{"id":145,"date":"2021-07-02T19:08:07","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T19:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetatteredspine.com\/?page_id=145"},"modified":"2021-07-28T11:49:14","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T11:49:14","slug":"elementor-145","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thetatteredspine.com\/?page_id=145","title":{"rendered":"Book Reviews\/Worthy Reads"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Book Reviews<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u00a0<\/p>

Rainwater<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

By Sandra Brown<\/p>

Published 2009<\/p>

Pocket Books<\/p>

A Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc.<\/p>

Available in paperback, hardcover, and electronic formats.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

I picked up this little gem at my sister\u2019s shop.\u00a0 She keeps a box at the end of her counter, filled with books people may take and read, return, or keep for themselves if they find they cannot part with a new little treasure.\u00a0 These are pieces donated by others; me included.\u00a0 It was an idea she had several years ago; cleaning out her books at home she thought she would just take them to the shop and give them away. It has since turned into a little pop-up library her clients really love diving into.\u00a0 Because happiness is a good book, right?<\/p>

And so, I found Rainwater.\u00a0 Set during the Great Depression, in a time ravaged by economic ruin, drought, and racial separation, we meet Ella and her autistic son, Solly.\u00a0 Labeled an \u2018idiot savant\u2019, Solly does not speak, is prone to fits, and shies away from any sort of physical contact.\u00a0 Ella\u2019s days are spent caring for him, protecting him, and keeping the boarding house she owns in perfect order.\u00a0 Already offering a home to two elderly sisters and a traveling salesman, her newest boarder is Mr. David Rainwater, a relation of the local Doctor. He has come to this small town to be near his only relative as he waits to die.\u00a0 Soft spoken and ever polite, Mr. Rainwater takes an immediate interest in Solly.\u00a0 He sees intelligence where others see idiocy; potential where others see a waste of his mother\u2019s time. \u00a0This is a mixed blessing for Ella; her constant fear of Solly being one public fit away from a mental institution wars with Mr. Rainwater\u2019s attention to the silent boy.\u00a0 And yet, she is appreciative of that same attention. Mr. Rainwater\u2019s surety that Solly is not stupid, that intelligence is there if only they can release it, gives her hope. Does she dare step away from her apprehension?\u00a0 \u00a0We meet other characters; Ella\u2019s neighbors, her hired maid Margaret, and Brother Calvin, the new paster at Margaret\u2019s church. And then there are the poor souls cleaving to the barest possible existence in Shanty Town.\u00a0 Whether white or black, the depression separates no one in this hardest-hit part of the community.\u00a0 \u00a0Lastly, we have our antagonist, Conrad Ellis.\u00a0 An ugly piece of filth raised in a prominent family, who can get away with the most horrid behavior simply because his family\u2019s money and community stature allows it.<\/p>

As Ella strives to maintain her well-ordered existence, she comes to realize her world as she knows it is quickly crumbling around her.\u00a0 She keeps herself distant, more for the safety of her son, and the uneasiness he instills in others.\u00a0 Yet it is important to her that she maintain the respect of her community.\u00a0 Not because she is haughty, but because she has been made to face disrespectful circumstances and refuses to bow her head to them.\u00a0 Pride?\u00a0 Perhaps.\u00a0 But mostly just the need to keep steady; maintain her equilibrium in the face of such despair.\u00a0 She looks pity in the eye.\u00a0 She shares what little she has with those even less fortunate than herself.\u00a0 She offers friendship to those open to receiving it and gladly accepts the same in return.\u00a0 Economic desperation coupled with social inequality can be an explosive combination and it does come to that here.\u00a0 A horrible crime, another horrible act in its wake.\u00a0 And sacrifice\u2026.\u00a0\u00a0 How much of ourselves would we give for those so dear to us?\u00a0\u00a0 What makes a good trade?<\/p>

This work is gracefully written.\u00a0 So easy to read the words almost become invisible, allowing us to move from page to page with such little effort we have gobbled portions of the story without even realizing it.\u00a0 The plot is full of layers\u2026\u00a0 Hardship, as farmers struggle to survive the dust and drought.\u00a0 The lack of rain, causing a desolate landscape in the wake of unseasonable winds.\u00a0 Bawling cows, with no fodder to feed them, are literally starving on their hoofs.\u00a0 The dust bowl\u2019s ravaging effects on the cattle ranchers is a major part of our plot, giving the antagonist an outlet to vent his evil.\u00a0 And while Ella strives only to survive each day, Mr. Rainwater strives to make a difference with each day he has left.\u00a0 And through this our love story emerges; so poignant, it leaves us wondering how such beauty could be true.<\/p>

This is the first time I have ever read anything like this from Sandra Brown. Mostly it seems this piece is an anomaly as she writes more suspense thrillers opposed to quiet romance.\u00a0 But I love this.\u00a0 The simplicity of the work is exquisite.\u00a0 Where I often admire a well-turned phrase, the lack of such descriptive script here is perfect.\u00a0 The scenery is still very evident; I could feel the oppressive heat of a summer day.\u00a0 I could visualize the horror of slaughtered cows. \u00a0I could hear the gunfire peppering a family farmhouse.\u00a0 And I could feel the sorrow of a community wailing at the loss of a loved one and the evil behind a senseless killing.<\/p>

There is so much this book will make you feel.\u00a0 Kinship with Ella and the heavy responsibility life has laid upon her.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m used to being tired,\u201d she says, after Mr. Rainwater comments on an especially exhaustive day.\u00a0 Also understanding; for a young boy shut up in his own mind, unable to communicate with the outside world.\u00a0 And shock, at how some can take so much pleasure in hurting a fellow human being.<\/p>

We all choose those \u2018easy\u2019 things to read\u2026 the in-between stuff we pick up before diving into those big treasures we look forward to or plan to read.\u00a0 Something we do not have to think too hard about, or loose to much of ourselves in.\u00a0 I thought Rainwater would be one of those; something I could use to take a break from my more serious reads.\u00a0 But Rainwater turned out to be so much more than I expected.\u00a0 I love Ella\u2019s strength.\u00a0 It is tempting to call her quiet, but I think it is more of a stubbornness; a refusal to let the hardship triumph.\u00a0 Her life is centered on survival, the constant need to watch over Charlie, her boarding house, the compassion she extends toward her neighbors.\u00a0 There is no time to focus on anything else, just the monotony of her everyday chores.\u00a0 And then here comes David Rainwater, wreaking havoc on her daily routine, forcing her to look outside her life.\u00a0 Change is hard.\u00a0 We feel that even today, but like Ella, we often find glory in the unknown, if we just choose to reach out for it.<\/p>

Our epilogue comes to us in present time.\u00a0 In a little antique shop off the beaten path, where a young, enrapt couple hangs on an old curator\u2019s every word.\u00a0 He tells a story of an earlier age, where we learn the fate of our friends while smiling thru our tears. \u00a0Ella\u2019s strength, come full circle, becomes an inspiring lesson.\u00a0 To stand on the side of right, and to accept love even when it hurts the most.\u00a0 A perfect ending, I think.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Reviews \u00a0 Rainwater By Sandra Brown Published 2009 Pocket Books A Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. Available in paperback, hardcover, and electronic formats. I picked up this little gem at my sister\u2019s shop.\u00a0 She keeps a box at the end of her counter, filled with books people may take and read, return, or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-145","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t