The year is 1934. With the country in the stranglehold of drought and economic depression, Ella Barron runs her Texas boardinghouse with an efficie...
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reviews
Jul 09, 2011
Athira
rated it: 
This was my first Sandra Brown and from what I've heard, Rainwater is quite a departure from her usual writing style. I can't really comment on that, but Sandra Brown's prose in this book is really beautiful and inviting!
My opinion
Rainwater starts at an antique shop run by an old man. Two visitors are quite entranced by the eclectic selection of collectors' delights that meet their eyes. At one point, they notice the pocket watch on the shop owner's wrist, and express their int More...
My opinion
Rainwater starts at an antique shop run by an old man. Two visitors are quite entranced by the eclectic selection of collectors' delights that meet their eyes. At one point, they notice the pocket watch on the shop owner's wrist, and express their int More...
2 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Nov 10, 2010
Keri
rated it: 
*sigh*, what to say without giving too much away. This was a touching heartfelt little book. You can tell that Sandra wrote with her heart with this one instead of what a contract states she should write. It was a romance, pure and simple, but it was more about the struggles of a woman alone with a child in hard-baked Texas in 1934. It also touches on how children with autism were treated. Racial and bigotry were also brought to the forefront. I won't mention the romance, because it is really s
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3 comments
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(7 people liked it)
Jul 25, 2011
annisa belikov
rated it: 
haddeeehhhhhhhhhh bener kan nih buku bikin gw mewek.....
..
cerita ttg ella baron janda (sebetulnya bukan janda, dia ditinggal begitu aja sama suaminya dkarenakan anaknya yang autis) dengan seoarang anak yg autis namanya solly...yg mencari nafkah dengan menyewakan pondoknya kepada orang-2....dimana dalam situasi kehidupan yang tidak menyenangkan..masih terjadinya rasisme..antara kulit putih dan kulit hitam.
kehidupannya akhirnya berubah gara-2 mr david rainwater menyewa pondokny More...
..cerita ttg ella baron janda (sebetulnya bukan janda, dia ditinggal begitu aja sama suaminya dkarenakan anaknya yang autis) dengan seoarang anak yg autis namanya solly...yg mencari nafkah dengan menyewakan pondoknya kepada orang-2....dimana dalam situasi kehidupan yang tidak menyenangkan..masih terjadinya rasisme..antara kulit putih dan kulit hitam.
kehidupannya akhirnya berubah gara-2 mr david rainwater menyewa pondokny More...
6 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jan 26, 2012
Tracy
rated it:
This was such a sweet and endearing little book......it is hard not to love the Ella and David, the main characters in this book. The story is based in the depression era and the many difficulties people had to deal with and a small boarding house and it's occupants. It is touching to see how love develops between Ella and David but it also stings the heart when the outcome is not what you would wish to happen........the ending is bittersweet and there is a chance it will bring tears to your e
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Jan 24, 2012
signorina
rated it:
"Walaupun tahu akhir ceritanya sedih, itu tidak akan menghalangi keinginanku untuk menikmati keindahan ceritanya..."
David Rainwater benar sekali. Pembaca sangat setuju. Kisahnya sangat indah. Pembaca tidak malu mengetahui dirinya menangis seperti bayi saat membaca beberapa adegan dalam buku ini. Buku ini bercerita tentang seorang revolusioner yang menentang aksi kekerasan berdasarkan SARA yang terjadi pada masanya. Dengan sifat revolusioner itu, David Rainwater menjadi seoran More...
David Rainwater benar sekali. Pembaca sangat setuju. Kisahnya sangat indah. Pembaca tidak malu mengetahui dirinya menangis seperti bayi saat membaca beberapa adegan dalam buku ini. Buku ini bercerita tentang seorang revolusioner yang menentang aksi kekerasan berdasarkan SARA yang terjadi pada masanya. Dengan sifat revolusioner itu, David Rainwater menjadi seoran More...
Dec 30, 2011
Mason
rated it:
As much of the nation (and the world) faces economic hardships and drought, the audio release of author Sandra Brown’s RAINWATER is a reminder of earlier hard times.
The story is set in 1934 when drought and economic depression gripped the country. Ella Barron runs a boardinghouse in Gilead, Texas, and cares for her 10-year-old son, Solly, who has behavior problems.
Ella runs a strict house with focus and balance. She fears unrest when she takes in a new boarder, David Rainwate More...
