Book Review of John Grisham’s Skipping Christmas Syambara Bella Taqwa and Arida Widyastuti English Department, Faculty of Humanity, Diponegoro University, Semarang 50275 ABSTRACT This book review is arranged with the purpose to show the strengths and weaknesses of a novel entitled Skipping Christmas, authored by an American author, John Grisham. This novel tells a story of the Kranks couple who wanted to skip Christmas to go on a cruise instead. This novel is the only comedy novel that is written by John Grisham who is a well-known thriller author. The strengths of the novels are the moral value of the novel, the cover design, and the greatness of the author’s name. This novel tells what Christmas is about. The greatness of the author’s name and the cover design are very powerful to attract people to buy and read the novel. The weaknesses of the novels are the dictions and the naratology of the novel that is too detailed. The author tends to use difficult words to tell the story. There are too many details in the novel to bore the readers. The main aim of this book review is to give a picture about the novel and a reference for the readers before reading the whole novel. Keywords : Family, Comedy, Christmas, Moral Value, Detailed Naratology. I. INTRODUCTION things are the impression of how Christmas is celebrated in the USA. This ritual of spending so much 1.1. Background of the Study money for the day where Jesus was born somehow becomes a way to Christmas is one big day to impress and buy happiness. It shows celebrate for Christians. If we take a how these people in the upper- closer look through the media, middle class fail to grasp the true Christmas in the USA always goes meaning of Christmas. Through very festive, especially for the John Grisham’s Skipping Christmas, upper-middle class people. Houses the readers from all over the world are fully decorated, millions of can learn what Christmas should Christmas cards are sent, the actually be about. presents, and so many other fancy The writer chose this novel to plans to become a tax attorney. review because this book is unique After graduation he practiced for the writer. This novel is written criminal law for a while and then by a famous writter who is very civil law, enjoying neither. Grisham well-know for his ability to write ran for the Mississippi legislature in best seller thriller novels. This novel 1983 and won, but quit before the one of the three non thrillers novels end of his second term. He felt, he that Grisham has written, and the said, that it was impossible to only comedy novel from him. This change much as a lawmaker. fact about the novel makes this One day at the DeSoto County novel stands out for the writer from courthouse, Grisham overheard the the first time the writer saw the harrowing testimony of a twelve- novel in a bookstore. year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the 1.2. Purpose of the Study girl’s father had murdered her The purpose of this study is to assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every summarize Skipping Christmas and day to get in several hours of writing to find the strength and the time before heading off to work, weakness of John Grisham’s Grisham spent three years on A Skipping Christmas Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought 1.3. The Author of Skipping by Wynwood Press, who gave it a Christmas modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988. The following description is taken The day after Grisham completed A from http://www.jgrisham.com/bio/ Time to Kill, he began to work on and Mary Beth Pringle’s Revisiting another novel, the story of a hotshot John Grisham : A Critical young attorney lured to an Companion. apparently perfect law firm that was not what it appeared. When he sold Born on February 8, 1955 in the film rights to The Firm to Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a Paramount Pictures for $600,000, construction worker and a Grisham suddenly became a hot homemaker, John Grisham as a property among publishers, and child dreamed of being a book rights were bought by professional baseball player. Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on Realizing he did not have the right The New York Times bestseller list, stuff for a pro career, he shifted The Firm became the bestselling gears and majored in accounting at novel of 1991. Mississippi State University. He earned a D in freshman The successes of The Pelican Brief, composition, had a college major in which hit number one on the New accounting, and went to law school York Times bestseller list, and The at the University of Mississippi with Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed Grisham’s wife also traveled to the northern reputation as the master of the legal part of Brazil several times to build thriller. Grisham’s success even medical clinics and homes. Grisham renewed interest in A Time to Kill, frequently uses his wealth to help which was republished in hardcover others. As soon as he and his family by Doubleday and then in paperback moved to Charlottesville, Grisham by Dell. This time around, it was a made baseball available to kids who bestseller. had not been able to play before by Since first publishing A Time to Kill creating Cove Creek Park. With its in 1988, Grisham has written one six baseball diamonds, clubhouse, novel a year (some of his other and batting cages, the park is a books are The Firm, A Painted testament to “Grisham’s generosity House, Skipping Christmas, The and his determination”. Summons, Bleachers, The Last Juror, The Broker, Playing for II. SUMMARY OF Pizza, The Appeal, The Associate, SKIPPINGCHRISTMAS The Confession and The Litigators) and all of them have become The story started on the day Blair international bestsellers. There are went with a Peace Corps to Peru. currently over 275 million of John She departed during the Christmas Grisham’s books in print worldwide, holiday. This made Luther and Nora which have been translated into 40 Krank, the parents, started thinking languages. Nine of his novels have that Christmas would not be the been turned into films (The Firm, same this year without their only The Pelican Brief, The Client, A child’s presence. Nora grieved Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Blair’s departure and could not stop Chamber, A Painted House, The worrying about her, while Luther’s Runaway Jury, and Skipping accounting instinct started counting Christmas). The Gingerbread Man. how much money they spent last The Innocent Man (October 2006) year and how much would be spent marked his first foray into non- this year for Christmas. According fiction, and Ford County (November to his counting, $6,100 was spent 2009) was his first short story last year. The fact of how expensive collection. and stressful a Christmas could get and that Blair was not going to Despite his success, Grisham is still celebrate Christmas at home, made the same quietly spiritual person he Luther thought of forgoing always was. A “lifelong Baptist,” Christmas. He told his wife about Grisham and his wife have taught the idea. Nora could not really agree Sunday school in their local church. at first, but then realized that the Grisham devotes time to charitable money to go to a Caribbean cruise causes, including most recently his for ten days would be less than the Rebuild The Coast Fund, which Christmas expenses, she then raised 8.8 million dollars for Gulf agreed. Coast relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Grisham and Word quickly spread throughout the from Peru, bringing her new fiance small town, that the Kranks were not with her. Her fiance was an celebrating Christmas and would not educated Peruvian doctor who be participating in the neighborhood wanted to witness how beautiful or town festivities. The tickets were Christmas could be celebrated in the booked, they spent their time to USA. Nora, who missed Blair so prepare themselves for the cruise. much, could not reject her The diet wass on, and they spent daughter’s wish to have a Christmas their time in tanning booths in party. They then had to have preparation for the hot Caribbean Christmas and skip the cruise. sun. Things turne to a completely The decision confused different direction too fast and the acquaintances and caused anguish in Kranks were panicking. The the neighborhood. It got hard on neighbors found out that The Kranks Nora, since she met more people were back on the Christmas ritual in and heard more negative envious the very last second. Surprisingly, comments about their plan. The the neighbors helped them out and neighborhood, which in the last made things fine enough for Blair’s years always won the best decorated coming. street contest, lost the contest this Blair came with her handsome year. All the blames were on the Peruvian fiance. She noticed some Kranks, because their house was the small unusual things but was too only house in the street without any overwhelmed with happiness to be decorations. The neighbors had home with her fiance to complain. already questioned their plan on Christmas was saved for the Kranks skipping Christmas, since they lost even they had to forget the the contest, the questions soon Caribbean cruise. The tickets could turned to be harassments.