Rating: 
Summary: Skipping Christmas? Don't Skip This Book!
Review: John Grisham's latest book, "Skipping Christmas," is an excellent look at how one couple decides to just miss out on Christmas and the holidays, while eliminating all of the chaos and extreme spending that naturally goes along with it. Being a high-school student, I was forced to choose a book to read; one of which I would have to write a research paper on. I chose this book, because I thought it would be an excellent read, just in time for the holidays. I must say, I do believe I made a smart choice.
Skipping Christmas flows very nicely, and is hard to put down. Every chapter seems to have a new and exciting, sometimes comic adventure that Luther and Nora Krank must face. This book is very relaxing, and the characters are very descriptive, thus they are easily recognized, and visualized. They interact very well in real-life type situations.
I recommend this book to everyone, as it is a nice, fairly quick read that will readily get you into the spirit of the holidays. Grisham teaches the reader that our society is losing touch with the important things in life, such as social interaction, and that the material possessions are over-powering whats important. Being a high school student that rarely reads, I must say that I really did enjoy this book, and would not have any second thoughts reading another by John Grisham.
Rating: 
Summary: Delightful novella, thought provoking, warm fuzzy ending
Review: Certainly a departure from the "normal" Grisham fare, this nice little Christmas story, easily read in an hour and a half, has a little more substance than we expected. It's about a stereotypical suburban couple, the Kranks (which for a while we thought was a pun), who make the brash decision to forego Christmas in all of its trappings -- gift exchanges, office parties, house lights and adornments, card sending, tree decorations, etc, etc -- and instead spend far less money to cruise the Caribbean for 10 days. The pressure from the neighbors, office staff, friends, traditional "gift" receivers like the firemen and such, is so enormous they almost buckle, but their steadfast hold on their decision for the first half of the book gives more than ample pause to examine the familiar traps we may similarly have fallen into ourselves. Then an unexpected development with their daughter, supposedly in the Peace Corps in Peru and out of sight for at least a year, plays havoc with their plans. The outcome and resolution is hilarious at first, then somewhat heartwarming, to put quite a twist on a story one was hardly sure of its direction. We thought it to be a highly entertaining book and quite a nice change of pace for Mr. Grisham who seems to (ala A Painted House) want to expand away from his normal stomping grounds. We imagine he sold a bazillion of these books, but if you missed it somehow, it's a fine read and would itself make a nice holiday gift!
Rating:
Summary: Great fun anytime of the year
Review: We read this in our book club--off season--and it was just great! By all means don't think you have to wait until December to enjoy this brilliant little gem from Mr. Grisham! Also recommended: Bark of the Dogwood, A Painted House
Rating:
Summary: Tree Tops Glisten and Children Listen...
Review: Skipping Christmas is a hoot! In a much lighter tone than Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," and possessing the sentimentality of the children's book, "The Polar Express," John Grisham shows us again why he is a best selling author. Luther Krank, the tale's modern day Scrooge, decides that Christmas is too commercialized and too expensive for the Krank household after his daughter leaves for a stint in the Peace Corps that will keep her in South America for the holidays. Deciding to forgo the office party, christmas cards, outdoor decorations, mall shopping, tree trimming and the rest of the holiday chaos, Krank proclaims to everyone that he and his wife are going to take a cruise and "skip christmas" this year. Bah humbug! He doesn't know what he is in for! If after reading Skipping Christmas you think that Grisham isn't very original and just updated the characters and town depicted in "It's A Wonderful Life," you may have a point. Sure Luther Krank at times seems like George Bailey; Krank's Hemlock Street neighborhood is a lot like Bedford Falls; and even police officers Salino and Treen resemble the loveable cab driver and policeman Bert and Ernie. But why complain; now you have two versions of the story to enjoy during the holidays! You can even decide whether Jimmy Stewart would make a better Luther Krank than George Bailey. The holiday season brings a lot of happiness to many who don't often have it during the rest of the year. This year we all need it; and we all deserve it. So don't wait for someone else to tell you this book is worth the purchase, go out and get it now. Light the fire, pour yourself a glass of eggnog, sit back and enjoy this book. By the time the fire turns to embers, you'll be glad you didn't skip this one. And if your name happens to be Ebeneezer, I promise that you won't have to admit you actually enjoyed the story.
