Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Skipping Christmas

by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

3.4 of 5 stars 3.40 · rating details · 27,582 ratings · 2,147 reviews

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 decorating the tree... where has all the joy gone? This year, celebrating seems like too much effort. With their only child off in Peru, they decide that just this once, they'll skip the holidays. They spend their Christmas budget on...more

ebook, 177 pages

Published March 16th 2010 by Dell (first published 2001)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Dec 21, 2008 John rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review contains spoilers because this book is not worth reading. You have been warned.

The book portrays the over-the-top commercialism that many people live every day, but even more so at Christmas time. A couple tries to skip Christmas and spend the money on a cruise instead. They are ridiculed by their neighbors, office workers, and friends. Everything is going fine until a surprise Christmas Eve phone call from their daughter, who has been in Peru for a month, that she is returning home...more

12 likes · like · see review

Aug 09, 2012 Carol rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christmas

I adore holiday books, especially those centered around Christmas, but this is one I wish I had skipped. At least it was short.

First of all, I didn’t like anybody through 7/8 of the book. Mr. Krank, is, well, a crank. His wife agrees with his skipping Christmas idea but still manages to lay all the blame on him. Their neighbors and friends are jerks. I would be jealous if someone I knew were taking a cruise for Christmas not angry. I do think the Kranks were going a little overboard though. I’d...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jan 13, 2011 Veronica Camarena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this book from the libery because there is a movie to and yah i watch it but i aslso read the book and its not that much like the movie but i kept on reading because it got funny and i like funny think because i like to laught alot and i though i wasent going to finish it because i never finish a book but i did with this one.Her parents names nora and luther but i mostly like of the idea of skipping christmas anddoing the total opposite of christmas going somewhere hot insted of staying s...more I got this book from the libery because there is a movie to and yah i watch it but i aslso read the book and its not that much like the movie but i kept on reading because it got funny and i like funny think because i like to laught alot and i though i wasent going to finish it because i never finish a book but i did with this one.Her parents names nora and luther but i mostly like of the idea of skipping christmas anddoing the total opposite of christmas going somewhere hot insted of staying somewhere cold, serfing insted of staying at home and being lazy that just something that you dont see very often.They are going to hawaii but there flit was canceled so they just diside to take a caribbean cruse.If you want to see the movie its not called skipping christmas its called christmas with the Kranks so look for it you mit fine it somewhere.

If you are asking yourself what part of the book i like then here is your answer i like the part where they had everything ready to leave in a few days and then hours before christmas they resive a call from there family and then they all told them they where coming so they panik and stared to get thing ready but they didnt know it could be done so they ask for help from there friends and next door neiboors but they didnt want to help because they where not very nice to then and where where being bus kill about christmas. One guy got up and stared to talk and said its not for then its for laura because she has done alot for us and not lets do something for her and now we should make this the happene christmas with her husben to be so everyone help and did something little for the party.I mostly like this part because it funny and it made me laught when i was reading this book and i think it would make you laught to. This story is not conected to my personal life because we never try to skip christmas i always spened it with my family because we all care about eachother well maybe a little because they care about there family and so do we but that it because even though we where not going to have chirstmas we would at leat decorate and not be mean to other people that try to talk to us about it. Another part that i li e about the store is when all the people around nora and luther stared to hate them because they would not put up any decorations or anything to do with christmas all the people around them just gossip about them but they luther didnt care that much but nora did but luther didnt let nora do anything or put anything up.

well this book was good but the part that let me down was when luther was acting like the scruch because you should not try to skip christmas but he deserve how they where triting him but the real problem was tha he didnt even help no one if it has to do with christmas he didnt want to be ivonled in it and it was hard for nora because she work in a christmas store and it was hard for her to not get anything. When people talk behind her back she felt really bad shshe talk to luther about it but her really didnt care what people said about him. There are other book that i have read alot o christmas thing but noting like this this is totaly different that what i like to i like different things.

If you like to laught and have fun i recomend this book because its alot of fun i dont think it would let you down at all u are going to have fun reading this book mostly i say this because as soon as i stared to read it i couldnt stop reading its juat a amesing room try it try it uyou wont reget it(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 11, 2008 Adele rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: q22008

Since the Christmas season is close by I've decided to read a few Christams storys. this was one that I was a little afried to pick up. Since the thought of "Skipping Christmas" is a little crazy to me. But I found this book to be very amusing and heart warming.
The two main characters have decided that since thier daughter Blair is off to Lima Peru, that they wont get into the Christmas chaous this year and save not just a little but a whole lot of cash. No lights, no party, no presents...nothi...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 29, 2008 Melissa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Honestly, when I got to the ending, I thought "what was the point of this?" The author, it seemed, slapped two different concepts together and as a result, created a very disappointing book.

