The Green Mile

This is an excellent book, Dwayne. Good choice.

I'm curious if you know this--the reason the book is divided into six parts is because the novel was original published as a serial. Six individual novels, over the course of six months. It's why each part of bookended by Old Paul in the nursing home, telling his story.

That was when I first read it. I was buying it every month. Now I have the whole set, hooray for me.

I recall that each book started with a recap of the events in the previous, and I've always wondered if they carried that through into the completed book.

All while I was reading it, I wondered how the character of John Coffey could be shown on screen, since he was such a huge man. I've since seen the actor who played him in a number of things. He was a big actor.

I read somewhere else that it may not have been coincidence that John Coffey's initials matched that of Jesus Christ.

underthecity said:

That was when I first read it. I was buying it every month. Now I have the whole set, hooray for me.

I recall that each book started with a recap of the events in the previous, and I've always wondered if they carried that through into the completed book.

All while I was reading it, I wondered how the character of John Coffey could be shown on screen, since he was such a huge man. I've since seen the actor who played him in a number of things. He was a big actor.

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Michael Clarke Duncan is only 6.5 feet tall. I reckon they had him standing on a box to appear 7'.

I bought it as a serial too! It drove me INSANE waiting for each installment! I wanted to have the experience of it though, because lots of old books were released that way.

The Green Mile has a lot of great characterization through action. If you pay close attention you will probably learn a lot, Dwayne

underthecity said:

I read somewhere else that it may not have been coincidence that John Coffey's initials matched that of Jesus Christ.

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Stephen King states this was intentional in his book "On Writing," (which everyone who hasn't read it should go and pick up as fast as you can). He did it like Faulkner did with Joe Christmas in Light in August and, apparently, critics accused him (King) of being "symbolically simple" or something like that.

DwayneA said:

I always thought prison guards were cruel to prison inmates. Especially on death row.

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I think most of these guys (Percy the exception) realize the best bet is to keep the peace.

Excellent book....one of King's best. It translated nicely on screen as well.

I love King, though I easily get frightened out of my wits so this is one book of his that didn't give me nightmares. When it first came out as a series, I couldn't afford to buy it but by the time I did have the money, they already published a compilation, so bought that, loved it, and bought the movie, loved it as well. So true to the book.

This is one of the rare few books of Kings that I haven't read. Like an idiot I watched the movie first. Am I alone in the feeling that this brands the movie characters personalities onto the novel versions. I have a hard time wanting to read a book that I've seen the movie adaptation of first.

Because it's that voice, that characterization that ends up being grafted and plastered superficially onto the depth of the character that would have been mentally drawn entirely different had I not seen the movie.




To write is human, to edit is divine--Stephen King.