The Testament
Uploaded by tommy53565 on Jan 16, 2002
John Grisham’s book The Testament is a story that mixes legal suspense with a remarkable adventure, their lives is forever altered by the startling secret of a billionaires last wishes. The setting takes place in Washington, D.C. and in the Pantanal in Brazil.
The main characters in this book are:
Nate O’Riley: The main character in this book. He is a washed-up, alcoholic litigator with two ruined marriages in his wake and the IRS on his tail. He has been in rehab for his alcoholism four times.
Troy Phelan: A 78-year-old eccentric and the 10th-richest man in America. People question on whether or not he is of sane mind. Troy has three ex-wives who bore seven children, six of them are still alive and doing all they can to torment him.
Troy’s first wife was Lillian, She had four kids: Troy Junior, Rex, Libbigail, and Mary Ross.
Troy’s second wife was Janie, she had two kids: Geena and Rocky. Rocky was killed in a car accident while he was in college.
Troy’s third wife was Tira, she had one kid, and his name is Ramble.
A quote from Troy about his family: “A dying man should not hate, but I cannot help it. They are a miserable bunch, all of them. Their mothers hate me, so the children in turn have been taught to hate me too.”
Josh Stafford- Attorney for Mr. Troy Phelan
Jevy- Guide of Nate in the Pantanal.
Welly- Deck hand in the Pantanal.
Valdir- Lawyer in Brazil.
Rachel Lane- An illegitimate child of Troy that nobody knew about. Troy gives his whole fortune to her.
Phil Sinclair- Church minister at St. Michaels.
The story begins as Troy Phelan is about to read his last will and testament, divvying up an estate worth $11 billion. Phelan's three ex-wives, their kids, 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. Troy Phelan hates his greedy, spoiled children. The aging multi billionaire knows that they’re circling like vultures as he waits to die. Phelan’s last will and testament names an unknown beneficiary, a missionary living deep in the wilds of Brazil. This will would nullify all other wills. But Phelan shocks everyone with a bizarre, last-gasp attempt to redistribute the spoils. This will gave enough money to clear all debts of his offspring. But it gave them nothing after the debts...