“A Painted House” is as good as anything as any East Coast darling of that generation has written.
Yet no awards, professorships, prizes or grants from the East Coast junta for Grisham.
Since he met all the other criteria with that one book, It has to be because he’s from Mississippi and didn’t go to Harvard.
Aside from Nelson Demille, and a small handful of exceptions I am not at all impressed with East Coast writers. I think the best writers are Southerners (I know, it’s a generalization), as they seem to be the best story tellers.
I appreciate your opinion about Grisham, though I do not share it. I will say this, though: Grisham is better than Clive Cussler, who I think is the worst contemporary writer. Just horrible.