Product Description

Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, 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 the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; 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. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences - and isn't half as easy as they'd imagined. A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that has become part of our holiday tradition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2852 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

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

Sunday Times, praise for A Painted House
'..a beguiling and beautifully constructed novel’

The Times, praise for A Painted House
'..a lyrical, gritty and personal novel - his best work’

Customer Reviews

Great, New Look At The Spirit of Christmas.
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!

Great book, must be read before Christmas!!
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!!

John Grishams 'Skipping Christmas'
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!