Rating: 
Summary: Different from his other books but one of the best.
Review: He takes a different approach with this book which is the alter ego of The Chamber. I found the book refreshing and totally enjoyable, especially the details describing the Pantanal, an area that I also have been. Easy reading compared to the Pelican Brief where it was sometimes difficult to keep up with the action. The book has its surprises with everything tied together to a very enjoyable conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Grisham Book Yet
Review: I enjoyed this Grisham book better than any of the others. While it did not have the action of The Firm, it did have an intriguing plot and what I considered to be great character development. As a lawyer, I was interested in the portrayal of the attorneys for the Phelan heirs. I think I recognized some of them!!! Most of us do not read John Grisham books for their depth. We read them as a diversion. I can honestly say that Mr. Grisham has once again kept my attention for a sustained period of time. If you are looking for deep psychological meaning or heavy philosophical messages you will not find it here, but this book does have some subtle, but serious religious messages.
Rating: 
Summary: Good research of Brazil - Good Book - A little predictible
Review: It holds your attention! The first 100 pages are better than the rest of the book. The adventure in Brazil is too much!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: I have always eagerly anticipated Grisham's books and have ordered them before they are published. I will still read Grisham but he's now been demoted to paperback edition. I won't spend my money on his hardcovers anymore. No suspense, the journey to Brazil was not believable, and Troy's suicide was unexplained.
Rating:
Summary: The Complicated Became Simple
Review: I love you John Grisham.You showed us the sewage of life and the nectar of life in this book. The putrid and the pure. I don't need War and Peace from you, John. There is a depth of understanding that always shines through with your work. Some miss it because they dwell on looking for the obvious. Thank God you stopped being a lawyer.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring after 1st few chapters
Review: After the first few chapters, I thought this was going to be an excellent book. The rest of the book completely disabused me of that notion. There were large sections where nothing at all was happening-- yes, he has an amazing talent for describing details, but I'm not interested in 50 pages of it at a time unless it actually has some bearing on the plot. I agree completely with the reader that said this could've been written in 100 pages or less. A disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Write for love, John; not for bucks!
Review: I've waited, I've watched, I've anticipated each of Grisham's new works. BUT -- in The Testament, Grisham's usual tension-building style, with enough information to make the legal profession seem almost like an honest calling, is replaced with plodding plot and travelogue. Don't get me wrong; the characters are pretty well-developed, the book's continuity is good, the plot's satisfying, the little "Grisham twist" at the end works well. I'm just a little let down because my usual four or five hour, forget that the ouside world exists experience was replaced with a two and a half hour journey through ordinary. It's almost like John had to crank out a book to make his contract, but left his soul at home....
Rating: 
Summary: I don't know why I still keep reading John Grisham's book,
Review: I got disappointed every time I read John Grisham's new book. On the book jacket, it even misguide the nature of the book. "... Returning to the real world is always difficult, but this time it's going to be murder." Unless I misunderstood what the word "murder" means, I found no murder or even close to murder in this book. It's a straight forward story about distributing an estate, and finding the rightful heir. There is no suspense, nor is any murder mystry involved. The scene of Brazil and the life of tribes are only skin deep at the best. I'm disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: No suspense, no drama, not up to Grisham standards.
Review: I was hoping that his last book, The Street Lawyer was an aboration. Unfortunately, it wasn't! Mr. Grisham wrote so many suspenseful and interesting books, I expected more of the same. I was very disapointed with this book and his previous book. There was no courtroom drama. There was no suspense. I could not connect with any of the characters as I could with The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The pelican Brief, etc. My Grisham shouldn't write a "book-a-year".
Rating:
Summary: Less frenzied, more character development
Review: Grisham's latest is not the frenzied, fast-paced, all action,no character book of recent years. Although he remains true to his muse and focuses on a Southern lawyer with personal problems, he takes the time to let the character develop and even gives space to some introspective and insightful musings from Nate O'Riley. His protagonists (the Phelan family) are still one-dimensional, perhaps tempering their greed with some more admirable qualities would make them more interesting. Troy Phelan emrges as a comic book character without any clue as to why he would act the way he does...since the entire plot hinges on his initial action, more attention to motivation would have made a great deal of sense. Passages that take place in the jungles of Brazil and the Chesapeake cottage ring with more authenticity and depth. All in all, I enjoyed the book despite its shortcomings and found it a change in the right direction from recent Grisham offerings.
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