John Grisham's book "A Painted House" is unlike all other books of his, for it is not a legal thriller but instead more of a drama. Although it is not what we would normally expect from Grisham i still enjoyed this book tremendously, despite the objections from many long term fans. In fact the book shows us how desperate Grisham is to be accepted in literary circles as a serious author. This book was however actually inspired by Grisham's own childhood upbringing in Arkansas. In this book we see the world through the eyes of a seven year old boy, Luke Chandler, the son of Jesse and Kathleen Chandler. They are a family of cotton farmers and throughout the entire book we see how hard their lifes are and yet how happy they all can be. The book is set in Arkansas in the year of 1952. They are a normal, church going, cotton picking family in the south. At the beginning of the story Lukes parents hire Mexican manual workers to aid them on the farm, however this leads to many landmark events occuring in Lukes young life. During the time they are picking the cotton crop, a period of six weeks, Luke witnesses a murder as commited by someone close to him, his first televised baseball game, a flood and even a childbirth. This book is really a easy and enjoyable read. The storyline has mystery, tension and multiple twists and turns throughout. The only problem i did see with the book was the ending. I was a little dissapointed and felt like there was none or little closure. If is my belief that Grisham should stick to what he is best at and keep creating the mind blowing legal thrillers. Even though, I recommend reading this book.
Title: A Painted House |
2/3/05
