Customer Reviews

The Rainmaker

5 star:		(168)
4 star:		(84)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

We all know that to make a good joke, you've got to exaggerate the right elements while ignoring what isn't funny. John Grisham creates a slapstick winner with a book about a bumbling young lawyer who isn't going to Wall Street . . . in fact, he has to declare bankruptcy before he passes the bar exam.

But don't confuse this book with a humorous book about the law. This novel would have to be toned down by about 60 degrees before that would be possible. This is a comic book version of a funny story about "what if" a law student didn't have a job, any money, or any connections after three years of torts and briefs.

Rudy Baylor is dragged by his professor to a meeting of senior citizens to give out free advice. He meets the meeting's hostess who wants to change her will to favor a television evangelist with her millions. Rudy also meets the parents of a young man who will die from leukemia because the insurance company wouldn't pay for a bone marrow transplant.

This all seems like a pleasant way to spend a few hours finishing a class until Rudy's promised job evaporates in a shotgun law firm merger. Now, he tries to trade off his leads into some cash and some work. The complications are unexpected, unrealistic, and slapstick funny. There's a sweetness to Rudy's character that you won't find in many real lawyers that makes the book work.

I found myself wondering what pratfalls John Grisham would foist on poor Rudy next. That was a major part of the attraction of the story.

If you hate lawyers and insurance companies, you'll find nothing to discourage either view in this jaundiced critique of the legal profession.

But you'll have some smiles and chuckles along the way, neither of which would happen if there were any real lawyers around.

This book has a superb plot and very interesting characters that are colorfully described by the author. It is fast moving and keeps the reader interested at all times until the ending. Frankly, it fell flat there. However, it is worth the read and I recommend it.

The Rainmaker by John Grisham is a very exciting novel. I read it in the span of two days because I could not put it down. The story goes around a young lawyer named Rudy; a young lawyer who just passed his bar exam, and stressed out with the bill collectors. So now, he takes a case against a huge medical coverage company because they did not live up to the promise of one of their clients; he eventually died from lung cancer, and they didnt come through with the money to pay for the doctor bills. So now, they hire a huge law coporation to take the case. Now Rudy is over his head, but he wants to win this case because this could make him or break him in his law career. While the case moves forward, he meets what John Grisham calls 'a ambulance chase' and they start taking cases from other people, and Rudy still working on the medical case. Then Rudy meets a woman who is being abused by her boyfriend, so Rudy falls for and protects her from him. Now as the medical case moves along, eventually Rudy wins the case of $50 million dollars in grivence pay and medical bills. Rudy is happy winning his first case. Now he then finds out that the medical insurance went bankrupt and the family and Rudy would not see a penny coming their way. So now, with a old Volvo (it has I believe 130,000 miles on it, correct me if I am wrong), he then leaves the small firm he had with his buddy of his, and his new girlfriend and get out of town.

The Rainmaker I thought was a good book, I have not read all of Grisham's novels, but the few i did read (The Rainmaker is one of them), I felt like the man can write a good tale. I cant really call myself a huge Grisham fan, but I like his writing. Anyway, good book and definitely worth reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rainmaker. It was on the few Grisham novels that I had yet to read and after the disappointing Summons I wasn't excited about reading another Grisham novel. However, once I began I just could NOT put it down. I went everywhere with the book as I was reading it. I just couldn't get away from it for more than a few of my waking hours. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked. First of all, the most pleasantly surprising thing about the book is its humor. It's a mix of sarcasm and wit. I just loved his characterization of the Defense and their actions. In one courtroom scene all eyes turn toward one of the corporate baddies after a wrenching testimony places blame on them. Grisham paints his reaction along the lines of "Suddenly, his shoelaces became the center of his life." I couldn't stop laughing after reading that. The book is full of these quips.

Secondly, the book won me over in how Rudy is portrayed. I felt really really sorry for the kid. All the things that could of gone wrong, did after Law School. However, he was a moral, bright, and hard working kid that was fortunate enough to come across the Black case. I loved his character arc.

Finally, the coutroom drama was riveting. The legalese was palatable and believable and it showed Grisham's amount of research into the material. I loved the fact that he didn't make it too easy for Rudy. Drummond did have some minor wins with the jury.

