Rating: 
Summary: The Painted House
Review: The Painted House is a diappointment. This book is one of the worst books I have ever read. If I didn't pay good money for it, I would have just thrown it away.. This book is set in the '50's, through the eyes of a seven year old. Nothing happens in this book towards any kind of drama. The book plods alone like a plow horse in the mid-day sun. I felt this book was written to keep the author in print. If I had one good thing to say about this book, No matter what you condition is, this book reminds us that people are worst off then yourself. However, I can read the daily news and figure that out. I literally had to drag myself through this book. I kept reading it just for the hope that something would happen, nothing ever did. From the begining to the end, this book reads at sea level, just barely keeping itself from nose diving into the earth and buring to death, which is what I really wanted this book to do.
Rating: 
Summary: You Become a Character Yourself
Review: This book was so detailed and used such efficient dialogue that the family becomes your own family, the house becomes your own house, the problems become your own problems. Thus, the end is an emotional one, for it is nearly happening to you. John Grisham pulls you in and you don't want to leave, and you will put this book down almost in a state of sadness that it's over and you will not get to continue living the lives of the characters. I was hesitant to set it down for the last time and wished it would go on forever. This book is filled with captivating suspense, a touch of rebellious love, and more importantly, it contains a sense of what we all strive for deep down: a quiet, peaceful life containing it's own issues which can be resolved with the mind of a child. Never have I read a book which brings me back in time the way this one does. An excellent read!
Rating: 
Summary: Did I miss something?
Review: So many people have said A PAINTED HOUSE is an excellent work. Even Grisham has said it's one of his favorites. So why did I feel so let down by this book? It's a sweet story; it does evoke a time and place beautifully. We come to see and care for the characters. All the elements are in place for a true classic...and then the plot goes no where. Without giving too much of the story away, let me suggest some of the themes that begged for conclusion: race relations; class distictions; crime and punishment; truth-telling vs. secret-keeping. I can not recommend this book. And it certainly is not in the same league as TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
Rating: 
Summary: A Painted House
Review: Very differant type of book.You really have to read between the lines in this one.
Rating:
Summary: GRISHAM SHOULD STICK TO LEGAL THRILLERS!
Review: I just finished reading this book and found many positive and negative aspects of it. On the negative side, Luke seems too mature for a 7 year old boy. 7 year old boys aren't interested in 17 year old girls. Second, there wasn't much suspense or an urge to stay up all night and read this book, the story was somewhat bland. However, I'm sure many people could appreciate this book and its story line. But if you are used to Grisham's legal thrillers and think this will someone be related to his other works, think again. There is nothing better to me than a great ending that makes you think to yourself "Wow, who would have thought it would end like that?" A Painted House lacks that. So I give it 3 stars for the good story line and great use of dialogue. Grisham is still my favorite author!
Rating: 
Summary: Very entertaining!!
Review: I really liked this book. It was refreshing to read something of Grishams that wasn't in the courtroom. My only complaint is that the book seems to end abruptly. It left me wanting more. I would love to read a sequel to find out what happens "up north" and to see what happens to the Latchers, Ricky, Tally and Cowboy.
Rating:
Summary: A great piece of literature
Review: After reading all (and I mean all!) of Grisham's lawyer related novels, this was a refreshing change. Not only is it a great book, I believe that it will go down as one of the great novels of our time! The writing reminds me of a cross between "The Grapes of Wrath", and "To Kill a Mockingbird". The story is told through the eyes of a 7 year old boy (similar to the boy's perspective in "to Kill"), and is set in the 1950's Arkansas cotton fields. The way he tells the story, from the hiring of Mexican workers and "Hill People", and the quaint and nostalgic times of a yesterday gone by, is breathtaking and captivating. I could not put it down!! I highly recommend this book!
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Summary: A sequel would change my mind.........
Review: I don't wish to undermine this book as it was a page turner for me. I was totally caught up in the characters. However, the ending was most disappointing for me. The story lines were just not "wrapped up". I always enjoy a book that leaves me wanting for more, but unless there is a sequel in the works, this one just left me feeling a little cheated out of a complete ending. One more chapter would have made this a 4 to 5 star book for me!
Rating:
Summary: One of Grisham's best
Review: If you like Grisham novels or just a darn good story, this is a book for you. The book is completely different to Grisham's other legal novels, there isn't a single lawyer in the story. The story revolves around a rural family in post WWII USA, a fascinating time period. The central character is that of Luke, a supposably 7 year old boy living on the farm with his parents and grandparents. They grow cotton on the farm to support themselves, and the book is set just before the cotton is about to be harvested.
The story basically involves Luke learning more about life through the harvest and meeting the hired farmhands, and through this, he gradually learns more and more things he has to keep secret. At first, I doubted whether or not the novel was any good, some of Grisham's more recent works haven't been terrific, but this book pulls you in for two reasons, it's a first person novel, and you want to learn more about the world Luke lives in. I found the characters excellent, my personal favourite was Luke's 'Pappy'(grandfather), the tough old man of the farm, but eveyone else is pretty good. The flaw in the characters comes from Luke, who is supposably only 7 years old, yet his thought processes and general knowledge are that of a teenager. I think either one of two things has occured here, either Grisham is trying to show the kid is VERY intelligent, or his characterisation is a bit off, I am inclined towards the latter.
The major downside to the book though is the ending, which doesn't resolve some of the biggest issues in the book, such as whether or not Luke's uncle comes back from Korea, or what exactly happens to the Latcher family. Grisham has been doing this a lot in his books lately, 'The Street Lawyer' was the worst case of it, but this book is no exception. Unless he starts finishng his books properly, Grisham is going to lose readers, which would be a terrible shame. Overall though, this is an excellent book, a must for any Grisham fan, simply because it is an great story, and the first of Grisham's novels without a laywer in sight, which will probably be a future trend. I also feel this book will probably be made into a movie sometime soon, I think it would work well on the big screen.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham seems to have re-discovered his talent for writing
Review: I picked up this book with a lot of skepticism, having found Grisham's last several books to be too formulaic and missing the 'spark' of A Time to Kill, The Firm and The Pelican Brief. But I was pleasantly surprised! It seems that the genre shift from legal thriller to novel was just the thing that John Grisham needed to get back his voice. A great book (although definitely NOT the typical John Grisham fare)-- I'd definitely recommend it.
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