The book was published in january 2012 by random house. The series was created and written by mark bomback and directed by morten tyldum. In the book jacobs father describes his physical characteristics by saying, now, under my arms he is impossibly big and bony and coltish. The theme is first introduced in the beginning of the book when a young teen named ben rifkin is found dead in a nearby park, with three stab wounds across his chest. Reese witherspoon is a selfdescribed bookworm, and even has her own book club on instagram.
In an interview with the author at the back of the book, he says he wanted this story to be one of those what if situations, and he met that goal with defending jacob. Awardwinning author william landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis a suspenseful, characterdriven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control. Reading guide for defending jacob by william landay discussion guide for book clubs. Jan 31, 2012 this novel has major motion picture written all over it. Click the pin to place on hold with your library card through our catalog. This is not intended as any criticism of the author or story line. Happy at home with the loves of his life, his wife, laurie, and. Themes defending jacob by william landay, literary analysis. All in all, its a great book and it really gets you into it. Assistant district attorney andy barber is happy with his wife and 14yearold son, jacob.
In chapter 15, playing detective, barber approaches sarah groehl at a starbucks. If youve already read the dinner list which was the inaugural selection for bustle book club you know that rebecca serle has a knack for writing. Defending jacob was a riveting and very enjoyable thriller one that will send chills up your spine. This relates to jacob because as soon as ben was murdered, jacob was the first person that people started to blame. Defending jacob is smart, sophisticated, and suspenseful capturing both the complexity and stunning fragility of family life lee child riveting, suspenseful, and emotionally searing linwood barclay william landay is being talked about as a new scott turow or john grisham, having been one of bostons district attorneys.
Praise for defending jacob a novel like this comes along maybe once a decade. Everything you need to know about defending jacob movie. The interview gives some information and insight into the authors writing, and there is also a list of questions for a study guide. Defending jacob william landay, 2012 random house 616 pp. Handsome, with dark curly hair and a ruddy complexion23. I sometimes was getting really into the book and i was literally like yelling at some of the characters, cough logiudice cough, who i highly disliked. A book you will just have to discuss as soon as you turn that last page. Defending jacob is very much in the suspense genre. Associated press andy barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. Novels like defending jacob are so compelling, in part, because they make us think about how life can irrevocably change in a single moment. Were there points of view that you wanted to hear more of. Andy barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban massachusetts county for more than twenty years. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature.
Whats the story set in boston, a district attorneys son is accused of killing a classmate. You can also read posts from my blog about the novel here. Then andys quiet suburb is stunned by a shocking crime. A book that you will not be able to get out of your head.
This is the kind of book that is great for 95% of the novel and then the ending goes awry. Read defending jacob absolutely for free at readanybook. This is a great book for anyone who loves suspense and law. This court room drama takes place in massachusetts. This edition contains excerpts from william landays mission flats and the strangler and a defending jacob discussion guide.
Our book club selection for january was defending jacob, which i had hoped to take out of the library, but even with putting my name on the waiting list months ago, still only ended up being 10th as of last week, so i broke down and bought it without giving too much away, its the story of a man a family really whose lives get turned upside down when their 14 yearold son is accused of. This detailed literature summary also contains quotes and a free quiz on defending jacob by william landay. Defending jacob book club discussion questions for july 9, 20. The friday morning bookclubs favorite book for 2012. The accused is andys own sonshy, awkward, mysterious jacob. Assistant district attorney andy barber is called to a gruesome crime scene after ben rifkin, a 14yearold boy, has been brutally stabbed in a city park. Second place goes to state of wonder by ann patchett and the story of beautiful girl by rachel simon. This popular novel is a courtroom drama that intertwines a columbineish incident with paternal instincts. Welcome, and thanks for your interest in defending jacob. Following bens murder, jacob is suddenly charged with first degree murder of his fellow classmate. In the book jacob s father describes his physical characteristics by saying, now, under my arms he is impossibly big and bony and coltish.
As far as book club books go, defending jacob is the grand poobah of book choices, giving you as many controversial topics to discuss as any jodi picoult novel. This is the premise of william landays book defending jacob 2012. The possibility of a murder gene, a parents responsibility for his childrens actions and the influence parents really have over the way children behave are all themes that are explored in the novel defending jacob by. Participate in the book swap by bringing a book off your bookshelf to exchange with other readers. Andrew barber is a district attorney, handling a case of a boy in his sons class found murdered in the woods on the way to school.
