A Painted House: A Novel

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: David Lansbury

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

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....

Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM, coming soon!

©2000, 2001 Belfry Holdings, Inc. (P)2001 Random House, Inc. Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, a Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Characters that no reader will forget. .. prose as clean and strong as any Grisham has yet laid down ... and a drop-dead evocation of a time and place that mark this novel as a classic slice of Americana.”—Publishers Weekly

“Some of the finest dialogue of his career ... Every detail rings clear and true, and nothing is wasted.”—Seattle Times

Very good narrator

Not overly exciting but extremely satisfying. A view to a simpler time. Narrator voice was very very good.

Sounds autobiographical and not fictional

An excellent portrayal of post World War II rural southern America. All current-day spoiled children should read this book.

A touching story of life

A Painted House by John Grisham, one of my favorite authors, beautifully introduced me to the life of cotton growers down in the yonder Arkansas back in 1952. The story was told by a seven year old boy with a heart of gold, and it was incredibly engaging

Take a walk back in time.

I really enjoyed this story. Being from Texas cotton country, this story took me back to a time of hardship and hard work. The characters took on a life of their own, and when it was done, I felt like I had lived that summer and fall in the cotton fields. The strength of the characters comes through and left me proud of those families. I would recommend this to any reader over the age of 12. It not only teaches a bit about life in the farming communities during the depression but also about what moral strength can do to support a family, friends and a community in the darkest of times. Very good.

A different Grisham novel...

I had heard that this book was really different from other John Grisham novels, and that was certainly true! It was a much quieter, less suspenseful book... with not a mention of a lawyer in it. It was a really good period piece that gave a very complete picture of life in rural Arkansas in 1952. Grisham did a wonderful job of portraying the small details of farm life in a way that really made the scenes come to life. Descriptions of cooking breakfast on the farm had my mouth watering. Having the narrator of the story be the 7 year old boy, Luke, was interesting. The conflicts were somewhat suspenseful, but that is where I think the story was the most lacking. It seemed that there would be much more suspense, conflict, drama.... but the foreshadowing from the beginning that seemed to point to Cowboy, Tallie, and Hank never played out in a satisfying way. Somehow, although there definitely were conflicts, they didn't have enough suspense or drama for my taste and so seemed to lose their power. I guess I thought the main conflict was really the battle the Chandlers had with the land and the difficulties of living life on a farm in that era and in that place. Their life centered around their main house, which was unpainted. By the end, when the house was painted white due to a series of circumstances, it seemed to symbolize the conquest of their hardy spirits and their family love over adversity or the idea of a new beginning despite all that had gone on in their lives and on their farm.

A picture of a different time

1952 doesn't seem like that long ago. This glimpse into rural Arkansas was both interesting and frankly a little scary

Best story

This is one of John Grisham's best novels, even if it is a total departure from his normal topic of the law and lawyers. The story is gripping. The characters are real and natural. The way he describes the setting, the era, and the people is outstanding and very believable. If I had had the time, I would have listened to the entire book in one sitting. John Grisham is a great American storyteller. I hope he plans to write more books like this one.

Great book!

I loved it! It was a beautiful story of the south! I would definitely recommend

Luke warm

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No I wouldn't. I Just need a fiction book that is unpredictable.
This book just didn't do it for me. Way too slow and easy.
I will not give up on John Grisham, but "A Painted House" fell short "sale".

Another side of John Grisham's writing.

Absolutely LOVED this book. Sat in my driveway just to listen more after work. Excellent read. Quite different from his crime dramas but worth the read.