John Grisham - Skipping Christmas

Pros: Sentimental, Easy to Read
Cons: Costly at $19.95 suggested retail

Ingredients:
1 -- Child dealing with strep throat & flu symptoms
1 -- Mom – not sure if it is sympathy pains, or if she is also ill
1 -- Afternoon of cancelled parties and Christmas plans
1 -- Beanbag Chair
1 -- Barbie® Sleeping...

Pros: A quick 'read'. Very seasonal.
Cons: A quick 'read'. Very seasonal. Poor character development.

The premise is promising. An analytical accountant--facing the absence of his only child and acutely aware of the true cost of celebrating Christmas--decides skipping Christmas and all the costs and the customary...uhh...customs might be a good idea....

Pros: A very entertaining, quick read that will get you in the spirit.
Cons: A little pricey for such a quick read.

As a huge John Grisham fan I look forward to February each year knowing that his latest novel will be out. This year I got an end of the year surprise when I found Skipping Christmas.

Skipping Christmas is John Grisham's second...

Pros: Great story, easy to read, delightful
Cons: Can't beleive John Grisham wrote it.

The Author

John Grisham has written some wonderful books, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, A Time To Kill and many more, all of them have been serious and had gripping story lines. With his latest book Skipping Christmas,...

Pros: easy read, great narration, fun story!
Cons: characters are a bit much at times

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...

Pros: Short, easy, mind candy
Cons: Doubleday and Random House

John Grisham is a stimulating author, but his novels are not what I would call "light summer reads." Crack open any of his more mainstream books - like The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Rainmaker - all of which have been adapted to film (but,...

Pros: It's short
Cons: Unbelievable plot and characters

Imagine being John Grisham: You’re popular and successful beyond most authors’ wildest dreams (except for J.K. Rowling). Your books are usually made into high-grossing movies starring the likes of Julia Roberts and Tom Cruise. Suddenly, you feel the...

Pros: quick, easy read; humorous; irreverant look at the Christmas season in America
Cons: takes shots at accountants

Visiting relatives can be tedious at times, but can also open up opportunities. For example, in our pre-Christmas travels this year I was able to read the latest John Grisham offering, Skipping Christmas. It is a great book to read during the holiday...

Pros: Easy read. Short. Portrays real-life x-mas angst well. It's a great "break."
Cons: Not many interesting twists/turns - stays @ same intensity for most of the book.

There's only so much TV one can take.

I cracked at the end of my month-long incubation and suddenly remembered a book my brother recommended to me, Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham. It was short and the cover was pretty so I decided...

Pros: Descriptive writing that allows you to "see" what's happening.
Cons: Unattractive characters, people you either intensely dislike or could care less about.

This book by John Grisham was described to my wife and myself by her stepmother as "uproarious" and impossible to put down. After Christmas, armed with a gift card to Barnes and Noble, I noticed the book in the store, and, reminded of our conversation,...

Pros: Short, sometimes humorous book
Cons: characters are dull, non descriptive language

This book reads about as exciting as a law book. Grisham fans will probably pick it up because he's the author. All of us other fools picked it up, because it's been on the New York Times top ten list for awhile.

The book, Skipping Christmas...

Pros: Gives a humorous look at the holidays.
Cons: Too short.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham will surely make people who read it stop and think about all the hoopla and craziness that surround the holiday season.

The story starts the day after Thanksgiving with Luther and Nora Krank sending...

Pros: Easy read, funny, surprising ending!
Cons: too short!

Okay, so I finally got my copy from my book club and sat down to read it...it went by too quickly!!

Grisham is known for his lawyer type novels, but this was different, as his last novel, "A Painted House." This one is about a couple who...

Pros: It was very entertaining and enlightening.
Cons: It was out of the ordinary for John Grisham. Nothing really dramatic or exciting.

As I read each chapter of John Grisham’s Skipping Christmas, my mind focused on the thought of doing just that. If a person contemplates the hours of shopping through crowded malls and fighting the traffic nightmare…well, you get the idea. But with...

