Rating: 
Summary: Can You Keep A Secret? Luke Chandler Can!
Review: 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 hiring "Hill People" and Mexican aliens as temporary laborers on their cotton farm turns out to be a dangerous proposition this year. Luke is not pleased when the hill people set up camp in the front yard, right in the middle of his baseball diamond, but is even less pleased when one of them turns out to be a bully and is involved in a fatal fight in town one Saturday. Luke was unfortunate enough to be a witness and is torn between telling the truth or incurring the bully's wrath. Luke also witnesses a brutal murder and the birth of an illegitimate baby, both turn out to be secrets he keeps and issues that cause him to wrestle with right vs. wrong. Throw in a schoolboy crush on a girl 10 years his senior and the constant worry about how the weather will affect the cotton crop this year, and you get a story with several different situations and angles. Grisham's writing style is easy to read and very descriptive. Even though the plot didn't move too quickly, I still enjoyed this book and will continue reading Grisham's work.
Rating: 
Summary: Great read!!!!!
Review: I have read all of Mr. Grishams books and have enjoyed them all, BUT this one was extra special. I got totally involved with all the characters. Some I really disliked and some I wanted only the best for. My grandparents grew up and lived in Arkansas and it was interesting to read about how people lived there. My family moved to the west coast during WWII and stayed. My family would have been the hill people. I didn't realise how much class difference there was between everyone. I laughed out loud at some of the things and cried at others. Mr. Grisham knows how to relate feelings and make you feel you are right there with all the poverty. Family values are part of every day life and the Baptist religion was my family values also. I didn't read this when it came out because I thought a book with the narrater being a 7 year old boy wouldn't work but it does so very well. I recommend this highly.
Rating: 
Summary: The biggest waste of paper yet!
Review: What was Mr. Grisham thinking? Mundane to say the least. I forced myself to finish it believing that it just had to get better, and then, I fed the fireplace.
Rating:
Summary: A Painted House is excellent
Review: This book contains the excellent writing and descriptiveness used by JOhn Grisham that PUTS YOU THERE. This is so different from Grishams usual legal stories but still keeps you captivated. The mood of the book is somewhat slow but John has the knack to keep it going. I found this book to be very enjoyable. I would like to see John write more like this one just to add some more variety to his works.
Rating: 
Summary: An easy read
Review: I liked this book. Grisham's writing style was easy to read and entertaining. I was disappointed with the direction Grisham took with the expansion of the Chandler's in most cases. On one side the mother was a loving, caring woman but enjoyed seeking info about others who were deeply in trouble, i.e. Libby's pregnancy. I was also disappointed in the way Luke was portrayed as his dialog and maturity seemed far past the tender age of seven as was his prepubescent curiosity of all-things-Tally.
Rating:
Summary: A Nice Vacation Read
Review: I do not usually enjoy Grisham's legal books. I picked the paperback up on the way out of town for a post-Christmas vacation because I liked the picture and the story sounded interesting. I grew up in the South surrounded by cotton fields but never had to pick it! It took a while for me to realize there was no big, exciting, climactic event coming but once I figured that out, I enjoyed the "folksy" feel of the setting and characters. I hated to say "good bye" at the end. A great escape to another time and place!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best of 2001
Review: This book, along with David Baldacci's "Wish You Well" are two of the best reads I've had in quite some time, and I read an average of three to four books a week. I didn't want it to end and I still wonder how Luke and his family are doing 'up North', and did Pappy finish painting the porch!
Rating:
Summary: Painted house
Review: I usally like John Grisham's novels,but not this time. I was disapointed with this one. This book is about a little seven year old boy and his life on a cotton farm,how they hire mexicans and hill people to work there fields and all the secerts he has to keep. If you were expecting a another courtroom
drama you will disapointed like me.
Rating:
Summary: Very good but not a traditional Grisham book
Review: This is a very good book, but not a traditional Grisham book (no lawyers). It is set in the American Great Depression on a farm. "A Painted House" refers to the luxury of the time when all farm houses were plain wood and only the well off could afford pain for their house. Similar to "The Grapes of Wrath" though not as exceptional, possible because it had already been done by Steinbeck. Very fast read, and reminded me of a family farm in Alabama. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Different
Review: This book was certainly a continuation of Grisham's departure from the prose that made him famous. I can't say I didn't like it, the simple portrayal of life did have a certain appeal to it. However, this isn't one of those books that you pick up and find yourself unable to sleep, wanting to stay up and find out what was on the next page. In fact, it took me about 4 days to work my way through this one--a record when it comes to my typical time with Grisham's books.
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