Although I have seen a few adaptations of Steven King’s
books on the big screen (e.g. Green Mile, Dead Zone, etc.) I had never read any
of his books until now. What intrigued me about The Green Mile was that it was written in six installments (aka a
serial novel – over a six-month period) with each part revealing yet another
piece of the puzzle around John Coffey, an inmate on death row.
In Part 1, readers are taken back to 1932 where they get
to meet Paul Edgecombe who dubbed himself “the E Block super—the head screw” at
the Cold Mountain State Penitentiary. Readers also get to learn about the Green
Mile, a long corridor with its lime green floor. If prisoners made a left turn
at the corridor then they were lucky enough to be given a life sentence and if
they made a right turn then they were headed for Old Sparky, the electric chair.
King’s prolific characterization of the inmates and the
penitentiary guards is spot on as well as their dialogue. I thoroughly enjoyed the
first-person narrative as told by Paul Edgecombe. He was funny, insightful and
caring.
Also, as I compared the actors in the movie with the description of their
characters in the book, the casting was perfect. Yes - Michael Clark Duncan as
John Coffey was spot on. I may have to watch this movie again!
Great read! Two thumps way up!
My
favorite lines:
When Harry stood back
(Coffey had remained motionless during the entire unlocking ceremony, as placid
as a Percheron), I looked up at my new charge, tapping on the clipboard with my
thumb, and said: “Can you talk, big boy?”
“Yes, sir, boss, I can
talk,” he said. His voice was a deep and quiet rumble. It made me think of a
freshly turned tractor engine. He had no real Southern drawl—he said I, not Ah—but there was a kind of Southern construction to his speech that
I noticed later. As if he was from the
South, but not of it. He didn’t sound
illiterate, but he didn’t sound educated. In his speech as in so many other
things, he was a mystery. Mostly it was his eyes that troubled me—a kind of
peaceful absence in them, as if her were floating far, far away.
“Your
name is John Coffey.”
“Yes, sir, boss, like the
drink, not only spelled the same way.”
Rating:
5 stars
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