Tuesday, November 19, 2013

The Testament by John Grisham

Read: October 18- November 1, 2013
read in what felt forever
pages: 535

The Testament

Book blurb:

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 elevan-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 disgraces corporate attorney handpicked for his last job: to Rachel Lane at any cost. As Phelan's family circles like vultures in D.C., Nate is crashing through 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 was a good read. It was very long, and took me some time to get into. I tried to leave it at work as something to read on my lunch so I wasn't devoting much time to the novel. It was fairly interesting early on though so it held my attention at first. It lost steam and wasn't until I got to the part with Nate on his search in Brazil that I finally took the book home to see what was going on here. I enjoyed the story until I was beat over the head with the importance of Rachel's missionary work and the importance of not being controlled by greed. The family's excessive nature and concerns with Phelan's money was a nice contrast but I just didn't need the overwhelming morality aspect. This was not the ending I was entirely expecting, but it was a good end to the story. Not sure if I'll read more Grisham, I like the law aspect of his writing I could just really do without the strong emphasis on morals.

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