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

Good Story left hanging at the end.

Story line: 10
Character Development: 9
Length: 7
Plot: 6.5
Ending: 5

I really enjoyed the story, it's told from a narrative of a boy that is 6 years old growing up on a cotton farm in 1952. The story is being retold as the boy is an adult although no present tense references are made... A 7 year old would not have the communication skills to convey this story as it was told...

Very intense at times can be played in front of the children no touchy subjects or language.... The ending was really a surprise. It just ends, I kept waiting for an epilog, but none came... Just kinda leaves you hanging, I don't believe enough story is left for a squeal so I give it low marks on plot, and length...

The characters are very real, it almost seems as if I knew them personally at the end of the book.

warming, thanks for the memories! !

I couldn't wait to go to bed as I listen to my books at night!

I loved it

I loved it I never wanted it to end I just wanted it to keep going

Good departure of Grisham

What made the experience of listening to A Painted House the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the simple look into a simple life in a simple time. The types of problems encountered 60 years ago were not that different from the problems we have today: bullying, class, race, weather, family tensions, etc.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Painted House?

the sneaky escapades of Luke and his friends.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I enjoyed his slow pacing; it fit perfectly with the book. His dialogue was just OK.

Who was the most memorable character of A Painted House and why?

Luke. he grew up in some ways but maintained his innocence. He was scared, kept secrets, and tried in his own way to find his place in his family.

A great read and an even better audiobook

I was captivated by the story as soon as I started to read 'A Painted House'. Not being your typical Grisham fair made me reluctant to read it. I finally did and it brought me back to my childhood every time I picked it up. It brought back the secrets that I had at that age. This book will do the same for you. I recently listened to the audio book and enjoyed the story even more. The narrator, David Lansbury, did a wonderful job in portraying a 7 year old with his soft tone.

I also am waiting for Grishams next venture into unknown territory.

Grisham steps out the courtroom into Arkansas of the 50

I liked this book. There isn't any wild climatic events that you may find in other Grisham books. This is a simple novel of a simple life as told by a seven year old boy. Still, Grisham manages to capture the feelings of the times; a poor family in the south who hire workers to harvest their cotton and the drama that ensues with these "lower class" folk. I can see why a lot of Grisham fans wouldn't like this, it's a departure from his normal genre.

Another Great Grisham Tale

Loved it! Would like to have a sequel and find out more about Luke, Ricky and the whole clan.

Loved this book

Perhaps John Grisham’s best book. He is a talented writer on a variety of subjects not just judicial yarns.

Favorite

Have read this twice. Always my favorite as a different storyline from Grisham.
A great story

Beautiful

This is so real. Told from the viewpoint of a little boy. I really loved this.