Helpful Score: 2
This was a disappointing change of pace for Grisham. Unlike his usual fast moving plots filled with tension and intrigue, Camino Island plodded along to a predictable ending. The story line involves the conspiratorial theft of a treasured F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscript, a subject matter that just plain failed to build suspense to all but the most fanatical bibliophile.
Helpful Score: 1
Really liked the characters and the plot
Helpful Score: 1
Casino Island is one of a handful of John Grishman's books that don't involve lawyers, such as Skipping Christmas and Playing for Pizza. I had just finished reading Rooster Bar and was a bit disappointed in it, but decided to read Camino Island anyway. I'm glad I did! There's a cast of interesting characters, a crime, but no lawyers, and a great story idea. The book was well written, leaving til the end the who-done-it and will they get caught or not. I highly recommend this book. You won't want to put it down and when it ends, you'll want to know what happens next in the lives of the characters.
Not your typical Grisham story, but a good page turner nonetheless. Some interesting behind the scenes, if you will, into the life of a writer. I'm interested in reading the sequel now.
A different story than the usual Grisham tales - hardly a lawyer in sight! As always an easy read with an intricate story line and lots of interesting characters. And I learned lots about rare books, that makes you want to reevaluate your library!
An enjoyable Grisham book, and not a 'lawyer' story too ;-) Seems Grisham is into 'thrillers' too.
I read this book faster than any other John Grisham book--and I've read them all--and it's certainly one of his best!!!
I have been a John Grisham fan for years. I liked this book better than his second in this series Camino Winds but not one of my favorites. Was a quick read however.
Slow and boring. Grisham needs to stick to his exciting legal thrillers.
Good, easy read. Plot interesting, different
With a devious undertaking, a group of five pull off the almost perfect crime. They brazenly stole five hand written manuscripts by F.Scott Fitzgerald from the Princeton University Library's underground archives. Two are caught immediately due to one speck of blood, and the others try to flee to another country after hiding the manuscripts.
The story continues with the addition Mercer Mann, a "down on her luck" writer who the insurance company talked into spying on Bruce Cable, a suspect, but well respected, well loved owner of a bookstore on Camino Island, Florida. His collection of rare editions make his heart race just by talking about them..
I liked the way the plot progresses as Mercer becomes part of the writer community. The characters were likeable and a couple of writers were a hoot!
As for the ending, it was perfect!
The story continues with the addition Mercer Mann, a "down on her luck" writer who the insurance company talked into spying on Bruce Cable, a suspect, but well respected, well loved owner of a bookstore on Camino Island, Florida. His collection of rare editions make his heart race just by talking about them..
I liked the way the plot progresses as Mercer becomes part of the writer community. The characters were likeable and a couple of writers were a hoot!
As for the ending, it was perfect!
Another interesting read by Grisham. He draws you in quickly, brings you along on the search...and while you think you have it figured out, you can't see the ending coming with a last minute twist.
Good book.
I've read all the Grisham books. This one is about in the middle as far as story goes. Read well and flows along but doesnt come together till the very end. Still a worthwhile read.
Another awesome Grisham! This one brings us into the world of books/manuscripts....deep intrigue...but very relatable.
A great Grisham read! Not the typical lawyer novel, but instead stolen manuscripts and their travels through the criminal network. An out of luck writer working on a second novel is retained by the insurance company to spy on a small town independent book store owner to gain access to information. The world of authors and bookstores is skillfully woven into this novel and the characters are all likeable and well written. The story itself is just suspenseful enough and I liked the ending where everything ends up just happily enough without being too trite.
A pleasant read, but with very little suspense.
Another very good thriller from Grisham. This one was a little outside of Grisham's usual legal thriller but very satisfying nonetheless. In this one, a gang of thieves pull a daring heist of the original manuscripts of all five of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels from the library at Princeton University. The manuscripts, needless to say, are priceless and are insured for $25 million. Early on, two of the thieves are captured but the trail for the documents soon runs cold. Then a young writer, Mercer Mann, is recruited by the insurance company to get close to the owner of a bookshop on Camino Island in Florida who they suspect may have the stolen goods. The bookstore owner, Bruce Cable, trades in rare books and first editions and is known to sometimes use the black market. Mercer used to visit her grandmother on the island when she was young and seems the ideal candidate to penetrate Cable's world and determine if indeed he has the manuscripts.
This was a very well written page-turner which I would rank as one of Grisham's best. But I really enjoy all of his novels. The ending of the book was a real surprise and not what I was expecting. In addition, the novel was full of fascinating information about publishing, book-selling, rare books, and first editions. I always enjoy books about books!
This was a very well written page-turner which I would rank as one of Grisham's best. But I really enjoy all of his novels. The ending of the book was a real surprise and not what I was expecting. In addition, the novel was full of fascinating information about publishing, book-selling, rare books, and first editions. I always enjoy books about books!
