Rating: 
Summary: Why does he stink at the endings?
Review: It wasn't his best, but it was still pretty good. He has the knack for making you feel like you know the characters right from the first page. This one isn't the typical courtroom deal, or even the litigation nightmare but it does keep the pages turning.I still can't figure out why he stinks at the endings, though. Can you?
Rating: 
Summary: John Grisham has done it again!!
Review: Typical of John Grisham's books, this story is completely gripping! I read this from cover to cover completely held captive with his creative writing style. You will love this book and your mouth will jaw will drop at the ending!! Anxiously awaiting John's next book...................
Brenda
Rating: 
Summary: Slower than a Southern Drawl
Review: For an author whose work is primarily entertainment, not great literature, Grisham falls apart with this lack of effort. Poor ole Forrest. He's a drug and alcohol dependent lout with a self-righteous, paranoid and greedy brother. What a family. The controlling, philandering dad didn't seem like much of a sweetheart either, though one doesn't really get the opportunity to see him in action (since he's dead when first introduced). I found it difficult to sustain much interest in this rather tedious effort. The weak suspense of where the money came from and the shallow character of Ray running around trying to figure out how to keep the money hidden and figure out who else knows about it -- well.... it just wasn't enough to keep me entertained. Wouldn't it have been more interesting to start the book with the dad alive and spend some time developing the characters and their relationships first? Then the dad can die, the story can continue as it does in the existing book with more suspense, and less wordiness and lack of drama. Half-way through the book, I thought "do I really need to finish this?" Is it worth wading through all this text about characters I find uninteresting? Then I thought.....well, it's got to get better....but it didn't. If you must read this book, buy it used, borrow it, or get it from the library. It isn't worth the cost of the hardback.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham's worst!
Review: Shame on John Grisham for wasting my time. It was a good story, until the end, which leaves you hanging with regard to who is responsible for much of what happened in the book and for what will happen next. It's almost as if there is to be a sequel. If there is, I, for one, won't be interested in reading it. I'm too angry at Mr. Grisham for having wasted a big part of my weekend reading this lousy book.
Rating: 
Summary: Read It Anyway
Review: This is a fairly fast read with a simple plot: Ray Atlee, law professor and older brother of Forrest, is summoned to his father, old and honest terminally ill Judge Atlee. The Judge, isolating himself in his once elegant mansion, Maple Run, is found dead when Ray arrives. As he explores the run-down old house and rummages through the piles of dusty newspapers and hoarded junk, Ray discovers 27 boxes full of cash. The meat of the story deals with Ray's relationship to the money; what to do with it, the growing awareness that others are after it, his attempts to find out how it got inside Maple Run, and to rectify his father's apparant involvement. From reading the other reviews, I expected THE SUMMONS to be a terrible effort. It wasn't as bad as some have complained nor is it one of Grisham's best. It presents a situation that challenges a man's personal values and moral code and the torment and temptation greed and wealth causes. The story was presented in such a way that I tried to imagine myself in the same predicament as Ray. Any story that stimulates self reflection and teaches a lesson is worth reading for me.
Rating:
Summary: TRICKY ENDING.
Review: Grisham got me on this one; I didn't have it figured out till the end. I don't think this is one of his best, but it was good enough to hold my attention.
Rating:
Summary: How can Grisham be so boring?
Review: This book is slower than a lazy southern river on a hot summer day. I would have expected something a little more interesting from Grisham. The main characters, especially the protagonist are morally bereft and unlikeable, and the story just drags along, daring the reader to finish this slow-as-molasses novel. By the middle of the book, I no longer cared where the money came from, and I don't recommend this to anyone, unless you have insomnia.
Rating:
Summary: Wet Noodle
Review: I have read all of Grisham's books while I fequently fly....the last few have left me flat at the end like a wet noodle. This one enough so that I decided to warn others about it. Grisham's early works were a great read, enjoyable to the end and satisfying afterwards....Summons starts that way and makes the noble attempt but then seems like he got tired of writing and had to wrap up the book to get it to the publisher to meet a time commitment....Very unsatisfying and not worth the time to read. I'm still a grisham fan but will be very hesitant to simply pick up his next book based.
Rating:
Summary: Research Failure by Grisham
Review: A good book spoiled by a failure of the author to research a key component of his plot. He has the judge, his lawyer, and both sons upset that the IRS will take 50% of an estate that is well under the $675,000 level where the Estate Tax started back in in 2000 and 2001 (it went to $1 Million in 2002.) Although there is no specific date mentioned for the book, it has to be set in something near the present since the author refers to Reagan Airport in Washington, DC and the casinos in Tunica MS. I would have expected better from Grisham and his editors.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham Knows His Line of Work
Review: The Summons was a great book! My best, however, is The Testament, but I REALLY liked this one too. It kept me guessing and as it continued towards the end, I knew Forrest was too close for comfort. I think "The Summons" should have a Part II - A Sequel. Those of us who liked the book and appreciate Mr. Grisham's writings want to know if Forrest will contact Ray after a year.
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