A Painted House

1 About this book

A Painted House is a 2001 novel by American author John Grisham.

Inspired by his childhood in Black Oak, Arkansas, it is Grisham's first major work outside the legal thriller genre in which he established himself. Initially published in serial form, the book was released in six installments in the Oxford American magazine in 2000. The entire novel was later published in hardback and paperback by Doubleday. Set in the late summer and early fall of 1952, its story is told through the eyes of seven-year-old Luke Chandler, the youngest in a family of cotton farmers struggling to harvest their crops and earn enough to settle their debts. The novel portrays the experiences that bring him from a world of innocence into a harsh reality.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: a coming-of-age story and a thriller.

• Bildungsromans
• Thrillers
• Domestic fiction
• Boys
• Migrant labor
• Nineteen fifties
• Farm life
• Rural families