Posted By Payperbiz on January 18, 2009

EVERY day, I find myself getting more engrossed in the thick plot of John Grisham’s “A Painted House.” As I trail the life of little Luke Chandler who was born to a simple family but has grand baseball dreams, I think of the real estate in Outer Banks, NC.

Luke’s family grows and picks cotton for a living in a rented field. Wished they had a friendly realtor handling homes for sale in Arkansas, or vacant lots, for he can surely offer them a sizable land at a fair price.

Although it has been this way for the Chandlers since Luke’s grandfather, Eli, came into this world, their industriousness, determination, closeness, and ability to enjoy life amidst hard times are worthy of praise.

I especially felt for Luke when one of Eli Chandler’s hillbillies, Hank Spruill, displayed rudeness to him in one of the earlier chapters by telling the seven-year-old he can’t be proud living in a house with no paint. The hillbilly added his family’s house on the hills is far bigger and more attractive. He tells Luke he lives in a painted house that is so unlike the Chandlers’ abode, which is obviously in need of maintenance.

“A Painted House” is a very engaging read that is partially a slice of the author’s life. Didn’t John aspire to be a great baseball player, too?

Like Luke, John had humble beginnings. He grew up in Jonesboro, Arkansas where his dad was a construction worker while his mom a full time housewife, thus explaining the coherency in his detailed illustration of the Chandlers’ home.

Categories: Bookshelf
Tags: A Painted House, books, homes for sale in, John Grisham, real estate in Outer Banks NC, realtor