Rating: 
Summary: Umpleasant lack of precision about Brazil
Review: It happens that I am Brazilian and when I read American novelists and by chance the story has passages held in Brazil or has references to our uses and costumes I always get annoyed.John Grisham is not an exception. His book "The Testament", an adventure which divides its scenario between the courtrooms of Virginia and the Pantanal in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in Brazil, gives a completely wrong panorama of Brazil and his people. In some passages Grisham crosses the line of offense. The city of Corumbá, where was taken most of the hints used by Grisham, was not even included between the 200 biggest Brazilian cities. At that time 213 cities had more than 100.000 inhabitants and Corumbá counted around 95.000 in its urban area. The first thing an author has to have in mind before issue a concept about the country and its people is that Brazil is a huge country, more than 8 million squares kilometers wide, where lives more than 170 million inhabitants and where the diversity of culture, costumes, habits and facilities are tremendous.
Anyone that judges the country based on experience in one single location will fall into plain misled. That is what happened with the character Nate O'Riley of "The Testament" which issued his opinions about Brazil by his acquaintances in the small city of Corumbá in the banks of river Paraguai. Starting in page 89 (Island Books - Dell Publishing 2000) Nate ask to his boss "So they have phones in Brazil" In this episode there is a chance, by the comment of his fellow character Josh, that Grisham wants to point out the ignorance of the entire American people about Brazil using the ignorance of his character Nate as sample. The same applies for the estrange thinking of Nate when he boards the plane to Corumbá at page 98. Not considering this idea the thinking is offensive. It is amazing that a writer which also happens to be a law man makes, on page 102, such simplifying explanation about the Brazilian practicing law system. It is not true that courtrooms were not a integral part of practicing law in Brazil. The difference in relation of the American style litigation is that only homicides crimes held a jury. In civil and others types of offenses the courtroom actors are limited to the judge, lawyers, parties and testimonies and no popular jury is involved. So trials are not rare, they just don't apply for crimes others than homicide. Like commons Americans Grisham is only aware of the American style, the rest of the world is simple the rest of the world. Brazilian knows the problems of their public hospitals and are working to improve the system but in inconceivable that the wealthy character Nate have to be conducted (pg.333) to a nasty public hospital in a small town instead of private one just to say a lot of imprecations to be generalize to all hospitals in Brazil forgetting that, besides the problems, Brazil has modern hospital facilities, some even publics, and a advanced research medicine with top awards in genetics, cardiology, plastic surgeon, and AIDS therapy. An American doctor, cogitated, by the author, to be transported from 3.000 miles away would not treat better a patient with Dengue than an experiment Brazilian specialist in tropical diseases. The page 335 statement of "a tide of the finest American-made chemicals" given to Nate is a falsehood. No Brazilian hospitals uses American-made chemicals as a routine. At page 376 we found the worst concept about Brazil made by Mr. Grisham. Is a complete misunderstanding of our culture.
We inherit from our Portuguese's, colonizers, what we call in Portuguese "estamento político." In this context is the bureaucracy which included what is usually known as "despachantes" Since the 70's all the successives governments worked to exclude or at least reduce in our society the bureaucracy monster. The results in those 30 years have been enormous. Today, although reminiscent in interior land and small towns, Brazilians can get important documents trough the Internet automatically. This includes annual IRS declaration since 1996. So, "despachantes" are not anymore a much used figure in big cities except by old class citizens, still aggregated to the past. I don't want to say that the Brazilian bureaucracy is already a wonder but is improving each year.
