The Chamber: Complete & Unabridged: Amazon.ca: John Grisham, George Guidall: Books

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At first listen, the narration of this abridged version of John Grisham's The Chamber seems flat and uninvolved. But Michael Beck has chosen his vocal style well, purposely eschewing unnecessary adornment and allowing this searing indictment of racism and murder to unfold on its own terms. Beck uses character voices sparingly, adding subtle emphasis to the already charged plot. The story begins with a Klan-sponsored bombing and then traces a trail of rigged acquittals stretching over three decades, until a young lawyer with secrets of his own brings the case to a powerful conclusion. --George Laney Amazon.com --This text refers to an alternate Audio Cassette edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Tie-in edition with the forthcoming movie starring Gene Hackman and Faye Dunaway.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

260 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

3.6 out of 5 stars (260 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Extended Look at Guilt, Remorse, Punishment, and Redemption, Jun 19 2008

By

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 112,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER) (#1 HALL OF FAME)

This review is from: The Chamber (Mass Market Paperback)

If your idea of a good book is one where there is lots of action and fascinating twists and turns of plot complications pop up on every page, you shouldn't go anywhere near The Chamber. If, however, you would like to gain a visceral sense of the issues around capital punishment, The Chamber is a well-constructed fictional treatment. It won't be a pretty or a pleasant experience, but neither is capital punishment.

I remember as a youngster carefully following the case of Caryl Chessman, a convicted robber and rapist who was executed in California's gas chamber. Reading The Chamber brought back those visceral memories of thinking through my reactions to the death penalty. I became an opponent. Most people who read this book will too.

John Grisham does a good job of making the book about the death penalty, rather than the general flaws in the legal system. He also explains the reasons why gas chambers were an awful way to execute criminals.

The condemned man in the story is clearly guilty, by his own admission, in the book; but Grisham makes him somewhat appealing: Grisham wants us to think about what should happen to this old white man, Sam Cayhall, a KKK member who participated in terror bombings in the South during the Civil Rights era. Grisham's clever idea for this book is to have Sam's grandson Adam Hall, who doesn't know his grandfather, handle the last few weeks of desperate appeals. Hall becomes a surrogate for a neutral observer in a situation where there can be no neutral observers.

I was impressed by the plotting and character development in the story. Murder creates more victims than most people realize, even among the killer's family. Grisham adds those dimensions in persuasive fashion.

The book's main weakness is that he pushes our noses a bit too much into nitty gritty of defending Death Row cases. Unless you are a lawyer (which I am), you won't find a lot of this very interesting. But if you are lawyer who hasn't been near a capital case, you'll find this book to be quite startling in terms of describing a situation for defense lawyers where they have little hope to win . . . but lots of chances to experience a broken heart.

If you want a shorter look at Grisham's views on the subject, you might enjoy the non-fiction The Innocent Man more than The Chamber.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly Eductional? Grusome? Great Book!, Mar 7 2004

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Jill Jenkins "uniquequotations" (Phelan, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Chamber (Audio CD)

The Chamber is a book that can't be put down and left unread! It gives you a true look into the racial issues from the 1960's. The detail that John Grisham gives in this book would not be recommended for the "weak" stomach! As you read the book, as The Chamber goes along, the grusome details become very clear. The best book for a true education that's put into novel form to make the story "true to life"! Be prepared! The book is great!

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4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping., Jun 17 2011

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J Roche (CANADA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Chamber (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of Grisham better offerings. It drawns you into the stories of the two lead characters and paints a gruesome and heartwrenching picture. I loved how a hateful character is humanized but not excused for his heinous actions.

Grisham tackles a serious issue in this novel and does so with tact, respect and above all page turning drama. A well writen novel that most fiction readers should enjoy.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and moving
A friend of mine lent this to me saying it's the best book he's ever read. I can see why some people would think this. Read more

Published on July 8 2004 by D. Spidet

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad book on death penalty
I think this book has portrayed fairly well on the position against the death penalty. It made more powerful argument than, I'd say, Life of David Gail. Read more

Published on July 1 2004 by Avid Reader