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A Painted House

by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 39,129 ratings · 2,174 reviews

Until that September of 1952, Luke Chandler had never kept a secret or told a single lie. But in the long, hot summer of his seventh year, two groups of migrant workers — and two very dangerous men — came through the Arkansas Delta to work the Chandler cotton farm. And suddenly mysteries are flooding Luke’s world.

A brutal murder leaves the town seething in gossip and suspi...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published February 3rd 2004 by Bantam (first published 2001)

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Community Reviews

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Aug 28, 2008 Mary rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Mary by: Coreen Schnepf

This book came to me very highly recommended. I had two friends who really really liked it and just knew I would love the story too. I suppose if it had been cleaned up a bit, I probably would have liked it more. The characters were engaging enough although the plot did seem to drag a little bit and left you feeling like the auther was searching for a plot in a rambling sort of way. I had a hard time with the language and violence; I'm a wouss I guess. I also couldn't get past the feeling that I...more

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Mar 19, 2009 Δx Δp ≥ ½ ħ htgkvkkviholmvobsvzighxofyyzmw rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-day-in-the-life

Entah mengapa, diantara segudang buku Grisham, buku-bukunya yang tidak bertema hukum justru yang menjadi favorit saya-kecuali yang 'The Rainmaker' dan 'A Time To Kill'--
Seperti halnya di buku 'The Bleacher', dengan lihainya Grisham mengaduk emosi pembaca dengan kehidupan getir sang tokoh utama. berbeda dengan 'The Bleacher' dimana tokoh utamanya adalah mantan pemain baseball terkenal yang kemudian hidup 'gagal', di buku APH, tokoh tamanya adalah sang tokoh cilik yang baru berusia 7 tahun, Luke C...more Entah mengapa, diantara segudang buku Grisham, buku-bukunya yang tidak bertema hukum justru yang menjadi favorit saya-kecuali yang 'The Rainmaker' dan 'A Time To Kill'--
Seperti halnya di buku 'The Bleacher', dengan lihainya Grisham mengaduk emosi pembaca dengan kehidupan getir sang tokoh utama. berbeda dengan 'The Bleacher' dimana tokoh utamanya adalah mantan pemain baseball terkenal yang kemudian hidup 'gagal', di buku APH, tokoh tamanya adalah sang tokoh cilik yang baru berusia 7 tahun, Luke Chandler

dengan gaya bicara ber-aku, Luke Chandler bercerita mengenai kemelaratan keluarga mereka yang hanya berprofesi sebagai petani kapas di daerah Arkansas era 1950-an. Hidup di tengah kemskinan, Luke dengan polosnya menunjukkan kecerewetannya dalam memandang dunia. ada saja yang dia komentari yang tak jarang membuat ingin tertawa, tapi saat yang lain justru membuat tercenung karena kisah getir yang dilihatnya.

ketika musim panen kapas pada tahun 1952 tiba, seperti keluarga petani miskin lainnya, keluarga Chandler menyewa pekerja untuk memetik kapas milik mereka. para pekerja ini tentu saja lebih miskin daripada keluarga mereka yang berasal dari pegunungan atau pendatang Meksiko. dan selama 2 bulan para pekerja ini tinggal di tanah keluarga Chandler, kisah suka duka di buku ini bergulir.

Tapi, musim panen tahun ini tidak seperti tahun sebelumnya. selain para pekerja yang lebih 'aneh', tapi musim panen mereka tahun ini terancam gagal panen karena banjir. padahal, bahkan saat sukses panen pun keluarga ini mesti hidup dengan cara super hemat, gagal panen jelas merupakan mimpi buruk.

Hasil kerja keras selama setahun musnah begitu saja padahal utang menjerat mereka. dan si kecil Luke, terdorong karena ingin membuat rumahnya indah seperti rumah para petani kaya, ngotot ingin mengecat rumahnya. padahal, cat merupakan benda mewah bagi keluarga itu...

Yang menarik di buku ini adalah bagaimana polosnya si Luke cilik dalam menghadapi kemiskinan yang menghimpit mereka, kemiskinan tidak harus dihadapi dengan keluhan dan kemiskinan bukan hambatan untuk bisa berbahagia.

