A Painted House: A Novel by John Grisham (Epub)

Description

The hill people and the Mexicans arrived on the same day. It was a Wednesday, early in September 1952. The Cardinals were five games behind the Dodgers with three weeks to go, and the season looked hopeless. The cotton, however, was waist-high to my father, over my head, and he and my grandfather could be heard before supper whispering words that were seldom heard. It could be a “good crop.”

The hill people and the Mexicans arrived on the same day. It was a Wednesday, early in September 1952. The Cardinals were five games behind the Dodgers with three weeks to go, and the season looked hopeless. The cotton, however, was waist-high to my father, over my head, and he and my grandfather could be heard before supper whispering words that were seldom heard. It could be a “good crop.”

Thus begins the new novel from John Grisham, a story inspired by his own childhood in rural Arkansas. The narrator is a farm boy named Luke Chandler, age seven, who lives in the cotton fields with his parents and grandparents in a little house that’s never been painted. The Chandlers farm eighty acres that they rent, not own, and when the cotton is ready they hire a truckload of Mexicans and a family from the Ozarks to help harvest it.

For six weeks they pick cotton, battling the heat, the rain, the fatigue, and, sometimes, each other. As the weeks pass Luke sees and hears things no seven-year-old could possibly be prepared for, and finds himself keeping secrets that not only threaten the crop but will change the lives of the Chandlers forever.

A Painted House is a moving story of one boy’s journey from innocence to experience.

User’s Reviews

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Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ This is obviously a different sort of book for Grisham. No matter the subject matter, he has such a great way of writing that this was thoroughly enjoyable. The thing about John Grisham is that some writers over-write details, side stories and conversations such that I get bored. Grisham is the master of balance. He has a way of telling a story full of depth and richness, without boring the reader with back story. Like no one else I ever read, he crafts books that are page turners that maintain my interest throughout. So even though A Painted House is a different sort of story and one that I probably wouldn’t have picked up if anyone else had written it, because of Grisham’s style, this is a great book. I completely enjoyed it from cover-to-cover.

⭐ I’m a Grisham fan anyway, but I think I’m in the camp with the people who like his non-legal novels best. Although it’s hard to call a novel with murder and poverty “lovely,” it really is a charming story. I like that the writer doesn’t try to talk like a 7-year-old Arkansian, but rather expresses his thoughts through adult prose. I read all sorts of symbolism into the painting of the house–something that brings people together, something that covers up much like covering up the secrets in the novel–I’m sure there are other meanings in there. Like other reviewers, I came to the end and wondered “when is the sequel coming”–and I never think that way!

⭐ This is a departure from the standard Grisham legal thriller, the story revolves around a poor southern family in the ’50s trying to keep their cotton farm afloat. To do this, they must employ temporary help. In the end we have four families to study. The Spruills, who are “hillbillies,” a group of Mexicans, the family of a 15-year old girl who has just given birth, and the central family, the three-generation Chandlers, who live together in house that would look classier for want of paint. An unspoken character is the tiny town of Black Oak, where everybody knows everybody else and the shop owners kindly sneak young Luke his coveted Tootsie Rolls. And there’s the stern minister who shouts his sermons and seems to “make up sins as he goes along.” And then there’s intrigue, but I don’t want to spoil the plot.

⭐ I’ve read several Grisham books, his legal thrillers, and his other stories. I think I enjoy the “others” more. This book was narrated by a seven year old farm boy, and the plot is a mildly autobiographical account of cotton farming life. It’s a hard life, and as described through the eyes of a young boy, it describes a point in time (1952) in a specific geographic place (rural Arkansas).Some reviewers said that nothing happens in the book, but that feeling of nothingness is Grisham’s ability to convey how life on a cotton farm is completely dependent on weather. To the point that nothing can happen unless the weather allows it. We see hopelessness and hope, sometimes from the same characters. The book is muted in some ways, but it tells a powerful story of the day-in-day-out cotton harvest.

⭐ This story is about poor white southern family in the 50’s trying to make a living growing cotton. The story is told through the eyes of Luke and 7 year boy. I found it interesting because it took place in the 50’s. I was a child in that time period and i grew up on a diary farm up north. My father took a job in a factory working nights to keep the farm afloat. The difference between the Chandlers and us was that we grow wheat and corn. And I could identify many of the struggles farmers endure. I completely enjoyed this book from the first page to the last

⭐ My husband is vision impaired so I read to him. For a change we both loved this book. It was hard to stop reading, and put it down. The young boy, age 7, reminded my husband so much of his growing years. His parents also raised cotton, and had pickers and African American families come and stay with them during harvest. Also the fact that Farming was difficult, and not profitable. Often unable to break even, after paying for seed, fertilizer, and the pickers.

⭐ If you are expecting one of Grisham’s books about lawyers and lawsuits, this might disappoint you. For those of you who enjoy William Faulkner or even Steinbeck, this will be a surprise. A story of growing up poor in East Arkansas cornfields during the time of the Korean War, it is a well written and touching account of his younger years on the farm. Well done.

⭐ I put off reading this book for several years because it looked like it wasn’t my cup of tea from Grisham (ie a law based story). I should have continued to put it off. I think part of the problem was that the story is told by a 7 year old so his perspective didn’t really hold my attention. It’s a short story but could have been told in an even shorter format … too drawn out for a simple story. The only upside is that I learned I never want to live in Arkansas & raise cotton. I appreciate that Grisham wants to stretch his literary wings but just need to remember that it may not appeal to everyone.

⭐ The first non-legal novel for John Grisham, this story revolves around a boy named Luke Chandler, a young boy who seeks to one day leave his family’s cotton farm behind him and play major league baseball. While it’s a fine departure for the author of legal thrillers such as A Time to Kill: A Novel and The Chamber , it’s sometimes too quiet for me. While characters do die in this story, these deaths are never really followed up on because of a lack of information for the surviving characters. Instead, this story is largely just about cotton picking and the seasonal workers that the Chandler family finds to help out with the job. The biggest mystery for them is who is painting their farmhouse white. While the painting is a nice story ark and definitely good symbolism as painted houses in the town are a sign of some financial prosperity, it’s all just sometimes dull. The few moments of real action are quick and rarely touched on again long afterwards. The ordinary events in young Luke Chandler’s day are sometimes just too ordinary. Also, what was with that whole scene with the girl at the river? I’m more disturbed than anything else. But despite all it’s faults and the consequent loss of one star in the ratings, it’s still a decent book and die-heart Grisham fans like myself shouldn’t go without. The audio book is abridged, but I can’t imagine all the excitement is only found in the full version. Go find out for yourself though. Enjoy.

⭐ It is a wonderful experience to read these stories by John Grisham, that do not take place in a court room. Set in the early fifties, I believe that this story takes you back to those days, to a time when life was a little less convenient. I find that these stories grab your interest within the first few pages, draw you in, and hold you there until you have finished the last page. I was reaching for this book in the middle of the night, when sleep might have been a better option. If I had any issue with the story, it might be the age of the main character. Luke was very grown up for a seven year-old, however, I came up in the late sixties/early seventies, and felt a lot more grown-up than kids seem today. I highly recommend this book to anyone that appreciates John Grisham, especially, and anyone else interested in fine story craft. Other books that I have recently read by Mr. Grisham, include; Playing for Pizza, Testament, Sycamore Row, The Litigators & The Rackateer. Any of these stories would be a great place to start, if you are unfamiliar with John Grisham.

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