The Testament

Rating:
Summary: Greed Goes Center Stage
Review: Grisham's basic premise, though not particularly imaginative, is more than effective. The first few chapters of this novel grabbed me and refused to let go. The selfish greed portrayed by the spoiled children of the deceased had me hoping for justice; the contrasting selflessness portrayed by the long-lost daughter had me cheering for the ideals and ethics of her missionary lifestyle. Grisham juggles his subplots so efficiently that I was never afraid something would be dropped. If anything, he puts on such a splendid show in the first half of the book, that he was hard-pressed to follow his own act in the second half. I appreciated his sensitive and faithful rendering of the missionary's viewpoints, preaching against the greed of our age without, uh, well...preaching at us. That's a 'testament' to Grisham's true talent: moralizing while entertaining. What a juggler!

Rating:
Summary: Controversial themes
Review: Grisham's latest. An enjoyable, fast read. The story of a wealthy, self-made man whose assets must be distributed to his heirs. The man changes his will at the last minute leaving his legitimate heirs next to nothing. Instead he leaves almost everything to his unknown, illegitimate daughter working as a remote missionary in Brazil.

I was impressed with Grisham's willingness to develop thought and dialogue around the topics of religious faith and alcohol abuse. It was an earnest attempt to explore two unlikely components of a best seller. I give him high marks for using his skill and characters to openly discuss the sensitive subjects.

Rating:
Summary: A very thought-provoking story.
Review: Skip through the overly long and overly-described passages about Nate's rainforest expedition (it becomes tedious and redundant) and you'll find a clever story of greed and the world's greatest "Gotcha".

I want to know more, though! What, for instance, happens when 11 billion dollars falls into the hands of a Christian organization with a political agenda? It could certainly change the course of human events and world politics. How long will they display "christian" goals before the greed, eventual dishonesty and the hunger for power that accompanies such wealth changes even THEM? And I want to know what happens to the litigious heirs and their greedy lawyers. What happens to them? How do they spend their inheritance? How long does it take those grossly unlikeable thugs to go through the money? How do the lawyers deal with the transfer of wealth from their clients' pockets to their own?

How about a sequel, Mr. Gresham?

This book is definitely worth your time, and I highly recommend it. Just skip through the rainforest passages, like I suggested.

Rating:
Summary: Just couldn't stop reading the book, THE BEST ONE YET
Review: Grisham gets your attention from the first page and doesn't stop till the last word of the book. The characters were well presented and caried out. This novel is a must for those who love to read great books and love the legal battle.

Rating:
Summary: Grishams Best
Review: John Grisham has fast become my favorite author, and to tell the truch I read very little non-fiction. This story, like so many of his other books, is made because of the wonderful characters. I don't want to give any of it away, but you'll just love the people in this one.

I was sad that the story ended, I wanted it to go on and on.

Rating:
Summary: This is the first Grisham book I read
Review: and I have to say I was very disappointed. It was difficult to find an actual protagonist in the book. It seemed to me that the book was actually about the will, instead of about a person. A lot of time was spent on descriptions of the surroundings, as opposed to an actual plot. Several chapters, in fact, were spent on describing the rainforest, which I felt was unnecessary. I agree with the previous reviewer in regards to the religion that was portrayed in the book. It seemed to be contrived; almost as though that was what the book was supposed to be about, then later Grisham changed his mind but retained most of the content. It took a lot for me to get through this book, but maybe I'm just a fan of Grisham's movies, and not his books.

Rating:
Summary: His Best Yet
Review: John Grisham is one of those authors, along with Stephen King, that never dissapoints. Somehow Mr. Grisham always manages to top himself. This book is his best yet.

I can honestly say I couldn't put this book down. It's not a short book, yet I finished it in three days.

This is the type of book you'll be talking about, and thinking about, for days.

Highly reccommended.

Rating:
Summary: Lost interest quickly...
Review: John, what have you done? This book started off great with an awesome plot. But after about 75 pages I couldn't take it anymore and stopped reading. This is my 3rd Grisham novel, and it is NOT a good representation of his other works. I have also read The Street Lawyer and The Client. Those two were 150% better than what I read of the Testament.

Rating:
Summary: ...so says I
Review: When I read THE TESTAMENT by John Grisham, I was in Paris. I had finished all of my Agatha Christie novels, and leaned over and picked up THE TESTAMENT. Some previous tourist had left it behind, and I was overjoyed. I read it in 2.5 hours. The novel combines mystery, action, adventure, and humor. I loved when the children of the billionare were included in the chapter; I laughed until I cried. John Grisham portrays them so vividly that I was astounded. Did I mention that I am twelve?

Rating:
Summary: One of Grisham's Finest
Review: When it comes to novels about the law and interweaving an exciting plot into them, Grisham has both the talent and the fans to make him a success.

In THE TESTAMENT, Troy Phelan has decided to bypass his six legitimate children and endow his illegitimate daughter, Rachel Lane, with his fortune of 11 billion dollars. It is quite a fortune, and the Phelan heirs are not going down without a vigorous fight. That's where Nate O'Riley comes in. He's a tough litigator who specializes in medical malpractice suits. Josh Stafford, Mr. Phelan's attorney and executor of his holographic will, has plucked Nate from his cushy rehab center where he's been a patient for four months. Nate is sent on an adventure through the Pantanal in Brazil to search for the elusive Rachel Lane, a missionary working among the Ipica Indians deep in the Pantanal.

Nate never convinces Rachel to sign the papers to accept her gift bestowed upon her by the will. She wants nothing to do with the money.

All in all, this is a fast-paced, tension-filled read. I enjoyed every page. It is the best Grisham has written since his thrilling novel, A TIME TO KILL.