Tapi, ada sesuatu yang aneh di buku ini. untuk seorang anak yang baru berumur 7 tahun, Luke jelas terlalu cerewet dan kritis. gaya bahasa yang ber-aku menurut cara pandang anak 'ingusan' terlalu kritis bagi seorang anak. bahkan saya sering menganggap bahwa tokoh Luke sebenarnya jauh lebih tua daripada yang ditulis Grisham memngingat buah pikiran Luke terlalu instens. seharusnya, untuk cara berpikir anak berumur 7 tahun, Grisham bagusnya memakai cara bercerita ala 'Forest Gump'-nya Winston Groom atau 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'-nya Mark Haddon. walaupun tokoh dalam kedua buku tersebut memiliki keterbelakangan mental, tapi cara berpikir mereka masih polos kekanakan. dan itu juga yang harusnya digunakan Grisham dalam menggambarkan si polos Luke. Bukannya Luke yang terlalu cerewet ala nenek-nenek.

Bagaimanapun, kepiawaian Grisham dalam meramu cerita kembali hadir di buku ini. kekurangan yang ada di buku ini tertutupi atraksi pamer kepiawaian bercerita. Dan juju, ada hal ucu lain mengenai buku ini. Untuk menggambarkan sebuah keluarga petani melarat, Grisham, harum memutar waktu dengan mengambil setting waktu era tahun 1950-an. dimana Amerika masih terseok-seok ekonominya. Grisham tidak mengambil setting waktu masa sekarang mungkin karena para petani mereka sekarang tidak ada yang miskin lagi. Coba kalau Grisham tinggal di Indonesia. Pasti cerita yang dibuat bakal lebih dramatis lagi, dan tak usah repot-repot memutar setting waktu ke belakang...T_T(less)

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Nov 24, 2008 Bailey Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone ages 12 to avanced years

Recommended to Bailey Jane by: Craig Sherry

For being from John Grisham, this was such a great book! For a long time I've enjoyed his legal thrillers, but after a while I suspected each book would be exactly the same as the last with the only difference being the plot. Granted that's one of the reasons I liked his novels, because I could trust they would be consistently good. When this book first came out I couldn't wait to read it and I fell in love with his ability to tell a heartfelt, meaningful story having nothing to do with law. I l...more

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Mar 31, 2008 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read one review stating that the title of this book should have been "Watching Paint Dry". While it's not as exciting and riveting as Grisham's other works, and it took me about six chapters to get into the story, it was still an enjoyable book.

Set in 1952 Arkansas, 7-year-old Luke Chandler is forced to grow up quickly when he becomes exposed to several adult situations. It seems as though everyone in the story has a secret to keep and they all manage to confide in Luke.

The yearly ritual of h...more

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Mar 21, 2008 Gina rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Young and Old alike

Recommended to Gina by: John Grisham on Bill Moyers show

I learned that John Grisham should write more books in this genre because this is his best work....forget all those clients, partners, pelicans. One night, with a bunch of old friends in an apartment above Times Square, we tuned in to tv before turning in and The Bill Moyers Report was being aired; his guest was John Grisham. From his first responses, it was obvious that he possessed "gravitas" beyond his public persona.
Grisham grew up in Arkansas, the son of a cotton farmer, and went on to L...more

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Feb 06, 2009 Betsy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-ficton

Found this in the lobby of a hotel in South Africa, and only read it because it was the only English book there (it was a hotel that catered to the Dutch, who LOOOVE South Africa.) The book is okay, but I probably wouldn't have stuck with it if I had other books to choose from. It's pretty long without much of a storyline.

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Jul 23, 2009 Janelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

I liked this book. There isn't any wild climatic events that you may find in other Grisham books. This is a simple novel of a simple life as told by a seven year old boy. Still, Grisham manages to capture the feelings of the times; a poor family in the south who hire workers to harvest their cotton and the drama that ensues with these "lower class" folk. I can see why a lot of Grisham fans wouldn't like this, it's a departure from his normal genre.

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Oct 03, 2007 Amy rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: someone who enjoys a lack of a plot

This was such a horrible book! It had potential - I kept thinking the story would come around but once I got 2/3 way through the book, I knew there was no room left for a story. I finished it anyway and was really disappointed. There is absolutely NO story. Nothing. We are introduced to this family and the other characters for no reason. It's almost like the author had great ideas for characters but couldn't come up with a story line.