Overall I'd give this film a 5/5. I can't say there weren't any negatives(insufficient explanation of the fire/death, unrealistic assistance by the Judge) but they didn't take away from what is one of Grisham's top two novels.

The Rainmaker is the story of law student Rudy Baylor. Throughout the book, you'll be told his story and the story of his client, Dot Black.

His story begins towards the end of his time in law school. As the days pass until graduation, he is dropped by the firm that was going to hire him. Problem after problem arise, until he is helped out by his friend (and very dirty friend) Prince. He helps Rudy get a job with Brusier Stone, your typical evil lawyer, that you actually like. You know, that old story. Anyways, as the story unfolds, Rudy meets a co-worker by the name of Deck. They slowly become friends and the two gain a trust, something that doesn't come easy at the law offices of Bruiser Stone. Meanwhile, things are dug up about Bruiser and he and Prince ditch town.

Throughout the story, we'll hear the other tales of Miss Birdy Birdsong, Rudy's temporary landlord and yard boss. As well with the story of Cliff and Kelly Riker. Two very key elements to this book.

When it gets right down to the nitty-gritty of the case against the evil insurance company, Great Benefit, Rudy goes head to head with Mr. Leo F. Drummond...a very, very mean lawyer. Luckily for Rudy, he's got a judge that is on his side and helping him through the case. He's just graduated law school, you know. The book goes through the humorous testimonies and mishaps of Great Benefit and Drummond.

As far as the characters go, you really begin to love and feel for the characters. Especially Dot Black and her dying son, Donny Ray. As the story unfolds and you read on through Donny Ray's story of how Great Benefit denied him treatment time after time, it makes you want to get up and cuss out your insurance company.

The story is thrilling at times, but is very predictable when it is. It relies on humor more than anything, as it is a very funny book. The quips and one-liners really strike a chord with you. All in all though, it's a great book. Definitely a must read.

This was an outstanding story about an above average law student who just wants to make his mark. He just wanted to earn an honest living, but Rudy Baylor had more curves thrown at him that most people would just run and hide after the first pitch. Grisham has young Rudy ready to take on the world, and boy did he ever. I use to work for an insurance company, and I was never very fond of the insensitivity and cold-hearted poeple of the business, and now I hate 'em even more. Well, Rudy goes after "Great Benefit" Insurance and their large team of lawyers. What a ride! There are a couple of other cases Rudy is dealing with aside form the Great Benefit case. Without telling you the story, it has an ending that I didn't quite expect. I loved this Grisham Novel!

(I never saw this movie)

This is truly a fantastic book. I dont want to go thru the plot, coz to tell you the truth, this book is less abt a plot, its about humourous narative power unleased by Mr grisham, that will keep you in splits throughtout. Some may think me to be nuts, but really the court room thriller is just a canvas on which I think Mr Grisham wanted to try his hand at humour. And it comes of beautifully.

you dont want to read this book,

* If you dont like first person perpective in present tense.
* If you want 50 % dialogues which get you through big fat fiction books in one evening.(This book is purely narrative power, only abt 10 % in dailogue).
*If you dont like books where there is no shift in perspective. This book is completely through the eyes and ears of Rudy Baylor the main protagonist page 1 to page last.
*You are looking for big conspiracies and huge climatic endings like the firm.
*You really dont have a sense of humour and infact hate laughing,smirking,smiling,giggling while reading.(I did all of these while reading)

For everyone else this book is a joy

Humour highlights

*The mulch planting section with Miss Birdie.
*The U section in the courtroom (this is the cream)
*Rudy's odd shaped colleague, Deck always waiting for tragedies and disasters so they can make some money representing them for insurance claims. I coud not believe this, lawyers actually waiting in hospital cafeterials wishing and hoiping for bandaged and mummied up patients to be taken up as cleints. The better the car accident the more the claim.
*Dont miss this ..The stupid letter as the bomb in the courtroom scene.
*The pretentious Mr Drummond episodes from the "Trent and Brent" firm with his collection of 4 other pretentious souls like him who all the time keep scribbling on their legal pads god knows what and bill at obscene hourly rates.

Lots lots more.. just read it

PS:Also dont read this in crowded places..people will take you for some dumb guy who keeps breaking into sudden smiles and chuckles.

