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    Gray Mountain: A Novel
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    Gray Mountain: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Gray Mountain: A Novel
    Audiobook (abridged)7 hours

    Gray Mountain: A Novel

    Written by John Grisham

    Narrated by Catherine Taber

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    John Grisham has a new hero . . . and she's full of surprises

    The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer's career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track-until the recession hits and she gets downsized, furloughed, escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is one of the "lucky" associates. She's offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, after which there would be a slim chance that she'd get her old job back.

    In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Mattie Wyatt, lifelong Brady resident and head of the town's legal aid clinic, is there to teach her how to "help real people with real problems." For the first time in her career, Samantha prepares a lawsuit, sees the inside of an actual courtroom, gets scolded by a judge, and receives threats from locals who aren't so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town. And she learns that Brady, like most small towns, harbors some big secrets.

    Her new job takes Samantha into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, rules are ignored, regulations are flouted, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack from Big Coal. Violence is always just around the corner, and within weeks Samantha finds herself engulfed in litigation that turns deadly.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 21, 2014
    ISBN9780385366526
    Unavailable
    Gray Mountain: A Novel

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    Reviews for Gray Mountain

    3.5/5

    634 ratings87 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Another great book by John Grisham. I learned a lot about coal mining, strip mining and black lung. This book has caused me to do research on these items and on the Appalachia Mountains. I was pulled into the story, cared about the characters and had to read the shocking moment twice. I always enjoy a Grisham book and this one does not disappoint.
    • 3/5
      While this was a legal thriller, it was different from grisham 's regular plot mode. Instead of one big complicated case, this follows the lives of lawyers practicing legal aid in rural poverty stricken West Virginia. The bad guys in thus book are the coal companies as they ravage the land and lives of the innocent folks living in and around Brady, West Virginia. The twist is Samantha. Samantha is a city girl living large in Manhattan where she practices law behind her desk. She makes a ton of money, bit the work is boring and the lawyers are cut throat. The recession has finally hit her big powerful law firm and the cuts have begun. Samantha finds herself in a group offered a "deal." This "deal"lands her in Brady, West Virginia, where she is now an intern working for no wages. This city girl's life abruptly changes living in a town where the only thing to do is eat at the local greasy spoon, hike and go to church.
      The dealings and practices described of the coal companies are accurate, infuriating and sad.
    • 4/5
      I was surprised when I started reading the reviews from other Goodreads members. I really enjoyed this book. It reminds me of his earlier works and it held me captive.

