Something is bound to go wrong when Luther Krank (of Hemlock Street) decides he and his wife are going on a cruise (to save money) rather than celebrate Christmas. Much to his neighbors’ dismay, he even refuses to decorate—jeopardizing Hemlock’s winning the town’s Christmas decoration contest. Luther antagonizes the Boy Scouts, the police, and emergency services when he refuses to make holiday donations. So when things go wrong, in a surprising way (I certainly didn’t see it coming), he will suddenly need all those folks he antagonized and befuddled for help. And that’s when it gets downright hilarious. And there I was, somewhat sympathizing with Luther about the cost and hassle of the holidays! ( )

The Spanish audiobook is not on Goodreads so I picked the paperback.

1 star for the silly story, but 5 stars for the narrator's excellent, clear Mexican Spanish. The audio is a pleasure to listen to and is perfect for practicing Spanish at the intermediate level and above. I don't want to struggle with the accents of other countries. I just want to hear the beautiful Mexican accent.

So I will start this silly story over and enjoy the language again. ( )

“Skipping Christmas” by John Grisham

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
PRINT:
© 2002, October 28; 978-0385508414; Doubleday; 192 pages; unabridged (Info from Simon and Schuster)
DIGITAL:
© 2010, March 9; ASIN: B003B02PFO; Anchor; 194 pages; unabridged (Info from Amazon)
(this one)-AUDIO:
© 2001, November 5; Random House Audio; 4 hours (approx.); unabridged; MP3 (info from Libby app version
FILM:
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
“Christmas with the Kranks is a 2004 American Christmas comedy film directed by Joe Roth from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, based on the 2001 novel Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. It stars Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis in the leading roles. The film also stars Dan Aykroyd, Erik Per Sullivan, Cheech Marin, Jake Busey, and M. Emmet Walsh.” ___Wikipedia

SERIES:
No

CHARACTERS: (Not Comprehensive)
Luther and Nora Krank
Blair Krank – daughter of Luther and Nora
Vic Frohmeyer – A neighbor of the Kranks
Walt Sheel - A neighbor of the Kranks
Enrique Decardenal – Blair’s fiancé

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
SELECTED:
It was next on the Grisham list of publications, and good timing since Christmas is next month.
ABOUT:
Luther Krank realizes that his daughter planning to be in Peru with the Peace Corp at Christmas, provides the perfect opportunity to avoid spending last year’s $6,100.00 on Christmas with nothing to show for it afterward, and do something he and his wife, Nora, will enjoy. Nora is less and less sure it’s a good idea when she has to explain about not having the holiday party all of their friends count on every year. And Luther has his own struggles trying to refuse the pressure from hopeful neighbors, scouts, and local city employs pressing for the usual activities and fund raisers.
OVERALL OPINION:
Humorous.

AUTHOR:
John Grisham (Excerpt from John Grisham . com)
“John Grisham is known worldwide for his bestselling novels, but it’s his real-life passion for justice that led to his work with Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, the first organization dedicated to exonerating innocent people who have been wrongly convicted. Together they offer an inside look at the many injustices in our criminal justice system.”

NARRATOR:
Dennis Boutsikaris (Excerpt from the Wikipedia article)
Dennis Boutsikaris (/ˌbuːtsɪˈkærɪs/; born December 21, 1952) is an American character actor who has won the Obie Award twice. He is also a narrator of audiobooks, for which he has won several awards.
Early life and education
Boutsikaris was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Greek American father and Jewish mother,[1] and grew up in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.[2] He took up acting while a student at Governor Livingston High School, because he felt he was too small to succeed in athletics.[3] A graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, Boutsikaris toured the country with John Houseman's The Acting Company doing classical theatre.
*ME: Dennis had the perfect delivery!