Pros: Easy read, understandable, like reading a movie. Hilarious.
Cons: none

I was roaming my college library, when I came across this book. It was perfect, the size of the book is what really caught my attention. It was not until I actually opened the book to the front page and saw that the author of this book had written a ...

Pros: It puts you in the Christmas spirit!
Cons: Way too short.

This is a heart lifting story about a man and his wife who's daughter has gone away. They decide since their daughter is gone that they should skip christmas take the money that they would have spent if she were here and go on a cruise with it instead....

Pros: Nice writing by a good author. Great descriptive passages.
Cons: Usual cliche Christmas topic about otherwise distracted people remembering the true meaning of the season.

In the spirit of Charlie Brown and the Grinch, John Grisham's Skipping Christmas is a story about people forgetting about the reasons we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

Luther and Nora Krank have just seen their daughter,...

Pros: A quick, funny story with characters we probably know in our own worlds
Cons: A little too quick!

Luther and Nora Krank are a normal couple faced with an empty nest when their daughter goes off to join the Peace Corps. Christmas just won't be the same at their house this year. At least won't be if it is left up to Luther.

Luther is an...

Pros: short
Cons: silly, far-fetched, bizarre

I found this holiday novella by John Grisham to be entertaining, but not a must-read. Luther Krank, disgusted by the amount he and his family spent on last Christmas and how little they have to show for it, decides that his family will skip Christmas...

Pros: Easy reading. Something we've all probably considered.
Cons: Sometimes unsympathetic characters.

I was given Skipping Christmas to read while at my parents' house over the holidays. My mother hadn't read it yet, but she had seen an excerpt from the book on a website and was interested enough to buy. The idea behind the story is one that I'm sure ...

Pros: Entertaining, Quick read
Cons: If you want "the usual" Grisham novel, this isn't it

I just finished this book a few days ago. I liked it much more than I thought I would. :)

"Skipping Christmas" is about Luther & Nora Krank, who have decided to "skip Christmas" (no gifts, no decorating, no tree, etc.) and go on vacation...

Pros: Hits a common feeling we've all wanted to express at some point but don't dare.
Cons: none

Although this short book may be quite the derailment from Grisham's serious long novels, his humor and uncanny knowledge of human behavior is again revealed in this story on the reality of Christmas.

There are other reviews that outline much...

Pros: Fast, easy reading with a touching ending.
Cons: expensive

Grisham's "Skipping Christmas" was a refreshing and entertaining book to read after a long day of Christmas shopping. My husband is an accountant, so for me this was like reading about my life. However, I am sure many people can identify with the...

Pros: A different direction for John Grisham
Cons: Wish it was longer

This book was a great change in reading. It was not your typical John Grishman "lawyer" book. I felt as if the people in the book could be my next door neighbors. The characters were detailed so well. It was light and whimsical. The story line was so...

Pros: Funny, entertaining, easy reading.
Cons: None

Skipping Christmas is definitely a great book to read. Luther the main character reminds me of myself. Wouldn't you just love (at least once in a lifetime) to get away from Christmas and all the stress, shopping, cooking and spending? Wouldn't you...

Pros: quick read Enjoyable Very different
Cons: Somewhat boring beginning

When I first started reading this book, I was a little disappointed. Then, as I got more into it, it was more pleasing. I read it in one day, on Christmas. Made me think of Christmas in a whole new light. I would recommend it. The characters are...

Pros: Good read, keeps your interest
Cons: short story

This is a short story by John Grisham. It is not along his normal line of writing. I was surprised to be able to read the entire book in one afternoon. There was not any of the normal Grisham suspense. I was surprised to see such a short novel...

Pros: Hilarious, easy to read
Cons: too short

I normally read Dickens and other Victorian novels and, believe it or not, have never read Grisham. So it was easy for me to accept Skipping Christmas on it's own merit. I thought it refreshingly funny. I think the Kranks have a great marriage. Mrs....

