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karenstory 's review for:
A Painted House
by John Grisham
I had forgotten about reading this one, until it became a recent donation to my Little Free Library Shed. I am now bringing my review to Goodreads.
Let me just say that this is not a legal thriller for which Grisham is typically known for – it is more a coming-of-age story.
I read that Grisham had originally serialized this in a different format in his magazine, The Oxford American, in a semi-autobiographical way, in which he shared about his growing up below the Mason-Dixon line.
Now, as a novel, it is set in 1952 Arkansas, narrated by 7-year-old Luke Chandler, the only child to a family of cotton farmers. The plot introduces us to a cast of eccentric characters including his father, grandfather, a hillbilly clan and migrant workers who work the farm.
We get a sense of the labor and weather of working a farm. And part of the weather includes the floods and tornadoes.
Grisham is trying very hard to keep readers from getting bored.
The plot also throws in an illegitimate birth, an interracial affair, and a couple of murders.
Grisham isn’t afraid to tell a story.
There is a folksy tone that is somewhat endearing. As readers we can’t help but feel hopeful for the future. That everyone will survive and do well. Especially little Luke Chandler.
Let me just say that this is not a legal thriller for which Grisham is typically known for – it is more a coming-of-age story.
I read that Grisham had originally serialized this in a different format in his magazine, The Oxford American, in a semi-autobiographical way, in which he shared about his growing up below the Mason-Dixon line.
Now, as a novel, it is set in 1952 Arkansas, narrated by 7-year-old Luke Chandler, the only child to a family of cotton farmers. The plot introduces us to a cast of eccentric characters including his father, grandfather, a hillbilly clan and migrant workers who work the farm.
We get a sense of the labor and weather of working a farm. And part of the weather includes the floods and tornadoes.
Grisham is trying very hard to keep readers from getting bored.
The plot also throws in an illegitimate birth, an interracial affair, and a couple of murders.
Grisham isn’t afraid to tell a story.
There is a folksy tone that is somewhat endearing. As readers we can’t help but feel hopeful for the future. That everyone will survive and do well. Especially little Luke Chandler.