The Firm, Week 4

Welcome to the final Online Book Club discussion of The Firm. 

Were you physically exhausted after reading the ending of this book? I felt like I had been tracked by the FBI just like Mitch. Which part was the most stressful for you? The part on the dock was the hardest for me to read. 

I think my favorite part of this section was that Tammy worked as a cleaner so she could get closer to all the secret things happening in the law firm building. I can't believe she was so happy to do all of those jobs, and I hope she realized that Mitch would have been killed without her. We know, too, that he would not have been able to escape without Ray. It was really lucky that Ray was with them and not still in prison. 

How shocked were you that the FBI actually allowed Ray to leave prison? I was surprised that they allowed him to leave, but I was more surprised that he left by "escaping." I think I believed that they would just let him go, like he was paroled. I never expected him to have an assisted break out. 

Did you ever believe Abby and Mitch had really separated? I thought that her being away was part of their final plan, but I did wonder if maybe she had had enough of Mitch and his work. I wasn't sure about the status of their relationship until they finally met up. Was there a part of you that thought that they might not end up together? 

Obviously, the FBI informant hurt Mitch, and the information the informant leaked forced Mitch to escape earlier than he thought he would. He's lucky he was so organized and was able to drop everything and put his plan in motion. I was confused why Mitch decided to run instead of go to the FBI, but by the end of the book, I saw how his escape was all part of his plan to live life after the firm under his own terms. Did you believe, at any time, that Mitch was going to take the FBI's money and not give them any information? I definitely thought that was a possibility. 

Mitch got money from the FBI, but he also stole from the firm, right? He did a money transfer of $10 million, and then transferred $1 million each to his mom, his in-laws, and Tammy. I'm glad Tammy was rewarded, since she was so helpful.

I flew through the pages in which Mitch, Abby, and Ray were hiding and recording because I was so worried they were going to be found. I really expected to read a bloody shootout scene. Thankfully, we didn't have that. The dock fight was enough for me. 

Did you imagine that life after the firm would end up the way it did for Mitch. I didn't expect them to end up sailing around and living life on the run. Do you think they will ever come back to society? Do you imagine that the would be able to hide from the Mafia forever? I feel like money would eventually run out, but I don't really have any idea what it would be like to have millions of dollars. Were you satisfied by the ending? What would you have done differently? 

If you liked the book, you may not like the movie. I found the movie to be really, really different than the book. To see more about the differences, check out this article from Entertainment Weekly. It explains how screenwriters adapted the story. You might also want to check out this article about the filming locations for the movie, if you're curious to know how much of the movie took place in the settings mentioned in the book.

Finally, make sure to check out the John Grisham Room at Mississippi State University. You can see pictures of some of the memorabilia they have, and some of his papers, too.  

If you liked reading The Firm this month, check out this list of similar books and movies that I created. Make sure to tell me if you check out anything on the list!

Thanks for following along with us this month. Next month, we're reading Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I hope you'll join us then!