The Testament

Rating:
Summary: All-time great first chapter-rest of the book interesting
Review: Stunningly gripping beginning to an interesting book. Characters seem drawn to be all bad or all good with exception of Nate (main lawyer) who seeks redemption for his many sins. A good read but more complex characters would have made it better.

Rating:
Summary: Again and again, Mr. Grisham does it
Review: There is always something very special about opening a new book by John Grisham. He has this "magic touch" to dig out subjects to a legal thriller nobody can imagine. The Testament is a great example. A crazy old man, greedy relatives, a drunk burntout lawyer and 11 Billion USD, this book has it all. Ok, it seems like Im writing for the publisher, b.c. the plot seems a little thin at the beginning, BUT...Grisham is the master of storytelling, and he makes even a dullest matter interesting, simply by putting his pen on the paper. This is certanly a must read for all thriller fans.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I found this book to be the most disappointing of all the Grisham novels to date ( I am told THE CHAMBER was forgettable, but that is the one I have not read.) The trademark climactic courtroom scenes are absent except for some minor interesting depositions. The character development for all of the Phelan children is quite lacking. The ending was very anticlimactic. All in all, nowhere near his classics i.e. A Time to Kill or The Runaway Jury.

Rating:
Summary: NOT Grisham's finest hour
Review: A derraged billionaire, bickering losers buried in debt and a fanatic hiding in the ends of the world for heirs of an enormous fortune. That is the Phelan Legacy. A study in failed marriages and addictions with rabid sharks willing to go to the verge of disbarrment in exchange for a fat commision. The Piranhas were not swiming in the Pantanal River, they were backstabbing each other in the courtrooms of Washington D.C. It is a page turner all right. I could not wait to see the end of it and put this miserable story to bed. Not to mention that the end was absolutely predictable.

Rating:
Summary: The Testament
Review: "The Testament" is a uniquely written book. John Grisham has decifered the true meaning of life. Rachel Lane is one of the main charachters that Grisham uses to show the theme. She is a Christian who is in South America spreading her faith. Meanwhile her ligitiment father has commited suicide and left Rachel with millions of dollars. Her father's lawyer hires an ex-lawyer to find her and deliver the good news. A big suprise hits him, Rachel doesn't have any desire to have the money. Afterall money isn't everything.

Rating:
Summary: The Testament
Review: If you believe in yourself, you can conquer all. The theme in the book, The Testament, by John Grisham, is best expressed through the hardships and adventures of Nate Riley. Once an alcoholic, he left his wife and now works for a lawyers firm. His case is a billionaire who leaves all of his assets to his unknown daughter, a missionary in South America. Nate's assignment is to find her and give her the papers to sign. Through his adventures she leads him to know God. He overcomes a severe case of dengue fever and comes to believe in God. He believed in himself and is a better person because of it.

Rating:
Summary: The Testament: Can probate law really be that interesting?
Review: Can probate law really be all that interesting? With a self-discovering protagonist typical of Grisham novels and a cast of truly colorful antagonists, the answer is... almost. The novel succeeded in keeping my attention as it led our recovering alcoholic lawyer Nate through his battles with the jungles of Brazil, Dengue fever, and of course the bottle. It failed to engross me in Nate's conversion to a born-again Christian and his attempts to reconcile with his fractured family. With this personal transformation set against the backdrop of a contested multi-billion dollar will, in which the tawdry escapades of greedy heirs are wonderfully related, probate law is made marginally glamorous... but not quite. I found myself caring more about the mis-doings of the greedy heirs than about Nate's transformation to a "better" person, and I suspect that wasn't Mr. Grisham's intent.

Rating:
Summary: An incredibly intense, amazing read
Review: John Grisham does it again...but much better. If you don't think it is possible, then read this great book. It leads you half way around the world and back again. It takes many unexpected, but interesting turns and it keeps you guessing until the very end. Don't wait another minute!

Rating:
Summary: Nice book but ......
Review: Gripping - disappointed at the end - almost an anticlimax. A great storyline for 90% of the book. The ending was very disappointing ,as if John Grisham had a dateline and had to meet it.Overall however, there was fantastic insight once again into the legal world for which laypersons have no real understanding.

Rating:
Summary: overall a good read...
Review: "~The Testment was a good read overall. It show's how greedy lawers get. How rich heirs act dispite their financial problems. There are a few parts of the story that can be left untold. Everyone knows buy reading the inside cover, that Nate O'Reily goes into the Amazon. Now, Grisham has been there several times, and really wants everyone to know what it was like. Fine, but, some of the details can be left out."~ happening back Stateside, and I was more interested in knowing more about what was happening there than in the Amazon.