Rating: 
Summary: A Hard Life Through Young Eyes
Review: As an ex-country boy, now living in the city, A Painted House really struck a chord with me. Farm life is tough. The people who live on farms have to be tougher or they won't survive. I felt John Grisham captured this observation beautifully.We look at cotton farming in Arkansas in the 1950s during harvest. We experience the many different apprehensions involved with this season. That of hiring hill folk and the Mexicans, what the weather will do, whether the price will be high or low, will the Cardinals have a winning season. The big strength of this book is the way the characters are brought to life so wonderfully. We experience their joys over simple pleasures such as sitting on the verandah listening to baseball, the loneliness of farm-life, despair of ever finishing harvest, wariness of the strangers employed, intermingled with the acceptance of the life they lead. Sure it's not what you'd normally expect from a Grisham book and yes, we're not glued to our seats with heart-hammering courtroom drama, but so what? We experience the drama of racing to bring the crop in, the troubles that come from mixing people of different backgrounds together, and life on the land as it was in the 1950s. I can't recommend this book highly enough for anyone who enjoys looking back on simpler times.
Rating: 
Summary: Not like the rest
Review: I have read ALL of Grisham's works -- even before he was well known. I like his novels and seek him out. He is a brilliant writer. His mastery of the word puts readers on the edge of their chairs. He constructs a good story and knows how to tell it. A PAINTED HOUSE is different. Although he employs his well-honed mastery of the English language, I didn't like the story. This is not to say A PAINTED HOUSE is a bad story. It simply is not what I expected from Grisham. Two issues in particular: First, I was expecting a lawyer to appear on the following page. However each page I turned, the lawyer never showed up. The Chandler family could have used a lawyer. Well, may be not. Second, there are many loose ends and unanswered questions with this novel. Some people like that, I'm not one of them. I found the ending annoyingly abrupt. However, if there is a part II to A PAINTED HOUSE, I will be first in line to read it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Slice of Life Story
Review: It is a dramatic departure from Grisham's usual legal thriller, but I was entertained. The story about a poor Southern family meanders a bit from time to time, which Grisham seems to do evertime he is going into unfamiliar territory. Here that is quaint and entertaining. There isn't a terrific plot here, just a series of events regarding weather disasters, migrant workers, and an assignation. It is all told from the view point of a little boy who strikes me as being a bit too articulate and thoghtful to be 7 years old, but I chalk that up to dramatic necessity. He is the narrator, after all. It's a fun story and worth reading. I'd wait for the paperback if I had to do it all over again, though.
Rating:
Summary: Pulitzer Prize Winner!
Review: I have read all of Grisham's books. In past reviews, I have stated that he needs to stretch and go beyond the law dramas which made him famous. It was the only way to prove whether he was a great writer or not! In "A Painted House", Grisham completely changes style. This book reads like "To Kill A Mockingbird", which is my favorite book of all time. With this book, Grisham proves that he is now America's greatest writer. This book deserves many accolades and awards, and it would be a crime if it doesn't win every one. Bravo, Mr. Grisham!
Rating:
Summary: An incredibly well-written story
Review: So, you've read all of Grisham's books, and this is next on the list ... you're prepared for a well-written legal mystery, right? Wrong. Grisham has written a relatively short book about growing up in rural Arkansas in the late 1940's. This supposedly semi-autobiographical book is narrated by Luke, the 7 year old youngest child of dirt-poor cotton farmers. Luke narrates us through the summer harvest. The story is inspirational - how people who are so dirt poor can be so happy and content with life. Grisham has written so many details into this book that you can easily picture life as it was for Luke and his family. Does that mean the story is peaceful and relaxing? Far from it! There is murder, mayhem, incest, lewd acts ... all the ingredients for a fascinatingly interesting book.
Rating:
Summary: Musial, I mean Grisham hits another one out of the park.
Review: Don't let the topic of the book scare you away. This great story has stayed with me long after I finished reading it. Mr. Grisham probably wrote 'A Painted House' as a contender for required classic literature in schools. (a la Tom Sawyer, etc) I bet it will become just that in no time flat.
Rating:
Summary: Closer to 10
Review: I've read or listened to every one of John Grisham's books. I've liked them all, but some better than others. THE FIRM is still my favorite. I enjoyed THE PAINTED HOUSE, although it was a little slow. I did feel, however, that there were several strings in the story that were left untied. But the book held my attention and I would recommend it to others. My last comment is that I feel the main character is/was closer to 10 years of age; he was too mature for 7.
Rating:
Summary: A Painted House
Review: I highly recommend this book , i bought the book 2 days ago and just finished it.....i could not put it down for to long, I cried/laughed,cried/laughted...It brought back so many memories as i was growning up, i had to go into the bathroom and finish reading it due to i wanted to be alone and no one whould hear me cry...PLEASE PLEASE Mr.Grisham i look forward to part two, I hope there will be a movie made of this book....you are the best writer......
Rating:
Summary: John Grisham - Story Teller
Review: "A Painted House" vividly demonstrates John Grisham's story telling abilities. Departure from his usual milieu, the courtroom, was a bit of a shock, but I found this approach to be refreshing, and very well done. The writing style is unmistakably Grisham, and for a gripping, enjoyable read, this fan can only say, don't miss this one. In all honesty, I must take issue with John's cultivation of Vidalia onions in Arkansas! It just ain't going to happen, John - Vidalia onions are only grown in and around Vidalia, Ga. Something to do with the soil, I'm told. A white, sweet, onion might flourish in this book's setting, but it just will not be a Vidalia!
Rating: 
Summary: VERY DISAPPOINTING :((
Review: I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS WRITING! I HAVE LOVED ALL OF HIS PREVIOUS BOOKS, BUT THIS ONE LACKS "him". I KEPT LOOKING FOR THE PLOT, NEVER TO BE FOUND. JUST A BUNCH OF RAMBLING ON, NO STRUCTURE. I BOUGHT THE BOOK ON CASSETTE, UNABRIDGED, BUT FEEL I WASTED MY MONEY!!!!!!! HERE'S HOPING FOR MUCH BETTER IN THE FUTURE! SINCERELY, FRANCES WILLIAMS
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