Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing
Review: I enjoyed this book, and it would be a great movie. I think that it had many halirous antics that just added to the story. It was a very enjoyable book with a great plot. I think that grisham was smart to move away from his thrilling lawyer books and move to a more light topic. As luther and Nora krank have numerous differnt thing happen to them that makes it harder and harder to skip christmas the movie just gets funnier and funnier. If any one makes this a movie i will go see it
Rating:
Summary: Grisham-Lite? The Not-So Firm?
Review: After reading several reviews of "Grisham Lite" and "The Not-So Firm," I decided to spend a couple of hours with 'Skipping Christmas.' After all, it seemed to me everyone either loved the book or hated it. I was curious to see which camp I fell into. Luther and Nora Krank live in a nice neighborhood, make good money, and pretty much have an enviable life. When their daughter Blair joins the Peace Corps and announces that she'll be gone for a few years, the Kranks sit down and think: "Hey, Blair's gone...we're tired of all the time and money we spend on Christmas commercialism and keeping up with the Joneses...Let's skip Christmas this year!" But word gets out around the neighborhood: The Kranks aren't going to have a Christmas tree, OR a Frosty the Snowman on their roof, OR buy Christmas cards, or anything related to the holidays. Instead, they're going on a cruise. It's not long before the Kranks become public enemies Nos. 1 & 2 on Hemlock Street. Grisham, to his credit, has produced a good look at the insanity of the holiday season and how it affects us all. He does cleverly expose our crazy holiday thinking, our commercialism, and our lack of recognizing the true meaning of the holiday. But I wish the book had been a little more hard-hitting and a little less "It's a Wonderful Life"-ish. Even so, 'Skipping Christmas' is an enjoyable way to spend a couple of sane hours before the mad dash begins.
177 pages
Rating: 
Summary: I love John Grisham, but...
Review: This is far below his best work. Gisham is in his element writing about lawyers. A Painted House, while given great reviews, wasn't nearly as good as his gripping legal suspense novels. I must say that Skipping Christmas should be skipped. It might have been all right as a short story, but as a novel, I kept wondering when it would get interesting. It never did. Buy any other Grisham book, but don't buy this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Hillarious
Review: Skipping Christmas is about a family who's daughter goes to South America for Christmas. The father, Luther Krank, a penny pinching buisnessman decides that he and his wife, Nora, will not be spending Christmas this year but go on a wonderful cruise. Their plans are thwarted by a simple phone call that tells them that their daughter will be coming home and with a fiancee. She thinks that a large party is in store for her when she returns and expects lavish decorations all over the house. As you might guess, hilarity ensues which comes to show that you should be ready for any single thing that comes your way.
Rating:
Summary: A hilariously entertaining read!
Review: The idea of skipping Christmas made for a clever plot indeed! The ensuing problems that Luther and Nora Krank face due to their unorthodox decision and how they deal with those problems are what made this book one of the most enjoyable reads I've had for a long time. The character of Luther is what makes the book - his words, thoughts and actions - all perfect for those of us who enjoy sarcasm at it's best. Who hasn't felt overwhelmed by all the unnecessary obligations that have somehow become part of the Christmas celebration - and to which we'd all like to have the courage to chuck at times? The book is in no way a mockery towards the celebration of Christmas, which would offend some people, including myself, but rather an extremely humorous look at how many things went seriously wrong from what appeared on the face of it, to be a brilliant idea. It's not often I find myself laughing out loud when reading a book. I will be buying this book as a gift this Christmas for many of my friends. If they don't enjoy it, then I would have to wonder if they've become too serious.
Rating: 
Summary: Good concept, but....
Review: I thought that the concept of this story was rather interesting. How many times I haven't wanted to just focus on the true meaning of Christmas and not get caught by the commercial trappings this holiday brings every year. But it was the characters of this book that left me disappointed.
First the neighbors: if my neighbors harassed me the way the Krank's neighbors did, I would be searching for greener pastures in no time. How you choose to celebrate the holiday is your own business, no one else's.
Then the wife, Nora - Good Lord, why didn't she just tell her daughter the truth?! There is nothing wrong with what she and her husband were planning, in fact it's not that uncommon for couples whose children are grown to get out of town for Christmas. My husband and I contemplated it many times before our children were born.
And then the daughter - to just assume that her parents would have the home fires burning the way they've always been...and show up practically unannounced and assume that her parents couldn't possibly have other plans...what a selfish brat!
The reason I am giving this book three stars instead of one or two was because of the way the neighbors did come through in the end, and it was a light, funny read. I agree with some of the other readers that it would make a great comedy movie...although I picture Craig T. Nelson as Luther. Just a thought.