First half had great potential in the Krunks fighting a losing battle against forced gaiety and the commericialization of Christmas. I was rooting for the Krunks to make it to the end.

Then the daughter decides to come home.

All is lost as they attempt to recreate Christmases of the past for the daughter. Wh...more

10 likes · like · see review

Jan 09, 2008 Liz rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Liz by: book club

I'm sad to say that the movie was better than the book. I didn't love the movie...

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 30, 2011 aleng rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed

Truth be told, I've never read a John Grisham novel before this book. So this book made quite an impression. I know that his other books were obviously more serious that this one, but I really liked how this book turned out. Although how they celebrate Christmas here in the US is different than how we celebrate it back home, more or less, it's still the same, being with FAMILY and FRIENDS. And being grateful for the things that we have.

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 06, 2007 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Perdictable

Fast. Fun. Predictable.
I was actually thinking it wasn't such a bad idea. All the money spent on intangible things or things that are forgotten weeks later. Christmas has gotten way out of hand when we spend so much money on food that goes to "waist", gifts that probably aren't what people want most, clothes we won't wear again because we'll have to have new next year, even Christmas cards that we only sign our name so it's not like we're keeping up on the news. And if there is a newsletter, th...more

4 likes · like · see review

Sep 18, 2012 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites

Delightful and different. I re-read this every year at Christmas time!

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 20, 2013 Kenneth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

**minor plot spoilers***

I was already familiar with the plotline, due to the hilarious Chris Columbus-produced "Christmas with the Kranks." What surprised me, both in good ways and bad, was how closely Grishams' original narrative had inborn, film-like pacing and situations, down to the cartoonish slapstick of Luther's near-death Frosty fiasco and Nora's embaressing bikini moment with the Minister. The book was written as one of those read-aloud-with-the-family-around-a-Christmas-fireplace types...more **minor plot spoilers***

I was already familiar with the plotline, due to the hilarious Chris Columbus-produced "Christmas with the Kranks." What surprised me, both in good ways and bad, was how closely Grishams' original narrative had inborn, film-like pacing and situations, down to the cartoonish slapstick of Luther's near-death Frosty fiasco and Nora's embaressing bikini moment with the Minister. The book was written as one of those read-aloud-with-the-family-around-a-Christmas-fireplace types; the writing was concise, easy to understand, and nothing, save one's demanding enslavement to the workforce, will prevent readers from completing the book cover-to-cover in four hours.

There are a number of intentional similarities to Charles Dickens' yarn, the first and most obvious one being the protagonist, Luther Krank, who allows the consumeristic, cash-guzzling nature of the holiday season to outweigh his feelings of humanitarian joy and goodwill. Like the classic Scrooge, the man repeatedly turns down a larger society already caught in the Christmas trap, (most notably, the numerous front porch scenes where he bids good day to donation-collectors attempting to seize penneis form his pocket.) Luther's office job, Wiley & Beck, with Beck long dead, is a subtle nod to Scrooge's old business partner Jacob Marley.

While Luther and Nora's bickering and constant yelling "shut up" to each other seems a little far-fetched at times, I admire Grisham's ability to create a caricatured world reminiscent of a simple storybook, but is grounded enough in reality to make it believable. Best example: Vic Frohmeyer, the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-controlling unofficial authority of Hemlock Street, (who even exercises control over the local, friendly police force.) This character is clearly over-the-top in his goody-goody personality and dedication to local society; however, the character is appealing and believable because we ALL know the Vic Frohmeyer on our own street and neighborhood.

