Sycamore Row

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Michael Beck

Length: 20 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Thriller/Suspense, 2014

John Grisham takes you back to where it all began...

John Grisham's A Time to Kill is one of the most popular novels of our time. Now we return to that famous courthouse in Clanton as Jake Brigance once again finds himself embroiled in a fiercely controversial trial - a trial that will expose old racial tensions and force Ford County to confront its tortured history.

Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his Black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier.

The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

In Sycamore Row, John Grisham returns to the setting and the compelling characters that first established him as America's favorite storyteller. Here, in his most assured and thrilling novel yet, is a powerful testament to the fact that Grisham remains the master of the legal thriller, nearly 25 years after the publication of A Time to Kill.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2013 Belfry Holdings, Inc (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

Praise for the novels of John Grisham

"John Grisham is about as good a storyteller as we've got in the United States these days." —The New York Times Book Review

"John Grisham is exceptionally good at what he does—indeed, right now in this country, nobody does it better." —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post

"Grisham is a marvelous storyteller who works readers the way a good trial lawyer works a jury." — Philadelphia Inquirer

"John Grisham owns the legal thriller." —The Denver Post

"John Grisham is not just popular, he is one of the most popular novelists of our time. He is a craftsman and he writes good stories, engaging characters, and clever plots." — Seattle Times

"A legal literary legend." — USA Today

Storytelling at the highest level

Would you consider the audio edition of Sycamore Row to be better than the print version?

Yes. The reader enhanced the novel by his authentic, soft, lovely Southern accents--plural because the different characters had different voices. That is hard for me to do in my head.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did not want to quit listening to this book. The story line was compelling. The characters seemed realistic and interesting. I would love to have another just as interesting right now but they are hard to find.

Grisham is Back....Maybe His Best!

Everything about this book was perfect.... the pace, in depth character development, engaging plot, perfect narration, it all just works. This is a driveway book....I was sitting in the driveway not wanting to get out of the car, I just had to finish the chapter. This book is about family, race relations, money, alcohol, cancer, a courtroom trial, all set in the deep south. Y'all will just love this book; promise!

Couldn't have enjoyed it more!!

This is my first experience with a Grisham book and I couldn't be more pleased. I tend to shy away from blockbuster authors, as many keep producing long after they have run out of ideas, use ghost authors, or rest on their laurels in some other way.

From the start of this novel, I was riveted and hated to interrupt my listening. When I wasn't listening, I was thinking of the story and where it was going and plotting how I could get back to it.

I don't need to rehash the story line--it has been described very adequately here. What I particularly liked was that there was no unnecessary filler or overly descriptive writing. Everything that Grisham writes is relevant to his story and is in a logical progression. You really feel that this book was well-researched and planned out. The characters were believable--I cared what happened to them, even the unlikeable ones!

The story was so well-narrated. Michael Beck did an exemplary job of doing individual voices and accents, of which there were many. He added to the listening experience. Although I consider this a stand-alone book, I am going to listen to the prequel.

Very highly recommended.

Finally a Complete Story

Grisham is a talented author who's recent books lacked the needed kick of a great ending. "Sycamore Row" fulfills the missing element in Grisham's recent novels, a great end. This novel is full of intrigue, drama, characters and a storying that's a page turner. I hope the future presents us with more of the same.

Outstanding story and superb narration!

This is one of those stories that will pull you in and not let go. I finished this nearly 21 hour audibook over a two day period. No matter where I was or what I was doing I just had to hear what was going to happen next. There are plenty of characters to like and even more to hate-hate a lot. And there are more twists and turns than a listener would expect from a novel about a will in probate. Micheal Beck does an amazing story with the narration, getting accents and nuance's of colloquialism's just right. Of the more than 1,500 Audible titles I own this one easily ranks in the top 20. You will not regret using a credit on this new Grisham masterpiece.

Sequel to A Time To Kill (sort of)

I loved Grisham's 'A Time To Kill' focusing on the murder of two dirtbags who raped Carl Lee Haley's daughter and left her for dead. Carl Lee gets his revenge by killing the rapists in cold blood in the court, and then his lawyer Jake Brigance goes to bat for him. I loved everything about the story and I even really liked the movie adapted for the book.

'Sycamore Row' leaves us at the time after Carl Lee was voted innocent by a jury, and we find out what Jake and family are up to. His scuzzy divorce attorney buddy and his mentor are still around; one being the same money grubbing smart mouth and one is eccentric and often drunk, respectively. Jake and wife are still raising their daughter Hannah is small town Mississippi, where racial tensions aren't much improved.

Jake finds himself the lawyer for the estate of one of the wealthiest men in Ford Country, Seth Hubbard was a man who kept to himself and didn't appreciate his greedy family. He was dying of cancer, and he made a hand written will in place of the document he had already drawn. The hand written will was entrusted to Jake and the main difference between the new will was that it cut his family completely out of the picture. Instead, Seth leaves almost all of his money to his black maid. The question of course, is why on earth would he do such a thing? There is a courtroom battle ahead with all kinds of action and twists and turns, and we gradually discover more about Seth's past and how it ties in with the present.

The story flows nicely and I really enjoyed hearing from some of my favourite old characters again. I did not think the story was as interesting as 'A Time To Kill,' however I hope Grisham writes another book with the same characters because I really enjoy their chemistry. The book was hard to put down and I probably listened to it on and off for for straight days until it was over. The narration is SUPERB- what an incredible job! I just felt that the story was sub par when comparing to the first of the 'Jake Brigance' series.

Overall, I would highly recommend this audible book. Good story, great presentation, and a nice visit with the past.

AWESOME!!!

Where does Sycamore Row rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

So far this is the best audible book I've listened to so far....

What other book might you compare Sycamore Row to and why?

This is s great follow up to 'A Time to Kill'

Which scene was your favorite?

I didn't have one favorite scene, there is many.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I would describe it but I don't want to give any anything.

Any additional comments?

Regardless if your a John Grisham fan or not, if you enjoy a great story then purchase this book.

One of his best!

I have read (or listened to) almost all of John Grisham's books and I found Sycamore Row to be one of his best. It was easier to follow than many of his books with only one character with two different names. This book really dove into the inner legal proceeding of a contested will. The characters were interesting as well as the social issues addressed.
Michael Beck uses different accents throughout the book to distinguish between characters, at first I thought this was a little corny but I soon learned to appreciate it because it really helped me keep track of the characters. I found his reading excellent.
This would be a great place to start for someone who has not read Grisham.
Maybe the best indicator of a great book is how you miss it after you have finished, I really felt a void for a few days after this novel.

Well written... too long for the subject

This was another solid Grisham novel and extremely well read by M Beck. It’s shortfall was it had a lot - far too much - irrelevant backstory and details on insignificant characters.

Great book. Loved it.

What did you love best about Sycamore Row?

This book had a good ending. I loved how it circled back to why he gave her the money.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Thriller for sure. Wonderful book.