Reviewed By: Jeff Kreider - RAM
A Painted House
Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
John Grisham
Class/Genre: Fiction
A Painted House is something new for John Grisham. It's actually a general fiction novel. The story is from the viewpoint of a seven-year-old growing up in the dirt-poor cotton-belt of Arkansas. The story covers harvest time in the fall of 1952 and is colored by realistic imagery, apparently, from Grisham's own childhood memories. It took me some time to get into it (as I was expecting another Grisham-esc legal thriller). However, it finally grabbed me. It was kind of a mixture of To Kill a Mockingbird, Cold Mountain and a little touch of The Poisonwood Bible. It is written from a child's viewpoint, threaded with the anticipation of a better life (or, at least, the leaving behind of the old one ) and laced with the religious mores inherent in a Baptist upbringing. It was moving, and I liked it.
I do think, however, that Grisham's choice of point of view had some implementation problems. Luke Chandler, the youngster whose point of view was used to narrate the story, was incredibly astute for a seven-year-old. Maybe, if Grisham had changed the tone a bit to be more of a reminiscence, then the observations would seem more retrospective rather than the incredible insight of a seven-year-old. Alternatively, he could have made it third person, centering around the boy. As it was, it appeared that this young boy was putting things together that some adults don't see.
Jeff Kreider - RAM
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Jeff Kreider - RAM
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