Amanda Quraishi reviewed Rainwater by Sandra Brown
Way better than you think it's going to be...
4 stars
On the surface, this is the kind of book I would see online, post some snarky, cynical comment about, and then ignore. I'd never even heard of Sandra Brown, but the book was suggested as part of a 'Texas writers' book list, and the synopsis looked ok, and I urgently needed a new read, so I checked it out. Only after I finished did I discover that Sandra Brown is a prolific writer whose novels are mostly of the cloyingly romantic or suspenseful, in a Dateline re-enactment kind of way. She's basically a Texas-based combination of Danielle Steel and Ruth Rendell.
Anyway, I'm glad I didn't know all this when I picked it, because I'd never have even considered reading Rainwater if I had.
This book is sweet. Like, genuinely, authentically sweet. Set in Depression-era Texas, its the story of a young, single mother named Ella with a young autistic-coded …
On the surface, this is the kind of book I would see online, post some snarky, cynical comment about, and then ignore. I'd never even heard of Sandra Brown, but the book was suggested as part of a 'Texas writers' book list, and the synopsis looked ok, and I urgently needed a new read, so I checked it out. Only after I finished did I discover that Sandra Brown is a prolific writer whose novels are mostly of the cloyingly romantic or suspenseful, in a Dateline re-enactment kind of way. She's basically a Texas-based combination of Danielle Steel and Ruth Rendell.
Anyway, I'm glad I didn't know all this when I picked it, because I'd never have even considered reading Rainwater if I had.
This book is sweet. Like, genuinely, authentically sweet. Set in Depression-era Texas, its the story of a young, single mother named Ella with a young autistic-coded boy named Solly. Ella runs a boarding house and carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. When a kindly man named Mr. Rainwater moves in, he begins to win over Solly with his gentle friendliness and patience. Before long, Ella starts to rely on Mr. Rainwater, who is written as the perfect 'strong, silent' archetype. I won't spoil the plot because it unfolds so nicely, but suffice it to say that romance develops between them amidst a larger, politically charged context, and underlining it all are Ella's fears around the fate of little Solly and what will happen to him when she's gone.
Honestly, Rainwater is such a well-written novel. I kept waiting for something to offend me socially or politically, but it never came. Instead, I was treated to a very human story driven by characters I could get invested in. The romance was actually romantic. The bittersweet ending was perfect. I loved it, and I'm glad my discriminating mind didn't let this one slip past me.
Sometimes it's ok to take a risk on a book or author you've never heard of. It doesn't always work out well, of course, but when it does - what a treat!