Many readers on this site have criticized "Skipping Christmas" for its unexpected plot twist 60% the way into the novel, when Blair phones home an announces a hasty return with her new boyfriend from Peru. Many have lashed in anger, feeling like Luther "gave in," contradicting the novel's theme of yultide greed and commercialism. While I understand these readers' reasinings, I must also remind people that this IS, afterall, a moder-day retelling of Dickens' Christmas Carol. And we all know what happened to Scrooge in the end. Thus, Luther and Nora's reactions are understandable and deserving. In turn, I feel that the novel's greater, more important, theme is this: Christmas is UNAVOIDABLE. One cannot shut out Christmas, for better or worse. Christmas is embedded in society's DNA, America's very essence and cultural well-being. In other words, the Kranks failed spectacularly in something impossible to suceed in. Whether we love Christmas (like Nora, Blair, Vic Frohmeyer, and most characters in "Skipping Christmas") or hate it as much as Luther Krank, we have no choice but to serve tradition. This is one of the facts of Contemporary urban life. And life goes on...(less)

like · see review

Dec 25, 2012 Gemma rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found myself between books on Christmas Eve and Skipping Christmas seemed to be the only suitably festive (or at least seasonal) thing on my bookshelf. Plus it's short and looked like something I could finish in a single night, so I went for it.

There are worse things I could do with about an hour and a half to kill on the longest night of the year. That being said, there's nothing else I would really recommend this book for; unless you really want a quick novel set around the holidays, Skippi...more I found myself between books on Christmas Eve and Skipping Christmas seemed to be the only suitably festive (or at least seasonal) thing on my bookshelf. Plus it's short and looked like something I could finish in a single night, so I went for it.

There are worse things I could do with about an hour and a half to kill on the longest night of the year. That being said, there's nothing else I would really recommend this book for; unless you really want a quick novel set around the holidays, Skipping Christmas is passable at best.

The story is about Nora and Luther Krank who decide.... to skip Christmas. Their daughter is away doing relief work in Peru and Luther sees Christmas as nothing but an emotional and financial hassle, so they decide not to bother and go on a cruise instead.

Okay, cool. Are 177 pages really necessary to commit to a pretty banal story that can be fully understood in two sentences?

Not the way it's done here. I've never read any of John Grisham's other, more famous works, but they sound like they're in a very different genre from Skipping Christmas. To pull off a book like Skipping Christmas, the author needs to be fully comfortable with cutesy fluff writing, almost chick-flicky, and I don't know if that's Grisham's thing; if it is, he surely didn't pull it off here.

The story is executed mundanely and humorlessly; look, the Kranks aren't buying Christmas cards this year. Or donating to charity. Or having their annual Christmas eve party. Oh, now they're dieting and tanning to get ready for the beach. Okay...

Thankfully it's brief, so I didn't have a ton of time to get bored, but it also wasn't anything close to fun. The characters are stiff and unlikable; the Kranks are uptight, unfunny, and snobbish. Everyone around them is a shallow, one dimensional character (typically a stereotype)created merely out of necessity. Characters are introduced with their name and annual income in the same line, and an annoying emphasis on how much people make and spend prevailed throughout the story.

An element of the ending bothered me: (view spoiler)

Overall, I won't be rereading this or recommending it. Of course there's the necessary twists and turns, but the story remains mundane and tedious, the characters unsympathetic. There have to be better holiday reads out there. (less)

like · see review

Nov 28, 2012 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People interested in light Christmas reading

Recommended to Maria by: My reading colleague

Shelves: fiction

I remember parts of the movie based on this book because I sporadically watched, “Christmas with the Kranks.” As a result, I know a little about the plot. It is a light story, and kindof funny.

The serious part of the story is the examination of difference, and life changes. When the Kranks decided to spend the Christmas season differently than they had in the past because their daughter joined the Peace Corp, there was pushback from the neighbors and townsfolk. Ultimately, they dropped all alter...more

like · see review

May 15, 2012 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 be the only house on Hemlock Street without a rooftop Frosty, they won't be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash, they aren't even going to have a tree. They won't need one, because come December 25 they're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise....more

like · see review

May 14, 2012 Somasundaram Sadasivamoorthy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Accidentally I came across this book of John Grisham my favorite author named "Skipping Chrismas". As expected it is one of the few Grisham books which isn't meant for Legal thriller lovers.

This story is about Luthor Kranks and his Wife decided to skip celebrating this christmas. Being a accountant in profession, Kranks is not happy with holiday bills and against the costly Christmas celebrations. The main reason behind skipping the christmas, their daughter is traveling abroad to Peru for a as...more

like · see review

May 05, 2012 Remo rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2005, novela

John Grisham [JG] me parece bastante entretenido, por lo general. Hay gente que piensa que JG sólo escribe novelas de abogados y juicios, lo cual no es estrictamente cierto. Hay una novela suya, La granja, que no trata de juicios. Y ésta que nos ocupa, claro está. Nada menos que el guión de una comedia navideña para consumo rápido. Y no es que esté mal el libro, ojo, es simplemente que JG no nos tiene acostumbrados a estas cosas. En la propia portada se nos avisa de que ya hay hecha una película...more

like · see review

Dec 29, 2011 Elyse rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, just-for-fun

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This satire on the commercialization of Christmas starts on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when the Luther and Nora Krank bid farewell to their young adult daughter who is leaving for Peru to serve the poorest of the poor in the Peace Corps. On a bit of a lark, they mutually decide that they've previously spent too much money, energy, and time on the commercialized celebration of Christmas. They opt instead to spend a fraction of this money on a cruise that will start on Christmas Day.

