Stephen KingThe Green MileMonika says:
Paul Edgecomb is a warden in Block E of the state penitentiary in Cold Mountain. Block E is where prisoners on death row wait for their execution, the home of the electric chair nicknamed "Old Sparky". The corridor that leads to the execution room is covered in green linoleum, that's why the last way the death row inmates go is called the Green Mile. THE GREEN MILE tells the memorable events that take place in the summer of 1932 when John Coffey comes to Cold Mountain. Coffey is a huge black man who most of the time isn't aware of his own strength. Supposedly he brutally raped and killed two little girls, at least that is the crime that got him sent to death row. But he has the mind of a child and a special gift that makes Paul seriously doubt his guilt when he himself witnesses Coffey extraordinary powers. THE GREEN MILE is no typical Stephen King book. The fantastic element drives the plot, but is not as important as in some of his other books. King is most famous for his horror novels, but in THE GREEN MILE there is no string of terrible or strange events. There isn't even much action. It takes a while before the murder of the little girls is gone into with any detail. The main part of the book is dedicated to the description of life on death row, not very exciting for a book of about 500 pages. The details make it worth reading and make you glad that now it is available in a single volume instead of in six installments. I wouldn't have wanted to have to wait for the sequel just when things were really getting interesting! King really takes time to develop his characters. Some are weaker than others, but all in all they are three-dimensional people. You can understand their feelings and the dilemma they're in when they discover that they may be forced to execute an innocent man. Not all the wardens of Block E care about the inmates, however, and the brutality of Percy Wetmore, a notorious troublemaker, is the reason why Edgecomb in the end asks for a transfer. The main part of THE GREEN MILE with the events of the actual story of 1932 is framed by the present time story of Edgecomb writing down his memories in an old people's home. If you believed King to be a trivial author who chucks out books by the dozen try this one and you may be in for a surprise. |
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Last changes: 12-10-03 Copyright 2000 Christina Gross & Monika Hübner |
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