GENRE:
Fiction; Humor; Holiday

SUBJECTS (Not comprehensive):
Christmas; Holidays; Expenses; Fund raisers; Expectations; Family; Friends; Neighbors; Cruises; Malls

LOCATION:
1481 Hemlock Street

TIME PERIOD:
2000’S

EXCERPT from One:
“The gate was packed with weary travelers, most of them standing and huddled along the walls because the meager allotment of plastic chairs had long since been taken. Every plane that came and went held at least eighty passengers, yet the gate had seats for only a few dozen.
There seemed to be a thousand waiting for the 7 P.M. flight to Miami. They were bundled up and heavily laden, and after fighting the traffic and the check-in and the mobs along the concourse they were subdued, as a whole. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, one of the busiest days of the year for air travel, and as they jostled and got pushed farther into the gate many asked themselves, not for the first time, why, exactly, they had chosen this day to fly.
The reasons were varied and irrelevant at the moment. Some tried to smile. Some tried to read, but the crush and the noise made it difficult. Others just stared at the floor and waited. Nearby a skinny black Santa Claus clanged an irksome bell and droned out holiday greetings.
A small family approached, and when they saw the gate number and the mob they stopped along the edge of the concourse and began their wait. The daughter was young and pretty. Her name was Blair, and she was obviously leaving. Her parents were not. The three gazed at the crowd, and they, too, at that moment, silently asked themselves why they had picked this day to travel.
The tears were over, at least most of them. Blair was twenty-three, fresh from graduate school with a handsome résumé but not ready for a career. A friend from college was in Africa with the Peace Corps, and this had inspired Blair to dedicate the next two years to helping others. Her assignment was eastern Peru, where she would teach primitive little children how to read. She would live in a lean-to with no plumbing, no electricity, no phone, and she was anxious to begin her journey.
The flight would take her to Miami, then to Lima, then by bus for three days into the mountains, into another century. For the first time in her young and sheltered life, Blair would spend Christmas away from home. Her mother clutched her hand and tried to be strong.
The good-byes had all been said. “Are you sure this is what you want?” had been asked for the hundredth time.
Luther, her father, studied the mob with a scowl on his face. What madness, he said to himself. He had dropped them at the curb, then driven miles to park in a satellite lot. A packed shuttle bus had delivered him back to Departures, and from there he had elbowed his way with his wife and daughter down to this gate. He was sad that Blair was leaving, and he detested the swarming horde of people. He was in a foul mood. Things would get worse for Luther.
The harried gate agents came to life and the passengers inched forward. The first announcement was made, the one asking those who needed extra time and those in first class to come forward. The pushing and shoving rose to the next level.
“I guess we’d better go,” Luther said to his daughter, his only child. They hugged again and fought back the tears. Blair smiled and said,
“The year will fly by. I’ll be home next Christmas.”
Nora, her mother, bit her lip and nodded and kissed her once more. “Please be careful,” she said because she couldn’t stop saying it.
“I’ll be fine.”
They released her and watched helplessly as she joined a long line and inched away, away from them, away from home and security and everything she’d ever known. As she handed over her boarding pass, Blair turned and smiled at them one last time.
“Oh well,” Luther said. “Enough of this. She’s going to be fine.”
Nora could think of nothing to say as she watched her daughter disappear. They turned and fell in with the foot traffic, one long crowded march down the concourse, past the Santa Claus with the irksome bell, past the tiny shops packed with people.
It was raining when they left the terminal and found the line for the shuttle back to the satellite, and it was pouring when the shuttle sloshed its way through the lot and dropped them off, two hundred yards from their car. It cost Luther $7.00 to free himself and his car from the greed of the airport authority.
When they were moving toward the city, Nora finally spoke. “Will she be okay?” she asked. He had heard that question so often that his response was an automatic grunt.
“Sure.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Sure.” Whether he did or he didn’t, what did it matter at this point? She was gone; they couldn’t stop her.
He gripped the wheel with both hands and silently cursed the traffic slowing in front of him. He couldn’t tell if his wife was crying or not. Luther wanted only to get home and dry off, sit by the fire, and read a magazine.
He was within two miles of home when she announced, “I need a few things from the grocery.”
“It’s raining,” he said.
“I still need them.”
“Can’t it wait?”
“You can stay in the car. Just take a minute. Go to Chip’s. It’s open today.”
So he headed for Chip’s, a place he despised not only for its outrageous prices and snooty staff but also for its impossible location. It was still raining of course—she couldn’t pick a Kroger where you could park and make a dash. No, she wanted Chip’s, where you parked and hiked.
Only sometimes you couldn’t park at all. The lot was full. The fire lanes were packed. He searched in vain for ten minutes before Nora said, “Just drop me at the curb.” She was frustrated at his inability to find a suitable spot.
He wheeled into a space near a burger joint and demanded, “Give me a list.”
“I’ll go,” she said, but only in feigned protest. Luther would hike through the rain and they both knew it.
“Gimme a list.”
“Just white chocolate and a pound of pistachios,” she said, relieved.
“That’s all?”
“Yes, and make sure it’s Logan’s chocolate, one-pound bar, and Lance Brothers pistachios.”
“And this couldn’t wait?”
“No, Luther, it cannot wait. I’m doing dessert for lunch tomorrow. If you don’t want to go, then hush up and I’ll go.”
He slammed the door. His third step was into a shallow pothole. Cold water soaked his right ankle and oozed down quickly into his shoe. He froze for a second and caught his breath, then stepped away on his toes, trying desperately to spot other puddles while dodging traffic.
Chip’s believed in high prices and modest rent. It was on a side alley, not visible from anywhere really. Next to it was a wine shop run by a European of some strain who claimed to be French but was rumored to be Hungarian. His English was awful but he’d learned the language of price gouging. Probably learned it from Chip’s next door. In fact all the shops in the District, as it was known, strove to be discriminating.
And every shop was full. Another Santa clanged away with the same bell outside the cheese shop. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” rattled from a hidden speaker above the sidewalk in front of Mother Earth, where the crunchy people were no doubt still wearing their sandals. Luther hated the store—refused to set foot inside. Nora bought organic herbs there, for what reason he’d never been certain. The old Mexican who owned the cigar store was happily stringing lights in his window, pipe stuck in the corner of his mouth, smoke drifting behind him, fake snow already sprayed on a fake tree.
There was a chance of real snow later in the night. The shoppers wasted no time as they hustled in and out of the stores. The sock on Luther’s right foot was now frozen to his ankle. There were no shopping baskets near the checkout at Chip’s, and of course this was a bad sign. Luther didn’t need one, but it meant the place was packed. The aisles were narrow and the inventory was laid out in such a way that nothing made sense. Regardless of what was on your list, you had to crisscross the place half a dozen times to finish up.
A stock boy was working hard on a display of Christmas chocolates. A sign by the butcher demanded that all good customers order their Christmas turkeys immediately. New Christmas wines were in! And Christmas hams!
What a waste, Luther thought to himself. Why do we eat so much and drink so much in the celebration of the birth of Christ? He found the pistachios near the bread. Odd how that made sense at Chip’s. The white chocolate was nowhere near the baking section, so Luther cursed under his breath and trudged along the aisles, looking at everything. He got bumped by a shopping cart. No apology, no one noticed. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” was coming from above, as if Luther was supposed to be comforted. Might as well be “Frosty the Snowman.”

RATING:
5

STARTED-FINISHED
11/17/24-11/26/24 ( )

“For her, the holidays began in late October and steadily gathered momentum until the big bang, a ten-hour marathon on Christmas Day with four meals and a packed house.”

This was an adorable tale - a story of a husband and wife and recent empty nest-ers - hoping to "skip" Christmas and save money going on a cruise together.

But the whole town is used to everyone being on board for all the Christmas activities. There are charities that require fruitcake purchase, neighborhoods that require each house be decorated, Fire Departments that require holiday calendars to be sold and Boy Scouts that need their trees sold. As each person comes to this couple, they are resolute and hold strong and won't partake.

This couple is adorable and I loved reading all about their adventures. ( )

5/10
Cleverly written but somewhat predictable story. ( )

Awful. ( )

This was funny, and well worth reading. I liked the interesting characters and dry humor, and I appreciated what a quick read this was during a busy holiday season. It’s warm and fuzzy in places, with a healthy undercurrent of cynicism. Despite this, I was disappointed by Luther’s casual disregard for his wife. I think the film adaptation (so true to the book in other respects) was wise to soften Luther, making him a better husband, and making the Kranks a much more caring couple. All in all, a fun story. ( )

Book 50 - John Grisham - Skipping Christmas

I love Christmas. I love movies. I love John Grisham’s writing. Put them all together and you get the book that one of my favourite Christmas movies, ‘Christmas with the Kranks’, was based on.

