¶ … John Grisham's Skipping Christmas. Discussed are the strengths and weaknesses from my view and a published critic. Compare this book to other books by Grisham or other Christmas books.

Also examined is why I think this book became a best seller. Seven sources are used, including notes taken from a speech given this month by Jane Janke Johnson to the class session 2 of English 352. APA.

Skipping Christmas

John Grisham's "Skipping Christmas" could be called a Christmas story for the new millennium. It's the story of Luther Krank, his wife Nora, and their daughter Blaire. When Blaire leaves for the Peace Corps at the beginning of the Christmas season, Luther sees it as a wonderful opportunity to skip the holiday hullabaloo and take a cruise with Nora. However, they quickly become outcasts by local merchants, the Boy Scouts selling trees, the firemen with their fruit cakes, the police selling calendars, and just about everyone else in town. Even their neighbors are upset because the Kranks didn't decorate their lawn and now the entire street stands to lose the prize for the best decked street. Moreover, friends and neighbors are disappointed that Luther and Nora aren't going to have their annual Christmas party (Grisham 2001). But the Kranks remain stoic in their decision to spend the money they would have spent on Christmas for a Caribbean cruise, and stick to their plan until the morning of Christmas Eve when Blair telephones. She is coming home that day with her new boyfriend and they plan to marry. She also expresses how she is looking forward to their annual party. Luther and Nora quickly discover that the stores are sold out of food, their friends and neighbors have made other plans (Grisham 2001). Chaos begins.

So too does an ending that seems straight from the movie "It's a Wonderful Life." The majority of critics have made this comparison...

Bob Minzesheimer from "USA Today" says "Grisham's novel, especially its ending, owes more to the sentimental spirit of the omnipresent holiday movie "It's A Wonderful Life" than to Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" (Minzesheimer 2001). Justin Matott of the "Denver Rocky Mountain News" echoes, "With an ending too reminiscent of "It's a Wonderful Life," Skipping Christmas will entertain, while spurring readers to fantasize about what it might be like to be Scrooge for just one year" (Matott 2001). It seems that no matter how the critics felt about Grisham's book, all seemed to agree that it was destined to ride the waves of success along with his long list of best sellers. Moreover, skeptics, such as Bruce Fretts of "Entertainment Weekly," shows a hint of belief in its success. "If you believe the publisher's press release (and that's almost as rational as believing in Santa), John Grisham's novella Skipping Christmas is "certain to become as timeless and beloved a classic as A Christmas Carol and The Grinch" (Fretts 2001).
"Skipping Christmas" has all the markings of a best seller. According to Jane Janke Johnson from Janke Books, there are key elements that make a book a best seller. She discussed in a speech given this month to class session 2 of English 352, the importance of exposure. A book mentioned by Oprah, whose audience totals millions, is an overnight success. Television and radio interviews with the author is exposure warranting a best seller. Book signing tours might be monotonous, however they are a sure way of getting reviews in newspapers and magazines (Johnson 2002). If a book is a series or if the author is known for writing series, the book is likely to become a best seller, even with harsh critical reviews. Not all of Stephen King's books can be considered literary works of art, however, they are all best sellers.

In their book, "The Making of a Bestseller," the Vanderbilts discuss the effect of titles, how simply changing the…