a painted house by john grisham

Written by Darlyn At Saturday, January 23, 2010
the summary (Goodreads):

Until that September of 1952, Luke Chandler had never kept a secret or told a single lie. But in the long, hot summer of his seventh year, two groups of migrant workers — and two very dangerous men — came through the Arkansas Delta to work the Chandler cotton farm. And suddenly mysteries are flooding Luke’s world.

A brutal murder leaves the town seething in gossip and suspicion. A beautiful young woman ignites forbidden passions. A fatherless baby is born ... and someone has begun furtively painting the bare clapboards of the Chandler farmhouse, slowly, painstakingly, bathing the run-down structure in gleaming white. And as young Luke watches the world around him, he unravels secrets that could shatter lives — and change his family and his town forever....

my thought on this:

This is totally unlike other stories by Grisham..I knew it will be different as i bought this book in a car boot sale a few months ago and i wasn't surprise.I love his books, you name it, the pelican Brief, the client, the Partner, a time to kill and etc.they were awesome, but this book is just another different perspective of Grisham. I read a a lot of reviews or comments from a lot of people about this book, some like it, and some don't..Our expectations on books might differs form each other right?

But as for myself, I absolutely like it..the storyline, I have to admit that it was very simple, as it was told by a seven years old boy from his mind..This book had a lazy start, but it picked up pretty quickly. It isn't a legal thriller like most Grisham books, but instead a story of a cotton-farming family in 1950's Arkansas. The characters and story were well developed, and the ending left me wanting to read more books about this family..

I especially loved the main character..Luke Chandler is a precocious, wholly lovable young narrator whose voice rings authentic and true..it doesn't have the characters were more real and really engaging to me..for the first time, i really appreciate his easy-to-read, well-paced, w/o getting mixed up by side issues and details along the way..and also, I have never read a book where the author is able to capture how a child mind works better than this book..

You probably will think it's a little weird/boring/whatever you might feel at first but when you finish it you will find out that it is actually a good read with a suprising twist towards the end of the book.. =)

p/s: I know there was a movie based on this book, but never have the opportunity to wacth it =(

my rating: 4/5

16 comments:

  1. I would be interested in the movie. Thanks for the review :)

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  2. Would it be crazy to say I've never read Grisham? This looks excellent though :)

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  3. hi darlyn.....
    may i;ll get this one!!!!!
    I love the client....cause the hero is child. maybe i;ll love this one too....
    thanks for ur review darlyn....
    have a nice weekend...

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  4. I will have to read this one! Great review!

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  5. @ Juju = You are most welcome.I hope i will be able to watch the movie too..

    @ Melissa = NO it's not because i'm sure that i also never read some other authors too =P

    @ cj = hey, u should read this one cj.you'll love it!

    @ steph = i'll wait for review steph..it's great hear some other thoughts on this one *wink2*

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  6. yes!! i should and i would!!! haha!!
    since u said it's different from the others...
    I really think it's worth to read!!
    all Grisham's are worth to read though...rite? =)

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  7. @ cj = yes indeed..however, i like to point out all good things about every books i read..even i feel that there's some flaws, i will try to find some good in it..then we'll appreciate all the books we've read.. =)

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  8. got it rite!!!!
    btw....i just wanna ask...
    since when you start reading books??
    I still remember I used to love reading in primary, and my favorite are those Siri hardy and Siri Salma... investigations. Haha!! Then, when I start secondary....i don't read at all. But a few years back....when i start the Harry Potter series....i've become addicted, though i dont buy lots of book. haha!!

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  9. Thanks for the review, Darlyn. You're right. This book is different from the usual ones he's written. :)

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  10. When I watched the movie, I have no idea that it was adapted from Grisham's book. It was very good and like you, Darlyn, I also fell in love w/ the boy's character =)

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  11. @ cj= are you going to interview me? hehe..i start reading enid blyton when i was 12,then i read r.l. stine and christopher pike (they were the best!) then my first novel is from sidney sheldon (i have all the collections)..then, here i am, read anything that i can get.. =p i love thriler/crime and lil bit of romance..i know YA genre is a hit now but my interest still on that particular genre i mentioned..

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  12. @ alice = you are right alice..even it's different, i still like it.. =)

    @shy = i stil wish i can watch the movie too.. =P

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  13. u gals are great!! i'm new in this arena...
    please guid me ladies!! lol......
    plus...its really difficult to find man's book blog...don't u know any of 'em. Needing men POV here!!! hahaha!!!

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  14. i think teens read and write (http://www.teensreadandwrite.com/)is cool..it's not whether its woman or man as long as we share something in common.. =p

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  15. yeah!!!! u r rite!!!
    but....i just want to look how guys reviewing books....
    are ther r horrible like me??? haha

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  16. I enjoyed your review and I will watch out for this book. It's been a very long time since I've read a Grisham novel!

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Thanks for the comments! XOXO ;p

 

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