Skipping Christmas cover art

Skipping Christmas

Christmas with The Kranks

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Skipping Christmas

By: John Grisham
Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That's just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they'll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won't be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren't even going to have a tree. They won't need one, because come December 25 they're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences - and isn't half as easy as they'd imagined.

A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that has become part of our holiday tradition.

© Belfry Holdings, Inc. 2001 (P) Penguin Audio 2005

©2001 Belfry Holdings, Inc.; (P)2003 Random House Audiobooks Fiction Genre Fiction Holidays Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Winter Christmas Witty Comedy

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Nickel Bay Nick cover art
Life Is Short cover art
Weekend Warriors cover art
Decked cover art
A Nose for Hanky Panky cover art
Catching Air cover art
Cold Hollow cover art
A Christmas Carol cover art
Straight Man cover art
The Ladies' Room cover art
I Almost Forgot About You cover art
Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography cover art

Featured article: The best Christmas movies based on audiobooks


'Tis the season of mistletoe, mince pies, Christmas wishes, and present-giving... Did you know that many of the most memorable and iconic Christmas movies started life as works of literature? Enjoy our list of festive audiobooks and holiday movie adaptations...

Featured article The best Christmas movies based on audiobooks

Critic reviews

Grisham may well be the best American storyteller writing today
Grisham is an absolute master
You can take the adventure out of Grisham, but you can’t take Grisham out of his adventures . . . an impressive read
A great story-teller
A giant of the thriller genre
All stars
Most relevant
Christmas with the Kranks is one of my favourite Christmas films so I thought I'd give the book a listen and I wasn't disappointed! Just as charming as I expected.
The only issue was there were quite a few inappropriate and insensitive cultural references that seriously haven't aged well. The book was written 20 years ago so aside from that, it's a lovely, original story.

Exactly like the film!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I was introduced to this story by a friend several years ago and since then it has been obligatory listening every Christmas. On first hearing you will be on the edge of your seat wondering how far Hemlock will go in the quest for conformity. The narration is first class and sweeps you along, perfectly capturing the relationship between Luther and Nora. If you can, set aside 4 hours and listen to it in one go!

Very un-John Gresham but great!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
excellent story. some parts are even funnier than the film! highly recommend this to everyone.

a festive treat

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well narrated and funny. An alternative way to view Christmas preparations and customs whilst still being a light read.

Hilarious Christmas read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have to admit that I first came across this little gem after the film version hit our screens a few years ago. Re-titled "Christmas with the Kranks" for Hollywood purposes - both the film and this book have become a staple part of my festive diet ever since!
Short enough to read/listen to in an afternoon (preferably on the sofa with a box of chocs and a big mug of tea) this is a story which not only brings home how materialistic Christmas has become but also how communities will pull together in times of need - especially at this "most wonderful time of the year".
I love this book!

Christmas with the Kranks...but better!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews