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    Ford County: Stories
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    Ford County: Stories
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    Ford County: Stories
    Audiobook8 hours

    Ford County: Stories

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In his first collection of short stories John Grisham takes us back to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill.

    Wheelchair-bound Inez Graney and her two older sons, Leon and Butch, take a bizarre road trip through the Mississippi Delta to visit the youngest Graney brother, Raymond, who's been locked away on death row for eleven years. It could well be their last visit.

    Mack Stafford, a hard-drinking and low-grossing run-of-the-mill divorce lawyer gets a miracle phone call with a completely unexpected offer to settle some old, forgotten cases for more money than he has ever seen. Mack is suddenly bored with the law, fed up with his wife and his life, and makes drastic plans to finally escape.

    Quiet, dull Sidney, a data collector for an insurance company, perfects his blackjack skills in hopes of bringing down the casino empire of Clanton's most ambitious hustler, Bobby Carl Leach, who, among other crimes, has stolen Sidney's wife.

    Three good ol' boys from rural Ford County begin a journey to the big city of Memphis to give blood to a grievously injured friend. However, they are unable to drive past a beer store as the trip takes longer and longer. The journey comes to an abrupt end when they make a fateful stop at a Memphis strip club.

    The Quiet Haven Retirement Home is the final stop for the elderly of Clanton. It's a sad, languid place with little controversy, until Gilbert arrives. Posing as a lowly paid bedpan boy, he is in reality a brilliant stalker with an uncanny ability to sniff out the assets of those "seniors" he professes to love.

    One of the hazards of litigating against people in a small town is that one day, long after the trial, you will probably come face-to-face with someone you've beaten in a lawsuit. Lawyer Stanley Wade bumps into an old adversary, a man with a long memory, and the encounter becomes a violent ordeal.

    Clanton is rocked with the rumor that the gay son of a prominent family has finally come home, to die. Of AIDS. Fear permeates the town as gossip runs unabated. But in Lowtown, the colored section of Clanton, the young man finds a soul mate in his final days.

    Featuring a cast of characters you'll never forget, these stories bring Ford County to vivid and colorful life. Often hilarious, frequently moving, and always entertaining, this collection makes it abundantly clear why John Grisham is our most popular storyteller.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateNov 3, 2009
    ISBN9780307702111
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Ford County

