The Testament

Rating:
Summary: Excellent beginning, the jungle tiring as real
Review: I enjoyed everything associated with court or lawyers' actions - sure, Grisham is good at it, but it's not the main plot. Indoor actions and descriptions perfect, much better then the outdoor ones, I prefer J. F. Cooper's description of nature. I would expect something more.

Rating:
Summary: Down-and-out lawyer discovers life's meaning
Review: For a Grisham novel, this story is surprisingly up close and personal. The primary plot depicts the predicable squabbling and manuevering as the mean-spirited heirs of an obscenely wealthy self-made man discover that they have been eliminated from his will in favor of an illegitimate child nobody has ever heard of. So far, so good and all the well-know Grisham magic is at work in the world of legal posturing and manipulation.

The secondary plot however is the real grabber here. Grisham has always given us glimpses as the real human stories behind at least one or two of his central characters. The male lead here is a thoroughly incompetent alcoholic who has finally, as the story opens, hit bottom for the last time. He's screwed up everything -- marriages, kids, career, health. Sounds like a trip up a jungle river into the huge rainforest of the Pantenol preserve in South America is the only thing that might shock him into straightening up and flying right. It does ...

This one is no thriller along the lines of A Time to Kill or The Chamber, etc. The banal existence of the parasitic rich kids is almost distressingly well portrayed but there's no big mystery or plot to be unveiled. One might even suspect the author jotted this one down over a weekend with a deadline due. It's pretty good brain candy though, if that's what you need.

Rating:
Summary: Good Grisham
Review: I'm a big John Grisham fan, and while I thought The Testament was interesting and entertaining, it was by far not my favorite Grisham novel.

The story of an eccentric billionaire who demeans his family one final time in his will is built on a strong foundation. Grisham does a good job with character development through most of the story, and just when we are to meet a climax at the conclusion of the novel, he drops us off a cliff. Imaginitive and realistic at the same time, The Testament will reinforce in your will the evil that money can cultivate.

All in all, not my favorite Grisham, but still worth the read.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful narration
Review: The second JG novel I read after the 'Rain Maker'. His way of character introduction is very good. Even though there are so many characters in this novel, he gives so much background information about each character and makes it easy to remember those. Also the vivid description of the pantanal is too good. I really felt like being there in the pantanal.

Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining.
Review: I'm not a huge fan of court-room dramas and after reading Grisham's enjoyable THE FIRM years ago, I always assumed that the rest of his novels were more of the same. (In part because of the legal sounding titles.) TESTAMENT is more than that, however, and opened my eyes a bit. The story of a dying mogul and his greedy offspring was very entertaining and very suspenseful. I couldn't wait to see the reprehensible heirs get bamboozled with the will. The protagonist is a washed up alcoholic lawyer who must find the true-- and secret-- heir who is a missionary in South America. He finds a beautiful and self-less woman that forces him to confront his own self absorbed, tortured existance. Entertaining, humorous, and thought provoking. A good read with surprising depth.

Rating:
Summary: "The Testament: A Modern-Day Parable"
Review: Another great story from one of the terrific writers of our day, Grisham knows how to build his characters and he does it again in "The Testament", which is a modern-day parable of the Book of Ecclesiastes. The Old Testament book's theme is, "Everything is Meaningless" and the writer concludes that the only thing that matters in life is his relationship with God. Well, Grisham apparently takes this timeless theme and builds his storyline. Troy Phelan, the multibillionaire, the man who has it all, sets the stage for the plot. His life characterizes the Ecclesiastical claim that all is meaningless, all is vanity, nothing matters; however, midway in the book, we are introduced to Rachel Lane, who has taken the path of a missionary in the deep Pantanal jungles of South America. Her life is simple, absent of the luxuries of American materialism, but rich in other ways. The reader is drawn into the story through the character of Nate O'Riley, a lawyer who must face his own personal vices and make some critical life choices of his own. Well my friends, you will have to discover the exciting concluson for yourselves, in a novel with many twists and turns, and of course, Grisham's forte of legal suspense makes this an awesome book. Who knows, you may have to make some choices of your own?

Rating:
Summary: funny & engaging
Review: This book is a little unusual for a Grisham novel -- nobody is truly evil and nobody is willing to kill to get what they want. This is the most humane of Grisham's novels in that he presents the characters as more flawed (except the missionary woman who is very close to being perfect) than brutal. The central male character is a recovering alcoholic and we suffer thru his relapses with him while the main plot plays out in the US and most interestingly in the Pantenal of Brazil, and the sub plot follows him coming to terms with the pain his drinking has caused for his kids and partners. Unlike The Firm and The Pelican Brief, etc because the focus here is much more personal, much less wide-lens conspiracy. I really liked this book.

Rating:
Summary: Decent "adventure", but . . .
Review: While the book was well-written, and there are certainly some exciting sequences, the book never really arrives anywhere.

Phelan's heirs don't come across so much "evil" as they do as victims of circumstances (a man who, rather than give his children care and love, just gave them $5 million each when they turn 21; he then took pleasure in seeing them waste it). Rather than making the children the villains, they become (not quite) innocent victims--robbing the book of much of the conflict one might expect.

Moreover, the last 100 pages peter to a close, without any real sense of urgency or drama.

I read--and enjoyed--"The Pelican Brief." Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about "The Testament."

Rating:
Summary: This'll be a Great Movie Some Day!
Review: The style of The Testament is very fast-paced, adventurous, humurous, and simplistic...I believe that Mr. Grisham writes with movie scripts on his mind. Is that a bad thing? It could be, but in this case, NO! The Testament will make a great movie some day (if produced/directed/acted by the right people)...

There is such a great mix of adventure, legal maneuverings, and some subtle romance, just enough to keep the ladies interested but not make the guys gag!

The themes explored offer something for everyone, and make for some interesting situations. Money vs. Spiritual Happiness is explored, as we go back and forth between several would-be heirs and their greedy desires for a huge inheritance; and the woman who actually won the inheritance, but wants nothing to do with it, for fear of it ruining her own Spiritualness. She is one of the most at-peace people in the world, working with a Peace Corps-style organization in South America's jungles.

The main character, Nate O'Riley, slowly but surely transforms his attitudes in life as he meets and respects this heiress, Rachel.

I'll agree with some of the people who thought the ending was somewhat abrupt and not fully developed. But, I'll say no more about that so as not to give it away!

I think most Grisham fans will enjoy this and it'd be a good first Grisham book for people who want to explore this author...

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!!
Review: This was one of the best works I have read yet of John Grishams. It was adventurous and very well thought out. I would recommend this book to anyone, in fact I have before and they have loved it as much as I have!