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Summary: The first paragraph grabs you into the story.
Review: Greed and money. Fighting for money power. The depth of the personalities portrayed is true to human characteristics.Maybe a few readers will survey their lives to see if they fit any of the catagories. I thought the mental trip to Brazil was rich, and would suggest this book find a place on everyone's bookshelf. I plan to lend this book to all that will read it.
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Summary: like a cheap romance novel
Review: Well, maybe I expected too much again, but this book was so easy to read, I knew after 20 pages how it would end.. Compared with his other books even the street lawyer which was not one of his best this book ranks for me at the very end. do not bother....
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Summary: A new adventure for John Grisham
Review: One has to admire a writer who will veer away from the usual topics explored in his or her writing and tackle a new arena. And, in this regard, Mr.Grisham is to be applauded. Gone, is his typical disenchanted lawyer working for a big corporate firm who, in the end, leaves his high paying career frustrated over the legal system. Instead, Mr. Grisham presents us with a Brazilian adventure and while a lawyer is at the center of this novel, his characteristics are largely different than previous Grisham lawyers. The novel begins strongly with Troy Phelan, one of (if not the most) the richest men in the world preparing his last will and testament before his death which his children anxiously await the inheritance. However, a surprise for Mr. Phelan's family transpires and the novel now takes on a Brazilian adventure in search of Rachel Lane, a missionary who has devoted her life to God. Here is where the novel faulters. The journey to Brazil is long, tedious to read and holds little interest. For over 250 pages, Mr. Grisham rambles endlessly and, because this is new territory for him, his writing suffers. Yet, when the adventure concludes and we are back in the courtroom, "The Testament" once again comes alive. And although we have a lawyer, Nate O'Reily, who is tired of practicing law - more for his own demons rather than the injustice of the judiciary system, he is cut from a different mold than other Grisham lawyers and, in the end, he chooses something similiar, yet different than other Grisham attorney's. "The Testament is a decent read in which spirituality and the faith in God are explored. I hope Mr. Grisham continues to tackle new ideas in the future and, as he becomes more experienced in writing out his realm, one can anticipate more expierenced, intelligent writing.
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Summary: Not John's best but very good.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I have read all of Grisham's and I thought this had very good and different twist. It kept me guessing as to the outcome.
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Summary: Hopefully Grisham's On His Way Back to Greatness
Review: "The Testament" is a vast improvement to John Grisham's last two novels, "The Street Lawyer" and "The Partner", but still not in the league with his earlier works like "The Firm" and "A Time to Kill". I particularly liked the storyline dealing with the Phelan family's actions after the death of their father, this should have been developed further. I agree with other reviewers who say Grisham's description of Nate's trip through the jungles of Brazil was too drawn out for its overall contribution to the story. This material can be skimmed without much impact on the flow of the story. Finally, the Rachel Lane subplot was also interesting, but again could have used more development.Overall, Grisham has improved this time around, but he should take more time (say, two years instead of the usual one year) and write a damn good book, like we know he can!
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Summary: Captivating... but typical Grisham.
Review: It was difficult to put "The Testament" down at first. The excitement of the activity caused by Troy's death left you predicting what would happen next, yet Grisham was able to throw in a few surprises. The descriptions of the soon-to-be rich folks makes a humble reader wonder if people can really be that uncaring and predisposed to money. This takes away from the story a bit. One instantly sides with the hero character. Grisham does well in detailing Brazil and a culture very few know about. The story lagged a bit with Nate as the main character. He had too much baggage and it slowed the river boat down at times, so to speak. With just a few pages left to read, and the conclusion not obvious, though lurking in the back of my mind, Grisham ends the story nicely and respectfully... just enough for this reader to look forward to the next Grisham novel. Overall a good weekend read, but a typical Grisham lawyer story.
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Summary: Disappointing compared to other Grisham novels.
Review: I've read all the Grisham novels; I preordered this one because I've enjoyed everyone and had trouble putting them down. This one was boring and I actually skimmed some parts to "get on with it". The author didn't develop the characters well; the alcoholic was totally non-believable. It seemed he was trying to fit too much into one book; I would have loved to see more character development, especially of the wealthy family...there was a gold mine there. I won't rush out to buy his next book...its back to paperback for Grisham with this reader!
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Summary: Loved it!!!!!!!
Review: This book was up there with "A Time to Kill". Not his usual but this is a great book with a great message.
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Summary: Aimless journey into avarice and the Brazilian jungle
Review: I was very disappointed in this novel. Although I applaud Mr. Grisham's attempt to get away from superhero lawyers and the streets of Memphis, he did so without any direction. The characters are poorly developed and flat. They are either evil and greedy, or drunks. Even the protagonist only changes his ways when he is led to do so, either by his therapist or this faultless "angel" in the jungle. The various subplots do not fit together very well. And, in the end, the hero of our story just capitulates to the slimy offspring of the writer of The Testament. I kept waiting to care about someone or something in this book. It never happened.
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Summary: The most inspiring novel I have read in a long time
Review: After listening to the abriged audiobook version of The Testament, I was so moved by the story that I immediately read the full-length version and found it one of the most inspiring novels I have read in a long time. It's no wonder that it became the #1 NY Times best-seller so quickly. As an avid Grisham reader, I have always found him to be a master of suspense with socially relevant themes. The Testament was a pleasant surprise with its theme of spiritual recovery and redemption reminiscent of the best of Graham Greene. I admire Grisham for his ability to write such a popular best-seller without the gratuitous sex and foul language so prevalent in other writers of this genre and for his skill in writing a book that is both suspensful and inspirational.
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