Noahs Law by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Noahs Law Reviews

• 
  hollyishere

  There is nothing like going into a novel with total comfort and familiarity for the authors previous work and that's exactly how I felt about Noah's Law. From the moment I flicked open the cover, I could already see the humor flowing from the page and was quite curious how things would turn out for the male protagonist and his court room proceedings.
  
  It all begins with sixteen year old Noah, a generally good guy who loves getting up to mischief just for a laugh only this time he ends up doing six weeks work experience at his Aunt's law firm in the hopes that it'll teach him some maturity and manners. The only problem is, his father doesn't expect him to enjoy the time delving through cases when he's meant to be tackling the ever important task of photocopying multiple court forms.
  
  While having recently gone through a divorce, Noah's family are generally the loving kind that anyone would enjoy spending time with. I especially enjoyed the mini court hearings his lawyer-father would hold whenever the kids wanted extra time in-front of the telly or simply got sick of taking out the trash and I think this is one of the reasons Noah looks up to his father so much and secretly wants to become a lawyer himself.
  
  Of course there is a love interest to keep us guessing and while Jacinta is a Uni student working at the law firm, she is still quite young enough to enjoy time with Noah and his best mate Amit as they get extremely caught up in a case involving a questionable character claiming money for his wife's untimely death and while it might not seem the most interesting case in the world, I was actually caught up the courtroom debacles entirely as it provides plenty of major twists and turns for the novel.
  
  With the mentioning of a courtroom, I'm sure this book will attract young fans of CSI or Law & Order but I'm hoping a few other people take a chance on it as it kept me guessing right until the end and explained the impossible legal jargon in the most perfect way possible.
• 
  Rebecca

  When I started reading, Noah’s Law, to be honest I didn’t have high expectations as I’d never read a book by the author and didn’t know what I was getting into. But after reading the book, I am very pleased to say that I am impressed, I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did!
  
  Noah’s Law, is such an effortless and fun read. It’ll have you hooked and on the edge of your seat in no time and leave you wondering what will happen next! The plot was incredible, trust me, not a boring moment in the entire book. It’s the kind of story, that makes you wanna stay up all night. Stuff the fact it’s late, it’ll have you in a page flipping frenzy.
  
  Noah...wow, what a fantastic male POV. Seriously, it’s like the author is actually a teenage boy, it’s that authentic and spot on. You name it, his thoughts, his obsession over girls, attitude and behaviour. I also loved his friend Amit and Jacinta, the intern at work, as they were great friends, that stuck around even if it meant getting caught up in murderous case!
  
  This was my first book by Randa Abdel-Fattah and after really enjoying it, I can’t wait to check out some of her other books she’s written. Loved the authors humourous and witty style of writing. I also thought she did a splendid job writing about how the law industry works and all the detailed ins and outs. Wonder why...maybe it’s because, she works as a litigation lawyer! :)
  
  The story reminded me of, the TV show, Magnum P.I, that my mum and I used to watch. Except instead of a real, private investigator it was Noah (an inexperienced teen still at high school) who was on the case! If you STILL need convincing, how’s this. I hadn’t even finished the book (wasn’t even half way) and I felt like I could whole heartedly recommend it. Yes, it was that good!
  
• 
  Steve lovell

  
  I had the pleasure of attending a book launch by this young lady in Hobart recently, and what an accomplished person she is! A leading light in her community, she is also an author in the young adult and new adult fiction areas, as well as a practicing lawyer. She spoke to a us in an exceedingly articulate manner about the background to her books – those she is best known for, including ‘Does My Head Look Big in This’, as well as her latest – ‘No Sex in the City’. The one under review here, ‘Noah’s Law’, rated nary a mention, and I now somewhat regret my entry point into her oeuvre as it is not what she is noted for – the condition of young Muslim women in contemporary Australian society. On the strength of the quality of writing in this, the odd one out in that the protagonist is male, I’ll be seeking out her other offerings.
  
