Rating: 
Summary: Just-For-Fun Seasonal Satire
Review: Not wanting to waste a promising two-week vacation, I decided to read a Christmas book - but one can only read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever so many times! Skipping Christmas, a satiric novella about society's obsession with the season, proved a good remedy for boredom. Grisham departs from the action and drama of his legal thrillers by focusing on one couple's plan to forego the holiday trivialities. After spending an overwhelming $6,100 the previous year, the Kranks decide that their money would be better utilized on a Caribbean cruise vacation, especially since their beloved daughter will not be home this season. Fellow residents of Hemlock Street criticize the Kranks for their lack of spirit, and the couple finds themselves under increasing pressure to conform - "skipping" Christmas seems easier said than done. Then, the unexpected happens, and the neighborhood unites in discovering the true meaning of Christmas. Grisham's tight-knit community exposes a valid point about holiday commercialism by creating a humorous yet shocking picture of society's often overly materialistic outlook on life. Despite the Kranks' overboard scheme and the unrealistic reactions from some of their neighbors, I enjoyed the novella and recommend this book as a just-for-fun read... for those who happen to have some free time around Christmas.
Rating: 
Summary: Check out the moving ending...
Review: What a wonderful idea to skip Christmas, away from all the hassle of sending x'mas cards, preparing for parties, getting the house decorated, buying gifts and receiving gifts that probably are useless... However I guess Luther should have picked an earlier date, rather than christmas day itself!Of the preparations that Luther and Nara took for the trip - going on diet and going for tan, I was anticipating what would have happened in the end. It was quite a twist, that add to the an element of excitement and hence the pace of reading. I was particularly touched by the ending. A kind gesture of Luther, but I guess as an accountant, he did just the right move than to have his three grand wasted. (What a timely x'mas gift~!)
Rating:
Summary: Good Christmas Story
Review: This was a good Christmas story. The is a very light-hearted book that makes a great read for Christmas break. It isn't Grisham's greatest work, but not the worst either. I would recommend it if you have some free time around Christmas.
Rating:
Summary: Humorless Readers Beware
Review: Saw this book last year but never got around to reading it. Our Women's Club decided to do a book club sort of meeting this month so picked up a copy and read it this morning. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Mr. Grisham's humor is right up my alley. I laughed aloud several times and cried at the end at a very poignant moment. Seems to me the negative reviews came from readers who either didn't get the point, took it too seriously, or just felt cheated because the story is not a courtroom drama. I thought it was extremely funny and I recognized many of the characters and practices in the "real world". Kudos Mr. Grisham. When a reader expresses physical emotions from the written word, the writer has succeeded and it's gratifying to see an author branch out from his "niche" from time to time. Thanks for a very good time!
Rating:
Summary: Very Funny and Light
Review: I read this for our Book Club, but I had read it a couple years ago when it first came out. I think the second time I read it, I found it funnier than the first time. It is a rather silly story line, but I think that is the point. Has the commercialization of Christmas gone a bit too far? I felt like I lived on this street and the street was on a sitcom. I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was...a light read that in the in the end expressed what the spirit of Christmas SHOULD be about.
Rating:
Summary: Odd yet entertaining
Review: How could you avoid Christmas? It's everywhere during the month of December and even a good chunk of November. I think that the Kranks did a wonderfully fine job of "skipping Christmas." That time of year can really get some people MAD. All the freakin' people driving too slow to get where they all need to spend away their savings like today is their last day on earth. Of course, all those brilliant gift ideas are amusing, but in six months, are they really so great? After countless hours trying to find that perfect gift and the time wasted waiting in line, all you have is a few hours of ripping open presents and saying "I love this!" over and over until it loses meaning altogether. That was how Mr. Krank was feeling when he made his decision to skip Christmas. This book explains Mr. and Mrs. Krank's attempt to take a break from Christmas. They must suffer embarrassment from their neighbors, co-workers and basically the whole town. Mrs. Krank misses Christmas more than her husband does. How would she live without a tree, without Christmas lights and finally without Frosty up on the roof? The enticement of a luxurious island cruise, starting on Christmas day, is what brings her to agreeing with Mr. Krank's plan. I know this is not his usual "genre" but I believe Mr.Grisham adapted well to the subject. He describes all the little details about how miserable Christmas can be to some people. Even if you do love and enjoy Christmas, this book will help you realize why others don't. Plus, it is pretty comical what the Kranks have to go through to put Christmas out of their minds and home. You will get into the spirit of Christmas or maybe you will feel the "wrath" of Christmas while reading this book. Either way, I think you will have fun with this quick and enjoyable story.
