The Testament: A Novel

I love John Grisham’s books. This is one of my favorites. Pulled you in from the first sentence

A story of inordinate greed, amoral lawyers, selfishly-entitled offspring, set against a search for Rachel, a related woman living in the swamps of the Brazilian Pantanal. The legal suspense was minor and much of the courtroom drama dragged on too long.

However, Nate, the lawyer in search of the actual heir to a fortune, was the best aspect of this novel. Grisham brought to life the realities of isolated natives living in nearly unreachable Brazilian wilds. The final twist at the end was ideal.

Read as a condensed Reader's Digest story. Not sure if the shortening took out some of the character of his usual style. A good tale about the death of a wealth American who leaves all his wealth to an unknown illegitimate daughter instead of to any of his 3 exwives or the 1/2 dozen children. His detail on the US/Virginia legal system related to wills and testate was interesting. Bringing in trips to a little know part of the Brazilian remote riverways and Indian tribes in search of the woman opened up a whole other side to the tale.

Entertaining novel; the author's course in the main character takes a quite pleasant and unconventional turn… (Translated from Spanish)

Fantastic. Fast-paced with interesting characters. Great storyline.

It's the first book I've read by the famous Grisham. I loved it. I won't give it the highest rating because it took me a little while to get hooked. A plot about an inheritance, lawyers, heirs who only think about money and their benefits... And a "lost" lawyer who, faced with a new challenge, finds himself. A book full of adventures and surprises. (Translated from Spanish)

It follows a narrative structure very similar to "A Time to Kill" and yet, it has convinced me. One must acknowledge that Grisham is the best in his field. Highly recommendable. (Translated from Spanish)

Too predictable. It practically tells you everything in the first few pages and doesn't induce any surprise. (Translated from Spanish)

Great story, it had me captivated from beginning to end, both from a legal standpoint and narrative perspective, it's fantastic. (Translated from Spanish)

A very well-crafted plot, although at times slow. It makes you fully immerse yourself in the story and encourages you to keep reading in order to uncover the truth. The beginning is a bit complex, but gradually it connects with the story and relevant events. It maintains the intrigue until the end. (Translated from Spanish)

Its not a work of great literature but I really enjoyed this search for a woman who doesent want to be found.

Clearly, if anyone ever said that life is fair... they were wrong; it seems that one moves forward hoping for a redeeming ending for that man, but no, a whole life sad and painful. (Translated from Spanish)

One of my favorite books of all time!

Always a Best Seller (Translated from Spanish)

I am an unapologetic fan of Grisham. The Testament revolves around a gazillionaire with a large family that could be the poster for dysfunctional (not to mention scumbags). He jumps out the window just after signing a will leaving everything to one heretofore unknown illegitimate child who is now a missionary in a remote jungle in South America. The story grabs you at the start and does not let go until … well, I finished it last night and it hasn't let go yet.

A suspenseful story about greed, family, and temptations. I enjoy the research Grisham does that gives the reader a you-are-there experience.

Several times while reading this book I thought I'd read it previously--but if I did, it must have either been before I started keeping an online bookshelf or this book didn't transfer over from Shelfari. The ending was different than what I thought it would be, so it is possible that I read a different book with a similar theme.

SPOILERS POSSIBLE: READ AT YOUR DISCRETION:
***

Most of us dream about winning the lottery and what we'd do if we had millions of dollars. Well, the Phelan children (except Rachel and Ramble) got 5 million dollars each on their 21st birthday--and most ran through it irresponsibly. (Ramble's not yet 21 so we don't know what he'll do with it yet--the picture painted of him makes it seem that he will waste it like his siblings and half-siblings--however, he will have one difference in his life in that Troy is already dead before he gets the 5 million dollars--and he will know that there is no more coming from that source.) They all need/want more and expect to get it from Troy Phelan's estate.

Rachel's been a missionary for 11 years--when we initially meet her, she seems to have no interest in the money--not even as a way to help the people she serves by being able to get a new boat or medicines she needs to treat them. I can see why Troy, or any parent, would want to give her the money over the wasteful ways of the others.

