John Grisham

Page Updated: 24/04/02

John Grisham

A Painted House

The Brethren

and

Books By John Grisham

About the Author

Bibliography

Audio Tape - Random House Audio (2001)

A Painted House
CD Edition
The new novel by John Grisham is inspired by his own childhood in rural Arkansas. The narrator is a farm boy named Luke Chandler, age seven, who lives in the cotton fields with his parents and grandparents in a little house that’s never been painted. The Chandlers farm eighty acres that they rent, not own, and when the cotton is ready they hire a truckload of Mexicans and a family from the Ozarks to help harvest it.
For six weeks they pick cotton, battling the heat, the rain, the fatigue, and sometimes, each other. As the weeks pass Luke sees and hears things no seven year old could possibly be prepared for, and finds himself keeping secrets that not only threaten the crop but will change the lives of the Chandlers forever.
A Painted House is a moving story of one boy’s journey from innocence to experience.
David Lansbury is a film, television and stage actor. He has performed widely in the US and the UK.
5 Cassettes Running Time: approx. 5 hrs Abridged by Peter Michalos Produced by David Rapkin

Audio Tape Random House Audio (2000)

The Brethren
See Review by Andrew Taylor - author of the highly acclaimed Roth & Lydmouth Series
Trumble is a minimum security federal prison, a 'camp', home to the usual assortment of relatively harmless criminals - drug dealers, bank robbers, swindlers, embezzlers, tax evaders, two Wall Street crooks, one doctor, at least five lawyers.
And three former judges who call themselves The Brethren: one from Texas, one from California, and one from Mississippi. They meet each day in the law library, their turf at Tumble, where they write briefs, handle cases for other inmates, practise law without a licence, and sometimes dispense jailhouse justice. And they spend hours writing letters. They are fine-tuning a mail seam, and it's starting to really work. The money is pouring in.
Then their little scam goes awry. It ensnares the wrong victim, a powerful man on the outside, a man with dangerous friends, and The Brethren's days of quietly marking time are over.
Michael Beck is a well-known American actor. His film credits include The Warriors and Xanadu. He has made numerous television appearances and has read several John Grisham audiobooks including A Time to Kill, The Chamber, The Runaway Jury, The Rainmaker and The Partner.
4 Cassettes Running Time: approx. 6 hrs Abridged by Sharon Mattlin Produced by David rapkin

About The Author
John Grisham graduated from Law School in 1981 and for nine years ran his own law firm.
John Grisham's previous novels, A Time To Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury and The Partner, have all been number one best-sellers. Six have been made into blockbusting movies - most recently, The Rainmaker, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
It was in 1984 that Grisham, three years out of law school saw a case in a courtroom one day that was to inspire him to sit down and write his first novel, A Time To Kill. It took three years of 5am stints before a full day at the office for Grisham to complete his first legal thriller. Eventually, after 25 rejections the book was published and today the going rate for a first edition of A Time To Kill is £3,000. Following the extraordinary success of The Firm, John Grisham gave up his practice to write full time. He lives with his wife and two children in Mississippi and Virginia.

Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.

A Painted House (Random House Audio, 2001)

The Brethren (Random House Audio, 2000)