Rating: 
Summary: Don't Buy This Book! (Please!)
Review: This book is a terrible attempt at irony, from a formula writer who has lost his recipe. This is the worst book I have read in years, and I would save you the money and time that is wasted by reading it. It's too late for me, but you can still save yourself! Grisham has written several fine novels with legal intrigue that have great characters, and a driving plots - this is not one of them. This book begins with a death and some unexplained cash with the body. The son finds it, and the entire book is about his attempt to find out where it came from, and how to keep it away from other people. Oh yeah- someone else knows about the money - oooooh. No great twists, suspense, or legal manipulation. Just boring trudging through simple words. It left me angry that I had wasted my time.
If you're stuck on Grisham, go re-read the Pelican Brief, The Summons isn't worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: "The summons" and Grisham FAQ
Review: Q: What is "The summons" about?
A: "The summons" is the story of Ray Atlee, a lawyer and law professor at University of Virginia. He receives a summons from his aging father, Judge Atlee, a retired chanceler in Clanton, Mississipi. The Judge is dying and wants to see his son (whose relationship with was never good) once again. When Ray enters his old house, the Judge is dead and he finds more than US$ 3 milion stacked in boxes. What should he do? He can't tell his brother, Forrest, a drug addict that would surely kill himself with that much money. He has no friends. He has no family. And he has no idea where the money came from, since his father was as straight as can be. So, "The summons" is Ray's quest to know the origin of the money. Q: Is "The summons" as bad as everybody is saying?
A: Well, you have to be careful to answer that. First of all, I can't consider this a novel, it's more like a novella disguised as a novel. It's short, fast to read, few characters, not much time-tracking, etc. Alone, "The summons" would not be that bad a book, but it is written by John Grisham. As I finished it, I opened and read the first chapters of "A time to kill", which I think is Grisham's best book. The difference is amazing, to the point that it makes me wonder if it was indeed Grisham who wrote "The summons". I would give "The summons" 3 stars, but the ending of the book is too stupid, and the "final twist" was not twisty at all. And comparing it to "A time to kill" only made me angry at the author, who one long time ago knew how to write good novels. "The summons" is such a recycled material that one of the characters, Harry Rex Vonner, comes indeed from his first book. Why? I can see no reason for that. So, is "The summons" as bad as everybody is saying? Yes; it has developing potential, though, but the author simply didn't care. "The summons" is his next-to-worst book, only better than "The brethren" and as bad as "The street lawyer". Q: What is happening to John Grisham?
A: Man, I don't really know. In my opinion, Grisham is bound to a killer millionaire contract with one publishing house or another, and has to deliver one book per year. He simply lost the pleasure to write. He's writing because he's ordered to, and this shows in a steeply descendent curve of the quality of his later books. In fact, no one has the necessary immagination to deliver a good plot, good characters and a good book once a year. Q: What should I do about Grisham? A: Stop buying his books, of course. Or if you are a fan of his older books, like me, browse your local used-books store once in a while, and see if you find books like "The summons" and "The brethren", so your collection is complete. But if everybody keeps making Grisham reach the bestselling list with each new book, the quality of his work will hardly improve. To me, he's made it very clear that, like his shark-lawyers characters, he's only after the easy money. Grade 5.5/10
Rating: 
Summary: What would you do with a cool $3 million
Review: It's been years since Ray Atlee, U Virginia law professor has had much to do with his Circuit Court Judge Father Rueben Atlee. The son returns to Clanton, to find the old man died. He also finds $3 million in cold hard cash. Well, the twists and turns from there unfold at an appropriately syrupy slow Southern Novel pace. We get to know father's practice, we struggle with Ray as to whether to keep the loot on or off the books, hiding it from ne'er do well brother...The characters are well drawn and the inner dialoge that drives the tweedy professor are clearly thought provoking. I'll never look at a stack of boxes in the study cupboards the same way again!
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable w/ unusual twist at end...The Un-Grisham
Review: "The Summons" is probably the worst book John Grisham has written. Unfortunately, noone in the editing station asked themselves if certain parts of the book were actually believable. The main character seems to always be a sitting duck but still manages to escape harm or robbery everytime. Grisham also did something in this books that he hasn't done before: use a twist at the end to reveal the real perpetrator. This part makes sence but acts like a sore thumb when placed amonth the rest of his work. Let's hope he didn't actually write this one.
Rating: 
Summary: My First Grisham Book
Review: Believe it or not, this book is my first John Grisham read. Halfway through it, I ordered 3 more. I will admit that since I have read "The King of Torts," and "The Brethren," this book is written with fairly simple language, but that's ultimately it's beauty. It's only vaguly centered around the legal world, and is really more of a thriller. I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it especially to those who are not already Grisham fans. It may be enough excitement for you without the legal mumbo-jumbo!
Rating:
Summary: The usual good read from John Grisham
Review: As always, this Grisham novel is a page turner. I enjoyed it about as much as any other of his novels. The real twists and surprises are slow in coming but they are there.
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Summary: !!!!SweetSummons!!!!
Review: The book, Summons, is written by John Grisham, I like this book because there is action in the first 30 pages. I don't like books that have action or some kind of a thrill until you are half way thru the book. If you like books that keep you waiting and wondering what is going to happen, then this is for you. This story talks a lot about Forrest's and his dad's problem, but it is very interesting. My favorite character is "Ray", because he likes to keep things to himself, but if something needs to be said he is not afraid to say it. Will Ray tell Forrest what he has been hiding from him? Find out by reading The Summons you will be surprised, I was!
Rating: 
Summary: Grisham ! what happened?
Review: After reading initial grisham worls like Firm,Chamber and Time to Kill I had big hope abot this book too..Alas how dissapointed I was. This story is shallow with lot of loose ends..when Ray atlee escapes from the home what happens to his money? Does Forrest comes and get it or his sidekicks does it? The bad guys does everything except searching Ray's car which is the most obvious place to hide money for Ray,,come on Grisham u can do better than this
Rating:
Summary: Not a whole lot to this book
Review: No action, no threat to the characters in the story, and an ending that suggested that John Grisham was getting bored with the book. Not a good combination. Like all of his books, this one has pretty easy reading. If you want something that isn't to deep or complicated, go ahead and get this.
Rating:
Summary: Uniquely Grisham, but definitely not his best
Review: Somehow John Grisham has lost much of his appeal. Again, he comes out with a novel that does't reach the quality of previous releases.
Nevertheless, "The Summons" is a typical Grisham. The story is not bad, but barely believable and very predictable...though the end is somewhat surprising.
Obviously Grisham ran out of good flicks for his books. Everything in "The Summons" has appeared in one of his older novels.
I hope that Grisham one day will find to his old quality again and write better stuff than "The Summons", which is okay for reading in your vacation.
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