Rating: 
Summary: Not Worth It
Review: Personally I thought this book was awful. I am a huge fan of John Grisham and I did't think this was even close to being as good as his others. The entire plot line is in the title and the end was extremely predictable.
Rating: 
Summary: Loving Family
Review: Megan Lackey
English 108
M. Wagner
Loving Family John Grisham, in his eyes that Christmas was more of a chore then a holiday with family, friends, tree, lights, gifts, and fire. Grisham novel, Skipping Christmas is a five-star rating, because he shows that Christmas is about the friends, and the family. Grisham shows Christmas is not about how many ordements you have on your tree or if you have a ham or turkey for dinner but is about how people come together and show there love. Grisham talks about how people can come together and help each other out when they are down on their luck. This book is all about a family that wants to skip Christmas. Their daughter Blair goes away to Peru a month before Christmas and will not be back for a year. Her parents Luther and Nora decide to go away for Christmas to take a cruise. It sounds like a wonderful idea. They would not do anything for Christmas no tree, Christmas party, lights, and no frosty on the roof. Luther was a tax accountant and he did not like spending all his money on Christmas and going to the stores and buying gifts and waiting in traffic to him was a chore not a pleasure. Luther and Nora went each day trying to avoid anything to do with Christmas the neighbors tied to sell them calendars, trees, and fruitcakes but all they said was that they were sorry but they were not doing Christmas this year. They were all confused and upset and wanted to ask so many questions but did not. There was a contest for most decorated road in he town and one neighbor named Frohmeyer always wanted to win. The whole road was to put a frosty on the roof of the house so each house would be somewhat the same. Frohmeyer wanted Luther to do Christmas so bad that he took a picture of Luther's house with no lights or frosty on the roof and sent it to their local newspaper. Luther was mad but did not give up they were only a couple of weeks away now. A couple more weeks later on Christmas Eve day they both slept in late. When they got up they were ready to pack and go on there cruise until they got a phone call it was Blair there daughter said that she would be home for Christmas and is bring home her fiancé named Enrique. They wanted her to come home and so they said that they are doing the party, tree, frosty, and Christmas. They stared planning everything out Luther would go get a tree, and decorate it while Nora would go get food and think who to invite to the party. Luther got a tree but when he got home it was nothing more then branches so his neighbor loaned him his tree seeing that he goes away each Christmas with his family. He decorated it and started calling people for the party. There was everyone was busy. So he tried to put frosty on the roof but got caught by the neighbors and then he almost fell off the roof and was saved by the neighbors. They found out that Blair was coming home and all tried to help the best way they could. They would all come to the party and pick up Blair at the airport and all have a nice party. They did not have a lot of gifts under the tree or frosty on the roof but it still wonderful Christmas eve party. This novel is a wonderful way to show that neighbors do care and if you just ask for help they will come and together and work as a team. It also shows that Christmas is in all about a tree, frosty, or gifts it is about love and forgiveness. Christmas is not a chore it is a wonderful expresses to come together and be with the people that you love.
Rating: 
Summary: Skip This Book
Review: Skipping Christmas is a short tale about what happens when Nora and Luther Krank decide to forgoe spending the $6100 that they spent last Christmas and take a Caribean cruise instead. Predictably, the Kranks are soon facing a boatload of peer pressure to "get into the holiday spirit". Their neighbors are upset when they don't put the usual giant Frosty on the roof (thus costing them the neigborhood decorating contest), the printer is upset that they won't be ordering Christmas cards or party invitiations, their friends are upset there won't be a big Christmas party, the police association is upset that they won't spend $100 for a calendar...and on it goes. As you can tell, what starts out sounding familiar and funny, soon drags on for too long. To make matters worse, after Nora and Luther drag themselves through each of these painful encounters, and you just start to begin being able to like them for sticking to their guns, their grown daughter calls unexpectedly and says she'll be home in a few hours and is bringing her new fiance home with her, and she just can't wait to show him Christmas in the United States. Do the Kranks do what a normal, reasonable couple would do and say, "Well, we're sorry dear, but you didn't give us any notice, and you see, we've spent $3000 on a cruise and have plans to leave tomorrow." No, they totally capitulate, hence throwing away all the effort they put into skipping Christmas to begin with. They throw the $3000 down the drain and by hook and crook (and some really ridiculous scenes), and with the help of the neighbors who had been so snotty about them skipping Christmas to begin with, throw a big Christmas party for their daughter and her new fiance. The whole story was just ridiculous and predictable. By the end, I just couldn't like ANY of the characters. A neighborhood that thinks some family "owes" them Christmas decorations? Good thing they weren't hindus. Parents who think their grown daughter is too immature to understand that they don't want to flush $3000 down the toilet? At the end of the book, I just felt like these people needed to get a grip, get a life, and get some priorities. I'm only glad that it was a small book and didn't take up too much of my time.
