As a suggested read from my mother, I gladly opened A Painted House and began my journey with the Chandler family amidst their picking season on a cotton farm in Arkansas. In a slow southern style, John Grisham walked me through the days of a seven-year old boy who had a fascination with Tally, one of the hill people hired to pick cotton, and wanted to grow up to play baseball for the Cardinals.
This story takes place in the 1950’s where farming was the way of life, the Korean War was a reality for the Chandlers, and television was the newest invention. (However, it was not owned by the family and a radio in an unpainted house was their only source of entertainment.) John Grisham was able to include suspense as this curious little boy finds himself in the middle of a police investigation and a pile of secrets that seemed ready to burst like the flood waters of Siler’s Creek.
At a southern pace, this book captured the reader and was a perfect read for a lazy summer day.
Stacy N. Elliott 