But this is also a tale of lawyers--some greedy, some not. Josh Stafford and Nate O'Riley seem to fall in the not greedy side of the table. Josh wants to honor the wishes of his client (Troy) even though the last will Troy made seems odd to him. Josh also has no love for Troy's children (barring Rachel whom he's never met and didn't know about until after Troy's death) or Snead (Troy's long-time servant). Nate's fighting demons of his own and is sent by Josh to locate Rachel. Though finding her is hard, the trip changes Nate for the better. I actually thought there was going to be a romance develop between Nate and Rachel that would have him serving alongside her in Brazil.

Nate finally embraces sobriety, makes amends with his younger children and their mother, tries to make amends to his older children (with less positive results, but at least he tried and perhaps over time they will see that he's a changed man), and decides to leave off practicing law as soon as he's done representing Rachel's interest in the Phelan matter (something Josh pushes on him). Nate can't help contrasting the Rachel he met with the rest of the Phelan children whom he meets upon deposition in the case. In the end, it seems he will find new life in administering the trust set up with Rachel's portion of the estate.

On the greedy side, we have all the lawyers for the Phelan children and ex-wives. It seems all they see is dollar signs. Hark poaches two other of the siblings with the promise of lowering his per cent of the cut as more sign on (of course, he stands to gain more total with 3 siblings in his stable vs. the 1 he started with). Their percentages of the take range from 17.5% to 50% and many passages show the lawyers tallying up what their part will be if they take a settlement etc.

Sneed chose to stay in his position--we're not told why--perhaps he was paid well, perhaps he hoped for a share of the estate in exchange for his years of faithful service. He acts like Phelan took advantage of him. Of course, he is disappointed to not receive a mention in the will (most of us would be) but IMO he shouldn't have stayed with a job on the off-chance he might get a bequest. If he really hated the job, he should have found other employment. He was compensated for his work and that's all he should have expected. (In fact, he was written out of the will after once asking Troy what he could expect when Troy died--that's ballsy! I'd never ask an employer what he/she was leaving me! Then again, I hope I wouldn't expect additional compensation for employment unless it was spelled out in a contract.) So once Sneed knows he's not named at all in the will, he's willing to sell his story to the side that will pay him most.

A different novel, full of adventures outside of courts. It surprised me, to be honest, and I liked that ending, which I didn't expect at all. I recommend it. (Translated from Spanish)

Based on a true story, the tale of two men unjustly sentenced to death, once again like Grisham who gets lost in many pages about baseball that make him lose interest. Nevertheless, highly recommended. (Translated from Spanish)

Biit of an anti novel... maybe a movie treatment.

This book has a good plot told in clear and relaxed language. In the best Grisham style, it reveals the still existing racial tensions and social conflicts in a wealthy society, but not without its excluded. (Translated from Spanish)

When billionaire Troy Phelan commits suicide just after signing a will, there is a surprise for his dysfunctional family. All of the three ex-wives and six adult children who had gathered for the signing, minutes after they left the room, were cut out with a new handwritten holographic will, given from Troy to his lawyer. The family had just had cameras in the room, and had videotaped three psychologists saying he was in his right mind when he signed the will they thought would make them all enormously rich. They are in for a shock when, one month later (after they’ve gone out and spent the money they thought they were getting), they learn that the will they saw him sign was no longer valid; the new will left his 11 billion to his long-lost illegitimate missionary daughter, Rachel, currently living somewhere in Brazil. Troy’s lawyer, Josh, sends one of the other lawyers in his firm to Brazil to find Rachel.

I thought this was really good. Boy, that family was hateful! We didn’t really get to know Troy, and apparently he wasn’t likeable, either, but you could sure see why he wanted to cut those ungrateful offspring (and ex-wives) out of the will altogether! Much of the novel was Nate trying to find Rachel in Brazil, which was entertaining, which leads me to mention that here were a number of humourous moments in the book, as well, which was kind of fun.