Besides that, the text of Mr. Grisham is full of mistakes. "Despachantes" were never used for voting. The voting system in Brazil designed and built by Brazilians firms is the most modern in the world where every 100 millions assigned electors in the 2002 election voted in a computerized system trough a electronic ballot and the final results where officially published 24 hours later. Compare this performance with the last American presidential election. Observers all over the world came to the country to study our voting system. Is it believable that a country with such a technology capacity, with a aeronautical industry competing and exporting for many countries which includes United States and Canada could be depicted as a bunch of Indians aside their huts? The affirmative at top of page 377 stating that a American passport was issued for Nate for US$ 2.000 trough the services of a "despachante" is outrageous. First because no American passport can be issued by a Brazilian Government Agency. If some "despachante" was used, was an American "despachante" for the American Consulate services. Second, because a Brazilian passport can be issued without "long lines" for less than US$ 20. Is not forbidden to an author to write the realities about a country but a bestseller author must have compromise with the absolute truth and not create wrong general impressions. Concluding this comment, I still recommend the book as a good novel with a smart plot showing aspect of courtrooms, legal conferences, judges chambers and exotic wild places of Brazil but I do not recommend it for Brazilian readers. Most of them will get annoyed like me with Grisham's misleads
Rating: 
Summary: CANT PUT THE BOOK DOWN!!!
Review: I remember I was 13 when i read it last year. I started reading it and thought it was gonna be a boring book, as i got going i couldnt put the book down, the mystery, the wondering its a great book for anyone to read you'll love it. I did till something happened but thats for you to find out when you read the I think greatest Grisham novel.
Rating:
Summary: Easy, Fast Pace Read....
Review: Not one of Grisham's best. However the story is entertaining and the book is a fast pace easy read. Kinda like People Magazine. Grisham's book "The Firm" is my favorite, so if a beginner to his work, I'd start there.
Rating: 
Summary: Grisham finally gets away from Southern USA
Review: Finally Grisham writes a novel that is based elsewhere, in this case Washington and Brasil. The storyline is interesting - excentric spiteful billionaire wanting revenge one last time on his ungrateful children and ex-wives. However, there is a lack of tension in this story, which seems to end a little too easily and with apparently no conflict. The winning side in this case is clear right from the start. The story has some interesting elements to it, but I found it overall disappointing in the end.
Rating:
Summary: almost an awakening!!....
Review: It starts as interesting as all of Grishams books, but as it goes deep into its chapters, it becomes more and more amazingly interesting. You will learn from it, as well as you will laugh with it, and then you will cry with it. I think that in some way this book relates to just about everyone. The theme of the book relies on the cases of the legal (material) world we live in, but I think that the real core of the book lies in the spirituality that takes place in the most inner part of the book.
After I finished the book, I somehow felt like a new part of ME had been awakened, and believe it or not, all of a sudden i just felt like smiling at the whoe world.
I think that you should give this book a try, and experience what i experienced... you will very much enjoy it.
PS. Ignore my grammar please, english is my second language
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing . . .
Review: I listened to the audio version of this book and found it to be so slow, boring and predictable that I couldn't finish it. Very disappointing when compared to some of John Grisham's other legal thrillers.
Rating: 
Summary: the testement
Review: This is a great example of the golddinggers in today's society, while weaving in a storyline of mystery and lies. This is a great book but it's ending is a little uneventfull. But overall a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best ending...
Review: This book had a great plot...at times it was slow...the ending had something to be desired...I was disappointed when Rachel Lane "died" it left me wondering if she "died" so that she just would not have to deal with the will of her father, or if she really died. It came all of the sudden and I did not like that.
Rating:
Summary: First Grisham book that I read and finished
Review: This is the first Grisham book that I read and finished...I would have to give it 3 stars...it was not bad by any means, but the book promised a surprise with the character of Rachel, and there was none. The only surprise is when she died at the end. There was a part of me that wanted to ask, is she really dead?? Or did she "die" just so that she would no longer have to deal with the will that was at hand? I would read another one of his books...but I would hope for a better, more explained ending in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best work, but...
Review: ...finally Grisham writes a novel that is based outside the southern USA, in this case Washington and Brasil. The storyline is interesting - excentric spiteful billionaire wanting revenge one last time on his ungrateful children and ex-wives. However, I found that there was a lack of tension in this story right through to to ending. The story has some interesting elements to it, but I found it overall disappointing in the end.
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