As promised, a review of Anonymous Lawyer by my friend Jeremy Blachman. I liked this book and enjoyed reading it. I have really only one beef about it and that I will make right at the start. It had unnecessary foul language which I did not like. Granted, it wasn't on every page, and many people may not be bothered by it, but there was enough for me to feel uncomfortable at times, though I admit that my threshold is quite low when it comes to these things.
That being said, it's a very funny book. I particularly liked the fact that throughout the book, I found myself going back and forth between rooting for and against the main character, Anonymous Lawyer (AL). He is the perfect "you love to hate" villain. In the end, I really wanted him to succeed despite all of his faults, which says a lot considering all of the mean things he says and does. Jeremy does a good job of keeping AL human - vulnerable and likeable.
I also liked the way fact and fiction were never really clear. Because it's a blog we're never really sure if what AL is describing is totally true of fabricated. It's kind of fun, which is why the end is so good. (Don't want to give anything away, here, but when you read it, you'll agree).
I hope that most readers understand that this is of course a parody of life a big law firm. At least with my experience, as a wife to a first year associate at a big firm in DC, there is very little in the book that matches what we've seen in real life. Most are just exaggerations, which makes the book all the funnier. Maybe Matt's firm is just different. Maybe other firms are exactly like this. I don't know. I do know that Matt really likes his job, he enjoys the work he does and he actually spends time with us at home too.
So there it is. I think you will have a blast reading it. I did. I am looking forward to Jeremy's next one.
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