    3.5/5

    472 ratings57 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Grisham's first collection of 7 short stories was a success. They all had well-developed characters and plots, leaving me with a few scenes that I won't soon forget. I have always enjoyed Grisham novels, so this collection didn't surprise me. Now - I'm just hoping for more.Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
    • 3/5
      My first Grisham experience. I was pleasantly surprised by how well-developed his characters were. He explored many interesting premises in this book, like a family dealing with a relative's execution on death row, a man leaving his life behind, an employee swindling the elderly even while making the nursing home a better place. Well-written and entertaining.
    • 2/5
      A collection of short stories set in Clanton, Mississippi. I didn't find the characters very compelling and struggled to read through the stories. I wish I could say I enjoyed it more.
    • 5/5
      Loved the stories in this book. Funny, poignant, serious tales that look at the life's of ordinary people in rural Mississippi. I don't usually read short story books but I am sure glad I picked up and read this one.
    • 4/5
      Seven short stories about people in Grisham's home town. Memorable characters that held my interest in every story. Not all were legal thrillers, but they all seemed to have a legal bent to them.
    • 5/5
      He always surprises meI've been one of John Grisham's fans for a long time, and have read the majority of his books; my favorite being A TIME TO KILL (his first). I'm ordinarily so deeply involved in reading the book that I don't even try to anticipate where it might be going, therefore, I'm usually surprised by his twist in the plot. I recently read THE INNOCENT MAN, which was a true story, and I really didn't care for it. That was another surprise for me.Then someone gave me FORD COUNTY (2009). This is a collection of seven of his short stories, each of which is excellent and completely different from the others. The next-to-last story, FUNNY BOY, is a heartbreaker. I really believe John Grisham is one of the very best of our contemporary writers.
    • 3/5
      I'm a huge fan of John Grisham and have read all of his books. I was excited to read his short stories and was, generally speaking, not disappointed. The stories were all well written and had great set-ups. I think what kept these stories from being great were the ways in which Grisham tended to end them. For the most part, the stories end exactly the way you knew they would when the story began and were somewhat anti-climactic. I found myself wishing (hoping) each story would end with a "blow your mind" moment. We don't get that which isn't unexpected but is slightly disappointing.
    • 4/5
      Audiobook. The story was quite good. I really Grisham's writing. The only complaint was that while Grisham is one of my favorite authors, I do wish he would not narrate his books.
    • 4/5
      A collection of short stories by John Grisham, all centered in Ford County, Mississippi which is the setting of his first novel, "A Time To Kill". All of the stories are written with a casual mastery; Grisham has honed his craft well. Some are a hoot ("Blood Drive", "Fish Files" and "Casino"), and there are a couple of poignantly memorable stories. "Michael's Room" is about a lawyer who years ago defended an incompetent doctor for medical malpractice in the birth of Michael Cranwell, who is now a blind, brain-damaged boy requiring 24-hour care. Michael's father kidnaps Lawyer Wade and takes him to Michael's room, a harrowing ordeal that forces Lawyer Wade to confront the results of his "just doing his job". The last, "Funny Boy", is set in 1989 and is about a young man who has come back to his small town to die of AIDS, and the fear and loathing he is met with - except for the elderly black woman who has agreed to look after him in her home on the wrong side of the tracks, in return for ownership of her home. It is a touching and compelling portrait of an unlikely friendship that reminds me of Alice Elliott Dark's "In the Gloaming".
    • 4/5
      Surprisingly good Grisham. Later novels have been a bit too formulmatic and preachy for me. This collection of short stories reminds you that Grisham can write an excellent story.
    • 1/5
      Got bored after the first two stories... Flat, flat, flat... Not worth the read in my humble opinion.
    • 4/5
      I've always loved Grisham's work, but I was leary of his book of short stories. One of the things I love most about his books is the depth of his characters, his attention to detail and his ability to paint a picture of the story in a way that makes you feel like you're right in the middle of it. I didn't think he'd be able to pull any of that off in so few words.I was wrong.Each story brought out a different emotion - Fetching Raymond was hilarious, Funny Boy broke my heart. Another Grisham gem that you won't want to miss.
    • 5/5
      I usually do not read short stories, but have read most of Grisham's other books so decided to read it. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories, finishing the book in a weekend. This read like his earlier books which I like more than some of his newer ones. It was a good variety of stories with moral issues both right and wrong, they make you think, but are just good enjoyable stories. I recommend it very much.
    • 4/5
      I hadn't read any Grisham in awhile, but I'm glad I read this one. This is a collection of 7 short stories, all of them good. A couple are mildly humorous, but mostly they are poignant and sad in their own ways. All of the characters are from Ford County, Mississippi. Some of them are likable, and some of them aren't. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories. The last one, particularly, was touching and sad. If you like short stories, this is a good one to read.
