Skipping Christmas

For the legions of fans anxiously awaiting John Grisham's latest thriller, this will probably be pretty unsatisfying. Me, I'm not a big fan of his thrillers, and am glad to see him branching out more and writing the sorts of books I enjoy reading, with The Painted House, and now this. Plus, I'm a sucker for Christmas stories.Like most Christmas stories, this isn't groundbreaking literature. It's as familiar and comfortable as watching a rerun of It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street while a yule log blazes away in a stocking-bedecked fireplace, and in the corner of the room you can see the lights twinkling on the Christmas tree. It's the story of Luther and Nora Krank, who, with their daughter having joined the Peace Corps, decide to avoid their usual Christmas hassles and expenses and take a cruise instead. Of course, this shocks their neighbors, who are completely bound up in annual Christmas traditions. Told in an easy, breezy style, this story feels like the novel-length version of something that would appear in the New Yorker, poking fun at the pointlessness of all the surface trappings of Christmas in a slightly condescending but good-natured way. There are few real surprises in this story, but that isn't the point. We aren't reading this book for the shocks or the plot twists. We're reading it to smile as Luthor finds himself under siege by neighborhood carolers.While this story ultimately does nothing more than reinforce traditional Christmas values, Grisham gets points for not having someone stand up and state the obvious. Indeed, upon first finishing this story, I felt sort of irritated. I had the impression that Grisham had ended up endorsing the sorts of activities he had initially lampooned. However, upon further reflection, I saw how he had subtly underlined a more important message: it isn't important what you do or don't do for Christmas, but the reasons why you do it are important. For sticking to his guns without being too obvious about it, this novel earns four stars as a Christmas story.

I loved it The story was so like people you know. I enjoyed every page. You will want to read it too

A break from his usual legal themes, but just as interesting and captivating. It captures the true essence of Christmas.

I saw the movie several times and I love it so I decided to get the book for my daughter; she loves it.

Nice change for Grisham. Delightful book makes you think about priorities and thinking of others instead of yourself.