Rating:
Summary: Great premise
Review: This book has an absolutely great premise. And the fact that it didn't "go" where I thought it was going only confirms my belief that Grisham is one of the best authors around. No, it's not on the same level as "The Firm" or some of his legal thrillers, but it is well written and extremely funny. But the fun has a dark underbelly that eventually emerges. I was reminded of possibly some Vonnegut novel, or maybe McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood" or even a work by T.C.Boyle. My only disappointment with this book is that Grisham has not done more with this style and format. I think he's really got more books of this genre in him than we might imagine.
Rating: 
Summary: Skip This Book
Review: Annoying story, annoying characters, annoying waste of money.
Skipping this book would have been a better move.........
Rating:
Summary: A Light Read With a Grisham Twist
Review: Luther Krank has a wild idea: skipping Christmas. No crowds. No shopping. No commercialism. He and his wife have just sent their daughter off to Peru. What's the point of having holiday parties, decorating the house and celebrating Christmas when it's just the two of them? Besides, Blair will be back next Christmas. Things can go back to normal then. After some heavy convincing of his wife, Nora, the Kranks begin a holiday boycott. They won't buy a tree. They won't put Frosty on the roof, a neighborhood tradition. They won't buy gifts. They'll go on a Caribbean cruise instead, leaving on Christmas day. As the Kranks slowly announce their plans to friends and neighbors, they quickly become the brunt of Christmas jokes. Carolers show up on their door step trying to convince them to get into the Christmas spirit. The Kranks find signs in their front yard demanding to "Free Frosty" and put him back on the roof. Policemen show up to sell their annual calendars. Firemen show up to sell their annual fruitcakes. Boy Scouts show up to sell their annual trees. Luther Krank won't budge. He sticks to his no-Christmas vow and has to be the solid rock to keep Nora dreaming about the Caribbean. But on Christmas Eve, an unexpected phone call forces them into sudden re-evaluation of their strategy. John Grisham's light-hearted tale is a great way to get into the holiday spirit. What gives this classic plot line a fresh perspective is Grisham's touch of humor and his popular writing style. In the first chapter alone, you'll be laughing hysterically. Grisham brings out the atmospheres of Christmas that irk you to pieces and, at the same time, make the holidays such a special part of the year.
Rating:
Summary: Skipping Christmas? Don't Skip This Book!
Review: John Grisham's latest book, "Skipping Christmas," is an excellent look at how one couple decides to just miss out on Christmas and the holidays, while eliminating all of the chaos and extreme spending that naturally goes along with it. Being a high-school student, I was forced to choose a book to read; one of which I would have to write a research paper on. I chose this book, because I thought it would be an excellent read, just in time for the holidays. I must say, I do believe I made a smart choice.
Skipping Christmas flows very nicely, and is hard to put down. Every chapter seems to have a new and exciting, sometimes comic adventure that Luther and Nora Krank must face. This book is very relaxing, and the characters are very descriptive, thus they are easily recognized, and visualized. They interact very well in real-life type situations.
I recommend this book to everyone, as it is a nice, fairly quick read that will readily get you into the spirit of the holidays. Grisham teaches the reader that our society is losing touch with the important things in life, such as social interaction, and that the material possessions are over-powering whats important. Being a high school student that rarely reads, I must say that I really did enjoy this book, and would not have any second thoughts reading another by John Grisham.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Skip this book!
Review: A friend of mine read this book to me over the phone, a chapter at a time. It is the perfect book to read aloud, and it doesn't even have to be Christmastime to enjoy it. I thought the book was so funny and sweet. This is a total change of pace from Grisham's usual books, but who says that can't be a good thing? The characters are charming, and the twists and turns of trying to skip Christmas keep you guessing. A cute, light-hearted read.
Rating:
Summary: Great premise
Review: This book has an absolutely great premise. And the fact that it didn't "go" where I thought it was going only confirms my belief that Grisham is one of the best authors around. No, it's not on the same level as "The Firm" or some of his legal thrillers, but it is well written and extremely funny. But the fun has a dark underbelly that eventually emerges. I was reminded of possibly some Vonnegut novel, or maybe McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood" or even a work by T.C.Boyle. My only disappointment with this book is that Grisham has not done more with this style and format. I think he's really got more books of this genre in him than we might imagine.
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