The Testament is an above average effort, but I wouldn't put it among Grisham's best. The subject is probate, which Grisham seems to enjoy and always does well. This time an eccentric billionaire Troy Phelan(One of my favorite Grisham characters ever) jumps out of a window to his death, after writing a new will, leaving his $11 Billion estate in limbo.

Despite being fully engaged by the story, there are a few things I didn't like about the book. I found the main character Nate O'reilly completely unsympathetic. I was very disappointed that the story started out with such a bang and then ended with a whimper. Once again, Grisham could have used a better editor.

I would recommend it cautiously, only because readers will probably get caught up in the story as I did and want to see where the money ends up.

Meh. Money bad. Nuns good. Blah. Blah.

It started off good with a man flying through a window, too bad he wasn't Superman.

My first John Grisham.. Too much details of law suits..Dry at places but still has a wicked humour and something tempting one to finish it.. Not bad.

A book based in Brazil? Yes please! This was our book club book this time and I'm glad I read it, even if it didn't end up being my typical kind of book. I enjoyed learning about the Pantanal, and loved the Brazilian characters. The downfall for me was the massive amount of greedy people in the book. I was wondering how this book could possibly end well, and I'm happy to say that it did.

5 Stars. This is probably one of the best John Grisham books I've read. It's not the usual courtroom/murder drama....just people behaving badly.

review

I am reading The Testament, by John Grisham.It's about a man named Nate who is put in charge of finding the illigitament daughter of a billionaire.She's a missionary to a remote jungle and is, as far as he knows, unreachable.So he sets out on a journey with vivid characters and challenging situations.Jevy the body guard and Milton the pilot befriend him and try to help him on his journey.I love this book.I can't stop reading because Grisham describes Nate's trials with such color and emotion.I just read a part when his plane crashed and killed a cow and it went into super-detail about the blood and guts and how the farmer got mad because cows are important.It's a great read.Dive in but be ready to get involved with the characters.They won't let you go.

9-29-08
I am still reading The Testament, by John Grisham.The Phlean family is completely crazy as is my family.They are especially crazy over money.After Troy Phlean jumped off the balcony of his four story house the lost their marbles and ran around like chickens with their heads cut off.This sounds remarkablly like my family.Another place in the book describes a scene where, in the plane, Jevy, Milton, and Nate run over a cow.It's very graphic and slightly distrubing but it reminded me of another book I loved.In Three, by Ted Dekker, Slater places a bomb in Kevin's dog's house and kills him because he fails to do his biding.It also is extremely graphic.The whole book is a relation to the world.But particurally the persecution of the Brazillian Indians was a reminder of the history the United States to me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved reading The Testament one of my favourite John Grisham books.

Had I not purchased this book I wouldn’t have finished it. The allure of reading about eleven billion-dollar estate was quickly tarnished by the slow, repetitive, boring adventures of a recovering alcoholic who while on a search for the missing illegitimate heir has a religious awakening. There were no twists and turns or unexpected events that I have I come to expect in John Grisham novels.

In 1 word : boring! This is not a legal thriller, this is a story about a lawyer, a bit of travelogue, and some preaching about religion & underdeveloped countries. The worst Grisham book I have read. Not recommended.

Another well written book by John Grisham that flows easily and keeps the reader wanting to read more.
The book is full of interesting if not nasty characters that are described perfectly by John Grisham. There are a number of sub plots that bring interest and intrigue into the novel. The first 100+ pages were very good but unfortunately the book did lose its way a little after that otherwise I would have rated it even higher.

4⭐
This was good. We follow Nate, an attorney, fresh out of rehab to find a Christian missionary living in Brazil, to give her, her father's will of $11 billion dollars.

Really a 3.5, Grisham shines in the courtroom escapades but the sympathy party for the main character with his abandoned kids is skip worthy as is his Heart Of Darkness trip in Brazil but the ending is brilliant.