| If you have read John Grisham's books before, then | | | | murder. |
| you are undoubtedly familiar with the usual | | | | Before his meeting with Cowboy, Hank finds several |
| characteristics of his books. There is usually a murder, | | | | people to beat up. He fights three local boys at the |
| a good amount of legal issues which follow, and then | | | | same time when Luke's family goes to town one |
| some type of unpredicted resolution. Being a lawyer | | | | Saturday, and ends up hurting them all critically if not |
| himself, John Grisham is an expert at plotting a legal | | | | killing them. He also fights a traveling "world's |
| thriller and masterfully writing it down on paper. | | | | strongest man" type of wrestler at the local fair, and |
| Grisham's book A Painted House has a completely | | | | nearly kills him as well. Hank makes a name for |
| different feel to it than many of his legal thrillers. | | | | himself in all the wrong ways, and the town's sheriff |
| While many of his books take place in big cities with | | | | is itching for evidence to arrest him. However, Hank |
| rich, big city lawyers, this book takes place in rural | | | | makes an effort to leave town before the law |
| Arkansas with an extremely poor family. A Painted | | | | catches up with him. |
| House revolves around a young boy named Luke | | | | Luke is portrayed as innocent and inexperienced in |
| who lives with his parents and grandparents on a | | | | this novel. He has dreams of playing Major League |
| large farm. They grow cotton every season and sell | | | | Baseball one day for the Cardinals, and develops a |
| it to the local cotton gin/mill in order to make money | | | | crush on Hank's younger sister who he sneaks off |
| to live off of for the entire year. | | | | with several times. Luke is punished often while he |
| In order to pick the acres and acres of cotton on | | | | takes naps when he is supposed to be picking |
| their farm, Luke's family must rely on hiring Mexicans | | | | cotton, or when he asks too many questions about |
| and "hill people" who show up every season to make | | | | topics he is too young to know about. He is also |
| money. In the book, the Spruill family comes down | | | | extremely proud about his brother who is off fighting |
| from the hills to help Luke's family, and they are led | | | | at war, and will defend at any cost. Especially when |
| by a loud-mouth, mountain-of-a-man named Hank. He | | | | he finds out that his brother has an illegitimate child |
| has a bad attitude and will fight at any given time. | | | | with the town's most disgraceful family. |
| The Mexicans in this story are mild mannered and | | | | This book is definitely a page-turner. While a story |
| work hard. However, they also have a questionable | | | | about a country family whose job is to pick cotton |
| character in their group named Cowboy who ends up | | | | may sound slightly boring, it is actually very |
| possibly having relations with Hank's teenage sister. | | | | entertaining. Grisham has intertwined numerous |
| Luke has a bad feeling about Hank and Cowboy. | | | | smaller stories together flawlessly in a book that is |
| Hank loves to fight and Cowboy carries a | | | | different than anything he has ever written. A |
| switchblade at all times. When the two eventually | | | | Painted House has a calm flow while reading it, but |
| fight, Cowboy brutally kills Hank and throws him in a | | | | every time Cowboy and Hank step into the picture, |
| river, never to be seen again. No one knows what | | | | you can feel the tension and your heart starts to |
| happened to Hank except for young Luke, who | | | | race. This book is rated 4.5 out of 5. |
| Cowboy threatens to kill if Luke ever tells of the | | | | |