A Painted House

This is by far my favorite novel by John Grisham. I loved that he delivered a sensational narrative of Luke Chandler, the son of a poor cotton farmer. The boy must learn to deal with life faster than a seven-year-old should ever have to, as life on the farm comes with many obstacles and plenty of secrets he must manage to juggle.

It is masterfully told, and the life as Luke sees it is well depicted. I recommend this highly.

Give me good writing and a sense of place, and I could read forever. This one's called Grisham's best work, and I agree. He transports us to the cotton fields of the Arkansas Delta through the eyes of the seven-year-old narrator. 

I think this book has everything a great story needs: a narrator who never loses focus, a great cast of characters, and a way of life that has mostly vanished. It's about families and faith and justice and coming-of-age. And, if that's not enough, it has baseball—Stan Musial and the Cardinals, to be exact.