    • 3/5
      I don't like John Grisham's lawyer thrillers. They are too formulaic and, after reading the first one, all start sounding alike. However, I had a long plane trip to take, and as his books are light reading page turners, I picked this up in the airport bookshop. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not one of his thrillers, but a collection of short stories set in the same small town Mississippi location as his first book, A Time to Kill, and pretty much covering the aspects of like in a small southern town. All the characters are here: the stupid rednecks who seem to be incapable of accomplishing the simple task of picking up a relative at a Memphis hospital, a middling successful divorce lawyer who is tired of his life and finally hits on his big personal injury score, a wheelchair-bound mother who journeys to a prison where her son is scheduled to be executed for murder; a man preying on the elderly at a local nursing home and the son of a prominent family who comes home to die of AIDS and runs face-on into the narrow prejudices of the town. Often very funny, sometimes sad, and at the end, very moving, this book shows that if Grisham wanted to truly write instead of churning out books to enrich his bank balance, he could surely be a writer of some account.
    • 5/5
      John Grisham is always good but these short stories may be his best writing to date. They are about the people, life, ideas, language, and region of Ford County, Mississippi. Excellent!
    • 4/5
      Grisham's book of short stories revolves around life in a particular area although their lives don't intersect. I found the book interesting, which surprised me. I'm not normally a short story person. However, these stories are interesting and complete enough to have satisfied my need for more information. They're almost like stories you would hear on the front porch during an evening of rocking chairs and iced tea.
    • 4/5
      Standard John Grisham. Wonderful background of ordinary (or extra-ordinary) people living their lives in a part of America that people from neither the East nor West Coast are familiar. Each story starts fast, and grabs the reader's attention. However, many of the endings are predictable. A nice casual read.
    • 5/5
      This is a collection of seven short stories, all set in fictional rural Ford County, Mississippi. Most of the stories are funny; some are a little sad. I generally avoid books by popular, prolific authors like Grisham, because they can be so formulaic, but this book was excellent. Grisham has said that these were mostly stories that would not have developed into full length novels, but I am glad they didn't. I would be happy to read more short stories by Grisham.The audiobook was read by the author. Grisham's delivery is uneven, but it works well with these characters and settings and stories.
    • 5/5
      I have said often, around here, even, that I wish John Grisham would slow down a little; take some time with his books and his characters. His early works show that he is well in possession of the ability to write great characters and plots. I felt like he was leaving that behind with some of his latest legal novels.With Ford County: Stories, I see that he has left nothing behind. I know that he has said that these were mostly stories that would not flesh themselves out into full length novels, but I am so glad they didn't. Seven stories; all taking place or at least originating in Ford County Mississippi.The most profound: Funny Boy. I am from the south, lived in various small towns, and am in the medical profession. I didn't need anyone to tell me what happened in the earliest days of the AIDS epidemic; I watched it. But Grisham evokes the fear, the panic, and the despair of the time with this story. The simple story of a man dying of a disease no one understood, and his small partnership of sorts with a woman who just wants to secure her home as her own brought me to tears in the end. And if anyone had told me even two weeks ago that a Grisham story would bring me to tears, I would have told them they were out of their tree.There's also a couple of legal stories, done in the well-known Grisham style. Fish Files brings the back the only character I remember from his previous work (Hello again, Harry Rex!) . A lawyer sees a way out of his bleak existence and takes it and runs. In Michael's Room, another lawyer is forced at gunpoint to lay witness to the human cost of his actions.Blood Drive is a classic telling of the "no good deed goes unpunished" mantra. Casino is a revenge tale with flair. Fetching Raymond shows us a side of capital punishment that evokes Grisham's The Chamber. My second favorite, Quiet Haven, shows us a man who slides into retirement homes with a dual purpose; avenge poor care and make a little scratch while he's at it. At its beginning, I was afraid where he was going with it, afraid he might decide to relieve the residents' suffering in a different manner. I was relieved and elated to see the protagonist was mainly benign.Frankly, I would rather see many, many more short stories of this caliber than a poorly thought out complete novel from Mr. Grisham. Very well done.I listened to this as an author - read audiobook. At first, Grisham's reading felt stilted and choppy. But I acknowledged that they were his stories, he could read them in any manner he pleased. I rapidly got used to it, and to be honest, missed the style when I moved on to my next book. As an audiobook, I give this an A as well.Highly, highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      Seven short stories all set in the same town but with different characters. I enjoyed them all.
    • 4/5
      Since A Time to Kill is my favorite Grisham book, I was excited to read these stories based on the country where it took place. These stories (although brief) were great reads.
