The Testament: A Novel by John Grisham (Epub)

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Ebook Info

  • Published: 2010
  • Number of pages: 482 pages
  • Format: Epub
  • File Size: 2.11 MB
  • Authors: John Grisham

Description

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, his ex-wives, and his minions—a message that will touch off a vicious legal battle and transform dozens of lives. Because Troy Phelan’s new will names a sole surprise heir to his eleven-billion-dollar fortune: a mysterious woman named Rachel Lane, a missionary living deep in the jungles of Brazil.

Enter the lawyers. Nate O’Riley is fresh out of rehab, a disgraced corporate attorney handpicked for his last job: to find Rachel Lane at any cost. As Phelan’s family circles like vultures in D.C., Nate goes crashing through the Brazilian jungle, entering a world where money means nothing, where death is just one misstep away, and where a woman—pursued by enemies and friends alike—holds a stunning surprise of her own.

User’s Reviews

Review “An entertaining page-turner…his best novel in years.”—USA Today”A compulsory page-turner.”—Newsweek”Entertaining.”—The New York Times Book Review”Absorbing…the pages fly by.”—Chicago TribuneFrom the Paperback edition. Amazon.com Review Troy Phelan, a 78-year-old eccentric and the 10th-richest man in America, is about to read his last will and testament, divvying up an estate worth $11 billion. Phelan’s three ex-wives, their grasping spawn, a legion of lawyers, several psychiatrists, and a plethora of sound technicians wait breathlessly, all eyes glued to digital monitors as they watch the old man read his verdict. But Phelan shocks everyone with a bizarre, last-gasp attempt to redistribute the spoils, setting in motion a legal morality tale of a contested will, sin, and redemption. Our hero, Nate O’Riley–a washed-up, alcoholic litigator with two ruined marriages in his wake and the IRS on his tail–is dispatched to the Brazilian wetlands in search of a mysterious heir named in the will. After a harrowing trip upriver to a remote settlement in the Pantanal, he encounters Rachel Lane, a pure-hearted missionary living with an indigenous tribe and carrying out “God’s work.” Rachel’s grave dedication and kindness impress the jaded lawyer, so much that a nasty bout of dengue fever leads him to a vision that could change his life. Back in the States, the legal proceedings drag on and Grisham has a high time with Phelan’s money-hungry descendents, a regrettable bunch who squandered millions, married strippers, got druggy, and befriended the Mob. The youngest son, Ramble, is a multi-pierced, tattoo-covered malcontent with big dreams for his rock band, the Demon Monkeys. Will Nate get straight with Rachel’s aid? Do the greedy heirs get theirs? What’s the real legacy of a lifetime’s work? The Testament is classic Grisham: a down-and-out lawyer, a lot of money, an action-packed pursuit, and the highest issues at stake. It’s not just about great characters; it’s about the question of what character is. –Rebekah Warren –This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ Somehow I’ve never noticed this novel and so I bought it and literally couldn’t put it down. Grisham takes the reader to a new level of suspense in settling an estate involving ruthless family members, lawyers and a burned out alcoholic protagonist that will break and lift your heart and leave you with new levels of understanding and hope for this devastating disease. The backdrop is in the rain forest of south america and you will absolutely feel like you are there experiencing his life changing experience. Grisham takes on a new way of involving the reader in religion with a missionary in the remotest region of the rain forest. She will leave you understanding the true meaning of “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” with her method of spreading God’s true words of love and Empathy. Five stars for certain *****

⭐ The book was typical Grisham in that it was easy-to-read and easy to follow. The juxtaposition of the Bolivian jungles and American courtrooms was well done.The only problem I had was the fact that there was nobody to really like in this book. The old geezer who died was a schmuck. His kids are morons. His Grandchildrens are ingrates and slugs. His attorney is a decent guy but he’s… An attorney.The hero of the story, if that’s what he is, is a drunk. Two wives two divorces four kids and not many redeeming qualities.The woman in the jungle was a good person but she turns it down $11 billion.The book dragged a bit in the first sequence in the jungle. More information than I needed. But the pace picked up nicely in the final third of the book.Enjoyable.

⭐ I listened to the book on Audible. The experience was great. I am legally blind so it’s getting difficult to read even on an especially large monitor. The Testament is indeed quite a Testament. A very strange will, with greedy family members being left out and the estate naming a unknown illegitimate daughter as the only beneficiary begins the book. Thus the legal battles and the adventure begins for Nate an alcoholic lawyer who goes looking for Rachel, the daughter serving God in remote jungle in Brazil or Bolivia. Nate is the unlikely hero but Rachel wonderful inspiration for the reader (listener) and Nate. In fact she may become even more to Nate.I feel that Grisham put more of his soul and writing ability in this book than one’s written in recent years.

