#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer’s career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track—until the recession hits and she is downsized, furloughed, and escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is offered … building. Samantha, though, is offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, all for a slim chance of getting rehired.
In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Samantha’s new job takes her into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack. But some of the locals aren’t so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town, and within weeks Samantha is engulfed in litigation that turns deadly. Because like most small towns, Brady harbors big secrets that some will kill to conceal.
Praise for Gray Mountain
“[An] important new novel . . . superior entertainment.”—The Washington Post
“Powerful . . . a satisfying, old-fashioned, good guy/bad guy legal thriller.”—The Christian Science Monitor
“Yes, Gray Mountain is fiction. But after reading the book, you’ll believe heroic action must be taken.”—USA Today
“Grisham has written one of his best legal dramas.”—Associated Press
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In my opinion, Gray Mountain is not your usual John Grisham novel. That said I really got into it. Young, associate attorney, Samantha Kofer is working 80-90 hours a week for a wall street law firm in 2008. The recession hits, wall street firms are tanking and Samantha, along with everyone else finds herself out on the street with no severance, no money and limited opportunity. She’s advised to take a legal aid job, working for free for a year before she can return to wall street, maybe. Legal aid clinics are drowning in applications from unemployed attorneys. She finally lands a spot in Brady, Virginia. In the middle of the coal fields. What I really enjoyed was the accurate portrayal of the clients she worked with. People crushed by the coal industry, people attempting to deal with the bad decisions they made, people not dealing with the bad decisions they made. One case in particular where an abused woman comes to legal aid and has them file for divorce. She’s back a week later and has changed her mind after hours were put in and threats made to the attorneys attempting to help. It was all so true to life. A bit of an emotional read, but very good. At the end, after reading about all the tragedy these people face I couldn’t help but think, ‘Gee, I’m looking pretty good…’
I am passionate about the devastation of our mountains due to mountain top removal mining. I really enjoyed Gray Mountain. It was a story told from a different angle. It was a realistic look into life in Appalachia. The hardships that not only the miners and residents face, but also the hardships lawyers face as they struggle to stand up to big coal. A compelling read.
The book, Gray Mountain by John Grisham was certainly hard to put down. I loved the main character, Samantha Kofer, young lawyer, working her way up the corporate legal ladder then crushingly, furloughed due to the 2008 recession. In a deal her firm made, she finds herself in the backwaters of Virginia after the bright lights of New York City, working for a non-profit legal aid society helping with the most basic of legal work, helping people with wills, marital problems, drug convictions and most importantly, miners doing their best to get compensation for their work-related black-lung disease.
I was rooting for Samantha the whole way and cheered for her every victory. I thought the book ended all too soon. Hopefully we’ll hear more about Samantha and her work at the non-profit.
This is a great book. I am just about finished with it and have loved every page so far. Anxious to find out who done it.
Although this book started off with much intrigue, including the main [female] character being fired during the midst of the 2008 Wall Street meltdown, it ends up with her turning down a $160K New York City real estate law opportunity to remain w/ a small town Appalachia Virginia non profit paying $39K. Unrealistic indeed!
Very interesting!
Great book.This book as a real eye opener!
i,d like to print your book
Great book by Grisham. Easy to read and very informative.
You had to keep reading. Characters interesting. Story believable. He never fails one of my favourite authors
I love all John Grisham books…….superb as usual.
I loved this book and the characters. It was hard to put down. I wanted the story to continue. John did a great job of describing the coal mines and he made my heart feel for folks who work in the mines and what they go through.
Grisham’s my favorite.
The author has a way of keeping you in the dark ,you think you know who did it but it’s near that easy. Very entertaining
Love John Gresham. I didn’t rate this a 5 simply because I prefer his legal-based novels. While this one is topical and an easy, enjoyable read, I wouldn’t put it up there with the vast majority of his work – legal, e.g., The Client, The Bretheren, et al.
I still recommend it as an enjoyable and somewhat informative read, and somewhat unusual story line.
Not the best Grisham book I’ve read, it did not grab my attention as much as all the other of his novels I have enjoyed.
Extremely disappointing: uninteresting, predictable, even trite.
Couldn’t put it down
A fictional story of how mountaintop coal mining affects the people living in the coal country of the Appalachia Mountains. Tragic.
Grisham is always very good but, this wasn’t one of his best