Personal Injuries (Scott Turow)

The story starts with a warning that this book is for lawyers. I found that to be true. The actual plot twists are not all that compelling. Overall, I'm glad I didn't pay full price.

"Personal Injuries" is actually the first Scott Turow novel I've read and I'm thoroughly impressed. From reading some of the other customer reviews, I've gathered that it doesn't follow the same format as the other books that made Turow famous. These reviewers are actually faulting the author for this. I would advise these morons to start on the John Grisham catalogue. Why do they think Scott Turow takes his time writing his novels? BECAUSE HE'S TRYING TO ACHIEVE A HIGHER STANDARD. And he succeeds immeasurably with "Personal Injuries". No, it's not a book filled with twists and turns, nor is it a legal "thriller" chock full of courtroom drama. It's a study of the legal profession itself with layers upon layers of brilliant characterization to keep the intelligent reader riveted until the end. In Robbie Feaver, Scott Turow has created one of the most memorable, intriguing characters I've ever read. He's an arrogant, enigmatic, law-breaking, rationalizing liar of a lawyer, but you just gotta love him. And that's exactly what this book is about -- understanding and forgiving the inherent flaws of humanity. It sounds like a lofty theme for a "lawyer's story" as Turow's narrator calls it, but Turow strikes the heart of it beautifully. At the finish, the reader is left pondering the imponderable hierarchy of values of the law. If you enjoy a thinking man's story (or if you just plain have a genuine admiration for great writing), don't miss this amazing, utterly believable, immensely enjoyable book.

Hey, folks, if you are looking for a simple read with a formula plot, two-dimensional characters, and a writing style that can be cut-and-pasted into a first grade primer, don't waste your money on Personal Injuries. However, if you are tired of the typical best-seller pap that is probably costing you a quarter of a hundred dollars for a hard-bound novel, make a good investment and buy this book. This is a novel to be savored word-by-word, like a good Chardonnay.Turow's characters are, despite their human frailties, real honest-to-gosh human beings. As you read, you can feel the life forces of these people's blood pulsating through their bodies. Robbie Feaver is the Willie Loman of the Millennium. Just about everything about him is false. His whole life has been so full of lies, he has convinced even himself that they are true. Despite Robbie's weaknesses, however, we get a chance, thanks to Mr. Turow, to step inside Feaver's body and see the soul of the man. Another character, Evon (DeDe), who is tied up in knots in her own identity crisis, is easy to dislike. But we learn why we dislike her and it is through this understanding of her character that we see a human being under the layers of camouflage.Personal Injuries is not an easy book to read. It is advisable not to read certain sections of it at bedtime, or (as I did) you will awaken in the middle of the night with the bed light still on and the book still opened to the page at which you fell asleep. To those who found it boring, I give this bit of advice: read it again-this time as an intelligent piece of literature rather than a mindless bedtime story. Look for the richness of the plot, the texture of the characters, the craftsmanship of the way Turow puts his words on paper. This is the first time I have read any of Scott Turow's books. If, according to some readers, this latest book is an indication of his "downhill spiral," then gangway, everyone-I'm headin' out to buy everything he's written!

Don't compare Turow with Grisham! Turow is, to me, an excellent character writer. If you like John Le Carre more than Ian Fleming, or Len Deighton more than Tom Clancy, or John Irving more than Harold Robbins then you will like Scott Turow much more than John Grisham. This is a wonderful story with truly interesting characters.

This is a great book, but you have to take the time to actuallyREAD it. The characters are fleshed out and work together very well inthe story. Skimming won't work. Sit down, sit back, and enjoy.