The Widow: A Novel

A remarkable "Who done it" by the master storyteller of all time. The best kept secret of is that you done find out who did it until 98 percent of the book has been read. This is a spellbinding story with suspense woven throughout the tale. You could guess who might be the killer out of the many characters introduced by Mr. Grisham but you have to wait until the end of the book to find out. Enjoy a fabulous read written by one of the best storytellers.

I don't know what the big acclaim is all about for this novel. NOTHING happens for the first half. Simon goes to lunch with Eleanor. One of her step-sons shows up. Simon & his wife are getting a divorce. The kids are typical teenagers and adolescents. Yawn. I almost quit at the 50% mark. Started skimming for the next 25%. (I hate giving up on a book!) Finally, at the 75% mark, the trial started and the pace picked up and it gained some traction. Yes - a story at last! The verdict was unexpected, after all the red herrings regarding how the prosecution was not proving its case from Simon's lawyers point of view. Then the real plot began, IMO. Hunting down the real killer was actually the best part of the book. New characters were introduced and they were actually interesting (unlike Paula and his kids). Finally, the denouement, and my opinion of The Widow rose from 2 stars to 3.5 (not rounding up, however, as it was too much effort to get to the last 25%). But the overall pace and storyline was dull and uninteresting.

As always, Grisham never disappoints. It's amazing someone he comes up with such suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat stories. Gifted and talented writer!

I haven’t read a John Grisham book in years, but have read many of his books. This one did not disappoint! This story kept me reading late into the night due to its fast paced twists and turns, the ending was a shock and well thought out! I highly recommend this book and any book by this author!

The story unwound rather slowly (and sometimes with a frustrating abundance of repetitive adjectives) through most of the novel and then hastily tied up loose ends in a final chapter. Some of the dynamics between characters feel unearned or at least exaggerated. As another reviewer theorized, it seems Grisham may have shad a word or page count to meet—which is why, as someone who teaches writing, I rarely if ever stipulate a requirement on those terms: it generally yields inflated language that adds no substance. The premise was certainly interesting — but the character of the elderly widow hinges on a question ultimately left unanswered, which is less than satisfying. I don’t believe it is a spoiler to say that the character of Simon — the widow’s attorney who “knows he’s innocent,” according the the front flap of the dust jacket, is not the one who commits the murder. But the laborious courtroom scenes, the late-nigh rumination on the bleakness of his situation, the repeated musings the tensions with his eventual ex-wife and their kids, and the general foot-dragging that gets us to the wrongful conviction so that the real work of the whodunit can begin consumes 52 of 65 chapters. Six more chapters vanish before any whiff of a legitimate lead to the real killer materializes. Three more chapters meandering through nothing that is particularly informative or captivating. Ultimately, too many characters are introduced with little or no resolution after seeming to be at least moderately involved. And for the Simon’s financial straits to have been such a constant line throughout the novel, he seemingly waltzes off, somewhat nonchalantly, albeit drained, into the sunset, so to speak. The biggest frustration is that the crux of the whole thing wraps up in the final 24 pages — but doesn’t even revert back to the impact on Simon’s kids (which he worried about so often in the first 52 chapters). We basically ride off into the sunset (with one of the aforementioned relationships that feels awkwardly unearned since there was an attempt to midway through the novel to acknowledge that both parties remembered “there was a good reason” why they had not lasted before—but we never return to that or elaborate on it. So the pairing at the ending doesn’t really elicit any feeling of support from a reader since we weren’t given anything substantive to support along the way. Overall, not a bad read — but not up to what I remembered from having read many of Grisham’s earlier novels.

After the last dreadful trip to Camino Island and its excruciating characters (and the author’s boring, pathetic, virtue-signaling lectures to the reader), I was a little gun shy about this purchase, but this was a great read. It’s John Grisham at his best, and why he became so popular in the first place: the courtroom as the heart of a conflict, and the legal profession as a place that strives for perfection by means of imperfect people. Others have claimed that “nothing happens” for too long in this story, but I felt that we were getting threads in the complicated tapestry of Eleanor and it kept me guessing (and curious). Yes, some of the relationships are far too convenient, and difficult to imagine being even remotely feasible in real life, but sometimes it’s okay in a work of fiction to just go with the idea of this side versus that side. As usual in a Grisham novel, he spends WAAAY too much time talking about and describing food, like when you look up a recipe online and they won’t shut the [EXPLETIVE] up and get on with the ingredients. That said, this is just a good, fun read and a fine way to escape for a little while each day. Even better, it showed that John Grisham still has a fastball when he chooses to throw it. That’s great news for the reader.

After a slow start I found the story engaging. The characters are well- drawn, but I understand why some have found the main character unlikable. For me, I found the ending abrupt and that has influenced my overall feelings about the book. I was left wondering what was ahead for Simon and how the estate would come to be settled. I would have liked an epilogue. In fact, the book felt incomplete without one.

Yes, buy the book. John Grisham has done it again. You feel you are in the story. This is another winner. I am enjoying the read. This could be made for Next Flex. This book is a page turner.

As usual, finished this in one sitting of around 5 hours. With Grisham’s books, you have only one requirement. Start when you have time to finish

Precis börjat läsa men då här långt ännu en fullträff av min favorit författare, John Grisham.

Another excellent legal novel from Grisham. Great story, interesting characters and enough mystery and suspense to keep you up late reading this book!

I'm a huge Grisham fan and this latest from him is excellent. Story gripping and, as usual, Grisham is about the only writer (or one of very few) who does not put the Holy Name of Jesus on the lips of his characters. I read a lot of crime fiction and I keep a pen handy to score out that blasphemy when I come across it, but never need it with Grisham and The Widow, thankfully, is no exception. Terrific story, with some unexpected twists and turns - I finished it in a few days. Highly recommend.

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