⭐ I’ve read a few of Grisham’s novels and for the most part, I enjoyed them. This one seemed a change of pace. It asked more questions than it answered. Is it moral to refuse money that can be used to help others? Judas posed a similar question when he criticized Jesus for accepting a gift when the money could have helped the poor. Can the damage caused by a neglected childhood and too much money excuse a wasted life? What does it mean to devote your life to people who reject your beliefs and barely tolerate your presence? A lawyer who is a recovering alcoholic makes a perilous journey through the Amazon jungle to find a woman. She’s a missionary doctor and sole heir to huge fortune courtesy of her father, someone she barely knew. Unaware of her existence and their disinheritance, her half siblings squabble over who gets the most. I can’t say that I cared much about any of these characters. The lawyer is perhaps the most sympathetic, but not nearly as appealing as The Client, where Reggie, the alcoholic attorney, protects a young boy witness in hiding. Mourning the loss of her children, Reggie’s resourcefulness and warmth made me invested in the outcome.As to The Testament, I did like learning more about the Amazon–its geography, history and about the people who call it home. The strategies employed and money charged by lawyers who do battle in courts dealing with the dispersals of large fortunes was beside the point for me. Nate’s religious turn was too quick. I’m not saying people don’t have life-changing epiphanies, but I wasn’t convinced.

⭐ This is not your usual John Grisham novel, even though ti involves a surprise bequest, and the search for the “lost” recipient, with opposition from people who thought they would inherit the very large estate. The main character searches through wet, alligator-infested swamp land to find a young woman who does not want to be found. Tantalizing tales about why this situation exists make it all hang together. It’s the setting that makes this a very interesting, readable book. I recommend it!

⭐ I think this book is one of John Grishams finest. Very meaningful, and some finely drawn contrasts are made between characters: in the novel we see those who seem to live for things that will have eternal valuel even though they are poor by the world’s standards. We see other characters who have seemingly attained every criteria for success and yet they are wretched and miserable. In this novel John Grisham seems to invite us to re-evaluate our criteria for human worth and success.

⭐ The odd man out among John Grisham’s adult legal thrillers, yet for all that one of my favorites. An idiosyncratic Virginia billionaire dies, leaving a handmade (holographic) will that bypasses his heirs and settles his considerable estate on a young Brazilian missionary. Not set in the American South but in the “Pantanal” region of Central Brazil, which is a kind of seasonally flooded wetland, not a jungle. I enjoyed the change of scene despite, at times, the fact that Grisham was obviously including “travelogue” material for the benefit of the ignorant like me. The new paperback keeps this novel alive and affordable.

⭐ I read this on my vacation. I was at a bed & breakfast in the Caribbean and there were a bunch of old paperbacks in the breakfast room that were up for grabs. I was like “Ok Grisham is good, I’ll give it try”. I normally never read fiction but since I was on vacation I figured I’d do it for a change, just for fun and as a sort of escape from my normal routines. I got really caught up in the book. The main character is a lawyer who upon finishing his 3rd stint in a rehab for drug and alcohol addiction, is chosen to go into the wilds of Brazil to find and heiress who has inherited $11 billion. Turns out she’s a Christian missionary who’s been living with an indigenous tribe for 11 years and doesn’t want the money. His journey to find her is fraught with danger. When he finally finds her she helps him find “god” and heal his addiction problems. I won’t spoil it by revealing the ending but it’s a great read.

⭐ This is the best book ever. I immediately shared it with my brother & his wife as my brother had been to the exact same places our hero went on down the Amazon River. My brother even contracted the same disease as our hero, and almost died also. This book is so good that I buy used copies & send them to soldiers overseas as it is a book that is so intriguing & entertaining, as well as character development. The Painted House & The Last Juror as also my favorites by Grisham. I send those overseas also. Grisham is the best writer in America.

⭐ Grisham is always a good read and I’ve read many of his books. I was surprised I had somehow missed this one, which I’m very happy I corrected. Next to The Firm, this is my fave Grisham book. It’s an amazing adventure and a very good story. Grisham gets you out of the courtroom and into incredibly exotic and dramatic locals where you are holding your breath to see what will happen. I was happy to be reading this in my cozy bed as all kinds of things were creeping and crawling across the pages.Characters are as always w/Grisham so deftly written. Grisham is a master at never over writing, and yet with a sure pen he sketches out his people and makes you feel you know them.This is a spectacular read. After I finished it I passed it on to hubby, and he hardly talked to me for 2 days as his nose was in this book and wouldn’t come out.

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