Rating:
Summary: It's all about peer pressure!
Review: Imagine December 25th passing by without the advent of special shopping, decorating, packages, cards and parties? Think of all the extra money and time we would have for more pleasurable and self-pampering pursuits. Grisham invents a story of one such family in a classic American suburb who have concluded "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" They have opted to skip all the usual chores and spend their seemingly wasted money and effort on the fun-filled vacation of their dreams. All this at a fraction of the cost of what they spend in the name of the Christmas holidays! Grisham does a wonderful job of illustrating the peer pressure that goes with this holiday tradition in the most comical of ways. Dear reader will find himself laughing time and time again at the sheer silliness that we subject ourselves to in the name of the holiday spirit. We can relate to this story so well because we manage to put ourselves right in the shoes of each of the characters. But sure we'll do again, in spite of knowing better, won't we? Skip Christmas? Just try it and live the tale that Grisham suggests, first hand.
Rating:
Summary: Save money. Just read the reviews.
Review: I don't understand why people think that one must re-tell the story to express an opinion. If I had read some of these reviews before I purchased the book, I never would have purchased it. But I guess that's just me. I pick up a book and expect to read a story I don't already know. I enjoyed the novel in the beginning, but as the story progressed, it not only became a bit absurd, it became transparent. The end was absolutely no surprise; I saw it coming very early on. The characters are pretty flimsy and often cartoonish, which isn't a bad thing necessarily, but compounded with a predictable ending you get the formula for a silly romp. Not my cup of tea but I applaud Grisham's change of pace and the subject matter.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Book EVER!
Review: I think that John Grisham is a really good writer and this was one of his best books ever! It is about a husband and a wife (Luther and Nora) and their daughter Blair. Blair went with the Peace Corps in Peru for a year in December. Nora and Luther were very sad and throughout the whole book Nora kept saying, "Do you think she is okay Luther?" Luther hates Christmas because of all the busy streets and the packed malls. So one day when he went to work he stopped and started to talk to his travel agent Dox. " You sound like you need a cruise." She said and so he agreed and signed up for a cruise to princess islands instead of doing Christmas. They would leave on Christmas day around noon. When he got home and told Nora she agreed to do nothing this Christmas no lights no tree. They decide to both go on a diet and get tans at the tanning booth once every week at the mall. At ten o'clock am on Christmas Luther woke up and woke up Nora and told her to pack. After a while they get a phone call - it was Blair. Blair said that she was coming home early with her doctor fiance and that she was going to marry him soon! So Luther and Nora....well, just read the book and find out. You will love it!
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely dreadful!
Review: Either John Grisham has taken leave of his senses or since writing his nunerous best sellers, this is what he now imagines "the little people do" at Christmas time. The title captured my attention as I try to "skip" Christmas every year (with varying success). The characters are hollow and unpleasant with very little to say. There seems to be very little Christmas spirit and far too much oneupmanship. But the most upsetting part of this sad tale is the totally dysfunctional relationship the Kranks have with their absent daughter. If my relationship with my grown children were as empty as the Kranks is with their daughter,Blair, I guess I too would see the "charm" that some of the other reviewers have referred to. I found no charm. A total waste of time and money and i begrudgingly award this one star although had no stars been an option that's what Skipping Christmas would get from this very dissatisfied reader.
| 