Andy barbers job is to put killers behind bars and when a boy from his son jacobs school is found murdered andy is under pressure to find his killer and prosecute. I tend to think all book club selections should be on the short side to accommodate a variety of reading schedules for book club members. This is the kind of narrative that needs urgency and high stakes, but its drained of both by dragging out every revelation and development in each. Jan 07, 20 defending jacob was a page turner complete with lots of surprises. Defending jacob is a legal thriller which takes place in newton and cambridge, massachusetts. Defending jacob is an american crimedrama novel written by novelist william landay. And when a boy from his son jacob s school is found stabbed to death, andy is doubly determined to find and prosecute the perpetrator. In luptons second novel after 2011s sister, that moment is the outbreak of a fire at an elementary schoolwhere graces son is enrolled as a student and her teenage daughter works as a teaching assistant. Defending jacob book north vancouver district public. Named one of the best books of the year by entertainment weekly the boston globe kansas city star a legal thriller thats comparable to classics such as scott turows presumed innocent. Short book club recommendations sarahs bookshelves. Andy barber is a wellrespected assistant district attorney. The boston globe yes, this book came out in january. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, laurie, and son, jacob. Macdonald public library book club 1 defending jacob explores the emerging science of behavioral genetics and neurocriminology the notion that, as a predictor of criminal behavior, nature may indeed be as significant as nurture. Feb 01, 2012 landay does the seemingly impossible by coming up with a new wrinkle in the crowded subgenre of courtroom thrillers. It tells the story of a father dealing with the accusation that his 14yearold son is a murderer. If you know someone with a baby on the way, do them a big favor by encouraging them to sign up that little bundle of joy for its very first book club. In the book, its not a spoiler to say that the barber family, respected members of the community, are faced with the very real prospect of losing everything when their son jacob is accused of a vicious crime. Andy barber is an assistant district attorney for middlesex county, massachusetts. Andy barber is an assistant district attorney in newton, massachusetts. Reading guide for defending jacob by william landay. But, the books on this list are especially shortaround 300 pages or less. Defending jacob book club discussion questions for july.
This study guide consists of approximately 59 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of defending jacob. Defending jacob was the perfect book club book and a must read. Patrick andersen of washington post called it an exceptionally serious, suspenseful, engrossing story, with an ending that was all too real, all too painful, all too haunting. Defending jacob, based on the hit book by william landay and directed by oscar nominee morten tyldum the imitation game suffers greatly from its format, stretching 120 minutes of story max into eight hours of episodic television. The main character, 14yearold jacob barber, is a smart young kid who was frequently bullied by ben rifkin. Zach theme 1 not all things are as they appear one theme developed in william landays defending jacob is not all things are as they appear. How they relate these themes relate to each other because in this book, whenever a character was deceiving, they usually acted upon their guilty conscience. A few things that dont make sense to me with regard to the rifkin murder 1 jacob had no blood on him except for his thumb and he was seen by many classmates right after the murder occurred, yet no one suspected anything amiss. Andy was trying his best the defend jacob throughout the trial, so i got on with the business of lawyering away at the evidence. It stars chris evans, michelle dockery, jaeden martell, cherry jones, pablo schreiber, betty gabriel, and sakina jaffrey. As he tries to clear his boy, the da discovers many things about his son that he didnt know, including the possibility the 14year old might actually have done it.
With chris evans, michelle dockery, jaeden martell, cherry jones. This 41page guide for defending jacob by william landay includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 40 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Why not try out one of these readalikes see more ideas about reading, books to read and books. Oct 22, 2015 finished reading defending jacob by william landay and interested in reading something similar. A novel by william landay random house theres a further complication when a secret from andys past emerges. Yet, theyre incredibly meaty and will spark lively book club discussions despite their brevity. Tragic and shocking, defending jacob is sure to generate buzz. To listen to a book requires discipline and as an undisciplined reader, i sometimes struggle with the pace of a book. Until a crucial piece of evidence turns up linking jacob to the murder. His father, grandfather and greatgrandfather were all. Rather than the onetoone communication of a note or a phone call or even gasp. What made the experience of listening to defending jacob the most enjoyable. A legal thriller thats comparable to classics such as scott turows presumed innocent.
The limited drama series is a gripping, characterdriven thriller based on the 2012 new york times best selling novel of the same name by william landay. Jacob didnt know him either, as far as i was aware. The story is told in andys point of view, so it sounds like jacob is an innocent kid. Immortal life of henrietta lacks skloot, rebecca 2010 in cold blood capote, truman 2008 in the quiet henryjones, eliza 2015 inaugural meeting of the fairvale ladies book club green, sophie 2017 instructions for a heatwave ofarrell, maggie 20 into the silence. Mar 7, 2020 heres a list of titles that our various mcdl book clubs have been reading. The title of the book is defending jacob was jacob the main character. Awardwinning author william landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisisa suspenseful, characterdriven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy.
But when a crime shatters their new england town, andy is shocked to learn that jacob is charged with the murder of a fellow student. Andy barber andy barber is a loving father to his son jacob, and his wife laurie. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points, if you have not read the book. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. It doesnt go completely, wildly off the rails, but the.
Defending jacob by william landay book club discussion. Feb 23, 20 defending jacob is very much in the suspense genre. First there is the paternal love of a father for his son. But when a shocking crime shatters their new england town, andy is blindsided by what happens next.
Associated press new york times bestsellerandy barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. Discover the best books online or at your local bn bookstoreshop over 6 million books and 4. Tell everyone what your favorite parts were, recommend similar books, and request other books for me to cover. Mar 05, 20 assistant district attorney andy barber is happy with his wife and 14yearold son, jacob. My experiences stirred together the worlds of criminal law and the world of young families. I first listened to this book three years ago, and had managed to forget enough key details to be still captivated the second time around.