Book Review: Skipping Christmas: A Novel by John Grisham

Growing up, my relatives read a lot. One of their favorite authors was John Grisham. I grew up knowing John Grisham as an author of mystery novels, which is my relative’s favorite genre of books. When the movie Christmas with the Kranks was released, the news mentioned John Grisham wrote the book it was based off. I was really surprised by this because, like I mentioned, I only knew John Grisham for his mystery novels.

When I got older, I decided to make a list of books I wanted to own and read as a child. Skipping Christmas, the movie Christmas with the Kranks was based off, was on that list. I eventually purchased a copy of it and have read it on and off over the years. After years of reading it, I decided to write a review post about it.

Amazon’s blurb for the book is…

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents.

That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on Hemlock Street without a rooftop Frosty, they won’t be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash, they aren’t even going to have a tree. They won’t need one, because come December 25 they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences—and isn’t half as easy as they’d imagined.

A classic tale for modern times from a beloved storyteller, John Grisham’s Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that have become part of our holiday tradition.

Sometimes, the book is better than the movie. In the case of Skipping Christmas, I like the book and the movie, but for different reasons. The movie is very similar to the book. The movie’s comedic incidents are clearly drawn from the book. Even when the movie doesn’t follow the book perfectly, it is still funny and is in the spirit of the book.

The book is short (It is 240 pages long) but it is an enjoyable read. It is funny and the characters are likable. I really the style it is written in. The writing style gives a funny contrast to the crazy and odd events that happen to Luther and Nora’s life.

I really enjoy the movie Christmas with the Kranks, but I still really enjoy reading Skipping Christmas as well. The book was published in 2001, but it ages well. It is still as relevant today as it was back then. This is why I highly recommend this book. If you are looking for a novel to read for Christmas but isn’t a “classic” Christmas book (Such as A Christmas Carol) then consider reading it.

That’s all for now! Thank you for reading!