The story is set in 1934 when drought and economic depression gripped the country. Ella Barron runs a boardinghouse in Gilead, Texas, and cares for her 10-year-old son, Solly, who has behavior problems.
Ella runs a strict house with focus and balance. She fears unrest when she takes in a new boarder, David Rainwate More...
May 01, 2011
Judy
rated it:
I don't remember if Rainwater was recommended by a friend or was a free download. Whatever, it was a wonderful story. It's the story of Depression-era Texas and would have made a great book to read for the 30's for my decades unit when I taught American lit.
Ella Barron has a boarding house. She takes in a lodger on the recommendation of Dr. Kinkaid who is his relative. In addition to being a hard working woman whose husband abandoned her, Ella is also raising a 9-year-old autistic son More...
Ella Barron has a boarding house. She takes in a lodger on the recommendation of Dr. Kinkaid who is his relative. In addition to being a hard working woman whose husband abandoned her, Ella is also raising a 9-year-old autistic son More...
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(1 person liked it)
Apr 13, 2011
Keith
rated it:
This is a touching novel of a time gone by. The setting is the small town of Gilead in rural Texas during the great depression and the dust bowl drought of the 1930’s. Ella Barron is a determined and hard working young single mother who runs a boarding house of “high standards” with deep roots in the community. These are hard times for everyone but they are particularly difficult for Ella, not only because financial failure is a daily possibility but in addition, her only child is afflicted w
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(1 person liked it)
May 27, 2010
Beth
rated it:
A different kind of book from Sandra Brown...In 1934 with economic life in peril and drought in the dust bowl of Texas, a woman (Ella) whose husband left her years ago with a boy that appears autistic to today's reader but as an "idiot' to those of the day, runs a boarding house. Into a vacancy comes David Rainwater who is not working and whose local doctor relative begs Ella to take him in. The doctor does reveal that David is terminally ill. David is bored with not working so chases ou
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 01, 2010
Linda
rated it:
In 1934 Ella Barron owns and operates a boarding house in Gilead, Texas. The depressed economy is affecting many lives and she must keep her boarding house full in order to provide for herself and her mentally ill son, Solly. When the local Dr. asks her if a distant relative of his could rent her one vacant room, she agrees. Her new boarder, David Rainwater, is handsome and intelligent and takes an immediate interest in Solly. As David spends time with Solly day after day, Ella begins to rea
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(3 people liked it)
Feb 24, 2011
Shari
rated it:
A short but very touching novel. Ella Barron runs a boarding house in a small town in Texas, during the depression, and has an autistic son, Solly. This story is set in 1934, when a new boarder, Mr. Rainwater, moves in. He is dying from cancer, a secret only his doctor and Ella know. He is very good and patient with Solly, and befriends him and tries to break through his barriers. As the local community deals with a government program to shoot their starving livestock, they also face trouble fro
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Feb 09, 2011
Lisse
rated it:
I thought this was a beautiful little read. Rainwater tells the story of Ella, a single mother with an autistic child, trying to make it by during the depression by running a boarding house. Everything changes for her when a new boarder, Mr. Rainwater, moves into the house. He has cancer and has not been given long to live, but wants to make the most of his life while he can. He gets involved with the going's on of the town...mainly with the farmers who have signed up for FDR's program to ki
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Nov 25, 2010
Cindy
rated it:
I received this copy of Rainwater from the author, Sandra Brown, as a First Reads winner, and I have to say, this is one of the best written and most moving stories I have ever read.
The book is filled with wonderful characters and by the end of the story, you feel a connection to each and every one of them.
Ella Barron runs a boarding house during the Great Depression and lives there with her autistic son, Solly. In a town where racial tension runs high and economic times are More...
The book is filled with wonderful characters and by the end of the story, you feel a connection to each and every one of them.
Ella Barron runs a boarding house during the Great Depression and lives there with her autistic son, Solly. In a town where racial tension runs high and economic times are More...
Dec 20, 2009
Brenda (Lansdowne)
rated it:
This book was interesting change from my usual reads that have everything to do with World War 2.
Set in 1934, Mr. Rainwater, a terminally ill patient, becomes a board at the home of Ella Barron, mother to an autistic child. In the back drop is the turmoil felt by the people who suffered from the effects of the dust bowl. When we learn in grade school about Kansas and plain states suffering during this era, we learned about how crops were stilted due to the lack of rain, but the other ver More...
