The Firm
by John Grisham
★ Top 5 book of 1991 · #5 on Best Books of 1991
This legal thriller was John Grisham's second book. It was the first of his novels to win a wide readership.
Best for: Legal thriller fans curious about the book that made Grisham popular
The Firm is #5 on BookWard's Best Books of 1991, out of 23 1991 books that cleared our data bar.
What The Firm is about
Mitch McDeere graduated third in his class at Harvard Law School, has a loving wife in Abby, and has a family past he'd rather leave behind: one brother is in prison and another died in Vietnam. Then a small Memphis tax firm, Bendini, Lambert and Locke, offers him a big salary, a new car and a low-interest mortgage. It looks like the break of a lifetime. But two of the firm's lawyers have just died in a diving accident, and Mitch begins to grow suspicious. John Grisham's second book, and the first to find a wide readership, is a legal thriller about ambition, temptation and what a good offer can cost. It moves quickly and suits anyone who likes a story where the pressure keeps rising.
The Firm on the Best Books of 1991
The Firm came out in 1991. Of the 23 books first published in 1991 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #5 on our Best Books of 1991 list.
Why it made the list: 459 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (22 ratings); 28 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1991 list
- American Psycho Bret Easton Ellis, #3
- Shiloh Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, #4
- Reaper Man Terry Pratchett, #6
- Witches Abroad Terry Pratchett, #7
See all Best Books of 1991 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1990 Best Books of 1992.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 364 want to read it, 28 are reading it now and 66 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4 out of 5 from 22 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 83 | 55% |
| Reader love | 43 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 87 | 20% |
Questions about The Firm
When was The Firm published?
The Firm by John Grisham was first published in 1991.
Was The Firm one of the best books of 1991?
The Firm is #5 on BookWard's Best Books of 1991, out of 23 1991 books that cleared our data bar. 459 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (22 ratings); 28 are reading it right now.
Why is The Firm on the Best Books of 1991 list?
459 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (22 ratings); 28 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 1991
- Outlander Diana Gabaldon, #1
- Needful Things Stephen King, #2
- American Psycho Bret Easton Ellis, #3
- Shiloh Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, #4
- Reaper Man Terry Pratchett, #6
- Witches Abroad Terry Pratchett, #7
See the full Best Books of 1991, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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