Predictabl...more This satire on the commercialization of Christmas starts on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when the Luther and Nora Krank bid farewell to their young adult daughter who is leaving for Peru to serve the poorest of the poor in the Peace Corps. On a bit of a lark, they mutually decide that they've previously spent too much money, energy, and time on the commercialized celebration of Christmas. They opt instead to spend a fraction of this money on a cruise that will start on Christmas Day.

Predictably, their neighbors, friends, and colleagues are more than a bit miffed when the Kranks resist the pressures of forced gifting, forced neighborhood frivolity, and more. Of course that tension increases as Christmas Day approaches.

I expected Grisham to turn this into a substantially robust satire ... not just of commercialization, but of the conflict between commercialization and the true point of Christmas observance by Christians. That wasn't his point. This is just a satire on the commercialization of the cultural observance. Even the pastor in this story is just as distracted and banal as everyone else.

I thought what Grisham might do is have the Kranks have second thoughts about using the money for a cruise, which is just as commercial in its own way. Thought that they might go to Peru to help their daughter serve the poorest of the poor for just a few days, which would be a much more fitting observance for a Christian family imo.

Instead, the daughter is somehow miraculously allowed by the Peace Corps to return home after just a few weeks of service, on the arm of her new fiancé who is a doctor .... WHAT?! This is just ridiculous to the point of absurdity. The Kranks cave in ... much to the delight of all of their judgmental neighbors. WHAT?! Felt like I wasted the time to read this, since the satire caved in. The one small redemption was that the Kranks stayed home and gave their cruise tickets to a neighbor in need, but that almost seemed a second thought in the storyline (which can be typical for some of Grisham's story wrap-ups).

And don't get me started on the racist portrayal of the boyfriend's skin color and language fluency.

Just very disappointed. Not what I expected from John Grisham.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 26, 2011 RaskolnikovRR rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: light-read,feel-good,christmas

Shelves: favourites

I am a great fan of feel-good movies, but I was unaware as to the existence of such a genre in books - until now, that is. I am not a Christian myself, hence unaware of the Christmas festivities and the mood that prevails during, but I was able to get a good feel of the how-it-goes while reading this. Who would have guessed the lawyer, who wrote trial thrillers and jury best-sellers was adept at making readers laugh and smile and generally celebrate with such a simple theme.

Luther and Nora Kr...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 18, 2011 Kristi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Dec 16, 2011 Denise rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lame. Pointless. Pathetic. Unworthy.
Instead of Skipping Christmas, skip this book.

I barely enjoyed the movie and it was way better than the book. I read this ASSuming that the film was based on a funnier, better characterized, more in depth holiday story of a couple attempting and failing to skip Christmas. Wrong. That ASSumption made an ASS out of me and I'm hoping to spare you the same fate.

Every character was as unlikable as the next. The entire presumptuous town basically abused this couple...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 03, 2011 Virginia Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, humor

"Skipping Christmas", by John Grisham, is an entertaining holiday tale told in a sure, sly manner. This is the story of how Luther and Nora Krank decide to have a radically different holiday when their daughter leaves home to work for the Peace Corps in Peru. Members of a very close-knit community who enthusiastically partake in all things Christmas, the Kranks meet with much resistance to their getaway plan. They tough it out though, with Luther fighting the good fight and Nora going along for...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2011 EZRead eBookstore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: amelia-reviews

Like most Christmas tales, there is certainly a lesson to be learned even in a fun book like this one. Down with Christmas! No wait, that’s not the message. Hmm, what could be interpreted from a book that points out the frivolousness spending during Christmas, while making those who avoid those expenditures look like Scrooges?

In all honesty, there really does not seem to be anything bad about skipping the hustle and bustle that is solely centralized around the commercialization of Christmas. Tho...more Like most Christmas tales, there is certainly a lesson to be learned even in a fun book like this one. Down with Christmas! No wait, that’s not the message. Hmm, what could be interpreted from a book that points out the frivolousness spending during Christmas, while making those who avoid those expenditures look like Scrooges?