Rating:
Summary: Soon-to-be-Christmas-classic
Review: Although it's wierd to think of John Grisham beyond the lawyer book stereotype, this book about a couple who wishes to simply skip Christmas one year is just as entertaining as his other works. Grisham takes us on a seemingly easy task of forgetting a holiday and taking a cruise and ends up with a hillarious scene involving rope and those lights that have a habit of getting tangled in themselves.
Rating:
Summary: I expected more - although it is still entertaining
Review: Honestly, I expected more. Granted, I wasn't expecting the meaning of life or anything, but I did anticipate a better resolution. The story does start to develop in a satisfactory Grisham way. As I read about the Kranks and their struggle to opt out of the commercialism that infest the current American Christmas season, I really began to root for the underdog. I got sucked into sharing the feeling of pressure placed on each family by societal expectations, and I really wanted to see the Kranks prevail against that. If they didn't win in the race against the Christmas machine, at least I wanted to see them unveiled as aliens from outer space or something that lives up to the anticipation that is built in the first 3/4th of the story line. Instead, what you get it is a (theoretical) feel-good ending that left me feeling disappointed. There is a paragraph that almost achieves a "gift of the Magi" sentiment when Krank makes a dying neighbor's year, but it's over before it begins. In fact, that really sums up a lot of the story for me - it was over before it really began. I was left with the feeling that Mr. Grisham had a wonderful idea for a christmas story, started writing it and suddenly realized about 2 weeks before publication that "oh no, I have to finish that story", so he quickly whipped out the rest of the book without putting anymore thought into the complexity of the plot. Its worth a quick read for the struggle to stay out of Christmas, but don't expect to put the book down saying "ah, that was worth the money I spent on it". I'd check it out from the library and use your money to buy something else.
Rating: 
Summary: Unfit for publication. Skip this book.
Review: Do not read this expecting a smart, insightful or philosophical exposition of modern Christmas rituals. The premise sounds promising: with 23-year old daughter off in the Peace Corps, Mr. and Mrs. Krank decide to skip Christmas and take a cruise -- but Mr. Grisham simply fails on the following accounts: 1. None of the characters were the least bit sympathetic. Luther Krank complains. A lot. He hates his wife. He hates his neighbors. He hates the people he works with. He gloats to himself. He repeats $6,100 (the amount of money spent on last year's Christmas) at least 30 times in the first few pages. It appears that Mr. Grisham was attempting a cross between Chevy Chase/Mr.Griswold (Christmas Vacation) and Ebenezer Scrooge -- but he failed. The reader feels neither sympathy nor joy for Krank. We just plain dislike him. 2. Poor/nonexistent motivation. Motivation for skipping Christmas, literally, comes from walking through a crowded airport and stepping in slush. It's really that weak. 3. Predictable & hackneyed. After rejecting the Boy Scouts, firemen, policemen and neighbors, the storyline quickly becomes self-evident. 4. Unbelievable stupidity. The Kranks do some very dumb things. They refuse to buy a tree ($75), fruitcakes, calendars, etc. But instead of simply donating the money to the charities, the Kranks repeatedly promise to give $100 in the spring. This makes zero sense - especially because it defeats Mr. Krank's self-stated goal of saving money (Grisham made a big deal out of his occupation as an accountant in the first chapter and a VERY big deal out of the amount of money spent, but then promptly forgets all about it). Everyone in this book (except Blair & her fiance, who only make cameos) act like walking morons. 5. Stereotypes. Everyone gets drunk at the office Christmas party. The secretaries are all women. No one in this world is Jewish, Buddhist, or Muslim. Krank plays reggae music commenting "That's what those people down there listen to." The Kranks are relieved that their daughter's fiance's skin color is not dark and that he was educated in London. Is this Mr. Grisham's actual perception of the world? Or is this Mr. Grisham's perception of the views of middle-class Americans? Or is this just an exceptionally poor attempt at satire or dark comedy? Ultimately, the reason doesn't matter -- this book was simply unfit to publish. In sum, if you enjoy thoughtless stereotypes, if you hate your spouse, if you hate your neighbors, if you hate your job, if you hate your colleagues, if you incessantly complain about all this in your head and if you spend more than $6,100 on Christmas -- than this book is probably for you. If you were looking for some thoughtful social commentary -- skip this book.
Rating:
Summary: Just plain not good
Review: I normally enjoy John Grisham's books, but I really didn't like this one at all. I'm actually surprised to see so many people liked it. The book seemed more like a sad attempt at a screenplay for the next beloved Christmas film (along the lines of National Lampoon's Christmas), but everything was so cliched and easy-to-see-coming that it would make a terrible movie. Plus, everyone cared way too much that the "Kranks" (please!) were skipping Christmas, to the point of not even being fun-fiction-believable. I would recommend skipping this book.
| 
