Title: The Rainmaker
Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Books
Narrator: Frank Muller
Duration: 17 hours, 12 minutes
Copyright: 1997
Genres: legal, thriller, suspense
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.
THE GIST: Things are not working out quite the way Rudy Baylor planned. After scratching and clawing his way through law school, he is already having some doubts about his chosen profession by the time he reaches his final semester. The competition is fierce, and some will go to any lengths to get a leg up on their classmates. To make matters worse, the law firm that offered Rudy a position upon his graduation has suddenly been swallowed up by a much larger firm that promptly informed him that they have no place for him. Disillusioned and desperate, Rudy grudgingly accepts a position with a rather seedy collection of lawyers who are little more than ambulance chasers.
Rudy doesn’t know it yet, but the people entering his life during this dismal period, will change him forever. In one of his final classes at Memphis State, Rudy is required to visit a local senior center and offer free legal advice to anyone who might need it. Here, he meets Miss Birdie; an elderly woman with a large fortune and a family who cares only about her money; and Dot Black, a middle-aged woman whose son, Donnie Ray, is dying because their insurance company won’t pay for the bone-marrow transplant that would save his life. Rudy is very interested in these cases because of the potential for large settlements that would launch his legal career with a bang. Then he meets Kelly Ryker, a beautiful young woman who is married to a brutal drunk.
It is the Black family that occupies most of Rudy’s time and energy, in their case against their insurance company, Great Benefit. Great Benefit is represented by a very large and very prestigious law firm, ironically, the same firm that took his job right out from under him. They have dozens of high-powered, highly paid lawyers at their disposal. They make millions of dollars per year, and they fight dirty. Rudy, on the other hand, just passed the bar a few weeks ago. It's a classic tale of David and Goliath, but don't count Rudy out just yet.
Rudy’s motives may have been selfish in the beginning, but his experiences with Miss Birdie, the Black’s, and Kelly teach him some things he never learned in law school. Through these relationships, he learns that money is not everything, and there are some things that are worth fighting for, no matter how impossible the battle may seem.
MY THOUGHTS: Legal dramas have never been of great interest to me, so this is my first Grisham audio book. “The Rainmaker" caught my eye because I remember watching the movie several years ago. Instead of the long descriptions of boring legal proceedings that I expected, I was pleased to find this audio book rich with interesting characters and a well-paced plot. Grisham gives enough information to keep the reader involved without boring us with too many technical details
NARRATOR: Frank Muller was a stage actor by trade, but found his true calling with the advent of audio books. In fact, he helped pioneer the field as one of Recorded Books’ first narrators in 1979. As I was looking up some information about him for this audio book review, I was saddened to learn that he died in June of 2008.
Muller has a pleasant voice that falls very easily on the ears. His conversational tone is what makes him one of my favorite audio book readers; he really sounds like he is just telling the story rather than reading it from a page. I highly recommend him.
FINAL WORD: I enjoyed “The Rainmaker” quite a lot. Those who enjoy legal thrillers will enjoy this, obviously, but I think this audio book has something to offer to anyone. Don’t let the genre fool you, this is a good all-around audio book.
FILM ADAPTATION: “The Rainmaker” was adapted to film in 1997 by director Francis Ford Coppola. This was an early movie in the careers of both Matt Damon and Claire Danes. I liked this movie a lot and, like I said, it was the reason I decided to check out the audio book.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
The Firm by John Grisham (Audiobook Review)
The Partner by John Grisham (Audiobook Review)
The Brethren by John Grisham (Audiobook Review)
If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get "The Rainmaker" by John Grisham (Unabridged Audiobook) from Amazon.com.
Interested in the movie?
Get John Grisham's The Rainmaker (Special Collector's Edition) from Amazon.com.
This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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Up late again, penning words? And who says you're not a writer?
ReplyDeleteI've never read Grisham. Always heard about him but never really liked legal dramas, in real life, television, movies or in fiction.
Never saw the movie so maybe if I read this book, I won't be tainted by images of the pearly whites of Matt Damon.
Darn, too late. lol
Maybe I'll give it a read. Someday. :-)
Great review! As always!
I'm a big fan of legal dramas both in the written word and on the big screen and tv. I haven't read a lot of Grisham either, well, just because I haven't. But the few I've read, I've really liked, and I like all the movies based on his books.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember the name of it, but when I first went blind, someone bought me a Grisham book. I started listening and thought it was horrible. It was my first one and I was excited. I thought, seriously? He came up with this plot? This is awful! I knew B read it just before me so I told him what I thought and he said, "You know it's based on a true story, right?"
Huh??? Seriously??? Ok. Grisham didn't make it up. It actually happened. It's a true story that you could easily think a really bad author wrote. I don't know how you'd find it, but I'd suggest it. You'll just be apalled at the madness of the story.