Rating: 
Summary: Just-For-Fun Seasonal Satire
Review: Not wanting to waste a promising two-week vacation, I decided to read a Christmas book - but one can only read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever so many times! Skipping Christmas, a satiric novella about society's obsession with the season, proved a good remedy for boredom. Grisham departs from the action and drama of his legal thrillers by focusing on one couple's plan to forego the holiday trivialities. After spending an overwhelming $6,100 the previous year, the Kranks decide that their money would be better utilized on a Caribbean cruise vacation, especially since their beloved daughter will not be home this season. Fellow residents of Hemlock Street criticize the Kranks for their lack of spirit, and the couple finds themselves under increasing pressure to conform - "skipping" Christmas seems easier said than done. Then, the unexpected happens, and the neighborhood unites in discovering the true meaning of Christmas. Grisham's tight-knit community exposes a valid point about holiday commercialism by creating a humorous yet shocking picture of society's often overly materialistic outlook on life. Despite the Kranks' overboard scheme and the unrealistic reactions from some of their neighbors, I enjoyed the novella and recommend this book as a just-for-fun read... for those who happen to have some free time around Christmas.
Rating: 
Summary: Check out the moving ending...
Review: What a wonderful idea to skip Christmas, away from all the hassle of sending x'mas cards, preparing for parties, getting the house decorated, buying gifts and receiving gifts that probably are useless... However I guess Luther should have picked an earlier date, rather than christmas day itself! Of the preparations that Luther and Nara took for the trip - going on diet and going for tan, I was anticipating what would have happened in the end. It was quite a twist, that add to the an element of excitement and hence the pace of reading. I was particularly touched by the ending. A kind gesture of Luther, but I guess as an accountant, he did just the right move than to have his three grand wasted. (What a timely x'mas gift~!)
Rating:
Summary: Good Christmas Story
Review: This was a good Christmas story. The is a very light-hearted book that makes a great read for Christmas break. It isn't Grisham's greatest work, but not the worst either. I would recommend it if you have some free time around Christmas.
Rating:
Summary: Humorless Readers Beware
Review: Saw this book last year but never got around to reading it. Our Women's Club decided to do a book club sort of meeting this month so picked up a copy and read it this morning. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Mr. Grisham's humor is right up my alley. I laughed aloud several times and cried at the end at a very poignant moment. Seems to me the negative reviews came from readers who either didn't get the point, took it too seriously, or just felt cheated because the story is not a courtroom drama. I thought it was extremely funny and I recognized many of the characters and practices in the "real world". Kudos Mr. Grisham. When a reader expresses physical emotions from the written word, the writer has succeeded and it's gratifying to see an author branch out from his "niche" from time to time. Thanks for a very good time!
Rating:
Summary: Very Funny and Light
Review: I read this for our Book Club, but I had read it a couple years ago when it first came out. I think the second time I read it, I found it funnier than the first time. It is a rather silly story line, but I think that is the point. Has the commercialization of Christmas gone a bit too far? I felt like I lived on this street and the street was on a sitcom. I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was...a light read that in the in the end expressed what the spirit of Christmas SHOULD be about.
Rating:
Summary: Odd yet entertaining
Review: How could you avoid Christmas? It's everywhere during the month of December and even a good chunk of November. I think that the Kranks did a wonderfully fine job of "skipping Christmas." That time of year can really get some people MAD. All the freakin' people driving too slow to get where they all need to spend away their savings like today is their last day on earth. Of course, all those brilliant gift ideas are amusing, but in six months, are they really so great? After countless hours trying to find that perfect gift and the time wasted waiting in line, all you have is a few hours of ripping open presents and saying "I love this!" over and over until it loses meaning altogether. That was how Mr. Krank was feeling when he made his decision to skip Christmas. This book explains Mr. and Mrs. Krank's attempt to take a break from Christmas. They must suffer embarrassment from their neighbors, co-workers and basically the whole town. Mrs. Krank misses Christmas more than her husband does. How would she live without a tree, without Christmas lights and finally without Frosty up on the roof? The enticement of a luxurious island cruise, starting on Christmas day, is what brings her to agreeing with Mr. Krank's plan. I know this is not his usual "genre" but I believe Mr.Grisham adapted well to the subject. He describes all the little details about how miserable Christmas can be to some people. Even if you do love and enjoy Christmas, this book will help you realize why others don't. Plus, it is pretty comical what the Kranks have to go through to put Christmas out of their minds and home. You will get into the spirit of Christmas or maybe you will feel the "wrath" of Christmas while reading this book. Either way, I think you will have fun with this quick and enjoyable story.
Rating:
Summary: It's all about peer pressure!
Review: Imagine December 25th passing by without the advent of special shopping, decorating, packages, cards and parties? Think of all the extra money and time we would have for more pleasurable and self-pampering pursuits. Grisham invents a story of one such family in a classic American suburb who have concluded "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" They have opted to skip all the usual chores and spend their seemingly wasted money and effort on the fun-filled vacation of their dreams. All this at a fraction of the cost of what they spend in the name of the Christmas holidays! Grisham does a wonderful job of illustrating the peer pressure that goes with this holiday tradition in the most comical of ways. Dear reader will find himself laughing time and time again at the sheer silliness that we subject ourselves to in the name of the holiday spirit. We can relate to this story so well because we manage to put ourselves right in the shoes of each of the characters. But sure we'll do again, in spite of knowing better, won't we? Skip Christmas? Just try it and live the tale that Grisham suggests, first hand.
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