What readers think of Skipping Christmas, plus links to write your own review.

it was boring to me, but i'm sure it geared more towards the middle aged

Do not read this expecting a smart, insightful or philosophical exposition of modern Christmas rituals. The premise sounds promising: with 23-year old daughter off in the Peace Corps, Mr. and Mrs. Crank decide to skip Christmas and take a cruise -- but Mr. Grisham simply fails on the following accounts:

1. None of the characters were the least bit sympathetic. Luther Crank complains. A lot. He hates his wife. He hates his neighbors. He hates the people he works with. He gloats to himself. He repeats $6,100 (the amount of money spent on last year's Christmas) at least 30 times in the first few pages. It appears that Mr. Grisham was attempting a cross between Chevy Chase/Mr.Griswold (Christmas Vacation) and Ebenezer Scrooge -- but he failed. The reader feels neither sympathy nor joy for Crank. We just plain dislike him.

2. Poor/nonexistent motivation. Motivation for skipping Christmas, literally, comes from walking through a crowded airport and stepping in slush. It's really that weak.

3. Predictable & pendantic. After rejecting the Boy Scouts, firemen, policemen and neighbors, the storyline quickly becomes self-evident.

4. Unbelievable stupidity. The Cranks do some very dumb things. They refuse to buy a tree ($75), fruitcakes, calendars, etc. But instead of simply donating the money to the charities, the Cranks repeatedly promise to give $100 in the spring. This makes zero sense - especially because it defeats Mr. Crank's self-stated goal of saving money (Grisham made a big deal out of his occupation as an accountant in the first chapter and a VERY big deal out of the amount of money spent, but then promptly forget all about it). Everyone in this book (except Blair & her fiance, who only make cameos) act like walking morons.

5. Stereotypes. Everyone gets drunk at the office Christmas party. The secretaries are all women. No one in this world is Jewish, Buddhist, or Muslim. Crank puts on reggae music and says "That's what those people down there listen to." Is this really what Mr. Grisham thinks the world is like?

In sum, if you enjoy thoughtless stereotypes, if you hate your spouse, hate your neighbors, hate your coworkers, hate your job, incessantly complain about the people in your life in your head and if you spend more than $6,100 on Christmas -- than this book is probably for you.

If you were looking for some thoughtful social commentary -- skip this book.

I guess I'm all alone in thinking this book was puerile trash. There were no engaging characters -- I just wanted them all to go back in the holes they crwled out of. When I described some of the scenes to my wife, she thought they were funny, but I just found the whole thing to be an attempt to be too clever by half. No one in the book had any redeeming social value -- all completely self-centered. The "happy ending" merely provided confirmation that Grisham and the sorry cast of losers in the book should spend a couple of years in reflective prayer, not on the meaning of Christmas but rather on what it means to be human being with values worth living for.

Boo and Bah Humbug to John Grisham.

THIS BOOK SUCKS!