Rating: 
Summary: This is really a mystery...
Review: John Grisham has finally written an old fashioned mystery, or I should say, a series of mysteries contained in one story:Did he really write this superficial tripe?
Will people (like me) continue to buy anything with his name on it?
Does his publisher have any shame?
How in the world can anyone give this book five stars?
Rating:
Summary: A Krank-y Kristmas Karol
Review: (zero-star review) So Luther and Nora Krank decide to skip Christmas one year. Why not? Their daughter's grown up and far away; why NOT just skip the nuisance and take a cruise? Thus begins Grisham's attempt at a seasonal fable of pseudo-Dickensian proportions... and this is pretty much where it fizzles, too. You see, everything goes wrong for the Kranks (maybe you could have guessed it would from their names!), with the whole thing ending in a debacle I won't reveal in case you do decide to waste your time reading this thing. This annoying little book amounts to little more than a tract for peace, joy and goodwill among men -- as expressed in the only way Grisham apparently sees fit: with a tree and lights and an electric Frostie propped up on your roof. Grisham's smeared-thick moralism might not be out of place in a seasonal sermon, but in a book targeted for popular consumption... well, like every heavy, super-sticky, rich meal I've ever eaten, it just didn't seem to sit right. I could handle A Painted House; honest, I could. I'd love to support Grisham's attempts to burst out of the apparently-oppressive mold his best-selling legal thrillers have imprisoned him in. But I can't vouch for Skipping Christmas for the plain & simple reason that it stinks. Believe it or not, Christmas isn't all about big parties, bright trees, presents and carols. It's not even all about family and love. For Christians, it's about the birth of a messiah who brought God's message of hope to a pagan world. And for us non-Christians...? Well, Christmas is a time when we hope our Christian neighbours will live up to that message and treat us with the kind of tolerance that doesn't attempt to force everybody on the block into some image of cookie-cutter perfection. I consider this book only one step up from hate literature, with non-Christmas people depicted as outcasts and humbugs, if not downright evil for undermining the spirit of the season. There are better, warmer Christmas stories, every one of them more true to the holiday's real message than this icky confection.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Concept but that's about it.
Review: I really liked the concept. Watching them go through everything to "get out of doing" Christmas was great fun. The ending was a real let down.
Rating:
Summary: A different kind of Christmas story
Review: The story starts out slow but then takes you through some twists and turns. It was a fun read - very different from the usual Grisham fare. Some would call the difference refreshing but I call it just a difference :)
Rating: 
Summary: I HATE CHRISTMAS!
Review: If you're a grinch who hates Christmas, you'll love this book! When their daughter leaves home, the Krank parents no longer feel obligated to celebrate Christmas. Rather than blow a major cash wad on "celebrating Christmas", the family patriarch books a fun cruise. Then the nosy neighbors get involved, horrified than someone in their 'hood won't be celebrating Christmas. The book is fun and satirical. Especially perfect for those of us who have a sense of humour AND refuse to celebrate Christmas!
Rating:
Summary: Lots of fun to read
Review: After reading the inside cover, I didn't expect this to be Grisham's standard fare - and it wasn't. I found myself having belly laughs on several occasions. John Grisham does know how to spin a great story and he doesn't disappoint here. It was a fun read.
Rating:
Summary: I have seen the enemy and they are us!!
Review: When John Grisham sat down to write this book he somehow found his way into my head. I am Luther Krank. The whole implauseable yet believable tale was something I would do in a heartbeat. I sat and read about my idiotic stance based on unyielding principle and laughed out loud. The book brought tears of laughter and I haven't had a book do that in a long time. Those of you who didn't like this book because you wanted a legal thriller do not appreciate this man's wonderful grasp and depth of perception regarding human interaction at so many levels. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who sees the humor only a genuine curmudgeon can display.
Rating: 
Summary: Grisham is grasping
Review: I have read every book Grishman has written. Although a deviation from his lawyer tales, the book lacks depth. An OK Christmas story, but a book that really left me flat. I expect more from Grisham.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: We've all been there and wished we could do what the Kranks did (or didn't do). This quick read is incredibly entertaining and describes what we've all felt from time to time. His ability to spin the tale with humor is a new side to Grisham, one that I would like to see him pursue since he's obviously very talented at doing it.
Rating:
Summary: The Worst Novel I've Read
Review: Someone call Clive Cussler and tell him this piece of amateurish drivel supplanted _Inca Gold_ as the worst novel I've read. Having never picked up a Grisham novel before, I was expecting something at least clever or well-written, based on his popularity. Sadly, this novel is to good writing what any Jim Carrey performance is to good acting; that is to say, not remotely related.
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