book is an interesting plot that speeds along. Even that was lacking in this book. A lot of the threads never seem to come together and the climax that resolves the conflict between the main character's two legal worlds fizzles. If someone is looking for a Grisham book that reflects a more realistic portrayal of the law and still offers a zippy plot, I would recommend The Appeal. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A lawyer with a big firm learns about the homeless and ends up leaving his job to defend them. He steals a file from his old firm and learns of the wrongs done to some homeless. A good book that makes you think about what should be done.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Street Lawyer by John GrishamThis was one Grisham novel that I particularly liked - a guy who gave up a big career to champion for the down and out. Absolute turner - a wonderful read. There is never too much, nor is there ever enough compassion for others, in this world. It is wonderful to hear about it in the news or even in a book of fiction. The hope is some of it will rub off and be passed on for real.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An easy, fast, entertaining read on the reactions of an attorney whose life is interrupted by the problems of the homeless in DC
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really enjoyed this book. It didn't have his usual suspenseful build-up, but it was more character-driven. The ending was more satisfying than many I have read of Grisham's. It seemed an appropriate read at this time, too, putting a focus on both corporate greed and homelessness.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5John Grisham is one of my go-to guilty pleasures. When I want a fast read with a reasonably good story that I can read quickly, I often choose a Grisham. Like all his books, this one stands the test of what a ripping yarn should be like.
This book starts out with a bang. A group of corporate, well off attorneys are held hostage at gun point by a homeless man and quizzed on their generosity. The homeless man is quickly taken out by a sniper but the issues raised launch the rest of the story. I had to admit to wanting to know more about the man but it is really only touched on in the rest of the story.
The main character becomes deeply disillusioned with corporate law. Many of his colleagues try to convince him to take time out and do some public interest work and then come back and continue to greedily line his pockets. Throughout the book, except for about three characters, no one can understand why someone would walk away from making a lot of money because they find it soul destroying. This was one thing in the book I found eminently understandable. I have walked in those shoes (miles) and the one good thing to come out of re-reading this is that it made me think about what I did before to make my own life more meaningful.
At any rate, the story revolves around the homeless: their invisibility, their resilience, their vulnerability and their facelessness. There are a few red herrings that I wish Grisham would have followed to a more logical conclusion and explained a little bit better. The reality is, life is often inexplicable so maybe it's better to just embrace what's written and enjoy the rest of the story without diving too deep - after all, Grisham books are more about entertainment than a deep examination of life.
This is a decent book for a two day read. It's fun, enjoyable and easy on the brain and eyes. It stimulates a little bit of thought without driving you crazy. It's summer. Grab this one and park yourself with a beverage in a comfy chair and read. Preferably while on a great vacation somewhere. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I read this during December, when homelessness becomes more visible. The book is very fast-paced (whole story takes place in about a month) and covers the social justice awakening of a corporate lawyer, who quits a promising career in a big firm to work as a lawyer for the homeless. Of course a big court case is involved. There is at least one more novel possible for these characters, the book ended with me wanting to learn how the next phase of the protagonist's life would go.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not your usual Grisham fair...slow to develop and never really gets going....mediocre ...As the story of Michael Brock, a fast-moving lawyer within a premier law firm in Washington, D.C., is forced to look more closely at the condition of the poor and homeless in the city.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I am not sure how I missed this Grisham book. Excellent. Mr. Grishman is a storyteller who somehow always weaves a life lesson into his books.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I always enjoy A book by Grisham, knowing that it doesn't require deep thought and that there will be a happy ending.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interesting read, when you are a lawyer yourself.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of his best works. I enjoyed it very much.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Michael is a lawyer who is young and about to make partner any time now. In the safety of his law offices he is taken hostage by a homeless man who asks about evictions from a recent apartment. His interaction with this man changes the course of his life and his career. He can no longer focus on his expensive dinners and his lavish office when he knows that there are people out there starving and dying in the streets. What will he do with his law degree now? I liked how Grisham developed Michael. He allows us to see how this young man thinks as he makes big decisions that affect himself and the ones he loves.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Even lawyers can develop consciences. This novel is written from the point of view of a lawyer who is confronted with the evils of the world and decides to do something to change it. While it didn't fit all of the wonderful writings that Grisham has put out in the past, it does follow a good pattern, an enjoyable story. While certain plot points are predictable (a divorce, which seems to always show up somehow in a Grisham novel) it remained the journey that Grisham placed before the reader that I enjoyed.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another good one by Grisham. I've enjoyed all of his books so far.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A decent book, but not as good as other Grisham books that I have read. Too preachy and predictable, and the ending felt rushed.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Very predictable and not very exciting. Grisham books generally keep you interested with pent up excitement, but in this case it just seemed to passivle progress from one state to another with the odd spark in an attempt to liven things up
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I didn't find this book at all thrilling. It was more like a Law and Order episode. *SPOILER*I did NOT like Megan or Michael. (Or them together, for that matter!) I think both are a little shallow. Michael has this big and bad attitude that is slightly annoying. Megan was just too goody goody for me. However, I did like Ruby, Mordecai, and Mister (DeVon Hardy). Ruby "cracked" me up. (Ruby is a crack addict.)
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Meh. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Mediocre writing, mediocre plot.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another good John Grisham book. I liked it more then "The King of Torts".The main character is very likable as an ex big-shot, big lawyer firm who quits his job after being held hostage by a homeless man. He sudenly "sees the light". He decides to become a "street lawyer" and helps the least fortunate.Enjoyable.