If you've never read Grisham and this is your first book - PLE...more

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Mar 06, 2009 Hunter added it

A Painted House by: John Grisham
Luke Chandler is a seven year old boy who lives on a cotton farm. He lives with his parents and grandparents in a somewhat small house in Black Oak, Arkansas. In 1952, Luke’s Grandpa hires two groups of people, a family of hill people from Eureka Springs and a group of Mexican workers, to help harvest the cotton crop that the Chandlers have worked so hard to raise. What the Chandlers’ have yet to realize is that two of their hired workers are dangerous and could...more A Painted House by: John Grisham
Luke Chandler is a seven year old boy who lives on a cotton farm. He lives with his parents and grandparents in a somewhat small house in Black Oak, Arkansas. In 1952, Luke’s Grandpa hires two groups of people, a family of hill people from Eureka Springs and a group of Mexican workers, to help harvest the cotton crop that the Chandlers have worked so hard to raise. What the Chandlers’ have yet to realize is that two of their hired workers are dangerous and could pose a threat to the family.

Luke Chandler is one of the main characters that I liked in this story. He is a young boy with a lot of questions about life. He is the main reason I liked the book. Luke is a very interesting character because he is always seeking adventure and trying not to get caught.

Luke’s Grandfather is another main character that I liked in this story. His Grandfather always tried to do the right thing. He is an upstanding person, in that he works hard and never takes the easy way out of things. His life revolves around the cotton he works so hard to raise. Life for him is always full of worry because he is afraid that a storm could pass through and ruin his cotton crop that he had worked so hard to achieve.

Hank Spruill is another main character in this story. Hank is a public menace and finds enjoyment in causing mischief. Throughout the story, Hank gets into his fair share of trouble and solves them in the worst possible manner, in other words he makes things worse than they originally were.

One strength of this book, to me, is that it takes place in Arkansas near places that I have known my whole life. Another strength is that it takes place on a farm and it is easier to relate to the character if you know what they are going through. One quote that I liked was said by another farmer when Luke was out behind the co-op building. This quote stated:”You children don’t need to see this”. I liked this quote because it shows that other people are looking out for you and know what is best for others. Another quote that I disliked was when Luke was in the yard and Hank Spruill ordered Luke. This quote states:” Get me some water boy.” I disliked the quote because Hank was not supposed to talk to his boss’ son and grandson in any manner like that.

One weakness of this book is that they farm cotton and I am not sure how they farm this. Another weakness is that Luke is not old enough to understand exactly what is going on in his family’s’ life and in the surrounding community.

The main theme of this book is there is always a path to a better life. This is the theme because Luke’s dad was going nowhere but broke with his cotton farm so he left his life with the cotton farm and went to a car factory up north that was making much more money than he would ever make with his cotton farm. In doing this, he may then have a better life with a stable job.

Page Count: 465

Genre: Mystery
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Mar 03, 2009 Brandon added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A Painted House by John Grisham

Plot Summary

A Painted House takes place in rural Arkansas in the early 1950's and as we enter the story, Luke Chandler and his family are preparing themselves for another long season of cotton picking. Young Luke Chandler (about 7 years of age) has grown up on a farm all his life with his parents, Jesse and Kathleen Chandler, as well as his grandparents, Eli and Ruth Chandler, who Luke naturally refers to as "Pappy" and "Gran". The Chandler family is one that is...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Antof9 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2005-read, americana

This is NOT your father's Grisham!

From the back cover: Until that September of 1952, Luke Chandler had never kept a secret or told a single lie. This is an interesting description that tells nothing and everything about the book :)

First, the only thing about this book that is Grisham-like is that it takes place in the South. Other than that, you'd never know who wrote this book if his name wasn't on the cover.