Set in 1934, Mr. Rainwater, a terminally ill patient, becomes a board at the home of Ella Barron, mother to an autistic child. In the back drop is the turmoil felt by the people who suffered from the effects of the dust bowl. When we learn in grade school about Kansas and plain states suffering during this era, we learned about how crops were stilted due to the lack of rain, but the other ver More...
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(1 person liked it)
May 07, 2011
Mia Queen
rated it:
Rainwater, novel terbaru Sandra Brown yang baru bulan lalu diterbitkan Gramedia sudah menarik perhatian saya sejak pre-release. Cover bukunya yang tidak seperti cover Sandra Brown pada umumnya yang menampilkan wajah wanita, alih alih Rainwater malah menggambarkan ladang rumput keemasan dan rumah dari kejauhan. Terlebih lagi lebih dari dua kali saya baca kalau novel Rainwater adalah novel Sandra Brown yang lain dari biasanya.
Rainwater mengambil setting tahun 1934 di kota kecil Texas saa More...
Rainwater mengambil setting tahun 1934 di kota kecil Texas saa More...
9 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 21, 2010
Mary Anne
rated it:
I could not put this book down once I started reading. The story was set in depression era Texas during the drought. It brought to light many of the issues of the time that were magnified by the struggles people were going through. The story centered on Ella who took boarders into her home to support herself and her son. Her son, Solly, was autistic and she lived in fear of authorities forcing him to be institutionalized. Ella and Solly's lives are impacted when David Rainwater comes to liv
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Dec 19, 2009
Diane
rated it:
In this touching historical novel Ella Barron runs a boarding house in Gilead, Texas. It is 1934, the Great Depression, drought, poverty and people are losing their homes. Life has not been easy for Ella. She has a ten year-old son Solly, who is prone to outbursts and in today's terms would be called autistic. One day the local doctor visits Ella with David Rainwater, who is hoping to rent a room. The thing is Mr. Rainwater is terminally ill, and Ella is not sure that she can handle any more str
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Aug 09, 2011
Kara
rated it:
Taking a break from her suspense thrillers, Sandra Brown slows things down and visits depression-era Texas.
Ella Barron works hard running her boardinghouse and caring for her autistic son, Solly. Her life is short on joy, but she is determined to keep her head above water during trying times. Then, one day, an acquaintance asks her if she will take on a new boarder, David Rainwater. It is explained that Mr. Rainwater is dying of cancer, so Ella takes him in, not realizing how he will More...
Ella Barron works hard running her boardinghouse and caring for her autistic son, Solly. Her life is short on joy, but she is determined to keep her head above water during trying times. Then, one day, an acquaintance asks her if she will take on a new boarder, David Rainwater. It is explained that Mr. Rainwater is dying of cancer, so Ella takes him in, not realizing how he will More...
Mar 13, 2011
Nina
rated it:
I'm not one for romances, so when my mom (who only reads romance) said she had read a book by Sandra Brown I was a little hesitant. I was ready to give up on it before I had even started reading it, but I'm so glad I didn't.
It is 1934, Ella is a widow who runs a boardinghouse and keeps to a routine of constant cooking and cleaning, as well as looking after her undiagnosed autistic son Solly. When Mr. Rainwater rents a room Ella doesn't know that he and his secret, though it's not reall More...
It is 1934, Ella is a widow who runs a boardinghouse and keeps to a routine of constant cooking and cleaning, as well as looking after her undiagnosed autistic son Solly. When Mr. Rainwater rents a room Ella doesn't know that he and his secret, though it's not reall More...
Oct 23, 2010
LK
rated it:
I grabbed this book as one of many during a $1 clearance sale binge at one of my favorite bookstores. I’d never read Sandra Brown, and I don’t tend to read thrillers/suspense, but the cover and description didn’t look like either. At $1, there was no risk in giving it a try.
The acknowledgments at the beginning of the book note that this one is different than most of Brown’s work. Apparently, that’s true, if she writes thrillers. Rainwater is not a thriller. In fact, it’s very much l More...
The acknowledgments at the beginning of the book note that this one is different than most of Brown’s work. Apparently, that’s true, if she writes thrillers. Rainwater is not a thriller. In fact, it’s very much l More...
Mar 30, 2010
Lavonne
rated it:
I was given this book for Christmas and wasn't real excited about it. I've read the author before and while entertaining, I remember it being just typical romantic fluff.
This book, however, was as gritty and realistic as the Great Dustbowl it was set in. It is an engaging story, with several tough elements, including the Depression, bone cancer and an autistic boy (before such things were named, much less acknowledged). The author even manages to make her characters warm, sympathetic More...
This book, however, was as gritty and realistic as the Great Dustbowl it was set in. It is an engaging story, with several tough elements, including the Depression, bone cancer and an autistic boy (before such things were named, much less acknowledged). The author even manages to make her characters warm, sympathetic More...
Dec 23, 2009
Keri
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jun 03, 2011
Glenda
rated it:
I won this book form the Goodreads First Reads program, had a few issues with receiving the book and finally got to read and review it.
Ella is a single mother with an autistic child, trying to make it during the depression by running a boarding house. Everything changes for her when a new boarder, Mr. Rainwater, moves into the house. He has cancer and has not been given long to live, but wants to make the most of his life while he can. He gets involved...mainly with the farmers who h More...
Ella is a single mother with an autistic child, trying to make it during the depression by running a boarding house. Everything changes for her when a new boarder, Mr. Rainwater, moves into the house. He has cancer and has not been given long to live, but wants to make the most of his life while he can. He gets involved...mainly with the farmers who h More...
Dec 20, 2010
Wendy
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 06, 2010
I purchase this audio book because I am a huge fan of Sandra Brown but mostly because the narrator is Victor Slezak. As I started to listen to this book in my car going to and coming from work I was hesitating to finish it because I knew it was going to have a sad ending but since I already bought it I was going to finish it no matter what. I stayed with it and it became a really good book. The author did a good job of taking you to 1934 Depression pre-dust bowl Texas. I like the characters
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(2 people liked it)
Dec 23, 2009
Melissa
rated it:
I’ve read absolutely nothing by Sandra Brown. Absolutely. Nothing.
I know she’s a prolific writer with dozens of titles to her name, but those are the writers I usually avoid – serial authors (Patterson, Baldacci, et.al) who spew forth a book every 6 months or so. I’m more of a “one book every three years or so-author” reader – I guess I’m kind of a book snob. Not that their literary talent it less than the others, but I like following my own trends.
Under normal circums More...
I know she’s a prolific writer with dozens of titles to her name, but those are the writers I usually avoid – serial authors (Patterson, Baldacci, et.al) who spew forth a book every 6 months or so. I’m more of a “one book every three years or so-author” reader – I guess I’m kind of a book snob. Not that their literary talent it less than the others, but I like following my own trends.
Under normal circums More...
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 22, 2011
Garwen
rated it:
I know I'm the only person in the whole wide world who has never read a Sandra Brown book, a friend recommended the book to me. I read it in one sitting, one whole day. 1934, Dust Bowl, our government is paying farmers dollars for their herd, the farmers sell the cows to pay their mortgage, and being unable to feed their herd properly. Sarah runs a boarding house, Dr. Kincaid brings a man, David Rainwater to rent a room, tells her David only has weeks to live. David comes to the boarding hou
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(1 person liked it)
Mar 29, 2010
Karen
rated it: 
This book is nicely written. I stumbled across it and I understand the author is pretty prolific. However, I think the plot is more suited for a novella. It has more meat than a short story...but not enough for a book. It takes place in the south during the depression era. Ella runs a boarding house and has a son Solly who is likely autistic. As expected.....a new boarder appears, a tall, handsome, lanky man names "Rainwater" who is dying of a terminal illness. There is a side
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(1 person liked it)
May 20, 2010
Jeanne
rated it:
This is the story of Ella Barron, Boarding house landlady, David Rainwater, her terminally ill boarder and Solly, Ella's autistic son. The reader is warned that this is not typical Sandra Brown. It was a good, very sad story. I think the story could have been better developed. I personally would have liked more about Solly's progress, though I suppose it would have spoiled the mystery at the end.
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Nov 26, 2011
JoAnn
rated it:
What a wonderful book.
Years ago I read many of Sandra Brown's romances, but have not been particularly interested in reading her more recent suspense/thriller books that have won her more fame. I am so glad I gave this book a chance.
Certainly it is a romance, but it is so much more. It is about love, and courage, and desperation, and honor, and sacrifice. I loved the way the rules of behavior that were so important then (1934) made it possible to show a growing level of i More...
Years ago I read many of Sandra Brown's romances, but have not been particularly interested in reading her more recent suspense/thriller books that have won her more fame. I am so glad I gave this book a chance.
Certainly it is a romance, but it is so much more. It is about love, and courage, and desperation, and honor, and sacrifice. I loved the way the rules of behavior that were so important then (1934) made it possible to show a growing level of i More...
