Skipping Christmas

Rating:
Summary: Just around the corner - the holidays!
Review: I read Skipping Christmas last November and while I wrote my review then, never got around to posting it. Must have been the holidays that interfered. In any event, as the days of summer dwindle down and thoughts turn to school beginning and cool weather, I thought this might be an appropriate time to remember what's around the corner.

As November turns to December who hasn't thought about skipping the holidays, whatever they may celebrate. The very thought of shopping, sending cards, wrapping presents, cooking, baking and then entertaining is cause an anxiety attack even for the calmest of people. Is it any wonder, then, that when I saw this book I just had to read it. Now before you laugh at the name of the author, better known for legal thrillers, allow me to say this is an entertaining title and a perfect read before the holidays.

With their daughter off to Peru to serve in the Peace Corps, and Luther Krank figuring just how much they spent on Christmas last year, he makes the decision to skip Christmas. At first his wife, Nora can't imagine forgoing the rituals and traditions of Christmas. But when Luther proposes a cruise instead, Nora is only too happy to think of sun and surf instead of snow and shopping. At first their decision seems to only affect the Kranks, but soon their neighbors and community observe they are skipping Christmas and now the Kranks must explain their decision which their friends and neighbors. And when the Luther and Nora's circumstances change and these events unfold, Grisham has the perfect opportunity to send his readers a message about the true meaning of friendships and the real spirit of the holidays. For as we all know it's the people in our lives that really count more than the gifts, decorations and food.

This is a worthwhile and most enjoyable read. Just right to spend a few hours with when you're bedraggled from the holidays and start thinking about "Skipping Christmas."

Rating:
Summary: Easy and simple reading!
Review: What a wonderful way to pass a few hours....with a book that has whimsical and delightful portrayals of fun and realistic characters. We can all relate to them on SOME level...and certainly find the humor in the events that occur! Quick, simple, and a lighthearted read. I can see this as a Sunday night primetime movie! Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Not the usual Grisham
Review: This is a delightful little story and unfortunately, probably too true as it describes how hard it would be in this culture to just not celebrate Christmas. Nothing too deep here and no legal intrigue but it's fun. I was cheering for the main characters to make it through the season with no tree, no presents, no parties. May try it myself one of these years. The message in the ending (which I won't give away) is a valuable one.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Lighthearted Read
Review: For anyone wanting a quick, fun book with few plot twists, this book is for you. The idea of a middle aged couple completely ignoring all aspects of Christmas and how their friends and neighbors view their unusual plans is quite amusing.

Details of how the decision to "skip" Christmas affects the couple's daily lives are vivid, to the point that the average reader can relate to the sometimes overwhelming pressures of the holiday season that are described.

However, if you are a diehard Grisham fan, you may be surprised to find absolutely nothing in this book about lawyers, judges, investigators, embezzlement, or legal drama. While that in no way takes away from the entertainment of this book, be aware that it is written in a very different style than what Grisham is famous for. There aren't many plot twists or mysteries involved here, just the simple tale of one family's attempts to change their usual holiday habits.

Overall, "Skipping Christmas" was a quick, fun read which would make a nice gift.

Rating:
Summary: A Nice Change
Review: As an avid Grisham reader, I was skeptical about this book at first. However, I found it a quick, light read and thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace. It was quite on the mark and puts Christmas in the right place - the heart, not the mall. Nice little book - even if in the summer.

Rating:
Summary: Could Happen
Review: Grisham is out of his element, however, he did a supurb job.

This was a funny and entertaining book. It was predictible and often like real life.

I enjoyed it because it was so typical of everyday life in the US.

Thanks for the good read.

Rating:
Summary: An Odd Summer Read!
Review: I skipped reading this last Christmas and happened upon it in an old stack in the basement. Took it to the pool along with Shade of the Maple by Kirk Martin (truly extraordinary!) and enjoyed a light read. Somewhat comical at times, but not very engaging. I'd say skip it if you haven't already read this and stick with new authors like Martin and Jeffrey Lent.

Rating:
Summary: One can't plan for Christmas too soon
Review: In SKIPPING CHRISTMAS, author John Grisham abandons his usual storyline about lawyers in distress in favor of a short, comic, yuletide fable concerning social mores and pressures, and the hazards inherent to ignoring them.

Now that their daughter has flown the coop for Peru on a Peace Corps mission, Luther and Nora Krank are left to contemplate the imminent Christmas holidays on their own. A Scrooge in the making for some time, Luther finally snaps after calculating that the last Yule Season cost him a whopping sixty-one hundred dollars. With Nora's reluctant agreement, he decides that this year there'll be no tree, cards, gifts, party, charitable giving, or lawn displays. Only a cruise to the Caribbean. Bah humbug!

The going gets tough and the tough get going as the Kranks turn away the Boy Scouts selling Christmas trees, the police taking donations for a toys-for-deprived-tots campaign, and the firemen and medics selling fruitcakes to fund another of the same. Most antisocial of all is their decision not to mount an illuminated Frosty figure on the roof, something that all other residents along Hemlock Street do in the hope winning the local award for best street decoration. Talk about peer pressure! Despite much skeptical and disapproving shaking of heads by neighbors and co-workers, the Kranks actually appear to be on the brink of pulling it off, including losing weight and acquiring a tanning salon bronze in preparation for the lazy days aboard ship. Then comes the disastrous phone call on Christmas Eve morning.

Luther is a 54-year old apprentice curmudgeon. At 53, I can relate to the man's disenchantment with the Holiday Season, and would myself drop out of the festive occasion if my Better Half would let me get away with it. (Ha, fat chance!) In any case, I was cheering Luther on every step of his perilous way. Having betrayed my bias in the matter, the book's ending still satisfactorily illustrates the value of the support network presumably found in some long-established urban neighborhoods.

SKIPPING CHRISTMAS would, I think, make a terrific movie, perhaps starring Michael Keaton and Frances McDormand. My chief objection to the book is the big hardback price for a very small volume, which can be read in a couple of hours even by the most lethargic of readers. A better value would be to buy it used.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing Like His Others
Review: A classic Grisham. One of his best. No lawyers, but a great, fast read. Nothing happens the way it's supposed to. X-Mas will just never be the same. The plot is absolutely plausible, unfortunately our situation keeps going from bad to worse. As soon as you think it can't get any worse for our hero, it does. I laughed out loud and shook my head in disbelief. I EVEN liked the ending to this one - something I rarely do from a Grisham book!

Rating:
Summary: A nice light read
Review: Sometimes I laughed, sometimes I agreed with the narrator, other times, I was bored by some of the predictability. Not too bad, but not Grisham's best effort.