In some ways, it reminded me of a book I read in high school -- John Steinbeck's The Gr ...more

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May 20, 2013 Rey-bert B. rated it 4 of 5 stars

I used this book as my detour from the long road of YA novels with teensy romance in it that I usually read. The story was narrated by a seven year old boy named Luke. Luke, lived with his parents and grandparents. They ran a cotton farm. During the season, their family would hire hillbillies and Mexicans who would help them with all the doings in their farm.
That's when Luke's life has changed. Hank and Tally were among the family of hillbillies they hired. Hank was a beefy man while Tally was...more

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May 15, 2013 Barbara Bryant rated it 3 of 5 stars

As strange as it may seem, I had never read a Grisham before this one. It was recommended to me by my sister, and I enjoyed it as much as she did. If you are looking for a legal thriller and lots of action, put it down now. I saw many disappointed reviews for this book, but I have to disagree with them, or at least I have to say that what bothered them did not bother me.

This is a snapshot story, mostly, told by a 7-year-old narrator who lives with his cotton farmer parents and grandparents on re...more As strange as it may seem, I had never read a Grisham before this one. It was recommended to me by my sister, and I enjoyed it as much as she did. If you are looking for a legal thriller and lots of action, put it down now. I saw many disappointed reviews for this book, but I have to disagree with them, or at least I have to say that what bothered them did not bother me.

This is a snapshot story, mostly, told by a 7-year-old narrator who lives with his cotton farmer parents and grandparents on rented acreage in Arkansas, where Grisham himself hails from. The family lives in a state between poverty and plenty, depending on the cash brought from a good crop but also well-fed by the cow, chickens, pigs and rich vegetable garden that keep them nourished all year. There is no money for treats, no indoor bathroom, no luxuries, but they are shod and clothed and sit down each day to eat good meals and listen to their precious radio broadcasting baseball games involving their beloved St. Louis Cardinals. It is 1952. The baseball lore is fun, and is told by an obviously smitten author. Luke, the young boy in the family, has already decided, with the help of his day-dreaming mother, that he does not want to be a farmer; he wants to play baseball. The farm is his personal baseball field and during this autumn of cotton-picking, the field is ruined by the presence of a family of hill people who set up camp there while they work to pick this year's good cotton crop. A group of Mexicans has been hired, too--they occupy the barn. It is hard to believe that all these people could live among the family on this farm. There is one outhouse and one imagines that the cotton pickers may not use that at all--this detail is left to the imagination.

Luke seems to think a bit maturely for a 7-year-old--this might be a mistake by Grisham and it did bug me a bit. While well-watched-over by his strict Baptist family, Luke manages to get into trouble that is real and dangerous and represents the only real action in the book. The presence of a tough and cruel young man among the hill family, a beautiful daughter in the same family and a large, strong Mexican with dark designs are the main threats to Luke's safety and well-being, and cause him to keep secrets that would better have been told to his parents. He is caught between the rock of the threatening strangers and the hard place of his family's rather harsh outlook towards misdeeds. They are kind people, but are products of an isolated and backward town and a rigid church life--Luke is afraid of what they will do if he confesses to having seen things he shouldn't have.

The book covers the blistering hot autumn picking season, the memories of a small boy who has never lived another life, the adult fears of floods and spoiled crops, and the tension of unlike people living together for a season in unnatural circumstances. The title refers to a comment made by one of the hill people to Luke that at least the hill person has a painted house--the farmers live in an unpainted wooden structure of no distinction. It is Luke's first real experience with the results of class distinctions and prejudices in a town with a strong social code that must not be broken. He knows he does not want this kind of life--he wants to live in a city, play baseball and see more of the two pretty girls he encounters this season. Read to see what transpires as this life is threatened by rain and evil in equal parts, and enjoy a look back at aspects of the fifties that I remember myself, as you may do.(less)

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Dec 27, 2012 Someone rated it 2 of 5 stars