Pros: This is a very enjoyable book with lots of laughs
Cons: different from Grishams thrillers

This book has laughs from the begining to the end. It is really worth reading. The story starts with a couple and their twenty three year old daughter at Thanksgiving. The daughter joins the Peace Corps and won't be back until next Christmas. The...

Pros: Written by John Grisham
Cons: This is not his best works.

Luther Krank has decided to go against tradition and skip Christmas - he has a hard time talking his wife, Nora, to go along with him.

The previous year the Kranks had spent an appalling amount, over $6,000 on Christmas. This year Luther...

Pros: Compelled me to read between the lines
Cons: No aspect of law like normally writes

In order to occupy the time I spend lying in my bed at night awaiting sleep, I pick up one of the books that is always resting on my night stand and read, flipping the pages as the minutes tick by.
I recently finished reading Skipping...

Pros: Funny, realistic. Everyone can relate to this book in some way or another!
Cons: A bit short, simple language

This book was very very good, not wonderful, but good! I think that most every reader can relate to this book in some way or another...
Not Grisham's absolute BEST ("A Painted House" or "A Time To Kill" would be my personal favorites), but...

Pros: The ending is surprising and sweet.
Cons: Not as thrilling as his works before, the first half is almost a big drag.

If you were impressed by John Grisham's The Street Lawyer, you would probably be a bit disappointed by this one.

It seems to be a book for the sake of Christmas. The story line was okay, although I did like the ending which was quite...

Pros: Light, entertaining and humorous
Cons: Tooo short a read for the price

I bought this book as a gift for my wife this past Christmas and ended up reading it also. A delightful read! The different angle to approaching the holidays we all hope to take at least once in our lives, Grisham keeps the story moving with a laugh out...

Pros: Very Entertaining, Lighthearted Read
Cons: A little unbelievable and very short

John Grisham has surprised me with this lighthearted, somewhat humorous storyline. While reading this book (In the middle of the Christmas season chaos), I thought that maybe this skipping Christmas idea had some merit. It didn't take long to laugh at...

Pros: Good character development
Cons: Not the usual Grisham

John Grisham tried a diferrent type of book and succeeded. The book was very nice to read, and was comical, quite unlike his usual books. Skipping Christmas is a good book to read throughout the year.
Luther Krank, the main character was superbly...

Pros: very funny and nice book for the holidays
Cons: not a very good ending but over all very good

Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will...

Pros: Enjoyable reading, comical.
Cons: Disappointing ending, seemed rushed to finish the book.

I was honestly shocked when I picked up this book and found John Grisham's name on the front. The book did not have a serious storyline as his other books tend to have. In fact, this was easy, relaxed reading and very enjoyable. He depicts today's holiday season in a comical way, almost mocking middle-class society's obsession with commercialism and the holidays.

The antics of the Kranks makes you consider your own holiday traditions, and if they are truly worth the hassle.

The ending was somewhat disappointing at first, and it seemed rushed through the ending. It was almost a let-down, but nonetheless, it still made for a very interesting and enjoyable novel.

Pros: funny, enjoyable, not usual John Grisham.
Cons: none

This is not a normal John Grisham lawyer story. It was a story of how a family ends up celebrating Christmas. I feel this shows he has an ability to write outside of the box. He's not one dimensional author. It was short but well worth my reading time. It had me laughing and I give it an A. I always look forward to getting his books.

Pros: It's all good when Frosty the Snowman comes to town.
Cons: None.

By page 8, I wanted to skip Christmas myself. Grisham sets the stage for such yearning by describing the commercialism, greed and rudeness found in the crowded days prior to the 25th of December. Told through the eyes of a Christmas weary middle-aged man, he and his wife decide to skip Christmas and go on a cruise, forgoing all the usual obligations of presents, cards, and inside and outside decorations.
Nonetheless, Christmas is not so easily escaped. All it takes is a few comical misfortunes and unexpected events to bring everyone back together to celebrate the good stuff about the season. I liked this story, as I do other works by the author. Grisham writes mesmerizing tales, whether they include Frosty the Snowman or not.