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The Pelican Brief

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The Pelican Brief

By: John Grisham
Narrated by: Alexander Adams
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About this listen

In suburban Georgetown, a killer's Reeboks whisper on the floor of a posh home. In a seedy D.C. porno house, a patron is swiftly garrotted to death. The next day America learns that two of its Supreme Court justices have been assassinated. And in New Orleans, a young law student prepares a legal brief. To Darby Shaw it was no more than a legal shot in the dark, a brilliant guess. To the Washington establishment it's political dynamite. Suddenly Darby is witness to a murder - a murder intended for her. Going underground, she finds that there is only one person - an ambitious reporter after a newsbreak hotter than Watergate - she can trust to help her piece together the deadly puzzle. Somewhere between the bayous of Louisiana and the White House's inner sanctums, a violent cover-up is being engineered. For someone has read Darby's brief - someone who will stop at nothing to destroy the evidence of an unthinkable crime.

©1992 John Grisham (P)1992 Random House, LLC
Crime Thrillers Mystery Political Thriller Thriller & Suspense Espionage Fiction Suspense

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Sexist novel that does not stand the test of time.

I have been trying to listen to some big novels from back in the day.
The first point is narration. Although not the worst I have ever heard, it was obviously recorded a while ago. An odd, pan-American accent represents a generic nothingness. It lends no characters spark.

Secondly. The story is the most sexist novel I have read in a while. I kept going, I had somewhat assumed that it was intentionally so, to represent the climate at the time. I tried to look into this, with no luck. So appears to be just abhorrent.

Everyone sexualises Darby. Men get upset with her when she doesn't immediately accept the many advances thrown her way. Even though she is on the run, fearing for her life, there is nothing that gets in the way of her constantly upsetting men by not sleeping with each and every one on her journey. Men talk down to her constantly.

Darby is herself written semi okay, but she does refer to other women as "females" and only gets to talk to two other women, briefly, and berates their physical appearance or criticises them based on assumptions of thinking they will behave a certain way. There is also an weird somersault of behaviour when she meets Gray. For no apparent reason given, she reverses all her past behaviour and trusts him without reserve. He in return is nothing special, is somewhat sleazy and at one point yells at her when she isn't doing what he wants. Joy.

If I could give it 0.5 stars I would. I audibly scoffed, made vomit sounds,and swore while listening to this.

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