Rating: 
Summary: Superb
Review: "A Painted House" connected with me emotionally, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story for several reasons. The story is told through the eyes of a seven-year-old boy, Luke Chandler, who lives on a cotton farm in Arkansas with his parents and grandparents in the 1950's. One reason that the story is so good is that it paints a great portrait of the inner workings of a family. Each family member fulfilled a certain role, and though they often got annoyed at each other, they obviously loved each other. Another aspect of the story that I enjoyed was learning about the difficulty of earning your living as a farmer. The Chandlers were subject to forces of nature, labor prices for hired hands, and cotton market prices in order to earn enough to live. I came away with a newfound respect for people who earn their living this way. Part of living in this small farm community was a much different social life than what most of us have now. Church was an integral part of their lives, and gossip traveled very quickly. Farm families looked forward to traveling carnivals, street fights and trips to the store as major social events. Families in this setting were also very dependent on their neighbors in times of need, especially since many of them did not own telephones. Another theme that was woven into this story as a part of the Chandler family's life was that of baseball. Listening to Cardinals games on the radio was a bonding experience between three generations of men, and I felt connected to them because I also love the sport. Hearing stories about real players from the 1950's made the story that much more enjoyable to me. Besides the portraits of family, farm living, and baseball, I also enjoyed learning about this time in history. The Korean War was claiming young American lives, TV was a new and fantastic invention, and cars were still in their infancy stage as an American staple. Obviously, these portraits would not make a great story unless they were told in an engaging way. As a testament to the power of the art in the story, I felt literally compelled to keep reading until I reached the end. I have not even begun to tell of many of the characters and adventures for fear of giving too much away, but I feel like I know everyone in the book, and I find myself expecting to run into one of them in real life. I am sad to say goodbye to the Chandler family and the other participants of the adventures found in "A Painted House." I recommend you get acquainted with them.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham is a true master storyteller
Review: I hesitated to read this book, thinking that it would be something that wouldn't interest me. I finally started it after my sister gave me a stack of books she was done with. I soon found that I didn't want to put the book down and I was really sorry to see it end. This is the best book I have read in quite a while and I highly recommend it. John Grisham proves that he is a true master story teller, describing life on a cotton farm in Arkansas in the eyes of a seven year old boy. The book totally transports you back to the 1950's and what it must have been like living on that farm. I think there is plenty more to write about and hope there is a sequel to follow.
Rating: 
Summary: What a surprise
Review: I really loved this book. Grisham can write books about something else other then lawyers. I was really surprised how good this book was. I could not put it down. I could picture ever thing in the book in my head. I felt like I was there in that cotton field. I would like to is him write more book like this.
Rating:
Summary: SOOOO GOOD
Review: John Grisham's "A Painted House" is the best novel since Steinbeck's "The Wrath of Grape". It's so good that I think it can be called a writer's bible. It's the first book that I felt sad at the last page because I have to part with the characters. Stroy is about a rural Arkansas farming family, the Chandlers. Due to the harvest of cotton from six months of back-breaking work, many Mexicans and Hill people were transported to southern Arkansas to pick cotton. Among these, there are two dangerous people, Hank and Cowboy, who worked on the Chandler's farm. Soon after their arrival, a series of mysteries began to happen - Death paid with death, secrets followed by more secrets. The smallest Chandler, Luke, at age seven, has vitnessed more than his age should have permitted. After another year of crop failure, luke was doomed to leave the farm with his parents along with his secrets that he determined to carry with him to the grave...
Rating:
Summary: Grisham is Painted
Review: This book was one of the best of Grisham's book. It takes you out of the courtroom to a rural Arkansas cotton farm. A little seven year old boy learns a lot of lessons that many people at the age of seven would never imagine. Can he deal with all the problems and secrets that he has to face?? This is an excellent book and I recommend it to all book lovers out there!!!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Arkansas
Review: This Grisham book was awesome. A seven year old name Luke is growning up on a cotton farm in rural Arkansas. I would reccomend this book to anyone. It was different than most Grisham books because it didn't have to deal with the law stuff. It is a good book and I would recommend it just like I said.
Rating:
Summary: John Grisham Masterpiece
Review: A Painted House is an exceptional work Grisham. Normally keeping to the legal thrillers Grisham takes us on an adventure as Luke Chandler during the summer of 1952 in the Arkansas Delta. The readers experiences everything from beautiful women to brutal murders. As the summer progresses gossip and suspicion take over the Chandler family and the small town that they live in. The storyline is a great one with many subplots and twist that keep the reader involved from cover to cover.
Rating:
Summary: Easy and fun
Review: Easy to read, fun, and above all well-written, A PAINTED HOUSE is a great book. While it's nothing like THE FIRM or any of the other Grisham "thrillers" it is well-crafted and memorable. Enjoyable and heart-felt. Also recommended: BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: Painting Thoughts
Review: In this novel, John Grisham does a splendid job of painting unforgettable images in our minds. From the cotton fields to the sides of the house, Grisham keeps the thoughts going. In a book filled with nostalgia, Luke is portrayed as a boy who wants to be a St. Louis Cardinal. He dreams of this, often every day. He is the image of just about every seven year old boy in the United States. It is said that Luke is also a spitting image of Grisham himself at this young age. He must've had it pretty tough, I mean I've worked in a garden or two, but nothing like the cotton fields. The external conflict between Luke/Hank/Cowboy is one that is dragged on through the entire book, until Hank ultimately meets his fate in the form of a Mexican worker called Cowboy. I believe this fate could have been a bit more fulfilling, perhaps through dialogue or thoughts, but it happens quite fast. Maybe that just adds to the realism of it. It's not like Cowboy is any Arnold Schwarzenegger with a cool catch phrase to use right before he kills the bad guy. The conclusion, while fitting, is not what I expected. Maybe a bit more closure would have been more satisfying. I hate ending a book only to have more questions. How do they do after Arkansas? Does Luke play for the Cardinals? There are only a couple questions I had out of several. That is the only drawback from the entire novel is the letdown at the end. It's one of those books though that you don't really want to end. The feelings of nostalgia make you want it to never end but it had to end sometime. Maybe not the best ending but it at least concluded all the conflicts within the book.
Rating:
Summary: Easy and fun
Review: I enjoyed this book--even my husband liked it and he rarely reads anything. It was easy to read but the characters were interesting enough to keep your attention. "Painted House" is nothing like "The Firm" or any of Grisham's other books. It's more down-to-earth and tells the struggle of a family in Arkansas to just make ends meet--sort of a smaller "Grapes of Wrath" but without all the traveling. Also try Grisham's "Last Juror" or "The Bark of the Dogwood" by J.T. McCrae. All three of these are excellent reads.
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