Most Grisham novels are true thrillers: they're entertaining stories with enough plot twists to keep you up past your bedtime. Of course, the protagonist's fate is never in doubt, but he/she certainly takes a long time in getting there.

"The Rainmaker," however, is not a thriller by any means. Yes, it's an engaging -- sometimes even moving -- story about the search for justice against an amoral insurance company. But Grisham seemingly wrote the novel with an axe to grind, and this moral agenda prevents the novel from becoming a truly great, make-your-heart-skip-suspense-tale we've come to expect from the author of "The Client" and "The Firm."

Three criticisms:

1. The plot is too black & white

"The Rainmaker" moves from one event to another in a near linear fashion -- there's no surprise revelation, no complicating obstacle that places the outcome of the case in doubt. The protagonist, Rudy Baylor, simply gets one lucky break after another and faces no setbacks at all in taking down the evil insurance company.

2. Side-plots and characters are abandoned instead of being woven into the fabric of the story-line

Even the most promising side-stories (Rudy's shady boss, his landlady's will), are slowly abandoned out of convenience somewhere in the middle instead of being skillfully integrated into the main storyline (as Grisham has so wonderfully done in the past). Characters richly characterized in the beginning -- like Rudy's best friend Booker -- are virtually forgotten, only to be picked up again at the *very* end when Grisham realizes he's forgotten to mention them.

3. Great development in the beginning; virtually nothing in the end

Finally, the pacing is off: there's so much rich depth in the first 200 pages as the author develops Rudy and fosters reader loyalty (you really do root for him and cheer as he triumphs). There's all kinds of great background information, the pace is thoughtful and deliberate throughout...then Grisham crams together a conclusion in a rather thin 10-page spread near the end.

All in all, an entertaining narrative about a fictional insurance company getting its just punishment -- but certainly not a Grisham "thriller" by any means, and thus, a disappointment.

This is my least favorite Grisham book. Aside from the underdeveloped plot, the characters are very flat. And, the story, especially the ending, is so completely far-fetched, it makes the endings of The Firm and The Pelican Brief seem plausible.

I don't understand the hype this book receives, it certainly doesn't deserve it. Grisham knows how to keep the reader captivated, so it's disappointing to read something like this and know that he could have done a lot better.

I think I understand some of the enthusiasm for The Rainmaker; I too found that I wanted to keep reading, that the plot was energetic enough to push me through the pages. When I read overall praise of the book, however, I'm baffled. It was entertaining, but very flawed. I found the characters flat and dimensionless, and never even felt as if I had a sense of protagonist Rudy Baylor. He seemed a living stereotype-- the bright, well-meaning, down on his luck, little-guy lawyer, blue-collar background, who takes on "the man" in one of his many incarnations: an enormous white-collar corporate conspiracy. Satisfying, but hardly original. There was no greater depth to either Rudy's character or the conflict; both were kept on a simple, surficial level, one most conducive to a fast-paced plot.

Indeed, most of the characters were slightly embellished stereotypes, were vehicles for plot and never real people. Rudy's bosses were the heart-of-gold petty criminals; the opposing lawyers were Ivy League money-grubbers, etc., etc. The girl, Kelly, came off the worst. I found sitting through the patronizing relationship between Kelly and Rudy sickening-- Grisham and feminism ought to be on bad terms after this book. She was a battered woman whom Rudy set out to rescue, but she was never given any autonomy or a character of her own. She was only an idea, a helplessness embodied, a vehicle by which we were meant to see Rudy's chivalry and good-heartedness. The scenes of him dispensing advice to her, with a total disrespect for the person she might have been, the way she coped with her situation (which was of course far out of his understanding), were wretched. But, like any good cardboard cut-out, she obediently fell in love with him and seemed grateful for his condescension.

The book was, as I said, satisfying, amusing, but too easy. Grisham took the easy way out at every step. We never had to think about sympathizing with the bad guys; we never had to contemplate the ethical dilemmas before us, because the 'right' answer was always clear. We didn't have to struggle through the inner conflicts of the characters because there weren't any such conflicts and there were barely any characters. If you're home sick, The Rainmaker is a fine choice. But for substance look elsewhere.