Rocketgirl's Full Review: John Grisham - A Painted House
I have read many of John Grisham's legal thrillers and enjoyed them. When I saw this book I was surprised at the content because it is so different from his typical book. It is set in a rural area, and there are no lawyers involved. The jacket cover gives a hint that there still might be some sort of crime solving that happens in the story, though it turns out that the murder referred to, doesn't happen until two-thirds of the way through the book. This may be more correctly classified as an "Oprah" book, that is, a feel good story, with no real point, other than to depict a snapshot in historical time.
The story is told from the perspective of Luke Chandler, a 7-year-old boy. He lives with his mother and father, and his paternal grandparents on a rural cotton farm in Black Oak, Arkansas. The story is set for the 1950s, when most people in this area were relatively poor and survived over the winter on what they grew in their garden.
It is time for the annual harvest. The family must go into town and hire some help. The family cannot meet its bills unless the cotton is harvested and sold. His father hires the Spruill family, a large family from the Ozarks. Everyone from mother and father to the smallest child will pick cotton. He also hires a large Mexican family to help out.
The story is told from Luke's eyes, as he sees the interactions amongst his family, the "hill people," and the Mexicans, as well as the more well-off "town people." It is interesting to see what a 7-year-old feels is important vs. adults. It is also interesting to see what he feels about different important events that happen in the family's lives.
Grisham does a very good job describing the landscape and the town. He very clearly shows the struggles of the poor farmers and how they have to live. He describes how just a little bit of weather can make the difference in a successful crop or a failed crop. It is very obvious how precious their money is and how nothing is wasted. Though the 50s were a generally prosperous time for America in the post-war boom, there were still many areas that suffered. Grisham's depiction of rural America shows just what that time was probably like, especially as experienced by a child. And it is clear that this child clearly understands the value of many and what really is important in life and what is not. However, he also clearly understands the hardships of farming and is looking for an opportunity to "go North" where all the jobs are in the automobile factories.
Besides Luke, other characters include his mother and father, grandmother and grandfather. None of these characters are fleshed out to the degree that Luke is. Probably the grandfather and grandmother are more adequately described just because they have the history of the farm. Grandmother is definitely noted for her home remedies, none of which really seem to work, but all of which taste terrible. Tally Spruill, a teenage girl, is a sweet young thing, whom Luke becomes infatuated with. Cowboy, is one of the Mexicans, who pitches a mean baseball. Lukes romantic daydreaming of the girl is very sweet. So are his dreams of some day playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, and meeting the great Stan Musial. Baseball, motherhood, and apple pie, isn't that all anyone really needs?
Though some reviewers rated this lower because they thought the story moved slowly, I felt different. We're learning about how Luke views his life and the events that shaped it. We're learning about his thoughts. I thought it was perfectly paced from this perspective. Perhaps a little more dialogue would have helped. But I felt the story was just right for portraying "a day in the life" of Luke Chandler. We learn about the forbidden viewing of a girl skinny dipping, the poor sharecroppers down the road that everyone is embarassed of, the forbidden passion of an underage girl and her unwanted baby, the killing of a local boy in a fight, the scantily clad carnival girls, the brutal murder of a hill boy by a Mexican, and the charity of others during a flood. It must be quite a lot to deal with for a seven year old boy whose family struggles every day to make ends meet and get food on the table.
I enjoyed this story much more than I expected to. Yes, it is quite different from Grisham's usual story. But as long as you go into it knowing that you won't be disappointed. In fact, it was quite enjoyable because of that. A clean respectable tale of a slower-paced world, when people still kept their values in perspective and weren't so greedy for what was just out of reach. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to take a break from blood and guts, sex and romance, tragedy and strife, and just read a good story.
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 Dodger...More at Buy.com
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.