I... I really don't want to finish the book. I'm about 2/3rd of the way through and I'm forcing myself to turn page after page so I thought I might as well write a review and just put the book down.
I think someone read 'Angela's Ashes' and got jealous of the prize it won. haha... just joking...
A Painted House was not a memoir like Angela's Ashes but it portrayed the picture of a 1952 Autumn in Arkansas very well. Not surprising as John Grisham was born in the same state a few years later. From...more I... I really don't want to finish the book. I'm about 2/3rd of the way through and I'm forcing myself to turn page after page so I thought I might as well write a review and just put the book down.
I think someone read 'Angela's Ashes' and got jealous of the prize it won. haha... just joking...
A Painted House was not a memoir like Angela's Ashes but it portrayed the picture of a 1952 Autumn in Arkansas very well. Not surprising as John Grisham was born in the same state a few years later. From time to time, the boy who was 7 seemed like he was supposed to be at least 13, showing interest in naked women and being treated much like a teenager than a young boy at the farm. That's a very minor thing though and I had no problem with those.
Through out the book, I was pretty much on an everlasting search for the plot. I have no idea why the introduction at the back made it sound like there was going to be one. The one event that really happened was insignificant as much as the nostril of Mona Lisa and then from time to time it seemed as though the author was trying to point out this nostril as a really significant part by reminding us of its importance.. But strangely, I lost interest in things very quickly. I didn't care whether Libby was pregnant or not (I don't like gossip in real life either). I didn't care whether Hank was arrested or not. It just wasn't so engaging.
Explanations of daily life at the farm was interesting at first, but it got boring and a little bit repetitive after a while. I grew up reading books like To Kill a Mocking Bird or The Color Purple for English classes and I guess I've just sorta, seen bits and pieces of it before. It's just like, "Yeah I get the boy likes baseball, but do you have to remind the readers about what happened in all the games he listens to?" In fact, not a lot of books get away with just a painted background and no story.
Anyways, I think if you're new to style of writing, I think you'll enjoy it. I don't think it was my type of book though.
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Oct 26, 2012 Gena Myrtle rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: farming, rural

My copy of A Painted House has been stacked in my shelf for five years, untouched until October of this year. It was probably because it was a little thick, and neither the title nor the cover made any impact to me. Over the years I tried to read it, but I never surpassed even the first sentence. In my defense, I could say I did not judge the book by its cover. Hey, I tried reading it.

As I was reading it, I thought it was fairly good. There were some moments of rising action, and my heart raced...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Kyle Soderblom rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Painted House, written by John Grisham is a well written book. This book was written through the eyes of a 13 year old boy that has spent his entire life on a cotton farm with his parents and grandparents. This young boy goes through many obstacles and is faced with many more difficult decisions. Viewing these obstacles through 13 year old eyes is very unique and adds complexity and interest in book. The boy’s family does not have much money and the young Chandler respects that enough to sav...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama-gen-fiction, own-book-form

Grishams' novel is not his typical suspense fare, but instead suspense takes a slight backseat to this literary novel. Written with a calming, soothing style, the world weaved is almost a breathing poem.

Narrated by the seven year old Luke Chandler, it's easy to lose yourself in his world. A world filled with tedious labor, strained financial times, small town quibbles, and baseball magic. As a very southern family, the concern of the hour is cotton, vegetable picking, canning, and drinking iced...more Grishams' novel is not his typical suspense fare, but instead suspense takes a slight backseat to this literary novel. Written with a calming, soothing style, the world weaved is almost a breathing poem.

Narrated by the seven year old Luke Chandler, it's easy to lose yourself in his world. A world filled with tedious labor, strained financial times, small town quibbles, and baseball magic. As a very southern family, the concern of the hour is cotton, vegetable picking, canning, and drinking iced tea. His mother wants nothing other than a different life for her son, while the grandparents are the kind that will live on the land and die with the land. This bittersweet reality was a true one to swallow, and while it's a completely different situation than I was raised in, it was easy to emphasize with.

Character wise, five stars. Suspense wise, not as much. It's obvious Grisham didn't want to dish out his usual stuff, and while I kept turning the pages to find more of the suspenseful plot, it kept dying down for life to be led, then later picked up again. Really the suspense was only tight and knuckle binding in a few scenes; otherwise, it was a slowly paced novel which entertained a more leisurely level.

Thankfully not predictable, I was a bit surprised with the turn-out between two rivals in the story, and Grisham did not hold back on the harsh, unfair realities of the hard life these people led. Rather than the plot focusing on a suspenseful murder or an unsettling event, it's really an unfolding of a seven year old who must keep secrets to protect both himself and his family, witnessing the extreme sacrifices his parents and grandparents make for the family, what the town itself must endure to survive. A family holding onto a tradition that has passed and that it should move on from to survive with the rest of the world, teaching the lesson of what happens when you don't accept inevitable change.

