4rhodes's Full Review: John Grisham - Skipping Christmas
Who can resist a book that is only 178 pages long, written by a famous author and entitled Skipping Christmas? I skipped buying this book at the bookstore, but managed to snag a copy at my local library. It was so good; I’m going to buy a copy of my own!
I’ll be honest, I grabbed the book because of the fame of the author (and because I was getting my hands on such a new release at the library BEFORE Christmas). The cover design is pretty, too! The words SKIPPING CHRISTMAS are written in snow white ink, taking up 1/5th of the cover of the small book. The underlying picture is blue, with a snow scene of a quaint town depicted. There are bright white lights and illuminated snowmen on each house, except the center house, which is dark. Remember that phrase "never judge a book by the cover?" well, I judged this one and was thrilled with the outcome!
The story takes place one year during the Christmas season. The main characters, Luther and Nora Krank are just dropping their daughter, Blair off at the airport on the Sunday following Thanksgiving. Mr. Grisham describes the turmoil at the airport, the nerves of the travelers and the grouchiness of Luther Krank so well, that I casually started reading this book while waiting to check out and just stood at the doorway to finish reading the chapter!
Luther’s wife, Nora, must have asked Luther a million times if their daughter, Blair would be all right working for the Peace Corps in Peru. Mr. Grisham gets that tenuous; aggravating feeling between married people down perfectly. I laughed so hard when Luther manages to step in an icy puddle going into a local gourmet grocery store and realizes that he needs to ask the butcher where the bar of white chocolate is located because in such stores things are never placed in ordinary or obvious locations.
The daughter, Blair has recently graduated from graduate school and has decided to put off the corporate world for a few years. The family decides as a whole that Peru isn’t as risky as some other countries. For the first time in their entire lives, Luther and Nora are alone for Christmas. We quickly learn that Luther is a tax accountant and the fun begins.
Luther figures out that the family has spent $6,100 on Christmas the preceding year. He concocts a plan to take his wife on a cruise instead. Talking her into it was easy compared to the barrage of disappointed friends who bombard them with guilt.
Mr. Grisham takes so many of the traditional Christmas stories and weaves them into a modern day tale of woe for the Kranks. It seems as if the entire town is only interested in achieving their own goal of forcing the Kranks to hold their "usual" traditions of buying a ridiculously expensive tree ($80, up $10 from the year before), printing invitations to a party where piles of food go uneaten, decorating the house to win a neighborhood competition, buying the beefcake calendar of the policemen (for $100!), etc, etc, etc!
The idea of just going away for the holiday seems so trivial, until Mr. Grisham slowly, methodically, demonstrates how expensive it costs in terms of cash, aggravation and time.
The Kranks are reduced to hiding in their house, with the lights out while a band of carolers screams songs at the top of their lungs, looking for another cash donation. It seems as if Luther and Nora might have a few moments alone for lunch when people asking questions and giving the fish eye barrage them.
But true to a Christmas tale, this story has a happy ending. I refuse to give you any more details or information simply because this book is so short. I finished reading it in 3 hours. The writing is impeccable, the descriptions so apt. I laughed out loud so many times and cringed at all of the traditions that are financed each holiday season.
I write this on Christmas night. All of the presents here have been opened. It is time to reflect on all of the running around, shopping, sending cards, cooking, etc. Was it worth it? Well, yes. I have small children and have personally decided to give them a Christmas experience I want to make, so, I participate in the traditional fray of shopping, cooking and mailing. Was I jealous of the idea of spending Christmas aboard a cruise ship? Oh yeah!
Get a copy of this book, read it, then tuck it into your stored holiday ornaments. It will become a classic!
Luther and Nora Krank are fed up with the chaos of Christmas. The endless shopping lists, the frenzied dashes through the mall, the hassle of decorati...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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