Many times a favorite author such as Sandra Brown switches
her style or genre of writing, and we as readers are filled
with disappointment that a favored author is making a change
that we may or may not embrace. With the release of
RAINWATER Sandra Brown switched time periods, but I felt
that her basic writing style remained much the same that I
personally have come to enjoy over the years.
RAINWATER is set in 1934 when the United States of America
was suffering through a depression, and racial lines were
still strongly believed in. Ella Barron seems to be making
it through fairly comfortably with the income she receives
from the running of a boarding house. She has a maid who
comes daily to help tend her residents, and at times to help
care for Solly, Ella's son, who we come to find out is what
today we might consider austic.
When the town doctor asks Ella to rent a room to David
Rainwater he leaves out the fact that Mr. Rainwater has
issues of his own until after the rental agreement is set.
At first Ella is a little distressed about the possibility
of caring for Mr. Rainwater as she calls him, but as the
story develops so does their friendship, and their strong
desire to help others who are less fortunate than themselves.
In the writing of RAINWATER Ms. Brown could easily have
trivialized the strains of the times, and the tensions of
the people barely scraping by. It's a talent to her writing
skill that instead she was able to turn Rainwater into
something of a history lesson, that translates well into our
more modern times, and perhaps leaves readers like me
learning something that was either skipped or not absorbed
while in school.
It feels awkward to say you enjoyed a book that was as
intense as this one tended to be at times, but enjoy I did.
Through Ms. Brown's words I truly felt as though I could
have been Ella Barron boarding house owner trying to fight
the feelings I had for a man I knew I should never want,
while struggling to protect the rights of the handicapped
son I loved like no other.
I only hope that when you read RAINWATER you get from the
story even part of what I did be it the history lessons
learned, or the moral lessons of how to treat your fellow
human being.
The year is 1934. With the country in the stranglehold of
drought and economic depression, Ella Barron runs her Texas
boardinghouse with an efficiency that ensures her life will
be kept in balance. Between chores of cooking and cleaning
for her residents, she cares for her ten-year-old son,
Solly, a sweet but challenging child whose misunderstood
behavior finds Ella on the receiving end of pity, derision,
and suspicion.
When David Rainwater arrives at the house looking for
lodging, he comes recommended by a trusted friend as "a man
of impeccable character." But Ella senses that admitting
Mr. Rainwater will bring about unsettling changes.
However, times are hard, and in order to make ends meet,
Ella's house must remain one hundred percent occupied. So
Mr. Rainwater moves into her house...and impacts her life
in ways Ella could never have foreseen.
The changes are echoed by the turbulence beyond the house
walls. Friends and neighbors who've thus far maintained a
tenuous grip on their meager livelihoods now face
foreclosure and financial ruin. In an effort to save their
families from homelessness and hunger, farmers and
cattlemen are forced to make choices that come with
heartrending consequences.
The climate of desperation creates a fertile atmosphere for
racial tensions and social unrest. Conrad Ellis --
privileged and spoiled and Ella's nemesis since childhood --
steps into this arena of teeming hostility to exact his
vengeance and demonstrate the extent of his blind hatred
and unlimited cruelty. He and his gang of hoodlums come to
embody the rule of law, and no one in Gilead, Texas, is
safe. Particularly Ella and Solly.
In this hotbed of uncertainty, Ella finds Mr. Rainwater a
calming presence. She is moved by the kindness he shows
other boarders, Solly...and Ella herself. Slowly, she
begins to rely on his soft-spokenness, his restraint, and
the steely resolve of his convictions.
And on the hottest, most violent night of the summer, those
principles will be put to the ultimate test.
From acclaimed bestselling author Sandra Brown comes a
powerfully moving novel celebrating the largess and
foresight of a great bygone generation. It tells a story
that bears witness to a bittersweet truth: that love is
worth whatever price one must pay for it.
I loved reading this book, once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. I got so involved with the characters and it felt I was right there with them. I cried like a baby at the end of the book. Very well written!! (Roseann Engstli 11:10am July 31, 2013)
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