While an enjoyable tale that caught my attention and held it, I was disappointed with the ending. There was not a wrap up with two large subplots that dominated the book, and the boy's life. The outcome of one in particular, which worried the family throughout the entire story, would be an important one in Luke's life. Besides not having these wrapped up and left wondering, I felt a bit more suspense and play-up of such important events as the murder and tension resulting from it would have added to the story's strength.

While flaws ARE present, it could never be argued that Grisham's literary style is not clever and downright beautiful. The man really is a master with his words, better than the amateur painting of the story's house in question. If you're a fan of this writer, you owe it to yourself to indulge in this delightful story about a boy who sees all he should - and shouldn't.
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Aug 06, 2012 Dale rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The unabridged audiobook is excellent

Duration: about 12 hours
Read by David Lansbury

I am not a giant fan of Grisham's latest legal thrillers but I am becoming a fan of his non-lawyer books, such as Bleachers and A Painted House . Grisham's non-legal novels are wonderful "slice of life" views of rural/small town America.

A Painted House is a rite of passage novel about a 7 year old boy (Luke Chandler) growing up on an Arkansas cotton farm in 1952 with his parents and grandparents. His uncle is...more

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May 15, 2012 Elyshia Foster rated it 3 of 5 stars

I chose the novel A Painted House by John Grisham as I skimmed the back of the novel and something caught my eye. It was the talk of an average family’s world flooding with secrets and mysteries. Just from reading a paragraph from the back of the novel I instantly got hooked and wanted to read more about this so called Chandler family and hear their story.
The book is written from the eyes of a seven year old boy, Luke Chandler. Luke’s family is cotton farmers who spend all day long in the field...more I chose the novel A Painted House by John Grisham as I skimmed the back of the novel and something caught my eye. It was the talk of an average family’s world flooding with secrets and mysteries. Just from reading a paragraph from the back of the novel I instantly got hooked and wanted to read more about this so called Chandler family and hear their story.
The book is written from the eyes of a seven year old boy, Luke Chandler. Luke’s family is cotton farmers who spend all day long in the field picking cotton. The book takes place during the cotton picking season when the family hires more helping hands to work on the farm. They had two groups of people, the Mexicans and the hill people. When the help shows up the problems seem to keep piling in on the Chandler family and their little town. The theme of the novel seems to center around Luke and the situations he comes across, things he witnesses that changes his world that make him grow up faster than he should have.
The only down fall this novel had was the first beginning chapters, they were quite slow and seemed to drag on. Although I believe that John Grisham wrote those chapters that way for a certain purpose. As he wanted to get the point across that the Chandler family was a boring average family of farmers who had the same routine everyday and nothing exciting ever happened at their farm. Until they hired the extra helping hands to the farm, that’s when the novel starts to pick up and things get interesting.
I am still not quite sure on how I feel about this novel, it did have me hooked when I first read some of it then I lost interested then it started to get a little more interesting. Although I was disappointed in the end as the writer left out an important part that we never found out what was true or not that was very disappointing to me, it just left us wondering. But if you are able to get through the first couple of slow chapters and get to the good part of the novel where John Grisham lets all the secrets pour out then it is worth it
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May 15, 2012 Kirsten Macdonald rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Painted House

I chose the book “A Painted House” by John Grisham, because I was interested to experience John Grisham’s writing outside of his comfort zone. I knew he was a phenomenal writer in the justice system area, because I have read “A Time to Kill” and I was familiar with all his other books that are mostly all about lawyers, courts cases etc which made me very intrigued to see if his writing in this new book was up to my standards.

The main character, Luke Chandler is a seven year old...more

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May 15, 2012 Devin Doucette rated it 4 of 5 stars

When i started reading a Painted House I expected it to be a little boring because of the old western theme and Luke only being seven years old and all . The first five or so chapters did not dissapoint my predictions because I think John Grisham was introudcing the Chandlers to be extremely simple , boring ordianairy farmers. However , once the mexicans and Spruills showed up on the farm the novel started to grab my attention and before I knew it I was done the book .
I was expecting Luke to...more

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May 15, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

