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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
This was a thoroughly enjoyable story to listen to, made even more entertaining by Chad Lowe's narration. He did a great job giving each character a unique voice. The Chandler family's farming hardships felt authentic; it's my understanding that the book was based on Grisham's childhood memories, so that may be why. A gripping story that drew me in and had me anxious to get in my car and drive so I could hear more.
Sometimes meandering but heartfelt story told through the eyes of a 7 year old who lives on a cotton farm in VERY rural Arkansas. I kept wanting to see what was going to happen next and was quite content with the ending. Endearing and unpredictable.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not at all what I was expecting when I picked up a Grisham, but I very much enjoyed it.
Slow, repetitive in parts. Not enough conflict.
One of my favorite books!! I love the baseball references - I grew up listening and watching the Cardinals just like the boy in the book.
4 STARS
"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 two weeks to go, and the season looked hopeless. The cotton, however, was waist high to my father, almost 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." (From Amazon)
I really liked this novel! This is not Grisham's usual legal drama but almost a take on To Kill a Mockingbird coming of age story in the south.
"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 two weeks to go, and the season looked hopeless. The cotton, however, was waist high to my father, almost 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." (From Amazon)
I really liked this novel! This is not Grisham's usual legal drama but almost a take on To Kill a Mockingbird coming of age story in the south.
I feel it lacked suspense of any kind. I finished it because I was hoping something would happen more. It was written well just not as intriguing as I feel his other books are.
Sinceramente me esperaba otra cosa. Como han metido la palabra "asesinato" en la sinopsis pensé que sería un thriller pero resulta que son mas las vivencias y conflictos de una familia en la Arkansas rural de los años 50. Todo ello desde la perspectiva de un niño de 7 años (bastante espabilado, la verdad). Por un lado, es interesante porque vas conociendo de primera mano cómo es la vida de en los campos de algodón pero, por otra, en varias ocasiones, su ritmo pausado se hace lento. No es un mal libro pero creo que la sinopsis engaña bastante.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes