The Rooster Bar (by John Grisham)
I’ve been a fan of John Grisham since the beginning of his writing career, so I was disappointed to not have liked The Rooster Bar as much as I hoped. Especially since I attended Grisham’s author event in 2017 for the release of this book and purchased a signed copy.
Four third-year law students are one semester away from graduation. Each is heavily in debt to the for-profit law school, Foggy Bottom, and is searching for jobs. One student realizes the law school is mediocre, and most graduates don’t pass the bar exam. It is revealed that the law school is owned by a hedge fund operator who also owns a bank that specializes in student loans. This is known as The Great Law School Scam. The story follows three of the law students as they attempt to manipulate their way out of debt, which begins with them dropping out of law school. The Rooster Bar becomes the headquarters for their own scheming.
While I have a few issues with this book, it was still an okay read. The story kept my interest enough that I finished it and didn’t feel compelled to bail. My first complaint is: how were these law students blind to the fact that Foggy Bottom is a mediocre college? The name of the school wasn’t enough of a clue?! To be objective, I suppose they were swayed by the shiny advertisements and false promises. But still, I believe it’s the responsibility of the consumer of an education to research the university they will be attending and paying for.
My second complaint is that most people, if not everyone, know how expensive law schools are. It seems like a common fact that many students take out student loans with the agreement that they are responsible for paying that money back. Assuming that these characters were misled regarding the quality of their education, they are still responsible for the debt they incurred. I believe it’s the students’ responsibility to put forth effort into their course work, study for the bar exam, and seek employment. At least one of these characters “didn’t feel like” studying for the bar exam and complained about the entry level position he was offered.
My third, and biggest, complaint is that these three characters were not very likable. It’s rare that I’m going to root for three characters who, knowingly and repeatedly, break the law for their own selfish gain. It’s one thing that they tried to manipulate their way out of debt, but they did so by breaking numerous laws and victimizing many people along the way. The two male characters are arrogant and superoptimistic -- my least favorite characteristics. These guys are not smart criminals, either. I frequently thought to myself, “IDIOTS!”
I think this is the first Grisham novel I’ve read and have been disappointed in the story. I realize the goal for the law students was to get out of debt and attempt to hold the owner of the mediocre law school accountable. I just think the story could have been told completely differently. There was little emphasis on the owner of the law school, if that was meant to be the main purpose of the story. Besides, it’s a weak justification for the law students to break the law just because another party acted without integrity. Two wrongs don’t make a right. The ending was consistent with the rest of the story—a let-down.
I decided to read the audiobook instead of my signed copy, so I borrowed the audiobook from my local library on the Libby app. I enjoyed the narration by Ari Flakos. At times, his voice reminded me of Matthew McConaughey.
I purchased my signed first edition copy of Joseph-Beth Booksellers. You’re welcome to check out my author event blog post when I saw John Grisham in conversation with Sue Grafton here. You can read my reviews of other Grisham novels linked below.
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