      Samantha Kofer has just been put on furlough, a euphemism for being fired from a large New York law firm. As part of the package to maintain her benefits, she is required to work for a non-profit for one year, then possibly be reinstated. She heads off to Brady, Virginia to work as an intern for a Legal Aid office. Once there, she meets real clients with real problems and little or no money. Mattie, the woman who runs the clinic, has a nephew Donovan who fights against "Big Coal". His family and home were torn apart years ago due to the coal industry and strip mining. The story really opens your eyes to what is going on in Appalacia. Samantha ends up involved with a case involving Black Lung Disease and looks to Donovan for help. As the story unravels, Samantha begins to realize that she does not want to go back to the high priced, high pace world of corporate law. A very enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      Keeps one’s interest, but a lot of everything and not much of something. Samantha Kofer is a rising star in the legal world in NYC when the recession hits and finds herself unemployed. Her company offers her a possible position in a year if all goes well if she agrees to work pro bono for a legal aid clinic. She moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200. It’s coal against the population and the coal companies have big legal “guns” behind them. Their strip mining is stripping the land, polluting the environment, and affecting the health of the community. (No one thing was focused upon leaving the story half told. It centered more on Samantha and her position in two very different worlds and her trying to adapt. The problem is the reader couldn’t really identify with her since there was little depth to her character.)
    • 4/5
      A young high powered lawyer ends up doing volunteer work in a coal community in the Appalachians. Interest look at coal companies, assuming some of what was described was true. Liked the plot and kept my interest.
    • 4/5
      I read some reviews of this book that complained about it being an 'issue novel', so I want to start there. In all honesty, those reviews put a bad taste in my mouth--most of them carried the suggestion that the readers didn't want to be bothered with real-world issues or learn anything while they read a book. But, to me, one of the best things about fiction is that we can be both learned and entertained at the same time. Do I need to learn anything when I read a book? No. Do I often read books to escape from real life? Of course. But, that doesn't mean that I get upset when an author deals with a real-world issue with nuance and care. Unlike many of the reviewers, I really appreciated the time Grisham put in to explaining strip mining and the surrounding issues. I read books like his because I'm interested in detail, and that's true whether we're talking about a legal case or an environmental issue. I don't want an author to gloss over all of the details so that I just have to trust that the characters are on the side that they say they're on, good or bad, and trust that what they're doing make sense. I want to understand.Here, the book jacket makes no secret of the fact that coal mining and the surrounding issues are central to the book. And, yes, that's a serious issue--both in relation to health and quality of life, and also in relation to the environment. If you don't want to be confronted with those issues and the surrounding discussions, then this book isn't for you, whether you're a fan of Grisham's other work or not. And that's totally fine. But, what I'd say to those reviewers is that, regardless of the author, it sounds like they just weren't the intended readers for this book.So, now, back to the book... Grisham's treatment of Appalachia, coal mining, strip mining, and the attendant concerns is nuanced and careful. He doesn't sugarcoat issues or simplify them to a point where they seem as if they could be easily solved, and he brings into play characters who are as believable as they are revealing of the issues at hand. For readers who've visited the areas in the book, there's a lot to be recognized and admired here in the way he offers readers understandings of the setting and the people involved, and the work does a lot to offer a glimpse into spaces that most readers won't ever visit firsthand.Without a doubt, I would recommend this book. It may not be the average, expected Grisham read, but if you'd like some smart entertainment that at least tries to offer some insight into a real-world issue, it's well worth the time and interest.
    • 3/5
      Disappointed by this book compared to his others. The main character felt rather sketchy compared to the interesting Donovan men. The discussion of deep Appalachia was fascinating, but the book often drops into something very close to lecture style. I was never convinced of the texture of the hero's life in NY and not much more convinced that she would make the changes she does at the end of the book. The peripheral characters such as the Ryzer and Crump families are real, but not the hero. Perhaps Grisham is more familiar with southern or rural people than with New Yorkers who went to Columbia? Not sure. Too bad.
    • 3/5
      This was different than most of Grisham's legal fiction that I've read in the past--one example, the main character is female. Samantha Kofer is putting in her time and working her way up the food chain at a big law firm in New York. Financial crises cripple many such firms, and her firm starts shedding lawyers left and right. Samantha is offered the chance to intern at a non profit for a year while the firm continues to pay for her health insurance in the hopes that at the end of the year, the economy will have recovered and the firm will hire her back without any loss of seniority. Samantha manages to find a position at a legal aid clinic in Brady, Virginia--quite a contrast to her New York life! Samantha finds that she likes having clients who need her services and who are appreciative of the results she can get. Given a choice, she decides to continue at the clinic.I was unprepared for the death of one of the major players in this book. I kept thinking that I'd turn the page and find that he had faked his death to throw off the coal companies and others who were spying on him. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
    • 5/5
      After all these years I still enjoy and lap up any piece of writing Grisham puts forward. This not so sexy topic of strip mining in Virginia wouldn't necessarily be something that would keep me reading, but in his capable hands I found myself reading quickly, and learning a lot about a topic I never thought about. I'm sure his exact intentions.
    • 4/5
      I am not a Grisham reader but I chose this book because of the topic. Both of my grandfathers were coal miners and living right near West Virginia I am very aware of the forces that surround coal. Nothing in this story rang false to me and in fact my nephew wrote his masters thesis on this very topic at the same time I was reading this. I have purchased this book for his Christmas present. A very credible take on of lives of the 'mountain folk' who make up this industry.
    • 5/5
      Excellent read! The Best Grisham legal thriller I've read in years! Sprinkled with twinges of romance but most noteworthy are the stories that unfold from the coal mining towns of Appalachia. Riveting, heart wrenching, the reader wants to savor each sentence, each paragraph, and yet quickly digest all offered on the page so the page can be turned again and again to learn more. Grisham truly brought the characters of this novel to life so that as the book closed it seemed you had just visited with all of them in person. As my grandfather was a coal miner in Scranton, Pennsylvania, I know this story will stay with me always.