John Grisham is an amazing author and I was very pleased when I had seen a John Grisham novel on my English teacher’s book club list. I immediately had this novel at the top of my list of choices. When I had my choice in my hand I was drawn in within seconds of reading the back cover of A Painted House. With a mysterious murder and a young lovable boy as the main character I thought I would be very happy with my book choice. Although within the first few chapters I was disappointed yes a lot of

...more

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May 09, 2012 Johnny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Such a well-written, engaging book. As the back cover suggests, A Painted House reminded me of books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Huck Finn. A boy from Arkansas (who loves the Cardinals and baseball and dreams of moving to St. Louis, all pluses in my book) grows up living the hard life on a cotton farm in the 50s. The book paints a vivid picture of what that common life might be like, with coming of age stories, family drama, and interpersonal conflicts, all while throwing in the less common i...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Fanatique Francaise rated it 3 of 5 stars

This would be my third Grisham ever, and as unconventional as the other two. Unconventional in the sense that it has not a single scene based in the courthouse. So yes, out of Grisham's area of expertise.

I feel very unqualified to judge this book as I haven't read any of his most famous work- whether it be The Rainmaker or The Partner. I've only ever picked up his unusual titles. So I cannot really compare them with his standard work and rave about how versatile and talented he is.

But, I can tal...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Brad Chinman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Life on a farm isn't as great as it sounds. A Painted House by John Grisham is a great story with a plot that keeps escalating. He is able to weave in even more dramatic events while not forgetting what started it all. This book follows the life of a seven year old boy named Luke Chandler. He works with his dad and grandpa on their farm and wishes to grow up to be a St. Louis Cardinal. Every year his family hires Hillpeople and Mexicans to help pick the cotton on their farm but this year they se...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Daniel Powell rated it 4 of 5 stars

John Grisham's novel A Painted House met with mixed reviews when it was first published in 2000. Many derided his pacing, one of the work's greatest strengths. And some thought he was in over his head after fleeing the safe harbour of the legal thriller that he had come to dominate.

I really like the book. Told in the first-person through the eyes of seven-year-old Luke Chandler, A Painted House chronicles three generations of cotton farmers and their trials in Arkansas in the 1950s. The story is...more

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May 10, 2011 Bert Johnston rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not your everyday John Grisham book. The protagonist is a seven year old boy named Luke Chandler, whose dream is to get off the cotton farm someday and pitch for his beloved Cardinals. Squeezed into a small, unpainted house with his parent and grandparent, and required to pick cotton for long hours of the day, on addition to garden chores, Luke accepts his life for the moment, but dreams of better places and bigger things. He lives amid tensions. There is tension, carefully controlled, b...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

You know, I liked this book. It seems really current right now. The story is based partly on Grisham's childhood growing up on a cotton farm. The book touches on subjects such as co-housing, floods and natural disaster, migrant workers, diversity, and economic challenges facing farmers and their families. The story is told through the eyes of a 7-year-old boy. This was my only beef about the book. The narrator seemed more developmentally mature than 7 and seemed closer to puberty in some scenes....more

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Jan 23, 2011 Alex Telander rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2001

“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.’”

This is how John Grisham begins his latest novel, A Painted House. Notice anything different? No lawyers...more “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.’”

This is how John Grisham begins his latest novel, A Painted House. Notice anything different? No lawyers, no courts, no juries; for the first time Grisham has totally broken away from his former career and has written his first novel that does not contain “a single lawyer, dead or alive.” If anything, this wonderful book is more semi-autobiographical, where Grisham delves into his history and home, in rural Arkansas; the year is 1952.

The main character is a seven year-old boy battling against a plethora of colorful characters: his extensive family, the annoying hill people, and the intimidating Mexicans. It’s cotton-picking season, the harvest looks good, but they have to pick everything soon and hope the rain doesn’t come early. Luke has some problems in addition to getting up before the sun, picking cotton, till his hands bleed, and trying to not collapse from the heat. One is his brother, Ricky, fighting for his life in Korea, and every day Luke wonders if Ricky is ever coming home. Then there’s the knife-wielding Mexican, who deems murder and stabbing as inconsequential as buttering toast and eating cereal. There is the ignominious Hank Spruill, the oldest boy of the “hill people,” who has already beaten a boy to death in town, and is now working with Luke, living just yards away. Finally we have Tally, a seventeen year-old beautiful girl (also one of the hill people) who Luke just happens to have a rapidly growing crush for.