    • 4/5
      I not normally a 'short stories' reader but I have to say...I really enjoyed this collection. A few of them I would have enjoyed as a full novel. I would definitely recommend this book.
    • 2/5
      I just want to start of saying that this is more about me than the book. I don't want to give you the impression that, though I really didn't like it, this is a bad book by any means. As other reviewers have said, these are "slice of life" stories all set in the same county as some of John Grisham's previous titles, and though I didn't recognize any of the characters, more thorough readers of his oeuvre probably will. It's different from his usual fare: there are several lawyers in Ford County that make an appearance, but courtroom dramas and legal thrillers are not really a part of these tales. It's much more about the characters simply living out their lives.Basically, however, I dreaded picking up the book. Ford County is a pretty depressing, impoverished place as described in these stories, and the characters are depressing too. There were only a few with whom I sympathized, and even fewer that I actually liked. None of the stories were particularly hopeful, so reading it generally put me in a bad mood.Why then did I finish it? Why give it any stars at all? Well, as I told you, this is more about me. I generally have no problem putting down a book I dislike or even one that I would enjoy in a different mood - no use putting myself through it when there are so many other great books out there that I want to read now. But before finishing this book, I had already abandoned two books and only finished one, and I was determined not to start of the year with a 3:1 abandoned to finished ratio. Added to that, I reached page fifty (the place where I would normally abandon a book) in the second story, "Fetching Raymond" which was just as depressing as the others but also managed to make me care about characters that I didn't like - and that's saying something. It's because of that story and the fact that I appreciate Grisham trying something new - and doing so decently well, even if not to my taste - that I'm giving the book two stars.
    • 3/5
      Characters from a number of previous Grisham books make brief appearances throughout this collection of short stories, all of which are set in Clanton, Mississippi, the setting of Grisham's first novel that went nowhere (at least until The Firm took off, and then people noticed A Time to Kill). Unlike his best-selling legal thrillers, these short stories are more focused looks at characters in specific situations: a man on death row, a man whose wife leaves him and he finds he has a talent for gambling, a young man ostracized from an aristocratic family who returns home with AIDS. Like "A Painted House," this seems to be Grisham's attempt to show a literary side. The stories are slices of life, and only a few of the characters find any transformation or see much change as a result of the things that happen to them-- but perhaps that's the point he's making after all. Not much changes in rural Mississippi. I enjoyed the stories, but as a librarian whose main business is recommending novels to students for independent reading assignments, I don't see this collection getting a lot of traffic.
    • 3/5
      John Grisham presents a book of short stories on the fictitious Ford County in Mississippi. Although all the stories are fiction, many are rooted in actual events and many of the places bear a resemblance to places in north Mississippi. The stories are well-written, and I'm sure that persons who are fans of John Grisham and his legal thrillers will find them more interesting than I did. My problem is that most of the stories were about persons I'd never want to meet in real life. Most dealt with the criminal element. The final story, however, did not. I really did not like the stereotypes of Mississippians that this collection seemed to reinforce.
    • 5/5
      This is an excellent collection of John Grisham short stories. Not being a fan of Grisham's legal fiction, I was skeptical when I found this in my stocking. It's tight writing about characters you quickly side with (or against) and the stories move quickly from one situation to another, the only connecting point being Clanton and Ford County. Anyone who loves Grisham should be sure to add this to their collection.
    • 5/5
      This is some of John Grisham's best work. From cover to cover, readers will enjoy and be intrigued.
    • 4/5
      In Ford County, Grisham debuts his short story writing abilities. All of the stories take place in the mythical Ford County, Mississippi, which was the setting for A Time to Kill. The county seems to be generally populated with red-necks and shyster lawyers. Most of the stories have no real point to them, but they are fairly entertaining. The book is a fairly quick read and a decent way to pass a few winter evenings. It did not strike me as anything about which to get too excited, however. But then, again, I'm not a big short story fan. If you like the short story form, then you will no doubt enjoy the book more than I did.
    • 5/5
      My thoughts- Excellent collection of short stories. I read them all in the span of a few days - appreciated each one but contrary to the inside back cover "a cast of characters you'll never forget", I did forget them when I sat down to enter this book. However, on reading the three sentence teaser for each story on the inside front cover, I found that the stories and settings quickly came back to mind. Keep in mind that these are not "warm and fuzzy" stories. Some of the characters are not admirable and many do not "get their just deserts". But they truly come to life under Grisham's pen and you almost surely will not regret spending time in Ford County.