Rating: 
Summary: OK for Being Half a Book
Review: I mostly enjoyed reading the book, but upon reaching the 'end' I was, like: "Huh? That's not the ending of a book, that's just the ending of a sentence." Take a new book, rip it in two pieces, then read the first piece. My experience was similar to that. Although I was anticipating a 'normal' good book, while reading this book I was starting to wonder... In particular, I could not understand why one of the main characters was included. Indeed, not only included but receiving an incredible amount of attention. Given the amount of time I spent reading about him, I was convinced that his 'story' must be central to the plot. But page after page I didn't see the connection. *Very* late in the book the connection becomes evident. At that point it also becomes obvious that this is definately one of those 'stay tuned for the next installment' things. Frankly, that technique has never worked for me. On a positive note, Grisham has a good writing style and probably some really talented editors. Page by page, the book is a good read. But the back cover shows up at a completely inappropriate location.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Give Me His Next Book. I'll Scream With Loathing
Review: Wish I'd read the one-star reviews before I started the book. Read together they make a compelling case for not buying, borrowing or reading it. For starters, it's not a page-turner, something that should make any dedicated mystery reader suspicious. Then there are the characters--dull, flat, unintersting. And the plot relies on extraneous stuffing. Were we supposed to like and root for he central character, Ray, the hotshot law professor as he trundles his mountain of loot around in his silly little car? The few possible villains aren't scary; neither are their tactics. Half way through I decided to browse quickly to the end and read the last chapter. There, Grisham really lets down the reader--a breakdown of the implicit contract between author and reader to supply a worthwhile ending. I never did find out how the Judge got all that money. Did Grisham forget that part of the plot? If Grisham continues to remain on the Best Seller List, it will because of the customers who think he makes a good gift for someone they believe fancies him. If somebody gives me a copy of his next book I'll scream with loathing, and run it back to Borders for a refund or exchange as quickly as I can.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible!
Review: This is by far the worst book I've read by Mr Grisham, and definitely my last. I've found his books to have become progressively worse (I've read 6 or 7). "The Summons" lacks any form of suspense. The characters are one-dimensional, there is no character development, and the plot is as thin as they come. The (lack of) conclusion is laughable. Please Mr Grisham, only write when you have an original idea, and can succeed in developing that idea into a story.
Rating: 
Summary: Mr. Grisham's Best (so far!)
Review: This is by far the best John Grisham book he has written. My opinion only, but I was engrossed in the story and the characters completely for the entire length. I haven't read all of Grisham's books yet, but now I really want to even if I know nothing will top The Summons. One of the things I loved about it was how much time it took to really describe the characters.
Rating:
Summary: The Summons
Review: Unlike Grisham's previous works, The Summons was a grave disappointment. The characters lacked any endearing qualities; the pace of the book was tedious; the ending was obvious long before the reader reached the end, and the only factor driving the reader to complete the book was the misguided hope that Grisham would manage, at some point, to bring some of his usual sparkle to this work. Don't waste your money or time on this book; look for one of his earlier works if you value a fast pace, interesting characters and an intriguing plotline. Perhaps Mr. Grisham is too busy worrying about screenplays to worry about writing good prose.
Rating: 
Summary: Katy's Review
Review: I loved "The Summons" by John Grisham! The story begins by introducing Ray Atlee, who receives a summons from his ex-judge father. However when he arrives at his father's home he finds him dead. As if finding his father dead was not enough of a shock he also finds three million dollars, more than the judge could ever make being a judge. The story unfolds quickly as you try to figure out how the judge got the money.To add to the mystery someone is trying to steal the money. Read this book to solve the mystery. Once you start, the story pulls you in and won't let you out until you have solved the mystery!
Rating:
Summary: Tyler's Summons
Review: The Summons, by John Grisham, is an astonishing on-the-run mystery book. Ray Atlee gets called by his dying father to spend time with him one more time. As Ray walks into the mansion in which his father lives, he finds the old man sprawled out on a sofa and supposes that his father is taking a nap, but as he suddenly finds out that his father is actually dead, he regrets his poor relationship with his father. As he finds the will of his deceased father, he finds boxes and boxes of $100 dollar bills adding up to about $3 million! The rest of the book, Ray is running and hiding from people who want to take the money. Ray does not want to share the money with his brother, Forrest, because he is worried that Forrest would spend it all on drugs, beer, and alcohol. This book was an awesome book and very fast-paced and fun to read. John Grisham is a very fun, page-turning read that everyone can enjoy. If you or anyone that you know has not read this book, I highly suggest that you buy the book, read it, and pass it on.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a Grisham best
Review: Professor Ray Atlee is 43, newly divorced and teaches law at the University of Virginia. He leads a simple life of simple pleasures: teaching, flying and jogging. His younger brother Forrest is a free-spirit addict living in Memphis, bouncing from job to job. The two 'have nothing in common but a name and a father.' They've both been summoned home to Clanton, Mississippi by their dying father, the legendary and honorable judge Reuben V. Atlee 'to discuss the administration of my estate.' They predict there will be nothing left of the estate: Mississippi judges don't make much money and their father charitably gave away plenty. When Ray arrives first to his father's house, first time in over a year, he finds his father already dead and a will dated the day before stating that Ray would be executor and the brothers would split what was left: house, furniture, car and $6,000. However, Ray also finds boxes of mysterious money stashed away in the house, just over 3 million dollars! He hides the money from everyone, including his brother Forrest, and contemplates where it came from, who else knows about it, is it stolen, marked, what? As Ray moves the money around, keeping it safe, he tests to see if it's counterfeit and investigates its source. Meanwhile, someone is following him, making threats, someone who obviously knows about the money. Although the plot was good, it lacked the usual tension and gripping suspense we usually associate with Grisham. Most characters were less developed than I would've liked and the only part that was page turning was the last two chapters where the twist lies. Overall, not bad, could've been better.
Rating:
Summary: Just Great!
Review: This book was a stunner. It was really hard to put the book down 'cause the plot was so complicated and it was impossible to guess who did it! Although some of my friends say that they got to know the suspense in the midst of the book, but I'd have to agree that I didn't, and just went on and on until I finished the book. I wasn't disappointed in the end. Some people think this book is not as good as Grisham's earlier ones. I think they are sadly mistaken as this is one of his better works (excluding 'Skipping Christmas' and 'A Painted House'). If you are double-minded about purchasing this book, I'd suggest you'd better give it a try...
Rating:
Summary: good read
Review: Im a teen and this is the first of Grisham's books I have read. I thought the plot was interesting, though it was sort of simple and at times slow.When Ray Atlee gets a summons to go to his father's home in Clanton, Mississippi he returns to find his father dead. While in the house Atlee finds 3 million dollars in cash. He is scared to tell anyone, even his drug addict brother, Forrest because he might spend all of the money and in the process kill himself. When Ray discovers that someone else knows about the money he goes on a mission to keep his treasure and all the while find where it came from. Like I mentioned previously, the plot became slow, but I still could not put the book down. The most thrilling event takes part in the end where the reader is in for a huge surprise. Though some disagree, I think this book was a good read and I look forward to reading more of John Grisham's work.
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