Princeton University houses five valuable manuscripts--all the originals of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels. They are housed in the basement under a veil of security, but not enough to stop a band of clever thieves from breaking in and stealing them. This sets loose a chain of events and angers both the FBI, who is trying to track down the criminals, and the insurance company, as they are on the hook for $25 million unless the manuscripts are returned. Meanwhile, on touristy Camino Island, Bruce Cable runs a popular bookstore/coffee shop. Thanks to a lot of persistence and hard work, he's managed to keep it profitable even in the digital age. He's also a major backer of the many authors who come through his town on book tours. But few of those authors, or Bruce's patrons, know that Bruce keeps a vault in his shop housing a variety of rare books and manuscripts--some stolen. Finally, we turn to Mercer Mann--Mercer's just lost her teaching position, and she's three years overdue on delivering her next book to her publisher. She's also drowning in student loans. Mercer's approached by a beautiful and elegant woman who offers her a lot of money to get close to Bruce Cable and learn all about his web of secrets. Trouble, as you may guess, ensues.
I have a soft spot for Grisham, that's for sure. I fell in love with his first novels as a young teen, and I still love Darby Shaw, Gray Grantham, Mark Sway, Reverend Roy, and Reggie Love as if they were real people. Grisham and his family have a home in my town, and we claim him as one of our own. His books are often an easy escape, and CAMINO ISLAND falls into that category. Is it as memorable as The Pelican Brief or The Client? No. Is it a fun diversion for a few days? Sure.
CAMINO ISLAND is a change from most of Grisham's legal thrillers--there are no lawyers or court room scenes here, just some tricky criminals, a heist, and the aftermath. You'll need to keep track of the various bad guys in the beginning, but once you get past that, it's an easy breezy read--much like the Florida setting where most of the novel is set. Mercer's a pleasant, albeit not very complicated protagonist, and Bruce Cable is a trip. It's also a detailed exploration into the world of rare books--something I knew little to nothing about.
Overall, this is fun, easy thriller. There are a few twists and turns along the way to keep you interested, and Grisham's characters are always enjoyable. The ending wraps up fairly quickly after all the build-up, so be prepared for that. Is it Grisham's best? No. But it will keep you entertained for a couple of days. 3.5 stars.
More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com.
I have a soft spot for Grisham, that's for sure. I fell in love with his first novels as a young teen, and I still love Darby Shaw, Gray Grantham, Mark Sway, Reverend Roy, and Reggie Love as if they were real people. Grisham and his family have a home in my town, and we claim him as one of our own. His books are often an easy escape, and CAMINO ISLAND falls into that category. Is it as memorable as The Pelican Brief or The Client? No. Is it a fun diversion for a few days? Sure.
CAMINO ISLAND is a change from most of Grisham's legal thrillers--there are no lawyers or court room scenes here, just some tricky criminals, a heist, and the aftermath. You'll need to keep track of the various bad guys in the beginning, but once you get past that, it's an easy breezy read--much like the Florida setting where most of the novel is set. Mercer's a pleasant, albeit not very complicated protagonist, and Bruce Cable is a trip. It's also a detailed exploration into the world of rare books--something I knew little to nothing about.
Overall, this is fun, easy thriller. There are a few twists and turns along the way to keep you interested, and Grisham's characters are always enjoyable. The ending wraps up fairly quickly after all the build-up, so be prepared for that. Is it Grisham's best? No. But it will keep you entertained for a couple of days. 3.5 stars.
More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com.
Pure entertainment for me. As always Grisham presents an interesting plot; the theft and ransom of the original manuscripts of F. Scott Fitgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and his other books. A close look at the obscure world of first edition book collectors and booksellers should be interesting to avid readers.
What thrilled me the most was to recognize my home town as the setting for the novel. Santa Rosa on Camino Island is Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island thirty miles north of Jacksonville, FL. While not a literal copy of the town, Grisham captures the charm and beauty and historical background of the place; and it was all very familiar which, of course, added to the credibility of the story....at least for me!
This was not the most clever and riveting of Grisham's story lines but the rich detail will appeal to those who enjoy it. It also involves a main character who is a struggling young novelist and, through her association with other mature authors living and visiting on the island, reveals some of the realities of a writer's life. It is hard to imagine that any of these realities ever applied to John Grisham, however, so perhaps even this aspect of the book is pure fiction.
Would make great reading at the beach this summer and will not disappoint Grisham fans.
What thrilled me the most was to recognize my home town as the setting for the novel. Santa Rosa on Camino Island is Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island thirty miles north of Jacksonville, FL. While not a literal copy of the town, Grisham captures the charm and beauty and historical background of the place; and it was all very familiar which, of course, added to the credibility of the story....at least for me!
This was not the most clever and riveting of Grisham's story lines but the rich detail will appeal to those who enjoy it. It also involves a main character who is a struggling young novelist and, through her association with other mature authors living and visiting on the island, reveals some of the realities of a writer's life. It is hard to imagine that any of these realities ever applied to John Grisham, however, so perhaps even this aspect of the book is pure fiction.
Would make great reading at the beach this summer and will not disappoint Grisham fans.
I've enjoyed the majority of Grisham's books, but not this one. It had potential, but... Frankly, I felt I wasted my time reading it.
One of the best John Grisham books that I read.
Not my favorite book by Grisham, but just an okay read.
Don't even consider wasting your time on this one. Ridiculous plot, boring characters. Read the 1-star reviews on Amazon before you waste any time on this drivel.
