The Green Mile [Paperback]

I'm sure lot's of other people have written vast amounts on the plot of this book, so I'll try and keep it brief. For people who loved The Shawshank Redemption, King returns to writing a story about prison in the 30's. Only this time it's the death row prison, where inmates have short stays. A truly compelling story from page to page. Originally it was a serial novel, split into 6 parts. The parts are in the complete novel and while sometimes there is backtracking and reiterating it does not lessen the book's qualitites. What you have here is King writing as only he does. His ability to take the odd/supernatural and mix it with rich characters and interesting plots, is why he is such an acclaimed and loved author. I'm sure many people have seen the film version of this book and while it is one of the most faithful to his work, I still think that reading the book would be better. I read many books a year and it's rare that one can actually make me tear up, but The Green Mile made me do just that. You will not be disapointed if you read this!

I'm alone in my family when it comes to my love of books so when I found out that my step-daughter's favorite movie was The Green Mile, I knew I had to buy this book for her. I got it for her for Christmas and when she opened it, she didn't even know that there was a book, let alone that it was written by Stephen King. The girl who hasn't picked up a book since she put down Twilight halfway through it started reading it within a week. She asked me what other movies are based on books. I told her all the best ones.

Paul Edgecombe is the "bull-goose screw" in charge of the Green Mile, Cold Mountain Penitentiary's death row. He and his fellow guards have learned to keep things calm on their cell block. They make it clear that misbehavior will not be tolerated, but within reason they grant the condemned prisoners' requests. Things run smoothly.

In the fall of 1932 some new personalities join the mix and things change. Percy Wetmore is a new guard who doesn't want things to run smoothly--he wants to bully and humiliate the prisoners. Eduard Delacroix is a newly condemned prisoner who just wants to teach tricks to Mr. Jingles, a mouse who has found its way into the cell block. "Wild Bill" Wharton is dangerous to anyone who comes near his cell because "he just doesn't care about anything." And John Coffey is a gentle giant, convicted of the brutal rape-murder of two young girls but as quiet and well-behaved a prisoner as the guards have ever seen. As events unfold, it becomes clear that John Coffey has some unusual abilities.

I was a fan of The Green Mile movie, but for some reason put off reading the book. Reading it was a pleasant experience, indeed. First, the movie seems to follow the book closely--most of what I liked about it was in the book to begin with. The book also offered some additional enjoyment. It is structured as two parallel stories, one in 1932 in Cold Mountain Penitentiary and the other in a 1990's retirement home where Paul Edgecombe shares his story with a fellow resident. The interweaving of these two stories and the disclosure of information as they both proceed is skillfully done. In fact, King's foreshadowing in both stories adds to the telling, reliably pointing the way ahead while allowing the reader to guess correctly or incorrectly about what will occur. These aspects do not fully make the transition to the movie, good as it is.

I recommend this book highly for Stephen King fans and for readers who appreciate well-crafted writing.