In all honesty, there really does not seem to be anything bad about skipping the hustle and bustle that is solely centralized around the commercialization of Christmas. Though gifts are meant to be a sign of the giving nature of the season, the obligation that is attached with spending kinda takes the fun out of the season.

Who wouldn’t root the Kranks on when they refuse to splurge on a yearly Christmas party for their friends? Or when they decline in participating in the stresses of decorating their house? Why not splurge on a cruise for themselves instead? However, I had to remove myself from the cheering section when charities were turned down for the mere fact of being associated with Christmas.

Watching the Kranks struggle to keep up with their plans of disassociating with the holiday season, I was unsure whether I should laugh or feel frustrated when friends and neighbors hassled the Kranks as they avoided the normal indulgences of Christmas.

Though the book is intended to be humorous, I cannot remember splitting my sides with laughter at any point, yet that does not mean someone else wouldn’t since I do remember smirking at certain points. I couldn’t help smiling and nodding in agreement while reading, after all.

Enjoying Christmas should have nothing to do with how much money you spend, but how much time you spend with the people who matter. Yeah, this message was conveyed... eventually. That is until the happiness of the Christmas season was only rejoiced when the traditional ridiculousness and overt money-spending won out in the end.

So what was the real lesson for this Christmas story? Oh, who knows. Bah Humbug!

-EZ Read Staffer Amelia(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 03, 2011 Sidna Bookout rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In a sentence this book is much ado about nothing. Luther and Nora Krank's daughter leaves just before Christmas for a Peace Corps assignment in Peru. Since they are going to be alone for the holiday for the first time in over 20 years, they decide to go on a cruise instead of celebrating at home. As far as I am concerned that should be the end of the story.

My husband and I have celebrated Christmas alone several times. Once we decided to go to Branson. Big mistake! Don't go there at Christmas--...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 29, 2010 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this as my final novel for the Holiday Reading Challenge hosted by All About {n}.

At first I really liked this novel. I agree with Luther Krank that some people blow Christmas way out of proportion. I mean who would really spend over $300 on custom Christmas card and over $6,000 total on Christmas? I think sometimes it's nice to take a break from all the commercialized aspects of Christmas. They one thing I was worried about in this novel was that by forgetting Christmas in general, that t...more

like · see review

Dec 26, 2010 Linda Lipko rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In November middle aged Luther and Nora Krank wave goodbye to their daughter as she joins the Peace Corps and travels to Peru to help underprivileged children.

As she leaves, Luther decides that since the nest is empty, they will skip Christmas this year and instead they plan a ten day cruise in a warm, sunny location.

While parts of this book are a tad funny, overall, I found it annoying. The characters seemed stuffy, too uppity and ostentatious.

Vowing not to crumble to the ostracism of neighbors...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 25, 2010 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Dec 20, 2010 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well written, funny and a little dark.

Amazon.com Review
John Grisham turns a satirical eye on the overblown ritual of the festive holiday season, and the result is Skipping Christmas, a modest but funny novel about the tyranny of December 25. Grisham's story revolves around a typical middle-aged American couple, Luther and Nora Krank. On the first Sunday after Thanksgiving they wave their daughter Blair off to Peru to work for the Peace Corps, and they suddenly realize that "for the first time in...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 09, 2010 Alan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

John Grisham, as most of you know, can really tell a tale. In this short book (less than 200pp) he introduces us to the Kranks, Luther and Nora, and their daughter Blair. Nora is a Christmas queen that loves to do the holidays in a big way...decorations, gifts, the tree, and a huge Christmas Eve party, and they've always done it as a family. This year, however, things are different when Blair enlists in the Peace Corps and flies to Peru the day after Thanksgiving for a year-long assignment.

Luth...more

like · see review

Jul 24, 2010 Jerry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Delightful novella, thought provoking, warm fuzzy ending...

