Search - The Testament

An entertaining read, fun to see how convoluted the human mind becomes when money is in the midst of it all. Mr. Grisham does not let us down with this one; happy reading.

All his books involve lawyers some you love and some you hate. I liked this lawyer. I loved the travel to the remote area. This book seems softer on the whole Lawyer thing and made the people seem more human. Great ending and a great testament to John Grisham who can write about lawyers in more than one way.

I am an avid reader and not of just one author. John Grisham books are on my booklist but I read just about everyone at one point or another. If I am not engaged by the first few pages in any book I pick up, and held so thoughout the story, I don't waste my time with the rest of the book. "The Testament" grabbed me from the first page and held my interest all the way through to the end. It was a page-turner for me. What I liked about the story was that I developed definite feelings about the characters even though Grisham did not say a lot about them other than their antics and a bit of background here and there. Grishman was very good at creating characters that a reader will either care about or not care for. The other thing I liked was that the story was transformational on various levels and not just for the lead character. Nate O'Riley, the alcoholic, drug addicted, constant rehab dwelling attorney, was a character that I truely appreciated getting to know. I enjoyed watching him as he passed through life-tests that he sometimes failed and sometimes conquered. Even with Rachel Lane, who you did not know much about at all, you got a good depth of her personality through Nate's observations of her. Lastly, the story talks about what a lot of money can do to people, how it corrupts, blinds, and befuddles a sane mind into doing insane things with it. But it also told the reader through more than one character that it's hard to blame people for how they deal with money because of how they were brought to it. It's a very thoughtful read and I would recommend "The Testament" to anyone who enjoys a good read and a good mystery that has a very unpredictable ending.

A disgraced corporate attorney, who has come out of rehab for the umpteenth time, is sent to the wilds of Brazil in search of the illegitimate, missionary daughter of a dead millionaire, who has left most of his estate to her. As usual, Grisham's characters are well-formed and complex, and his plot is fast-paced and thrilling. A great read

Grisham has done it again! Fast paced thriller, with twists and turns that only he can bring.

The testament has romance, courtroom drama, adventure, and redemption packed into a readily readable novel!

This one took me awhile to read. You have to really focus on what you are reading, no distractions. Very interesting. Not a light read, but good story line.

Quick read, great premise.

Not one of Grisham's best but still interesting.

Loved it.

good

This book is not the typical John Grisham novel. I enjoyed this different format so much so, I re-read it. It begins slowly in development but you will enjoy the ending. A truly rewarding read.

* * ½*. Legal Thriller. A multi-billionaire leaves his entire fortune to an oblivious heir. From that point, the story separates into two parts: one a journey into Brazil; the other, the legal quagmire resulting from decisions made by said billionaire.

Really, I didn't much care for the traveling story. It didn't move the narrative and I often times skimmed that part without really losing any important part of the story. Midway thru, though, the story does pick up steam until, literally, the last page. Ok book.

Excellent -- I can't believe I had missed a Grisham book!

This is one of my favorite Grisham books, and I've read them all. I loved the trip down the river and through the jungle to get to Rachel Lane. It was exciting as well as interesting "travel reading" in this part of the book. His books always hold a twist and this one is no different.

Having read "The Client" and gotten hooked I've managed to read all of his books and while this one is worth the time is not among his best in my opinion -

Okay. John Gresham has done it again. Great book! Loved it!

ISBN 0440234743 - Troy Phelan is a self-made multi-billionaire who, on the last day of his life, outsmarts everyone around him, sticks it to his 3 ex-wives and six living children by means of a well thought out and executed plan, before he flings himself from the balcony of his building. The book isn't about him.

His 3 ex-wives and their children are, overall, pretty rotten people who have only one reason to be interested in the old man - his money. So when his plan works and they are all left out of his final will, they all lawyer up to do battle for what they believe is due to them. The book isn't about them, either.

Troy's final will leaves everything to his illegitimate and, until now, unheard of daughter. Rachel was the result of an office affair and was given up for adoption when she was born. Years later, Troy made contact, which ended abruptly when Rachel finished college. She is the only one of his children who has turned out reasonably well: she is not interested in money, she has made a career of spreading God's word and she is happy. She is also living in the jungles of Brazil. Oddly, the book isn't about her either.

Sent to find Rachel, Nate is fresh out of rehab - for the fourth time. Behind him are two ex-wives, four neglected children, innumerable affairs, countless malpractice suits (filed by him, not against him!), drugs and alcohol and about 20 years as a lawyer. He's facing problems with the IRS and his return to practice isn't exactly welcomed at the office. This all makes a jaunt in the jungle to find the probably reluctant heiress to the world's largest fortune seem like a perfectly reasonable idea. The book is about him.

Nate's journey, the goal of which is to find Rachel, leads him to find himself and his purpose, just as his life really seems to have slipped too far out of his control for him to recover from. He does find Rachel, of course - and everything about her, from her reaction to her father's will to the life she has chosen and is happy with, makes Nate realize what does (and doesn't) really have value.

One thing bugged me - the back cover says "Nate is 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..." This is nonsense. Her only secret seems to be that she's Troy Phelan's child, which is revealed in the will on page 27, so that hardly counts as her "stunning surprise". She changed her name from Lane to Porter, and the reason was never really explained, other than to indicate she didn't want Troy to find her again. Maybe that's her "stunning surprise", but since the reason is never brought up... I don't think so. I read the whole book waiting for the stunning surprise and it never materialized.

My absolute favorite Grisham book. Very unique from the typical lawyer style he usually writes.

this is book is about a alcoholic and an exceptional lawyer who is forced into rehab 4 times and loses his family and finances and about to be placed in jail before he sees the ligth. He is given 1 last assignment to find a a missionary "somewhere" in the most remote area of a Brazillian rain forest to inform her that she just inherited the worlds biggest fortune.