  Is it unreasonable of me to have reservations about bright teensters out detecting the detectives, out lawyering the lawyers? My daughter, a YA author herself, will probably shake her lovely head at this, and I realise I probably make this statement because I am an anachronistic old man in his dotage. That being said, ‘Noah’s Law’ is immensely enjoyable, even if it is what I describe as a ‘grower’ – it starts slowly, but then sneaks up on the reader so that, by the end, he/she is hooked by its intrigue. How will our heroes of tender years win out over the devilish adult evil doers? It’s a given they will, but seemingly up against the legal system, as well as the conspirators, the odds are decidedly stacked against them!
  
  For this peruser, the novel is at its best in the courtroom scenes when the author uses her vocational expertise to take us through the various stages of prosecution and defence. Our hero is born of the silver spoon, possesses the necessary arrogance to get ahead, and even has romantic intentions seemingly above his station. The two main female characters are well drawn, and interesting foils to Noah’s tendency to self-indulge. They provide the balance to his pranks and, once he is ‘won over’, his schemes. They come at him, though, from diametrically opposite viewpoints. The over-riding theme throughout is ‘does the means justify the end’ with, of course, by the end, ‘right’ prevailing.
  
  For an adult reader, there isn’t a problem with the ‘slow burn’ nature of the narrative as it builds. I just wonder, though, if the desired audience has the patience to hang-in there – or is that too demeaning of the age group? Also, would the denim dominated cover attract the demographic? I’m no judge of this after initially failing to stock the first Harry Potter in my school library because I felt the cover was too naff – so what would I know??? I suspect the dialogue between Noah and his best mate, let alone between the criminals, could have a bit more edge, but this is a seriously competent effort and has me looking forward to more.
  
  Harking back to her launch, it was so saddening to hear this beautiful woman relate the trials and tribulations inflicted on her as a Muslim child by our country’s redneck brigade. As a nation that generally does multiculturalism well, if decidedly not our processing of asylum seekers, it still jolts that there are those in our society who achieve glee from overt prejudice. Although Hobs is getting there, I delight in visits to Melbourne where ‘I open my eyes and see the world’. As an Australian who therefore greatly appreciates the wonderful contribution that non-Anglos make to our culture, I wanted to apologise to her then and there. It all needs addressing, but how?
  
  
• 
  Kirsten

  A fun read. Love this author, totally reliable for warmth, humour, and a beautiful youthful australian outlook. Nice insight into a small law firm as well. My only quibble is Noah's investigations against the client his firm represents. That really seems wrong despite notions of justice. Notwithstanding that a very enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys young adult fiction.
• 
  Vanessaloveszayn stojanovska

  i liked it at start because he was naughty and he had to go stay with his auntie in the city and she is a lawyer but then after a little while it started to goe boring and i just wasn't intersted in it anymore so i put it down and read another book.
• 
  Chava

  YA book about a self-absorbed adolescent who is trouble, gets sent to his aunt and still thinks he knows it all. This seriously affirms all negative stereotypes about Gen Y
• 
  Read3r’z Re-Vu

  This is awesome!!! One I would call “un-put-down-able”. A very well written story about Noah – a teenage boy from a rich family who is a bit of a delinquent – doesn’t care for life or school, didn’t exactly have much in terms of future prospects as he felt everything in life was just handed to him until one afternoon when Noah’s father is informed of his most recent prank, he’s had enough and Noah is sent to his Aunty’s law firm during the school holidays as a punishment and lesson in discipline. In hating his fate, Noah drags the chain and complains about his time at the firm until one day, he gets wrapped up in a case he becomes determined to solve.
  The mystery in the storyline and the use of legal jargon was what really gripped me and what I also liked was how an “amateur” was prepared to take on the big guns so justice would prevail, even if it meant going against his own superiors.
  Although this was found in the YA section, I recommend it for older readers too.
  
