John Grisham - A Great Author in our Time

I fell in love with John Grisham's writing with his first legal thriller, A Time to Kill. Since then I have enjoyed every book he authored. His style is rich in detail and he describes legal minutiae with the ease of an accomplished lawyer which he is but in a way that doesn't confuse a layman. I hesitated to read his latest books as he was stepping outside his area of expertise and I did not want to be disappointed. I gave in and bought A Painted House and have been very pleasantly surprised. I believe in years to come, when we look back at the latter part of the 20th century and first decade of the 21st, Grisham will be remembered as the foremost storyteller of our time. His greatest talent is his ability to draw the reader into events so they feel they are one with the protagonist. In A Painted House, the main character is a young boy, Luke Chandler, growing up on a cotton farm in Arkansas in the summer of 1952. He brought out the Luke fears, concerns and desires in a way that made me feel a part of the story. I couldn't help but think of the classic To Kill a Mockingbird as I read this book. I strongly recommend you read A Painted House for yourself (or any of his other books).