Though different from many of his other books, I think The Testament goes down as one of my Grisham favorites. Troy Phelan, a self-made billionaire, jumps to a spectacular death after signing a will leaving his fortune to an unknown daughter, Rachel Lane, and spurning his six other children by three failed marriages, all of whom are circling like vultures waiting for their lucky day to finally arrive. The wrinkle is that Rachel is a missionary in a remote part of Brazil, and is totally out of touch with the Western world except for two phone calls a year. So Josh Stafford, Troy's long-time lawyer, dispatches one of his associates, Nate O'Riely, on a mission to find Rachel.Nate is fresh out of drug rehab (his fourth trip), and is coming to terms with the wreck his life has become, with a failed marriage and kids he doesn't stay in touch with, on top of federal charges that jeopardize his law practice and good intentions but little hope of true sobriety and recovery. Josh sees this little trip as a chance to get Nate back on his feet, and also keep him away from trouble for a little while. So Nate is dispatched to Brazil to venture out into the Pantanal, a vast region of rain forest on the Brazil-Bolivia border with little contact with the outside world. Rachel Lane is a missionary there with World Tribes Missions, a group that seeks to evangelize unreached peoples by sending missionaries in to live with tribes permanantly and to get to know them and earn their trust. Nate, with the help of a couple local guides, finally tracks Rachel down in a remote village, only to learn that she doesn't want the money. This to Nate is of course shocking, and as he spends a few days with Rachel, he comes to see the deep contrast between her contentment and his own searching and floundering.While in the jungle, Nate catches malaria, and narrowly escapes death after convalescing in a Brazilian hospital for a number of days. Once back in the States, he begins acting as Rachel's lawyer, in defense of the will, since the other Phelan heirs are contesting the will and seeking their own share of the vast estate. In the end, a settlement is offered to the other heirs, solving the legal troubles, except for the need for Rachel's signature. When Nate makes a return trip to Brazil, he learns that Rachel died of Malaria. But before her death, she signed the necessary papers, giving Nate control over the vast fortune in the form of a trust to benefit World Tribes, the spread of the gospel, and the betterment of the people of Brazil.This book has the legal intrigue of Grisham's other books, with some comical but also interesting heirs and their lawyers battling for control of billions of dollars. But it is in the characters that this book excels. Grisham shows the devastation that money and greed can bring in the lives of the three ex-wives and six heirs-apparent to the Phelan fortune. And he does a great job of contrasting this with the contentment that can be found elsewhere (namely in peace with God). Rachel is a very authentic character, and adds great depth to the book. But the best character proves to be Nate O'Riley. His journeys to Brazil parallel the searching in his own life, and his encounters with the Phelan heirs and with Rachel cause him to refocus his own life. His journey shows how painful the past can be, but also how liberating God's truth and forgiveness is. The journey isn't easy for him, but Grisham has cast it just right, to make it authentic without being shallow and moralizing or preachy.In short, I loved this book. The setting was fun and different, the legal maneuvering is vintage Grisham, and the characters bring the story to life. And, best of all, it is a great "testament" to the source of true meaning in life, none other than God and the forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ.

It wasn't until the window scene that I remembered reading this book before. It contained two parallel story lines about parenting. It is a terrific example of the imagination of Grisham. Some parts were a little tedious. The ending was something the reader anticipates.

I listened to The Testament as an audio. Frank Muller read the book. I chose this book as a requirement for one of the books on my 2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge. This book was not one of Grishams better books. I have enjoyed Grishams past books which mostly all circle around the legal field and involve one or more lawyers, a firm, a case, or a trial.The dysfunctional family is a trope so prevalent that it didnt take long for me to grow to hate it. Books such as This Is Where I Leave You, tv shows such as The Family, and movies such as August, Osage County flood the market and make me feel more than a little nostalgic for a time when normal families were something to be upheld and to strive for.The characters were well developed and Troy Phelan and his heirs definitely inspired feelings of intense dislike. There were plenty of in-depth descriptions of Troy and his heirs leading the reader to infer why Troy made the decisions he did. The heirs were almost clichés in terms of what one would imagine a typically spoiled child grown up into an adult to become. I was a bit ambivalent towards Nate ORiley, the lawyer assigned to the Last Will and Testament in question, was also a cliché drunk just rescued from rehab. I felt ambivalent to him throughout the majority of the book because he didnt seem to have any redeeming qualities. The characters were amusing to read about in a mildly entertaining way but I wasnt that invested in any of them. This book was definitely not un-put-down-able. Unlike many of Grishams other novels, this one didnt have an intense plot that characterizes and edge of your seat thriller. The plot plodded along at some points, such as describing Nates riverboat ride to Brazil, and his trips to see his children. I just wanted to know what the outcome of the will was going to be. The descriptions of Brazil really didnt interest me.The point of view kept toggling back and forth between first Troy and his heirs to Nate and the heirs. It Although the heirs were amusing, they didnt have a whole lot of bearing on the outcome of the case and they were just annoying nuisances after a point.Personally, youd be better off reading one of Grishams better books, such as The Firm, A Time to Kill, or The Rainmaker.

Ever watch a game show like Who Wants to be a Millionaire and the contestant gets to the last question and a big smile covers their face because the answer is something they have just read or heard? Well, while in the process of reading The Testament I dreamed I was that contestant and the question centered around the Pantanol, situated in Corumba, Brazilbut I digress.The Testament was typical John Grisham. It was enjoyable, informative, and entertaining. Troy Phelan is an aging billionaire with 6 children from 3 marriages, who along with their mothers and spouses are waiting for the old geezer to die. And die he does. After manipulating his would-be heirs to have him declared mentally intact to sign a will that would leave them multi-millionaires, he signs a holographic testament and commits suicide.Well that was a great opener but the story really is about who he leaves his billions to, the search for her, and a recovering alcoholic, soon-to-be disbarred attorneys journey into the wetlands of South America to get her to accept an 11-billion dollar inheritance. There was a lot going on in this novel and at times the story drifted, especially when we were taken to South America. At times I felt like a geography lesson and not a suspense novel. Not only is it a Grisham lawyer tale, but it also deals with morality, and sublimely touches on some political issues.I think most readers were in agreement with Phelan, and did not want his obvious heirs to receive a penny. But it after learning about the person he left his fortune too, it was a little challenging to root for her either. The ending, although satisfying, did catch me off guard. I was hoping for a love story, happily ever after ending but that didnt happen.Some of the take-aways from this book is everyone, especially those with money, should have a will. If there is anyone you dont want inheriting your things, you need a will. And if you are the child of a very wealthy person and they give you a trust at 21, be responsible with it because it may determine if they want to give you anything when they die.There really isnt much you can say about a Grisham novel. The man is truly talented and even on a off day, he would still write a pretty good book.Much Love,TracyTracy L. Darity is the author of He Loves Me He Loves Me Not! and Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day. For more information, please visit www.TracyLDarity.com.

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.Check out my John Grisham Shelf!