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Skipping Christmas (Windsor Selection)
  

Skipping Christmas (Windsor Selection) (Hardcover)

by John Grisham (Author) "The gate was packed with weary travelers, most of them standing and huddled along the walls because the meager allotment of plastic chairs had long..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 216 pages
  • Publisher: Chivers Large print (Chivers, Windsor, Paragon & C; Large Print Ed edition (1 Dec 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0754018571
  • ISBN-13: 978-0754018575
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2,518,240 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

John Grisham has turned a satirical eye on the overblown ritual of the festive 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 suddenly realise that "for the first time in her young and sheltered life Blair would spend Christmas away from home".

Luther Krank sees his daughter's Christmas absence as an opportunity. An accountant, Luther quickly estimates that "a year earlier, the Luther Krank family had spent $6,100 on Christmas", and had "precious little to show for it". Luther makes an executive decision, telling his wife, friends and neighbours that "we won't do Christmas". Instead, Luther books a 10-day Caribbean cruise. All goes well until people get wind of the Kranks' subversive scheme. Everyone, from Christmas card salesmen to horrified neighbours, besieges the couple with questions; what about the Christmas party, carols and the erection of Frosty the Snowman? Things start to turn nasty in the local neighbourhood.

Grisham builds up a funny but increasingly terrifying picture of how the tightknit community turn on the Kranks, who find themselves under increasing pressure to conform. As the tension mounts, will they ever manage to board their plane on December 25? Skipping Christmas is Grisham-lite, with none of the serious drama of earlier books such as The Pelican Brief, but a funny poke at the craziness of Christmas. --Jerry Brotton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Sunday Times, praise for A Painted House

'..a beguiling and beautifully constructed novel’ --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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The gate was packed with weary travelers, most of them standing and huddled along the walls because the meager allotment of plastic chairs had long since been taken. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

70 Reviews
5 star:
 (40)
4 star:
 (18)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (70 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, New Look At The Spirit of Christmas., 4 Feb 2002
By alisonbond@clara.co.uk (Congleton, Cheshire) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Skipping Christmas (Hardcover)
An excellent read.
I've read almost all of John's books, and enjoyed most of them. This is a real breath of fresh air.
The humour is subtle, and John really captures the feeling of Christmas.
Peace, is something the Luther Krank seeks, when he is faced with Christmas, so he decides to "Skip Christmas" completely, but, in a very entertaining chain of events he slowly realises that Christmas isn't just about tinsel, candles, presents, lights, fixtures, fittings and big bank balances, and that there is far more than that involved. A simple phone call completely turns his plans upside down, and he finds himself at the "mercy" of those he was avoiding.
I read this book, "post Christmas" and found I could really relate to some of the feelings conveyed.
A VERY GOOD READ!
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, must be read before Christmas!!, 14 Nov 2001
By debbysilver@yahoo.com (London, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Skipping Christmas (Hardcover)
This is a very different story for John Grisham. Must be read before Christmas. I really enjoyed this book, it made me laugh and the story has stayed in my mind long after finishing the book. A very good read, I highly recommend it!!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars John Grishams 'Skipping Christmas', 30 April 2005
By Ms. S. Evans "slackerward" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Skipping Christmas (Paperback)
Even though John Grisham has a certain professional style of writing about law and certain aspects of it, he still manages to write a delightful page skipping novel. I honestly couldn't put this book down!

After i finished this book i was itching for more, i suppose i read it a bit too fast, but heh, always there and i could easily read it again! It does give you the feeling of christmas and makes you think about what would actually happen if we cancelled christmas!

In my opinion to you guys, its a corker of a read and i would recommend it to anyone!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading Christmas
The best book about christmas, its ideas and some ironic views on it. Far better than all related movies on the matter. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Dirk Solterbeck

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun...
A fun easy read, get's you into the Christmas spirit. Much better than the film.
Published 1 month ago by Nat

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun festive read
We chose this book for our book club's December meeting in order to have something topical but not so long that it would interfere with all our festive preparations and outings... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Karen L. Gourlay

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing change from John Grisham's usual fare
John Grisham is of course famous for his legal thrillers; Skipping Christmas is a complete departure from that genre and whilst I wouldn't say a welcome one, certainly not an... Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. Pittock

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfied
Very good service and as described at a good price. What more could one want. Cheers
Published 7 months ago by Anthony Hutchings

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reading.
Makes you think about the ridiculous things people do in the name of community.Good tale about the futility of the 'happy season' which is anything but. Read more
Published 18 months ago by cancat reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Christmas! Not.
I picked this up at Singapore airport a few years ago while waiting for a delayed flight. I read it in under 3 hours and have read it twice since as well as recommending the book... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Zara

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favourite John Grisham book
I've read a few John Grisham books and this is my favourite so far.

It's very different to his usual genre. The subject and plot are original. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2008 by Tamianne

5.0 out of 5 stars A Christmas Story!
This is a very fast read. You will not want to put it down. Read this book in November and you will look at Christmas differrent. Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2007 by M. A. Ramos

4.0 out of 5 stars Here's one I made earlier...
Someone bought this for me a few years ago as a Christmas present and as so often happens, I put it to one side to read later. Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2007 by D. N. Carter

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