The book is a beautiful piece of literature. The writing is simple and straightforward, but then the narrator is only seven years old. The story and emotion is moving, to a point where it becomes as powerful as some of the classic coming-of-age stories. The book is sure to become one of the annals of great writing and to be studied much in schools and colleges in the future.

Originally published on May 7th 2001 ©Alex C. Telander.

For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.(less)

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Jan 17, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: loose-ends, teachable

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I liked it. I like John Grisham. I like the way this story moved in a different way-- more slowly, more deeply, more leisurely than his other works. But it still moved, still had his trademark driven story-telling.

It was a very full, rich book. Many strands were woven and unraveled throughout. Some were tied back together, but some weren't. I wanted more when it was over.

SPOILER ALERT:
I have so many questions. What happened to Ricky? What about Libby and the baby? Did Cowboy ever get what was co...more I liked it. I like John Grisham. I like the way this story moved in a different way-- more slowly, more deeply, more leisurely than his other works. But it still moved, still had his trademark driven story-telling.

It was a very full, rich book. Many strands were woven and unraveled throughout. Some were tied back together, but some weren't. I wanted more when it was over.

SPOILER ALERT:
I have so many questions. What happened to Ricky? What about Libby and the baby? Did Cowboy ever get what was coming to him? Does Tally know that the man she ran off with murdered her brother? Will the Spruills ever know what happened to Hank? What will Gran and Pappy do alone on the farm? Will the Latchers stay and help? How do Luke and his parents fare in Michigan?

When a book ends like that, with so much left unanswered, I always feel strange when I finish the last page. It's hard to describe. Lonely comes close. Sad, certainly.

Why is that? I know it's just a story. These people aren't real. What happened to them next doesn't matter because nothing actually "happened" to them at all. They never existed. So why do I care so much about the unwritten chapters?

I've been talking with my 9th graders about the need humans have for closure. We were reading the Odyssey and talking about Penelope, who had been waiting at home for 20 years for her husband to return. It's been 10 years since the Trojan war ended and every other family has received either their soldier himself or word of his death. We try to imagine what Penelope, waiting, uncertain, must have felt like. Each passing day making her choose between reason and hope. We talked about Odysseus' father's complaints of never having a body returned to him, no physical proof of what he fears must have become of his beloved son.

We talked about if anyone has known someone who went missing and what that's like for a family, to be torn between hope and grief, every day not knowing whether to be waiting or mourning. I asked them which they think would be harder to cope with, a disappearance or a sudden death. There's no way to know, no way to really compare, but the inability to embrace the grieving process, we could all admit, would surely be unbearable and completely debilitating.

I suppose it's that same relationship with closure, although on a microscopic and trivial level, that allows me to sob shamelessly at a tragic ending, close the book, take a deep breath, and go about my business. Yet a story has an ambiguous ending, and it haunts me for days.

Could this be taught to 9th graders? I think so. Mild cursing, but nothing prohibitive. Some iffy parts where 7 year old watches 17 year old girl bathing. (By the way, anyone else think Tally's got some issues? Letting a 7 year old watch her bathe and dragging him along on her exploits... Interesting to compare the way she's presented to the reader through the eyes of the adoring child, but how different would she come across if presented from a peer's perspective?
(less)

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About John Grisham

"Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of...more "Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.

One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988.

That might have put an end to Grisham's hobby. However, he had already begun his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time career—and spark one of publishing's greatest success stories. The day after Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991.

The successes of The Pelican Brief, which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed Grisham's reputation as the master of the legal thriller. Grisham's success even renewed interest in A Time to Kill, which was republished in hardcover by Doubleday and then in paperback by Dell. This time around, it was a bestseller.

Since first publishing A Time to Kill in 1988, Grisham has written one novel a year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have become international bestsellers. There are currently over 225 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29 languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his first foray into non-fiction.

Grisham lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea. The family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm in Mississippi and a plantation near Charlottesville, VA.

Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books' protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a jur(less)

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“I looked at her and tried to speak, but all I could think about was how shocked she'd be if I said what I was thinking.” — 26 people liked it

“I was tired of secrets, tired of seeing things I was not supposed to see. And so I just cried.” — 15 people liked it

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