Rating: Summary: Two novels in one Review: I have read all of Grisham's work and always look forward to reading his latest. Some have been better than others, of course, but reading The Testament (and listening to the audiobook later) was a very schizophrenic experience for me. I thought the part concerning Nate, Rachel and the fantastic location of the rainforest was great--interesting, unusual and the plot certainly kept my attention. But when the story went back to the Phelan family nightmare, I asked myself if it was the same book. The characters here are so stereotyped they seem like caricatures--so obnoxious and greedy as to be farcical. I remember thinking "Come on, John, you can do better than all these cardboard cutouts." Nevertheless, the intriguing glimpse he gave us of life along the Amazon and its tributeries made reading the novel worthwhile. (Besides, Nate is someone I can sort of relate to!)
Rating: Summary: Great Book! Review: Reading Grisham's previous work, THE STREET LAWYER, was pure drudgery. Reading THE TESTAMENT, on the other hand, was a wonderful antidote-- probably his best since THE FIRM. This is the story of an eccentric billionaire, Troy Phelan, who leaves $11 billion to a previously unknown illegimate child named Rachel Lane. The executors of the will must find her before the estate is divided among Troy's six other children, a beastly bunch who are eagerly circling their prey waiting to pounce on it at the fastest possible change. Nate O'Riley, a lawyer battling his own personal demons, is dispatched to find her in the jungles of Brazil. Nate finds her, in the netherworld of the Amazon. He presses to sign the papers and take the money. She wants no part of it. A devout Christion, she is content taking care of her flock, an obscure Indian tribe. Nate is smitten by her. He respects her for her courage, and wished that he could be the same. This is book about personal discovery as well as about the evil culture of lawyers. This book had a great ending, I thought. It wasn't a Hollywood one, that's for sure. This is a great great. I highly recommend it.
Rating: Summary: Great Book! Review: Starts out a little unbeleivable, but after a few chapters it was difficult to but down! Great read. Loved seeing the burnt out lawyer get turned around. Actually like the fact that the missionary was not perfect, but human. One of my top fiction books!
Rating: Summary: Competent writing style but dull as ditch water Review: John Grisham is master of the fast paced, all action thriller, or so I thought. But somewhere among the line he has undergone a transformation. Starting with 'The Street Lawyer' he became pedestrian. Why does he now insist on writing books with non-existent plots? I thought it might just be a one off, but with 'The Testament' it has become a regular feature. In his defense he is a competent writer and the opening of this book is impressive. It's just that after the opening, it falls off a cliff.Please, Mr Grisham, if you read this, address the problem.
Rating: Summary: dull book that's a drag to finish Review: frankly, i have not been able to finish this book. i stopped somewhere in the middle where the drunk lawyer was out in the wild looking for the heiress. odly enough, the book begins with a fast and exciting pace. then it drags on for the next 200+ pages and counting. the only reason i give this book a star is because my man grisham has to be worth at least a lil something. but seriously, grish, you have to snap out of your slumber. your last 2 books: testament and brethren (another bore to read) have been very, very, weak. at 25bucks a pop (paperback), you gotta give a bros his money's worth.
Rating: Summary: Great Read Review: This is the first book I've ever read of John Grisham, therefore I can not compare this to his other bestselling novels. But I can say this, I could not put this down once I started reading it. The characters were very real and I found myself rooting for Nate throughout the story to overcome his problems. Another great part of this book is that is opened up a whole new world to me in the explanation of the Pantanal, an ecological region of Brazil that I had never heard of before. Thanks John, you just got yourself a new fan.
Rating: Summary: writer Review: John went ti the spiritual side of his feelings this time. We need more of that from our famous writers. Good Job!
Rating: Summary: Kim's Testament Review: Troy Phelan is a billionaire who doesn't like his family. Troy has six children and three ex-wives, and doesn't like any of them. Troy was said to be perfectly sound of mind and memory. He also claims to be confined to a weal chair and have a tumor in his a brain. His children and ex-wives are all waiting for him to die, but Troy has a surprise in store for them. I think this is a good book because it is a very interesting and exciting. I like the way there are different views but they all come together. The way the author shares all the feelings of the characters makes you feel like you are in the story. Troy has just been proven perfectly sound of mind and memory when he gets up and runs and jumps to his death. Just seconds before he jumped he signed a handwritten will. All his children and ex-wives what the will said. The one person who can read the will finds out it is not to be shared for a couple of weeks. The will does not give any money to the ex-wives and little money to the children. The rest of the money goes to an unknown heir named Rachel Lane. She has given her life to god, she is somewhere in South America living with Indians. She has to be found but no one knows exactly where she is. Nate O'Riley is chosen to find her somewhere in South America. It will be a long hard quest to find her. Meanwhile the Phelan heirs are still trying to find out what is in the will. I would rate this four out of five stars. Sometimes the author goes on and on about something that does not matter very much. I would recommend this book for people who like an adventure. This is a book that you just want to keep reading!
Rating: Summary: Intriguetive start, routine middle and very touching finish Review: I would like to skip words like pageturner, entertainment and so on. I have read all previous books of John Grisham. Definitely characters were developed delicately. Josh and Rashel were like real. I gave 4 stars because he bought me with Rashel Lane. A long trip of Nate was boring. He could cut 100 pages in the middle of the book. I would place this book on 4th position after The Partner, The Firm and The Rainmaker. But, I have to thank him. He makes me more human with books like this.
Rating: Summary: Picturesque......very well written Review: The Testament is yet another classic: John Grishams novels hardly ever fail to impress (perhaps the possible exception being The Street Lawyer). The fact that the story has a number of characters, and a number of settings, from the everyday houses of the heirs to the very unique Pantanal in Brazil, calls for a very good imagination on the part of the reader. Nate O' Riley is very likable, and Grisham has once again proved that the protagonist need not be a perfect individual. The ending is excellent. Unlike some readers, who suggest that Grishams endings tends to be rather flat, i personally believe that he is rather imaginative. He leaves the reader in suspense, giving him or her something to think about, even after the story itself is finished. The Testament does drag a bit at times, and you want to skip a few pages to get to the interesting parts, but these occasions are rare, and the book is a great read.
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