The Testament
by John Grisham
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Book Summary Information
Author: John GrishamEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-09-27
ISBN: 0385339585
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Delta
Book Reviews of The Testament
Book Review: Snakes, Dengue Fever, Back-Stabbers and Redemption
Summary: 5 Stars
Seventy-eight-year-old, Lonely, sad and unloved billionaire Troy Phelan is preparing to meet with a roomful of lawyers and shrinks, in his fourteenth floor office, who are supposed to determine if he's of sound mind, because he's worth eleven billion dollars and he has three ex-wives and six children who are after a piece of his pie.
Phelan correctly answers a series of questions and signs a will giving a large amount of his assets to his children. And then, after his miserable bunch of relations depart, he pulls out an envelope containing three sheets from a yellow legal pad. It's another will. He signs it, then jumps to his death.
The new will leaves his children enough money to pay off their debts, but nothing more, and it leaves nothing to the ex-wives. The vast bulk of his estate he leaves to his previously unknown illegitimate daughter, Rachel Lane. It also instructs his attorney to keep the new will quiet for a couple weeks.
Of course, the miserable bunch of relations begin spending the money they think they're going to inherit, buying expensive cars, bigger homes. Meanwhile Phelan's attorney decides to send former legal star Nate O'Riley to find Rachel.
Nate is finishing his fourth stint in detox. He's got a couple ex-wives, estranged children and legal problems of his own. However, he soon finds himself headed for Brazil and the adventure of a lifetime in the Pantanal, the largest wetlands in the world, and what he finds there will change his life.
This story is a super adventure type novel with twists and turns. I especially loved reading about Nate's incredible journey, including a plane crash, snakes, dengue fever, a horrible third world hospital. The back-stabbing relatives were interesting too, as were the conniving lawyers. I guess you could say Mr. Grisham put everything you need into this book to make a first rate thriller and he succeeded gloriously.
Summary of The Testament
Troy Phelan is a self-made billionaire, one of the richest men in the United States. He is also eccentric, reclusive, confined to a wheelchair, and looking for a way to die. His heirs, to no one's surprise--especially Troy's--are circling like vultures.Nate O'Riley is a high-octane Washington litigator who's lived too hard, too fast, for too long. His second marriage in a shambles, and he is emerging from his fourth stay in rehab armed with little more than his fragile sobriety, good intentions, and resilient sense of humor. Returning to the real world is always difficult, but this time it's going to be murder.
Rachel Lane is a young woman who chose to give her life to God, who walked away from the modern world with all its strivings and trappings and encumbrances, and went to live and work with a primitive tribe of Indians in the deepest jungles of Brazil.
In a story that mixes legal suspense with a remarkable adventure, their lives are forever altered by the startling secret of The Testament.
From the Hardcover edition.
Troy Phelan, a 78-year-old eccentric and the 10th-richest man in America, is about to read his last will and testament, divvying up an estate worth $11 billion. Phelan's three ex-wives, their grasping spawn, a legion of lawyers, several psychiatrists, and a plethora of sound technicians wait breathlessly, all eyes glued to digital monitors as they watch the old man read his verdict. But Phelan shocks everyone with a bizarre, last-gasp attempt to redistribute the spoils, setting in motion a legal morality tale of a contested will, sin, and redemption.
Our hero, Nate O'Riley--a washed-up, alcoholic litigator with two ruined marriages in his wake and the IRS on his tail--is dispatched to the Brazilian wetlands in search of a mysterious heir named in the will. After a harrowing trip upriver to a remote settlement in the Pantanal, he encounters Rachel Lane, a pure-hearted missionary living with an indigenous tribe and carrying out "God's work." Rachel's grave dedication and kindness impress the jaded lawyer, so much that a nasty bout of dengue fever leads him to a vision that could change his life.
Back in the States, the legal proceedings drag on and Grisham has a high time with Phelan's money-hungry descendents, a regrettable bunch who squandered millions, married strippers, got druggy, and befriended the Mob. The youngest son, Ramble, is a multi-pierced, tattoo-covered malcontent with big dreams for his rock band, the Demon Monkeys. Will Nate get straight with Rachel's aid? Do the greedy heirs get theirs? What's the real legacy of a lifetime's work? The Testament is classic Grisham: a down-and-out lawyer, a lot of money, an action-packed pursuit, and the highest issues at stake. It's not just about great characters; it's about the question of what character is. --Rebekah Warren
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