Instruct: Classify the given review as either positive or negative.
Query: Cardboard characters and a strained plot

John Grisham seems to be spending less and less time writing his novels, and the plots and character development show it. A Time to Kill and The Firm are well-plotted with several characters that are more than cardboard cutouts. But once he quit lawyering and writing part-time and started writing full time, his books have grown increasingly flat. Yes, he'll still sell thousands of copies and probably wouldn't sell any more if he were to spend more time at crafting his works. But it's disappointing that he is unwilling or unable to realize his potential.