Jay Nussbaum

This story of a young lawyer, J.J., starts off with the spectacular disaster that ensues when he lets his conscious override the rules and tells a family to file for bankruptcy to avoid being foreclosed by his client, who purchased their mortgage for cents on the dollar. As he faces disbarment proceedings, the story bounces back and forth between the current day and flashbacks to J.J.'s law school days, during which the reader is treated to the development of the complicated friendship between J.J. and his mentor and professor, Josie.
The book is an entertaining read, full of interesting characters, and memorable phrases. I certainly did find myself rooting wholeheartedly for the good guys. Here you will find a heartfelt and funny story of what happens when life goes way off track.… (mere)

I didn't know what to expect from this book. I thought the premise was interesting. Kind of Erin Brockovich from a male perspective. I must admit the title and cover threw me off a bit. But this is one of those books that was a very pleasant surprise. I thought I'd LIKE it but I ended up LOVING it. Isn't it nice when that happens?

A Monk Jumped Over a Wall is a good, solid story. Character development, plot pacing, writing style - it was all absolutely perfect. It was a pleasure to lose myself in the story of how J.J. Spencer got a little closer to figuring out what he was supposed to do with his life.

J.J. is a complex, very likable character. He's smart, quirky, and funny in a dry, sarcastic way. He's always been a bit ill-at-ease in the 'hungry young lawyer' role. Everything comes to a head when he is assigned to represent the investor who has purchased a package of home mortgages for 50-some cents on the dollar, and expects to foreclose on them. J.J. ends up sympathizing with the underdogs - especially financially strapped homeowners Jared and Emily Eagan. When he tries to help them by offering a little discreet legal advice, he gets fired for breaching attorney-client confidentiality and comes alarmingly close to being disbarred.

Thus begins a journey that takes the reader back and forth between past and present as Nussbaum explores J.J.'s past, focusing on his time in law school at Boston University and how it and the people in it relate to his current struggle to make sense of the mess his life has become.

The supporting characters in this story were fantastic. Ira, the fellow attorney who put his career on the line to represent J.J. in the disbarment proceedings. Law school buddy Ed, who graduated first in their class, but is crazy and irreverant, all the while unfailingly loyal to J.J. Josie, the law school professor who went from humiliating J.J. in class to becoming his mentor and best friend. And kind, sweet, hippie Amy, J.J.'s sometimes-platonic-sometimes-not friend from his undergrad days who I so wanted him to end up with. The only downside in terms of character development were the Eagans, whose naivety was a little unbelievable at times.

If, like me, you're wondering where the title came from, it is the name of a complex, labor-intensive Chinese soup full of rare and expensive ingredients that Josie, J.J.'s professor and friend, ordered at lunch one day. Apparently is it so named because an ancient Buddhist monk once leaped over his monastery wall to follow the aroma of the soup cooking, leaving behind the safety of monastic life forever in favor of the promise contained in that enticing smell. Which, it turns out, is an allegory for J.J. Spencer's life.… (mere)