Review: The Runaway Jury

I`ve recently read chapters 7 and 8 of The Runaway Jury, a novel written in 1996 by John Grisham. Fortunately, it’s been adapted to a short book for English students and I didn’t have to read the boring tome, because I’m sure I’d have died trying.

These two chapters might be the most interesting of all I’ve read till now. Despite the boredom inside the story line, we find action and the pace of events is faster. There’s an accident and the involvement of the FBI. And we get to know more about two mysterious characters, Marlee and Nicholas Easter.

We also discover that there is a big corrupted world behind the tobacco company. What an obvious surprise! That’s why the story is not intriguing at all. So, I couldn’t change my aims to throw it out. I mean, there’s no fun in seeing a trial case. And it’s stupid to read about a fake case, it’s even more boring than a real one. There’re lots of obvious declarations and that means nothing to the readers, except for wasting their time.

The main thing I ask for is someone to sympathise with, but they just don’t appear. If someone dies for smoking they deserved it. If someone sues for that, they’re stupid. And who is judged is evil, but we can’t do anything because this is all Government’s fault. If it had been  included in the plot maybe it’d have been some entertainment, but it wasn’t. So I don’t care what’s going to happen next.

All in all, I’d only recommend the book if you don’t mind reading a boring story without any sense or you are a law student. What’s more, I’d strongly advise you not to waste your time on it unless you suffer from insomnia. It can be a cure!

Un diari que pensa en el futur

Portada del suplement Ara Kids del diari Ara

Avui El Periódico regala el primer volum d’un Curs d’anglès. Per seguir-lo caldrà pagar el preu desorbitat de 9,95€ setmanalment. La crisi, que a més dels diners afecta al temps, fa que no valgui la pena comprar un curs per guardar-lo a l’armari. Això ho sap molt bé el diari Ara, un diari jove però no per això menys dedicat al lector. Ja porta tres mesos oferint cada diumenge (gratis) un suplement per aprendre anglès. Són notícies secundàries, però serveixen a dos objectius del periodisme sovint oblidats: formar i entretenir. A més, dedica una part al nens, apropant-los als diaris. Ja era hora que un diari pensés en el seu futur i no en la seva mort!

L’Ara és un model a seguir perquè intenta adaptar-se als nous temps i als nous clients. Acostuma a dedicar les primeres pàgines a analitzar un tema a fons. Ahir per exemple explicava totes les claus de la pirateria perquè el lector es creés una opinió sòlida. I la setmana passada resumia els casos de corrupció. És un mitjà que sap que no tothom el llegeix diàriament i que proporciona eines per entendre la realitat. A més, la seva ideologia no li fa discriminar la pluralitat de fonts.