Title: A Time To Kill
Author: John Grisham
Narrator: Alexander Adams
Publisher: Books on Tape
Duration: 15 hours, 55 minutes
Copyright: 1993
Genres: legal, suspense, thriller
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Clanton, Mississippi. The life of a 10-year-old black girl is shattered by 2 drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. Until her father acquires an assault rifle - and takes justice into his own outraged hands. For 10 days, with burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spreading through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life...and then his own...
©1992 John Grisham; (P)1992 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing
MY TAKE ON IT: On the surface, A Time To Kill reminds me a lot of Harper Lee’s classic “To Kill A Mockingbird.” In both tales, we have an inter-racial rape case that divides the small, southern town in which it was committed, right down the middle. But where Harper Lee focused more on the crime’s impact on the people of the town, John Grisham, as you might expect, delves deeply into the actual court proceedings.
Some of the court proceedings are interesting to read about; others, not so much, most notably Grisham’s lengthy description of the jury selection process. “A Time To Kill” was John Grisham’s very first published work, so I can forgive him for that. Also, I’ve read some of Grisham’s later audiobooks, and I’m happy to report that he got better at describing legal matters without boring us with too many details.
By and large, I enjoyed “A Time To Kill.” As usual, Grisham’s characters are interesting and believable, for the most part. I can’t help but wonder if there really are little towns in the south where this kind of racism still exists. Scary thought.
NARRATOR: Alexander Adams did an okay job with this audiobook, but overall I was not impressed with him. He made up different voices for the characters, which I like, but some of them were a little too melodramatic for an adult audiobook. Still, he didn’t ruin the audiobook for me, as some narrators can do.
FINAL WORD: I always enjoy John Grisham’s audiobooks. This being his first, “A Time To Kill” is a bit less polished than some of his later work, but it’s still worth reading.
FILM ADAPTATION: “A Time To Kill” was adapted to film in 1996. Check out this cast: Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Ashley Judd, Donald Sutherland, and Keifer Sutherland. I’ve never seen this one, but that’s quite an all-star cast.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
The Pelican Brief by John Grisham (Audiobook review)
The Firm by John Grisham (Audiobook Review)
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Audiobook Review)
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This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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This does sound like To Kill a Mockingbird. But no one can compare to Harper Lee.
ReplyDeleteGrisham may have been a wanna be when he wrote this. Okay, at least he's proven himself. :)
Coulda swore you did this one already, but my head is clogged. :( Maybe I'm wrong.