    • 3/5
      Story of a New York lawyer, Samantha, in 2007 who was laid off after the banks failed. She is offered a deal to keep her benefits and seniority if she would bide her time working as a lawyer Pro Bono for a firm in the Appalachia Mountains. She is exposed to the catastrophic environmental repercussions of strip mining on the poor and economically depressed community and particular residents of the area.....I liked the story, but I felt it was really meant to educate the public about the evils of coal mining with no other side to the problem other than jobs. I did not enjoy being indoctrinated; All coal companies are evil money grubbing nasty people....no upside to the situation..... People trapped in life endangering jobs.....caught in the middle of greedy and unscrupulous people and poverty. Well, John Grisham must be on a mission.
    • 4/5
      I don't know why, but I have become a bit casual about reading John Grisham, I pick them up if they flash in front of me, but do not go seeking them out. But Grey Mountain reminded me of what I had been missing; good characters (easy to empathise with); excellent research (this time on the evils of Big Coal and especially strip-mining) and sound plotting with a few nicely placed twists and turns. All of this is wrapped up in excellent writing which is almost unputdownable. I must learn from this and follow Grisham more closely.
    • 4/5
      I didn't hate it; I enjoyed it.It didn't have a big fanfare ending like his other books; no bad guys were caught and forced to stop their madness. However, I did enjoy Samantha trying to make a difference in people's lives.
    • 3/5
      A young real estate lawyer at prestigious NYC firm who is furloughed takes an unpaid job at a legal aid clinic in Western Virginia. She becomes involved in local cases of abuse, divorce, probate and, above all, black lung suffered by the coal miners in the area. The coal companies and their lawyers are ruthless, but she feels the significance of what she is doing in this backwater small town. This was an easy and enjoyable read.
    • 1/5
      Coal mining
    • 1/5
      Disappointing.
    • 3/5
      Odd ending. Perhaps the result of the abridgment? Narrator also got rather breathy in her delivery.
    • 5/5
      I loved it!! The characters were unpredictable and the cases were worthy of a fight.
    • 2/5
      I may be rare in never having read a Grisham novel. I was disappointed. The story line us interesting but not well written. I found it tedious with no real surprises.
    • 5/5
      Another great book by a fabulous author! Highly recommended
    • 4/5
      Not Grisham's best legal thriller, but a nice tale which encompasses the sage of Coal mining and poverty of rural Appalachia. His new lawyer isn't much of a heroin type and isn't necessarily very likable, but she is probably realistic of what a person with a lack of self confidence would be like in these situations. It indirectly points out many of the issues with the justice system and legal profession in our world. This was a book on CD for me and I would only give the reader a 3 of 5.
    • 3/5
      Good Book. Don't see this one as making it to the big screen though
    • 3/5
      Interesting look into the life of a young lawyer caught in the downsizing due to the recession and her options due to that. She moves to rural VA where she becomes embroiled in the issues surrounding the coal industry: strip mining, black lung, environmental concerns. It wasn't as exciting to me as other Grisham books, so not a favorite.
    • 5/5
      In retrospect, some Grisham novels just grab me from the first word and keep me enthralled until the end and some are just meh. This was a grabber but lacked the thrill ride of some others. I enjoyed it but it could have had more ooomph (technical term). I'll still pick up and read his next one, whatever it might be.
    • 3/5
      A decent book about a young lawyer who lost her job at a big firm and went to work for a small non-profit in West Virginia. Over the course of a few months she changes her focus and begins to care about the townspeople she is working for.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoy Grisham.. this was such a good read after a few "failed" Pattersons... Good characters (always important to me)- wish there was more courtroom drama, but overall a good, quick read on an interesting subject!
    • 4/5
      I love Grisham to this day. Somehow I missed this 2012 release. My husband & I were caught up in the story but we just had to laugh how Grisham portrayed the main female character (not his best). Enjoyed the story, there was a shocker that I tip my hat to Grisham on how it was revealed. This was a kick to the gut that hurt even worse because the telling of it was so very casual. My husband actually called me when he got there with "what the heck"??? The rest of the book was rather predictable but we are fans regardless.
    • 3/5
      I know- it is an old bookBut, while looking on recent works on sustainability and "circular economy", and after few courses to get in touch with the latest on systemic thinking, complexity management, scalability, and vertical as well as horizontal applications of design thinking (from strategy to business-/process-specific), SDGs, and assorted paraphernalia influencing policy makers...... obviously I looked at journalists, writers (sci-fi and others), and philosophers to see their take on "technical" issues seen from a systemic view on a short-, medium-, and long-term perspectiveso, I picked up another book that was in the end interesting but slightly boring, this one from Grisham that was interesting on discussing the side-effects of strip-mining (I will eventually look at other fiction on fracking and other energy-related social impacts)as the first book of his that I read ("The Firm"), it is interesting to have a bird-eye overview of plenty of "technical" (i.e. technology but also business and social, and overall political choices) issues through a narrativeit is better than others I read from him about other environmental issues, but while it could have 4*, I think it is a 3* as he has the usual Grisham issue: the last third of the book (yes, I am referring to Syd Field and his take on Aristotle) is a protracted winding down that isn't up to a par with the ramping-up of the first shorter third, and main block- and the longer it goes, the less credible it runsanyway, few dozens pages before sleeping aren't that bad, and relaxing enough, and if you know next to nothing on the "background" subject, could be useful to think systemically at what are the side-effects of the lifecycle of choicesmoreover... I paid just 1EUR as it was a used book in pristine conditions- so, it was an entertaining bargain
    • 4/5
      This is the story set in 2008/2009 at the height of the Financial crisis, of Sam Kofer a New York lawyer who is made redundant she takes an internship in the Appalachia countryside with a small firm helping local poor rural people.There is a lot of anger locally against the coal companies who are stripping the mountains to remove all the coal.Sam has a few clients she helps. She meets Donovan who is a lawyer he sues the Coal companies and has a few enemies. Donovan is killed in a plane crash his brother Jeff thinks its murder. Sam and Jeff get together. They want to carry on Donovan's good work. Sam keeps getting offers to come back to work in New York to do boring corporate work but she has found a passion for helping the poor people of Appalachia. OK book easy to read.