The Testament: A Novel

by John Grisham

Book Overview

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - In a plush Virginia office, a rich, angry old man is furiously rewriting his will. With his death just hours away, Troy Phelan wants to send a message to his children,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385493800
• Release Date: February 1999
• Publisher: Doubleday
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.4" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Couldn’t put it down

The way this book has essentially two storylines within the same book is awesome. It takes Grisham’s usual writing style and accompanies it with an adventure. Loved it.

Uplifting Story

What a great South American adventure with an accurate history of their indigenous people and a fantastic story of trying to locate the beneficiary of a mass fortunate. Also very uplifting story about faith and the journey beyond the personal addictions of money, drugs, and alchohol. Great writing!

Magnífico

John Grishan nos deleita con este libro que escribe con detalle las peripecias de un hombre que se debate entre el deber y el vicio, las acciones de un hombre arrepentido y el fuerte caracter de una hija perdida. El final, aunque algo predecible, es bastante impactante, tal y como nos tiene acostumbrado el autor.

The Testament

This Book is very adventurous. You never know what is going to happen next. It is very exciting and you cant put the book down.

Descriptive Page Turner With Unusual Charactor

I liked this book about greed, manipulation, serenity and redemption. Grisham's first chapter sucks the reader into the story like few beginnings I have encountered. The first person perspective of a bitter and lonely billionaire who plots his revenge on his children even as he has plotted his own death is riviting.When the story moves to inland Brazil, Grisham's narrative excels at explaining a remote yet beautiful land that few are aware exists. His characters likewise are well developed and beleivable in their roles. His portrayal of the several amoral lawyers borders on the hilarious and will serve to confirm many people's stereotypes of members of the bar.What separates this novel from othe works of Grisham is the presence of God in the life of several of the characters. Religion is a positive influence on those it touches in the story and serves as the fulcrum upon which the plot turns.This is the first fiction book I can recall reading where the strong faith of several major characters is treated as a positive defining aspect of their lives. In my experience, when I have encountered religion at all in fiction, it usually is presented as a character defect or held up to demonstrate the hypocrisy of those who do not practice what they preach. Grisham's treatment of faith as a central aspect of character and motivational force is refreshing and much more representative of how it affects most religious people.I read the book quickly over several days. Great opening, well developed and interesting characters, enough greed and money on the line to titilate and a good juxtaposition of faith and redemption. A winner.

Beautiful and Unforgettable

What Grisham has managed to do with "The Testament", is masterfully combine an interesting legal plot within the streets of DC., and an emotionally involving one within the river ways in the Pantanal. In the same book, Lawyers and Clients engage in an intriguing courtroom battle, and a booze addict discovers what better life he can live under Christ through the teachings of a missionary deep within the Pantanal region in Brazil. I especially recommend this book to those religious at heart. The story is moving, however keeps the pages turning as the devious legal plot unfolds.

So far, the best John Grisham novel

This is certainly the best John Grisham novel so far. A self-made billionaire commits suicide. When his last will is discovered, it is mind-boggling to the supposed-to-be heirs. He leaves his vast fortune to one of his children, Rachel. But she's enstranged to her father, and has given her life to God as a missionary in the jungles of Brazil. Now, the lawyers have to find her, which is not an easy task. In the meanwhile, the supposed-to-be heirs are circling like vultures, trying to overturn the 'insane' will. The story is suspenseful, heart-warming, adventurous, and beautifully written. It's also a picture of human nature, and the story carries a rare genuine redemptive byline. Really a good book!