Certainly a departure from the "normal" Grisham fare, this nice little Christmas story, easily read in an hour and a half, has a little more substance than we expected. It's about a stereotypical suburban couple, the Kranks (which for a while we thought was a pun), who make the brash decision to forego Christmas in all of its trappings -- gift exchanges, office parties, house lights and adornments, card sending, tree decorations, etc, e...more

like · see review

Jun 30, 2010 Chana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: funny, received-through-bookcrossing, american, satire

I was just going to skip this book and send it on, but the fact that it is written by John Grisham, and it is "a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that have become part of" the "holiday tradition" made me change my mind. Anyway, it is a very quick read, couple of hours so I decided to read it.
I enjoyed it very much as it is quirky, snarky and laugh out loud funny. John Grisham is an accurate observer of, well everything he observes probably. In any case, he writes in an engaging and astute...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 26, 2009 Bonnie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: schlock

What a way to end 2009: reading one of the worst books I've read this year, and I've read some real stinkers. Usually I have to at least contemplate giving one or two stars. I didn't even have to think about how many stars this deserves: one. Well, really zero, but that's not an option here.

Where to begin? First, I did not like a single character. The Kranks were aptly named. The father was surly and touchy and seemed annoyed by the entire world. The mother was weak and whiny. And the daughter...more What a way to end 2009: reading one of the worst books I've read this year, and I've read some real stinkers. Usually I have to at least contemplate giving one or two stars. I didn't even have to think about how many stars this deserves: one. Well, really zero, but that's not an option here.

Where to begin? First, I did not like a single character. The Kranks were aptly named. The father was surly and touchy and seemed annoyed by the entire world. The mother was weak and whiny. And the daughter was selfish and had no sense of reality, even though partly that's because Grisham decided to do absolutely no research into the Peace Corps. I have a friend in the Peace Corps right now and they get two days of vacation per month of work. So, no, little Blair would not be coming home for ten days of Christmas after less than a month of service. Plus, getting engaged and taking the fiance to a foreign country to meet her parents after knowing each other less than four weeks? Really, Grisham, you put so little effort into this book that you can't even be bothered to have a decent plot device to have the Kranks give up their skipped Christmas? Considering the fiance lived in Lima and Blair lived a 3-day bus ride into the mountains from Lima, they probably saw each other about twice between the initial meeting and coming to America engaged. I guess they called each other a lot? Plus, getting last minute plane tickets during the Christmas season? On whose money?

And don't get me started on the neighbors. We are supposed to feel all heart-warmed and mushy that they pulled together to give the Kranks a Christmas in the end. Except they completely harassed them for the previous few weeks. Their behavior was spiteful and rude.

I know this is supposed to be a book about the madness of the holiday season and crass consumerism or something, but, really, there's a line that most people walk between giving into the holiday frenzy and not doing a single Christmas-related thing. The Kranks were so unhappy because they went from one end of the spectrum to the other without attempting any decent moderation.

The best thing about this book--in fact, the ONLY good thing about this book--was that it was short. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (65)

More editions...

Genres

Holiday > Christmas

275 users

Humor

130 users

Book Club

117 users

Holiday

88 users

Adult Fiction

50 users

Adult

40 users

Contemporary

34 users

Humor > Comedy

32 users

Humor > Funny

28 users

Christian

27 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About John Grisham

"Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of...more "Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.

One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988.

That might have put an end to Grisham's hobby. However, he had already begun his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time career—and spark one of publishing's greatest success stories. The day after Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991.

The successes of The Pelican Brief, which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed Grisham's reputation as the master of the legal thriller. Grisham's success even renewed interest in A Time to Kill, which was republished in hardcover by Doubleday and then in paperback by Dell. This time around, it was a bestseller.

Since first publishing A Time to Kill in 1988, Grisham has written one novel a year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have become international bestsellers. There are currently over 225 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29 languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his first foray into non-fiction.

Grisham lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea. The family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm in Mississippi and a plantation near Charlottesville, VA.

Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books' protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a jur(less)

More about John Grisham...

Books by John Grisham

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Skipping Christma...

12 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Skipping Christmas

“Sounds awful."

"No, it's wonderful. And it's just for one year. Let's take a break. Blair's not here. she'll be back next year and we can jump back into the Christmas chaos, if that's what you want. Come on, Nora, please. We skip Christmas, save the money, and go splash in the Caribbean for ten days."

"How much will it cost?"

"Three thousand bucks."

"So we save money?"

"Absolutely."

"When do we leave?"

"High noon, Christmas Day."

They stared at each other for a long time.” — 5 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Skipping Christmas
avg rating	preview: Skipping Christmas Goodreads rating: 3.40 (27582 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7906879-skipping-christmas?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360571534l/7906879.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7906879-skipping-christmas?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Skipping Christmas by John Grisham[/url]

Skipping Christmas

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website