Rating: 
Summary: Good, But not his best
Review: Skipping Christmas was a good book, and it kept me reading. I don't think this is his best work, though. I think John Grisham is at his best when he's writing legal thrillers, and Skipping Christmas most definatly isn't a legal thriller. Buy it and read it, but don't expect it to be your favorite John Grisham book.
Rating: 
Summary: Ending the Season With a Smile
Review: First of all, I have to confess that I love all of John Grisham's novels. My husband and I own and have read almost all of his books. I absolutely adored, The Client, The Testament, and Runaway Jury. This latest novel seemed to be a departure from his normal mystery novels, but I had heard that it was very good so I picked it up last night. Was I ever in for a treat! Good does not do the novel justice. It's GREAT. The premise of the book (a couple in their fifties who decides to "skip" Christmas) may sound a little mundane. However, the way the story is told is about as far from mundane as you can get. The book is entertaining, insightful, funny, and warm. Luther and Nora Krank live in a typical suburban neighborhood. Luther is an accountant. Nora is a stay-at-home kind of woman
involved in a number of charitable organizations. Their only daughter, Blair, has just finished her graduate degree and has decided to join the Peace Corps to devote a year or two to helping others. She has been assigned to eastern Peru, and the book begins with her parents saying good-bye to her in an airport terminal. As Luther and Nora drive home from the airport, Luther's mood goes from bad to worse. He begins to silently fume about all of the annoyances brought on by the holiday season, and he concocts an idea: he and his wife will skip Christmas this year. That evening, Luther spends some time with his calculator, totalling the amount of money they spent on Christmas last year. Just as he thought. The whole thing was outrageous. Somehow, he and his wife had managed to spend a whopping $6,100 on Christmas last year. Now he has really made up his mind, and the next day he consults with a travel agent about taking a cruise. Evidence of the abhorrent expense of Christmases past and information about the cruise in hand, the next night Luther has little trouble persuading his wife, Nora, to go along with his plan. Instead of spending $6,100 on a tree, decorations, gifts, and foods they shouldn't eat anyway, they would spend half that amount on a 10-day Caribbean cruise. As the holiday season progresses, the couple is faced with a huge assortment of pressures both at home and at work to donate money to charitable organizations, to purchase a Christmas tree, to host a holiday party, and on and on and on. One of the funniest situations involves Luther's neighbors on Hemlock Street. With some prompting and organization by one particularly enthusiastic neighbor, every year, every house on Hemlock places a huge plastic snomwan on its roof. This year, Luther refuses to place his snowman on the roof, and as a result, the neighbors become irate. Suddenly Luther and Nora are subjected to cold stares along with anonymous letters and phone-calls imploring them to "free Frosty" from their basement. Some of the neighbors
even arrange for carolers to stand in front of the Kronk's house, waving to Luther when he peeks out at them from behind the curtain. Without giving too much away to those who have not yet read the book, I will only say here that the hilarity of the situation
reaches a climax when Luther becomes interested in his neighbor's Christmas tree. Who could have thought that Grisham could be this funny? The book ends on a high note, with a realistic, yet heart-warming ending that is free of the drippy sentiment that sometimes accompanies Christmas stories and movies. For any weary holiday planners out there and for anyone at all who has ever found Christmas to be a hectic time of year, this is one book you do not want to miss. If nothing else, the book will make you think twice about not donating to your
local charities, especially the police and fire department! Skipping Christmas may may bring a few tears to your eyes in the final chapters, but it will definitely help you to bring closure to the holiday season with a smile.
Rating:
Summary: Skipping Christmas
Review: Skipping Christmas was an eye opening story to read during the holidays. We changed the way we celebrate Christmas after reading this book. I was impressed Grisham could change subjects. He is an excellent writer and this new venue has made me pick him up again.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasant
Review: This is not great literature but a simple pleasant read. A time to relax with an enjoyable tale which is a huge departure from other Grisham works of which I have read all.
Rating:
Summary: Fun & thought provoking
Review: Well, it will not replace A Christmas Carol or A Wounderful Life but it should be made into a movie. Fun quick read and it makes you think about the meaning of Christmas in light of the events of this year.
Rating: 
Summary: aha...so it was not my imagination...the book *is* racist.
Review: So I apparently was not the only one to find those comments about Blair's Peruvian doctor disturbing. What a relief it must have been to those good Wonderbread suburbanites to find out that he wasn't that dark! I was given this book as a good-natured gift and despite my usual distaste for John Grisham read it with an open mind and actually found it funny and alarming at first--if you've ever made a choice, however trivial and absurd, that goes against the mindless sheeplike impulse of the mainstream (like deciding not to have children or own a television set or drink heavily at social affairs) you will appreciate the plot's initial thrust: the attempts to force the Kranks to conform, the expressions of envy and resentment at their different choices, and the accusations of "selfishness" (not to mention the standard "But think of the chillldrunnn!" line of reasoning). But after the major twist it becomes disappointingly maudlin, sentimental, and predictable as the main characters are taken back into the fold of assimilation. I really had little sympathy with the main characters--they were too shallow and unpleasant to be properly subversive, actually. However, I give this book two stars instead of one because it did possess some slight redeeming value...it persuaded me categorically that I should never, never, never move to the suburbs of Chicago, or those of any metropolitan center, for that matter. A city Christmas for me, where no one bats an eye if I don't put a cheap tacky plastic snowman on my roof or miscegenate wantonly with a loved one on the other end of the color spectrum.
Rating:
Summary: A new look at Grisham
Review: I ordered this book from Amazon not quite knowing what to expect. Being a fan of Grisham's legal thrillers, I was pleasantly surprised at his ability to tell a different type of story. The book is a quick read, fun, and extremely enjoyable. The storyline incorporates lots of light humor while really making a point about the frenetic holiday season. Recommended to readers who enjoy light humor and fun, but don't look for a lengthy legal plot from Skipping Christmas. To borrow a line from CNN's movie critic Paul Clinton regarding a recent movie, 'The literary version of a Happy Meal -- tasty and filling, not particularly nutritious, but generally pleasing for all.'
Rating:
Summary: A TOTAL SURPRISE
Review: I am an avid romance and mystery reader. This book was a total surprise. It was definitely a comedy that I could relate to. My husband was definitely Luther and I was Nora. By the middle of the book, I was laughing so hard - tears were flowing down. Everyone in the house wanted to know what was happening. My husband and a friend have already borrowed the book and thought it was great. It is a quick read.
Rating:
Summary: a pleasant christmas story
Review: Let me begin by saying that I grew tired of John Grisham's legal thrillers some time ago so I approached this book with skepticism. I was delightfully surprised by this book - with the most pleasing blend of comedy, drama, and yes - even real emotion. The book is a short read and one that I will reread every year.
The story focuses on a married couple whose daughter has left them on their own for Christmas. Vowing to buck the tradition and ignore the holiday the couple face the hostilities of those around them who see participating in Christmas as a civic responsibility. Several twists bring the story to a place where the heart is warmed, the belly can revel in a hearty guffaw, and where the meaning of Christmas, for this family, is (re) discovered.
This is not great literature nor Dickens, but it is a light-hearted Christmas story well worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Skipping Christmas
Review: What a fun and comical book! I definitely think they should make a movie out of this one. It would be the new Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase (a classic).
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