With their daughter away at the Peace Corps, the Kranks decide to skip everything to do with the holiday season. From buying a Christmas tree to purchasing cards; from having the big neighbourhood party to putting up that one Christmas rooftop decoration that the whole street has adorning their houses.

Along the way we are reminded that family is more than blood relatives; that caring is more than saying, ‘Hope you have a great holiday’ and love is what we leave behind with all the memories that make us who we are today.

And giving and receiving is central to what we believe at Christmas.

God gave us His son and we receive Him into our hearts. No questions asked...no catch...we simply accept Him...today and tomorrow...and always. ( )

This book is kind of like an extended twisty version of the gifts of the magi. It was way frustrating to get through and took me way to long to listen to it all. Partly because the narrator was super slow, even after 1.25 speed. ( )

Fast and fun. Reminded me of living in the suburbs. Fun,quick, easy listening audiobook. ( )

While not a great Grisham by any means, it was better than the crappy movie version by a mile, and I did get some good laugh-out-loud moments late in the book. ( )

Funny little story about skipping Christmas and then suddenly having to have a huge party anyway. ( )

First half of the story was great. 2nd half took the easy way out - too predictable (lots of lies, lots of wasted money, etc.) and ultimately unsatisfying. After such a great build-up, I was very disappointed. Grisham should go back to what he's good at - legal adventures. ( )

This is one of the few books where I'd say that the movie was better. ( )

Fun little Christmas story. Luther is such a great character. He's so funny, and yet somehow relatable. ( )

My first time ever reading Grisham, here—and unless the point of this little comedy was to say, "Don't be like any of the bigots and bullies in this book," then this wasn't at all a good introduction to the author.

The neighborhood's, and the Kranks', sentiments make it obvious that anything that isn't Caucasian, Christian, and Western doesn't jibe with them. I mean, the little pokes at Hindus and Buddhists in the characters' minds just weren't funny. Luther referring to Peruvians as "heathens" and thinking of their foreign children as "primitive," and he and his wife being utterly relieved to find out that the skin color of a certain Peruvian doctor they have to meet isn't too brown—and I quote, "Nora and Luther...looked beyond to see how dark Enrique was. He wasn't dark at all! At least two shades lighter than Luther himself!"—no. Just no. Just not funny.

The fact that one Pakistani family moved into the neighborhood once and moved away again a short time later is no surprise. Not when you see the way the Kranks' neighbors literally, collectively, blatantly, relentlessly shame and harass the Kranks for taking a non-conforming route this season by not putting up Christmas decorations and such.

Yep. Go on and browbeat folks into celebrating the birth of Christ (or whatever it is you're celebrating through this holiday) just the way you want them to. Gossip about 'em, laugh at 'em, get crowds together to publicly heckle 'em, bombard 'em with spiteful "joke" Christmas messages in the mail, etc....

Yep x2. That'll learn 'em that 'tis the season to be jolly.

I read the whole book because 1) it's short, 2) I absolutely love Christmas and reading Christmas books, and 3) I figured the Kranks were really going to learn something, or something, through choosing not to participate in the façade that calls itself Christmas rather than truly being Christmas.

But it seems the façade wins out, here. Not to mention the fact that none of the characters are likable. Even when a gesture of Luther's toward the end is apparently supposed to be magnanimous, it seems likely that he may be most concerned not about other people but about making sure a big chunk of his money doesn't go to waste, given his attitude.

Then with the outright racism going unchecked in the end, as if it's just supposed to be a quirky joke or some such...

Nope.

Again, unless Luther is supposed to be an Archie Bunker-ish caricature and the moral of this story is not to be like the Kranks or any of their nasty neighbors, I'm not exactly sure what the point of this book is supposed to be. ( )

(3.5 / 5)

This was a quick, easy read that was mostly enjoyable. I can't really say I connected with the main characters, but I did identify with them in some areas. There were some parts near the end that I didn't predict, though I suspect many would, and one thing that I saw coming a mile away. Probably the most frustrating thing about the book is how unrealistic it seems.

To be fair, I can't personally judge how realistic some parts of the book are, because the Kranks live in a type of neighborhood that I've never been part of, and run in circles the likes of which are foreign to me. However, much of what happened seemed quite over the top. But where that was a huge problem for others, I took it as a farce. Even if it is exaggerated, I think a lot of this might not be far from how a family (one that normally celebrates Christmas) would be treated if they tried to completely skip the holiday. There were also some things that the Kranks did in their quest to completely cut out all things Christmas that I felt were a bit ridiculous. However, I also agree with some of the commentary this book offers on how commercial Christmas has gotten, and how people seem to think that they can push certain boundaries during this season, just because it's Christmas.

