Product Description: At Cold Mountain Penitentiary, along the lonely stretch of cells known as the Green Mile, killers await death, whilst their guards watch over them. Good or evil, innocent or guilty, none of them have ever seen the likes of brutal new prisoner John Coffey, seemingly a devil in human form.
Amazon.com Review: This novel taps into what Stephen King does best: character-driven storytelling. The setting is the small "death house" of a Southern prison in 1932. The charming narrator is an old man looking back on the events, decades later. Maybe it's a little too cute, maybe the pathos is laid on a little thick, but it's hard to resist the colorful personalities and simple wonders of this supernatural tale. As Time magazine put it, "Like the best popular art, The Green Mile has the courage of its cornier convictions ... the palpable sense of King's sheer, unwavering belief in his tale is what makes the novel work as well as it finally does." And it's not a bad choice for giving to someone who doesn't understand the appeal of Stephen King, because the one scene that is out-and-out gruesome can be easily skipped by the squeamish. The Green Mile was nominated for a 1997 Bram Stoker Award.
One of the best books I've read In 3 words: Go buy it!
This book is one of King's best novels, I don't want to spoil it so I'll just say read it (and ignore the movie...)
My second walk down the Mile(4.5 stars) I read 'The Green Mile' in serial form a few years ago, borrowing the entire collection from the library at once. I felt at the time that it was, if not King's best, at least very close to it. A few years later, after finding this one-volume edition, I gave the story another try. I found I had largely forgotten much of the incidental details in the first third of the book(outside of Paul Edgecombe's illness), and felt that the story didn't really take off until the most important inmates-John, Del and 'Billy the Kid' Wharton-were introduced. The supporting cast at the prison, especially Percy, all had their moments, but Paul, John, Del, and that little mouse, carry the story. Those who complain of King 'copping out' are missing the point that the action takes place in an era when there was less incentive to challenge authority, particularly from within. The moral conflict that Paul Edgecombe felt('doing the right thing' vs. 'doing his job'), and that he'd been carrying with him for all those years, was the basis of the story. I felt the framing sequence didn't have quite the impact of the flashbacks to the main action. Although Paul and Elaine make a good team (not so much a 'couple', under the circumstances), I didn't feel that Brad Dolan added too much to the story, beyond the obvious similarity to a former colleague. I think the movie version did a better job of streamlining the framing sequence. Another nitpick with the one-volume format was that the framing sequences were left unchanged from their original format, which repeated/recapped the action. While this falls just short of 'The Stand' on the list of King's best books, the emotional impact of the last sections of the story ensure a very high ranking, and the movie, which improves on the original as no other SK film adaptation ever could, makes this perhaps King's best story in either medium.
Excellent The Green Mile is that rare book that can remind you of what a great book actually is. Here we have a original story that breaks all formulaic rules, is filled with suspense, and is personally affecting.
The novel is set for the most part on death row where a condemned prisoner appears to possess some kind of holy power. The prison guards become conflicted about how to use the power and their belief in his innocence. The story is told by one of the prison guards as an old man many years later. As you read, you feel like you're sitting listening to your grandpa tell this fascinating story. I highly recommend this book.
The memorable story of Paul Edgecombe and John Coffey A wonderful story; beautifully presented and well told.
I think that this is my favorite Stephen King story (although 'The Dark Tower' series comes close as well). This is a tale of a prison guard (Paul Edgecombe) and convicted child murderer (John Coffey) and the unusual relationship that developes between them on death row in the of fall of 1932.
I saw the movie some time ago and it is one of my all time favorites; great acting, well directed and, as with all great movies, has moments that seem to linger with you and are recalled from time to time (and sometimes at the strangest moments).
The book and the movie are somewhat different. The story is basically the same of course, but because the book was written in installments, (featuring the main characters serially), I believe it would have been difficult to make a movie of the book that would have made sense. However, what they did with the movie turned out well.
The book, not surprisingly has some additional story in it, that is not found in the movie. We are provided with some extra information that deals with Paul's life after he retired from his job on death row and also with a different ending for Mr Jingles then was seen in the movie; both additions alone make reading the book worthwhile (especially the latter).
Conclusion; The memorable story of Paul Edgecombe and John Coffey ("like the drink, only not spelled the same way"). An emotional story with some haunting attributes; simply exquisite. 5 Stars...more if I could
R. Nicholson
Powerful book. This is one of the most powerful book I've ever read.If your familar with the book, then you will truly love this.
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Trevor
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