The Testament

I was attracted to this book because of the “man at the end of his rope gets reformed” angle. But it wasn't executed very well, and when we meet the heiress at last she seems preachy and judgy; not the kind of person who would inspire change in someone. problem is we needed to get deeper into the characters' pasts and motivations and Grisham doesn't do that. instead, Rachel gives a lecture and he becomes a man transformed. huh.

My granddad recommended this book to me, saying that it was one of the few books he ever read that he just couldn't put down. They were listening to it on audiobook one time while driving to visit our house and they got there in the middle of a chapter, so they drove a few loops around the neighborhood to finish it up! I don't think I can give a better recommendation than that.

I loved so much about this book. A large chunk of it took place in the Pantanal, a swampy region in the west of Brazil the size of Colorado which I knew nothing about until reading this. A primary character is a missionary, working with unreached tribes deep in the forest. Another primary character has a really incredible character arc as he struggles with alcoholism, and I loved the way the author wrote about his journey and the way it intersected with his faith. And apparently John Grisham is a magician because he made the brass tacks of Virginia estate law and probate court interesting (at the low, low cost of $11 billion).

In all, I think the only complaint I have about this book is the pace. I just came off reading a 1000 pages on the building of a cathedral in Middle Ages England, so maybe it's just the difference in writing style from one to the other, but I would've loved slightly more description of setting, especially in the gateway city of Corumbá. He included plenty for me to be able to imagine it, but I think that may only have been because I live in Brazil so I know the general appearance of cities here.

Age range: 16+
Main character is a recovering alcoholic, going through some ugly stages with it. Potentially jarring suicide scene, but it's very quick and not too visceral. Legal jargon sections could definitely get boring for younger readers.