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Summary: Heritage
Review: I loved this book. I read it in less than two days and cried though the last half of it. The thing that touched me the most was it's realism. I was not born during the time that this book took place but my parents and grandparents were. My mother's father was a sharecropper in rural Mississippi. They were very poor. I have heard so many stories from them about life during those times. This book is a wonderfully written account of what live was like for them. My only complaint was that is was much too short. I wanted so much more!
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Summary: Author successfully changes genres
Review: I enjoyed this coming of age story of Luke set in rural Arkansas. It was a welcomed departure from the lawyer books and took me back to the fifties which appeals to all aging baby boomers born prior to 1950. It reminded me in scenery of Cold Mountain and also Baldacci's The Wishing Well which was another coming of age story written from the voice of a 12-year old girl. I would suggest that Grisham is capable of writing in multiple genres and he can continue with Luke and follow him into adulthood as a first-year law student. Many possibilities abound in this semi-autobiographical tale of young Luke. A good read. Keep it up John.
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Summary: John Grisham's DULLSVILLE
Review: I have read all of his books from A TIME TO KILL onward. This was by far the most disappointing. I couldn't get through it. The characters had no substance and the plot was dull. Very rarely do I not finish a book, however, this was one of the times.
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Summary: Grisham! Stick with what you do best!
Review: A very sad story about sharecroppers. Reminded me of an Oprah Book. If I hadn't purchased the book myself, I would have sworn it was absolutely not a Grisham.
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Summary: A Painted House yields a new fan for John Grisham
Review: This is the first book by John Grisham that I have read and I was extremely pleased with it. It read well, kept your interest and I enjoyed it very much. I was a smidgen unhappy with the "drop off the cliff" ending. That is,I had hoped to know a little bit more about where the characters ended up instead of "dropping them off of a cliff",(this is an analogy, not what actually happened) but all around it was a good book.
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Summary: The Painted House
Review: I am absolutely amazed by a 3 1/2 start average rating on The Painted House. I give it ONE star, at best.I have read all of Grisham's books. He blew it big time on The Painted House. It is the first time he has strayed from what made him a household name, the law. This book never captured my interest in any way. It had no theme. It was boring. In all other books I have read by Grisham I have had a hard time putting it down once I got into the meat of the subject. With Painted House, I skimmed just to finish it. My suggestion to Grisham is to stick to the law. I will probably read one more of his books because of what he has done in the past. Please, John, do what you do best, talk about lawyers, judges, prisons, or anything else related to the law.
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Summary: Outstanding, beautiful story
Review: I purchased this book as a gift to myself for vacation. I was a little worried since I knew it wasn't a "legal thriller", but I was so pleasantly surprised by this refreshing story narrated by a young 7 year old boy. I thoroughly enjoyed it, equally as much as every other Grisham book, and eagerly await the next one.
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Summary: I know it's not nice to criticize, but...
Review: This is to all the readers who didn't give this book a 5 (or at least a 4). They need to pretend this is Grisham's first book, instead of comparing it to his other works. Note the review by bhandbh, who says he has never read a Grisham book before. That's the way this book should be critiqued - on its own merit. The writing is wonderful, the characters are wonderful, the story is wonderful. To those who felt the ending left too many plot threads hanging, think "Grapes of Wrath." God forbid, anyone should write a sequel to it, just so we can find out what happens to the Joads! Please read this book and take it for what it is...a great work.
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Summary: BORING!!!
Review: Well, was I surpised. Mr. Grisham has certainly changed gears on this one. After reading and thoroughly enjoying the suspense and characters of his previous novels, I was quite disappointed in this one. Ok,Ok, life on a cotton farm in the 50's was no great way to grow up but this book didn't quite captivate me. I don't find any interest in a 7 year old boy watching a 14 year old girl take a bath in the river. The characters are explained in depth but are not followed through to the end. What happens to Ricky, Miguel and his new wife, the family they take in from the flood,etc. And what does painting the house have to do with anything! I guess he is setting us up for the sequel. I did enjoy the baseball references and will probably read any future books of his just based on his past endeavors.
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Summary: Sweet and simple
Review: I had given up on John Grisham after reading, in order, A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief and the The Client. I enjoyed them all but felt that if I continued reading his books after that, I would simply be reading the same story over and over again. When I heard that A Painted House was going to be "different" than everything he's written before (i.e. no lawyers) I was delighted to give him another chance. He's a very talented writer and it's about time he tried something new. True, there's not much action in A Painted House and some readers may feel that the story leaves too many loose ends, but it evokes a sense of time and place and a simplistic beauty that his other novels sorely lack. This is not a perfect book but it is one worth reading if only to watch as one of America's most popular authors stretches his wings and grows as a writer. If you're not interested in trying something new along with John Grisham, skip A Painted House and wait for his next book - I hear the lawyers are back.
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