The Summons - John Grisham

The Summons

By John Grisham

  • Release Date: 2005-09-27
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
4 Score: 4 (From 293 Ratings)

Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A pillar of the community who towered over local law and politics for forty years, Judge Atlee is now a shadow of his former self—a sick, lonely old man who has withdrawn to his sprawling ancestral home in Clanton, Mississippi.

Knowing that the end is near, Judge Atlee has issued a summons for his two sons to return to Clanton to discuss his estate. Ray Atlee is the elder, a Virginia law professor, newly single, still enduring the aftershocks of a surprise divorce. Forrest is Ray’s younger brother, the family’s black sheep.

The summons is typed by the Judge himself, on his handsome old stationery, and gives the date and time for Ray and Forrest to appear in his study. Ray reluctantly heads south to his hometown, to the place he now prefers to avoid. But the family meeting does not take place. The Judge dies too soon, and in doing so leaves behind a shocking secret known only to Ray . . . and perhaps to someone else.

Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!

Reviews

  • Summons

    5
    By Didi of 5
    As always great!
  • Could have been better

    4
    By lynnt271
    I was so gripped by the first part of this book I could not put it down. When things started to slow he threw another gripping twist. My real complaint here is the absolute stupidity of the main character. I won't ruin it but this has to be the dumbest main character he's ever written. I saw the ending a mile away. I know it's fiction but just could have been better. 4 stars because I was so invested in this and needed to find out the ending.
  • good read, meh author

    4
    By hy3inth
    i think i would’ve LOVED this novel if it had been written by a different author. being a white, middle aged, cis male, he has a very strict and stereotypical view of everyone unlike him. for a white, cis audience this is perfect.
  • The

    4
    By aib14
    Testament
  • Boring

    1
    By salami salam
    Boring booook
  • Amazing ending!

    5
    By UncleJoe0331
    The bulk of the book was okay, but the last third of the book had me hooked. A plot twist that I never saw coming blew my mind! If you love John grisham, you’ll love this book.
  • The best

    5
    By V😃
    I love this book. I have read other John Grisham books and this is one of my favorites so far. A great read.
  • Go to the library

    2
    By Joyce3251
    John Grisham has written some of my all-time favorite books--The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Runaway Jury, The Rainmaker (also all really good movies that run pretty true to the novel). This book would fall into Grisham's "wandering" category--he introduces some wonderful characters but all they do is wander around for awhile. One of the worst endings ever. I open a Grisham novel expecting clever characters who can think on their feet and clever twists in the plot. The first half of the book was interesting and well-written as always but then it just kind of fizzled out. I will be previewing the rest of his books from the library as I know I will never read this one again and feel a bit like I wasted my money.
  • Drawn out

    3
    By Donkeyfootlong
    For the type of ending this story had, it should have ended maybe 4 chapters ahead.. Seemed very drawn out, and lacked drama. Didn't do for me what the confession or the testament did. Not a bad read at all, but it could have been better.....
  • Amazing

    5
    By Brisan
    The is the first Grisham book I read and still the best... I've read nearly all of his other books now... His story telling here motivated me to the point where I now do leisure reading, something I never enjoyed before. Do yourself a favor and check out this title. I don't think you'll be disappointed... This is an extremely vivid tale; Grisham at his best.

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