In the end, I am glad I read the book. The ending made me smile, even while I knew that it was trite and a bit too easy. There were some heartfelt moments in there. I do recommend this to anyone who wants a decent Christmas-themed read, especially for those who want to avoid the romance and sap of the more prevalent stories. ( )

Christmas

A Christmas tale for John Irishman fans. A must holiday read to be in your library. The story is a satirical view of the overblown 20th C. rituals around the Holidays. ( )

Christmas with the Kranks. The movie. ( )

Esilarante ritratto del Natale nordamericano. In una cittadina di fantasia come ce ne sono tante, nel quartiere residenziale di Hemlock, la famiglia Krank (in tedesco e inglese: malato) si separa per la prima volta dalla figlia Blair, in partenza per un anno in Perù con i Peace Corps.
A questo punto il padre Luther decide su due piedi di evitare letteralmente il Natale e di andarsene in crociera con la moglie per una decina di giorni, un modo per rispondere con allegria alla tristezza generata dall'assenza della figlia. Krank è un contabile deciso a risparmiare ogni centesimo di quelli spesi nei Natali passati, a costo di mettersi in contrasto con amici e vicinato. Niente biglietti, niente donazioni a Polizia e Pompieri, niente festa della Vigilia e soprattutto niente pupazzo di Frosty sul tetto, niente albero e lucine. In un quartiere che ambisce al primo premio per le migliori decorazioni tutto ciò non può essere tollerato, ne nasce una girandola di attacchi da cui Luther si sottrae con una certa inventiva, quasi costringendo la moglie a perdere peso e ad abbronzarsi in un centro benessere.
La telefonata di Blair che annuncia il proprio ritorno durante la pausa natalizia sconvolge e capovolge i piani dei Krank, che però non riescono a recuperare il tempo perduto e rimediare in gran fretta ai preparativi. Finale a sorpresa, nel miglior spirito americano della comunità, per esperienza personale aggiungo che è tutto molto verosimile, compresa l'ultima parte. ( )

9788499080819

As their daughter has gone to work abroad, Luther & Nora decide to skip Christmas - no cards, no presents, no charity giving, no decorations, and go on a cruise instead, much to the disapproval of the community.

As the pressure grows, so do the couple’s stress levels.

I love a seasonal fairytale. But this one wasn’t in the It’s a Wonderful Life league. I think I should have been charmed, but for the first 90% of the story I found the dithering couple too irritating.
Bah humbug. ( )

I've only known John Grisham as a writer of legal thrillers but storytelling is his art. Grisham knows how to elevate intrigue and wonder. It's the Sunday after Thanksgiving and what would happen if you could simply skip the stress and give "A snap of the fingers and it’s January 2. No tree, no shopping, no meaningless gifts, no tipping, no clutter and wrappings, no traffic and crowds, no fruitcakes, no liquor and hams that no one needed, no “Rudolph” and “Frosty,” no office party, no wasted money. His list grew long."

I couldn't help but be intrigued to learn if Luther Kranks can pull off skipping Christmas. After all, Luther's only proposing the idea to his wife Nora for this year as their daughter Blair won't be home from her new job with the Peace Corps until next Christmas. He can hardly believe his wife seems to be warming to the idea. It's easy to love his alternative plan. As Luther and Nora are both being bombarded by inquiries the question becomes will one of them cave or continue full speed ahead with the alternative plan. As the reader becomes engrossed in the idea I was reminded of the John Lennon quote, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

This is John Grisham at his best making us think about choices and what ifs and as the story comes to a close the unexpected ending. I didn't know what to expect but Grisham delivers a Christmas tale that captivates interest and is effectively written. Don't skip it! ( )

I enjoyed the book. It was an easy read. The story I could relate to. Christmas is so hectic at times I ask myself what's the point. People really miss the real meaning of Christmas.

I watched the movie before I read the book. I enjoyed the book better but found myself imagining the actors of the movie in the book. ( )