I like the book and I liked its ending; the star I took off is because I felt it was a bit slow, but other than that, it was good. (Translated from Spanish)

Another excellent book by John, although the ending left me a bit sad, I understand the reason for writing it that way. The decisions we make throughout life shape our future. (Translated from Spanish)

I read this a while ago, one of those stories that infuriate you because you know they are innocent but are condemned to death, a real event. There is also a documentary on Netflix. (Translated from Spanish)

I haven't read all of Dan Brown's books, but most of them focus on the technical details of the trial. This time, he showcases the human miseries of a family that is only united by money, and the heirs of the millionaire who committed suicide start spending on credit... that's it. Read without hesitation. (Translated from Spanish)

The Testament is different from your usual John Grisham novel in that it does not focus so much on courtroom action and legal debates but rather on the personal life of the protagonist, Nate O'Riley. When Troy Phelan, a billionaire, jumps off a balcony into death, his children immediately start spending the money they have not yet inherited. What they do not know, however, is that Troy Phelan has changed his will in the last minute before his death and his children will not get anything. Phelan has an illegitimate daugher, who does missionary work in the Pantanal region in Brazil and she is to be the sole heir of his fortune. In order to find her, Nate O'Riley is sent on a trip to Brazil. Before he can take the trip, he has to leave his rehab facility, though. Nate is in rehab for the fourth time, fighting his alcohol and drug issues of the past. Having lost two families and almost his license to practice law, he takes the trip in order to make a fresh start and get out of the country that will only make him fall back to his old habits. Nate's trip into the Pantanal is a life-changer for him.

I liked the character of Nate O'Riley a lot. Especially when he goes back to a courtroom to question witnesses, you see how good he must have been at his job. At the same time you can perfectly understand why he wants to quit his job in order to start a new life. The ending of the novel was a little unsatisfying to me and I think the story was a little drawn-out in certain parts. Still, not a bad read. 3.5 stars.

I used to be an avid reader of the likes of Grisham, Patterson etc but found myself moving away from secular fiction after I became a Christian. I remembered that a few of Grisham's novels had moral or Christian principles--The Testament is one of these.

The story centers around the suicide of billionaire Troy Phelan. He has effectively lived a careless life of self indulgence treating those around him with contempt. He married three times and was believed to have had six grandchildren whose lives he also ruined by spoiling them with million dollar payouts at intervals. No longer able to bear the weight of living he chooses instead to plunge to his death triggering an inevitable fight over his will. But what if there was a mysterious illegitimate daughter serving as a missionary in a remote country.....?

Nate is a recovering alcoholic. He is also a lawyer and assigned to the Phelan case. His task, to track down the elusive Rachel whilst resisting the allure of the bottle that has wrecked his life to date.

I enjoyed this the second time round. The biblical principle that the love of money is a route of all kinds of evil is clearly shown through this story. The author also does a good job in highlighting how an alcoholic will always struggle with the temptation to drink.

The author claims to be a Christian and as already noted I have seen these themes in his books at times. He states in his bio that a close friend of his is a Baptist missionary. In this novel he nearly explains the way of salvation in a manner understandable to all readers. However, he also states elsewhere that he believes that faith is a private matter....how can it be private when we have been given the Great Commission by Jesus Himself and when people are perishing on a daily basis? This author has a great platform for evangelism should he choose to use it. He has spent millions of dollars on football stadiums which maybe shows where his priorities are....

There are a few swear words in the book but it is not strong language. There is no graphic violence or sexual content apart from a few innuendos. I recommend this book.

How have I never read Grisham? This book. Spiritually fulfilling, relaxing to read, like meditation, yet a pageturner, pardon that cliche. Good thing I have the next book in hand already. Absolutely fantastic, this book.

READ IN DUTCH

This is my first - and so far last - John Grisham novel. I didn't like it, although the blurb sounded quite interesting.



A very rich eccentric finds a way to troll his greedy grandchildren, by cutting them out of his will and committing suicide right after he's made the change. The grieving grandchildren employ lawyers of course, and another lawyer is sent in to the middle of nowhere in the Brazilian jungle to break the news to a woman, who now is very rich.



What follows is a long story, that was incapable of holding my interest. The writing wasn't bad, but I didn't care for the characters and couldn't think of why they would go to such great lengths to tell her about it. I'd say that if you choose to life so far from anything, you don't really want to be found. At the end, I'm not curious to read any more novels by John Grisham, as this one disappointed me.