Ford County (short story collection)
 | |
| Author | John Grisham |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | November 3, 2009 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 272 |
| ISBN | 978-0-385-53245-7 |
| OCLC | 317926293 |
| 813/.54 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3557.R5355 F67 2009 |
| Preceded by | The Associate |
Ford County is a collection of novellas by John Grisham. His first collection of stories, it was published by Doubleday in the United States on November 3, 2009.[1]
The book contains 7 short stories:[2]
- Blood Drive
- Fetching Raymond
- Fish Files
- Casino
- Michael's Room
- Quiet Haven
- Funny Boy
Synopses
Casino Stella is 48 and been married for too long to the same guy, Sidney. She cannot remember why they fell in love in the first place and their lives have become dull with no romance. Sidney is predictable. He is distraught when Stella files for divorce. She leaves and the daughter of the marriage sides with her mom.
Bobby Carl Leach is the local playboy who owns numerous investments and has a reputation. His latest idea is to manipulate the local history of the Native Americans with its associated law of tribal affairs, claiming descent of the Yazoo by his great-grandfather being one-sixteenth native. A Yazoo activist from the county, Chief Larry, agrees to enter the deal to receive lots of land from Leach for his newly regrouped Nation in return for it being largely developed as a casino under federal jurisdiction.
It just so happens Stella is seduced by Leach whilst she also becomes rather more than just his PA showing considerable talent at work. Concurrently Sidney gets involved with gambling and realizes his enormous talent for card-memorizing at the Blackjack (Br.Pontoon) tables.
Sidney is determined to win Stella back because he is stil madly in love with her and wants to impress her.
Fish Files is the story of one of about 50 lawyers in the small town of 10000. He is just another "ham-and-egger" and deals with minor banakruptcies, deeds, divorces, personal injury and other matters. Some of his files are the eponymous ones of the story because he has left them to go bad for so long with clients forgetting they ever instructed him. The attorney loses his ambition and his marriage like the files, goes stale.
One day he gets a call out of the blue from a New York attorney at a prestigious firm, claiming to be instructed by a chainsaw manufacturer. The small town lawyer is told that he can agree on settlement on behalf of the handful of clients he keeps files on, for whom that particular chainsaw proved defective and left them maimed. Although settlement would be huge it probably would not be sufficient given the level of injury and suffering.
Along the way he negotiates and loses his marriage and children and has an accident himself.
Michael's Room the story of a severely brain-damaged boy Michael Cranwell, who is 11 years-old and needs 24-hour care. His close-knit family who act as his carers abduct a lawyer, the anti-hero of the story, Stanley Wade, who eight years before had defended the insurance company that represented a medically negligent doctor in not paying out. Mr Wade's arguments had been numerous and crooked and are exposed essentially as lies. Wade feels some remorse but remains pathetic as he sees Michael in his room having a seizure.
External links
NY Times Review of Ford County
References
- ^ Random House page
- ^ Table of Contents from Large Print Edition, retrieved from web page 14 Nov 2009
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