  - Annie
• 
  Joshua Williams

  Awesome book. it is a first person crime, mystery but in a teenagers life. i started reading it in the library and just couldn't stop. I loved the fact that could relate to the fact that his dad was strict and he loved to take life as a joke which is me it also has mystery and makes me think which i also liked too, it has a twisted story and adds depth when you think that you've figured it out it just turns a corner and proves you wrong until the very end.i didn't like the big words and since this has a law base there were words like jury and advocate it really confused me. a character i found interesting was Berny he was the bad guy and pretended to care about his dead wife when he organized her murder it was weird because he didn't seem like the guy to make a crime so confusing and hard to figure out.
• 
  PageTurner

  I don’t usually go for the anti-authoritarian protagonist, but 16-year-old Noah’s narrative voice was rather entertaining. Noah’s intelligent-but-troublemaker voice was authentic enough without the use of heavy course language or crude references which kept things fairly innocent and fun! The chapters were short and sweet and managed to keep the law case at the centre of the story interesting.
  
  A few things sounded a little silly to me like Noah being a chocaholic and well versed in feminism …because he comes with four sisters. But then again, those bits were funny, so no harm done ; ) Some of the breakthroughs in the case seemed a bit too good to be true. But overall the story kept me interested. It was also nice to be able to recognise where some of the settings of the story were.
  
• 
  Ernest

  This book started of really well – the depiction of life in a law firm is one of the most realistic that I’ve read. The characters are all relatable, with many characteristics that can be seen in the people around. Had the story continued with Noah gradually discovering that things were really not as they seemed through the court process, this would have been a solid story.
  
  Instead, unfortunately for me the book disappointingly went off the rails in Noah and friends inserting themselves so much in the case that it devolved into something utterly ludicrous (there were several law-related moments in particular that are distinctly unbelievable). Literary licence is one thing, but never at the expense of losing story credibility.
• 
  Annie

  WOW!!! this is awesome!!! I read this in literally 2 days - it's "un-put-down-able". Very well written. The mystery in the storyline and the use of legal jargon was what really gripped me and what I also liked was how an "amateur" was prepared to take on the big guns so justice would prevail, even if it meant going against his own superiors. Although this was found in the YA section, I recommend it for older readers too!! I hope to meet the author of this book one day!!!
• 
  Liz Barr

  I think this is one of those cases where a book dealt with too much of my real life to work for me -- as a legal secretary, I kept going, "But they'd never give that task to a high school work experience kid!" and "EVERYONE IN THIS FIRM SHOULD BE FIRED!"
  
  Nevertheless, the mystery was compelling enough that I kept reading to the end, and I think that if you don't work in the legal field and deal with high school work experience kids on the regular, you probably wouldn't have my hang-ups.
• 
  M-Tear

  Overall, I really liked 'Noah's Law'. It had likable (well, mostly) main characters like Noah, Amit and Jacinta; a good plot; an awesome plot twist; and so many funny lines and scenes. This book was definitely worth reading and I hope I'll find the time to reread later on.
• 
  Safiah

  This was a great book, and a fun read. The storyline was exciting and made you to keep reading to find out what happens. I liked the characters and the insight that was given of law firms and court. Glad I decided to get this one :)
• 
  Alicia

  it a really cute and fun book to read,just like something to read if bored or for something to do. i really like noah and jacinta and how their relationship wasn't a big part of the book, it was more about the case which was good.
• 
  Kaitlin

  This book is great for school kids. I got it a couple of years ago and found it very age appropriate. It is very witty and clever, and isn't a cliche teen book. It has a good storyline and very quick, witty characters, which makes this a hilarious book!
• 
  Marie Carlino

  A really good YA book that has a crime element.
  
  I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. They were realistic and very interesting. I liked the development of the character Noah. He starts of being quite immature, though throughout the book and its events, he realises what matters in life.
• 
  Tanikah

  Not something i overly enjoyed but it was and alright book
• 
  Naomi

  Really good book, helps you to understand how the law industry works, without boring you. :D
• 
  Meaghan

  Although I can see why students like it, it didn't engage me the way other teen fiction has this year. A little too unrealistic and Noah is not that likeable.
• 
  Catherine

  
  http://fb.me/reading.blog
• 
  Georgia

  It's ok, good story. Got a bit boring at the end
• 
  Jason

  Loved this book. Gripping and managed to keep me reading despite my bias against non-fantasy/dystopia books