A Painted House

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe I read it all the way through
Review: I usually don't rate books so negatively, especially ones by John Grisham, who I love as a writer. And I'm very open to new types of writing, especially from established authors. But Grisham should definitely stick to what he knows. This story starts out slowly and drags on until the end. It took me 2 weeks to finish and I keep hoping it'd get better. The story of Luke on a cotton farm is interesting, as he develops a crush on Tally and is witness to all sorts of crimes and secrets, a lot of pressure on a little boy. But the story wraps up with Luke leaving behind his grandparents and the cotton for a new life with his parents and a new baby on the way. The story wraps up without bringing closure on many of the characters - what ever happens to Tally and the Cowboy, to Libby and the baby? Does Ricky ever come home from the war and does he marry Libby? Do Luke's grandparents survive the flood and the debt they are in? What happens to the Letchers? Does Hank's body ever surface? Too many loose strings ... Definitely frustrating at the end, especially since I'd invested many hours and kept pushing to finish this book. I should've stopped long before ...

Rating:
Summary: Just ok, not Grisham's best...
Review: Disclosure: I'm a big fan of John Grisham - A Time to Kill, The Firm and The Testament being my favorites. And I adore "slice of life" books; so it was with great expectation that I looked forward to reading this new one of Grisham's. His dialogue is believable and engaging, as usual. His characters are well drawn, as usual. He writes about important stuff: family ties, honor, integrity, truthfulness, wisdom, youth, and hard work. But, notwithstanding all these great elements, to me this book lacked "ummph." The story line was slow paced and uncompelling - I kept wondering when the plot was going to kick in. This just wasn't one of Grisham's best works, in my humble opinion...

Rating:
Summary: Boring!
Review: I do not normally read Grisham as I am not enthralled by his writing of things legal, but this was our book club selecttion and I read it. I too kept waiting for something exciting or interesting even to happen, and it never did. Had I not needed to finish it for discussion sake at our Book club meeting, I would have quit it. The end was a let down as well. So Grishman did not get a fan when he deviated from his norm...Boo hiss!

Rating:
Summary: Totally unexpected...
Review: is what this book is. I expected the standard Grisham fare of courtrooms and lawyers manipulating the system and instead found a story unlike anythin out of his typewriter. If you are thinking of buying this book because you really enjoy the whole lawyer courtroom genre then this will be a waste of time. If you just enjoy a good story that flows and is easy to read and enjoy then this is the book for you. It is the story of a seven year old Arkansas boy and his his struggling cotton farming family in the 1950s. There is not the first courtroom or lawyer to be found in the entire book. The story takes place during one long eventful summer. There is a struggle to make ends meet, some shady migrant pickers, and even some baseball. The story and the writing is the frshest thing from John Grisham in a long time. Their are people you can care about. In his last few book the characters seemed unworthy of my concern, these guys i liked and i think you will too.

Rating:
Summary: Could Have Been Better
Review: The story moved too slowly for me. I kept wanting Luke to get older and move on to different things. I tired of reading about the cotton fields day after day and about the money problems. I wanted to see the author tie off loose ends of the different plots that developed in the story. The book left me hanging in too many areas.

Rating:
Summary: i really enjoyed it
Review: it is strange how this book reminds me of TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD-that i admit was better -but grisham is quite good too. tolook a the world through the eyes of a seven year old is interesting--his guilt at keeping secrets from his parents, his interest in baseball and he dislike of picking cotton make him real---. i enjoyed the book--do read it-it is real nice to read about a child's sentiments rather thn the usual law and court stuff that grisham usually writes.

Rating:
Summary: A Painted House
Review: I loved this book. So different from his others which I loved also. Being from the south, the first chapters reminded me of being at my grandmothers house as a child. The development of the book was excellent. As always, I am very pleased with another John Grishman book.

Rating:
Summary: A Painted House - An American Classic
Review: This is a wonderful story centered in the american rural south which desribes the daily struggles of poor cotton farmers. Interwoven in the story are the classic American virtues of honesty, fair-play, independence and God-fearing justice. John Grisham has written an american classic on the order of "To Kill A Mockingbird". This book should be required or suggested reading in all high schools.

Rating:
Summary: If you loved this, read anything written by Ferrol Sams!
Review: My favorite series of novels begins wiht, " When all The World Was Young, " by Ferrol Sams. Same humor, era and southern hospitality. Check it out!

Rating:
Summary: Boring beyond belief
Review: I pushed myself to finish this book and I couldn't believe that no matter how hard I pushed further along it never got better. As I finished the last paragraph of the book I was so disappointed at how terrible the story was. I am a John Grishim fan and I have read all his books and I knew this story was going to be something different for him but I never thought the book would be as boring as it turned out. I hope they don't make school children read this novel or they may give up reading all together.