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Living Inside Raindrops
Jimmy Ford is too young to be a soldier, several years too damn young. But that’s only if you measure life by the number of years it has been lived in.
Jimmy is a dreamer, a charming boy, curious about the world outside his small town of Brentwood, Essex. With the intensity of the war surging and his bright, ubiquitous thirst for literature and adventure, Jimmy hatches a plan to make it to the Western Front. Little does he know; it is a day which will change his life forever.
1917. Jimmy Ford awakes to find himself confined to Warley Lunatic Asylum.
As he gets acquainted with the colourful characters at the asylum, Jimmy’s childlike perspective of mental health blossoms into a deeper understanding of human nature.
The novel explores the human compulsion to survive, how we bear loss and when in the face of adversity; overcoming fear and finding love is still what we strive for.
Flitting between the outdoor serenity of his childhood at the outbreak of World War I and the confines of the asylum walls, with his age and illness against him, will he ever find his purpose?
Luke Butler graduated with a degree in Film Studies & Animation from Roehampton University. He moved to Brentwood, Essex and lived in a converted chapel on the grounds of an old asylum, which is where the inspiration to write his debut novel came from. Almost the entirety of the novel is set in the area in or surrounding the old asylum. Luke now runs his own video production company based in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where he currently lives. He has a passion for story-telling and has nine years of experience across film, TV and video.
Luke says, “I have always been fascinated and somewhat romanticised by war and mental health. My wife studied psychology and worked in mental health for some time following graduation. Combining these two fields of interest is where the idea for the novel was born. This, and the grave of a shell-shocked soldier outside our front door, got me pondering of the futility of both.”
Jimmy is a dreamer, a charming boy, curious about the world outside his small town of Brentwood, Essex. With the intensity of the war surging and his bright, ubiquitous thirst for literature and adventure, Jimmy hatches a plan to make it to the Western Front. Little does he know; it is a day which will change his life forever.
1917. Jimmy Ford awakes to find himself confined to Warley Lunatic Asylum.
As he gets acquainted with the colourful characters at the asylum, Jimmy’s childlike perspective of mental health blossoms into a deeper understanding of human nature.
The novel explores the human compulsion to survive, how we bear loss and when in the face of adversity; overcoming fear and finding love is still what we strive for.
Flitting between the outdoor serenity of his childhood at the outbreak of World War I and the confines of the asylum walls, with his age and illness against him, will he ever find his purpose?
Luke Butler graduated with a degree in Film Studies & Animation from Roehampton University. He moved to Brentwood, Essex and lived in a converted chapel on the grounds of an old asylum, which is where the inspiration to write his debut novel came from. Almost the entirety of the novel is set in the area in or surrounding the old asylum. Luke now runs his own video production company based in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where he currently lives. He has a passion for story-telling and has nine years of experience across film, TV and video.
Luke says, “I have always been fascinated and somewhat romanticised by war and mental health. My wife studied psychology and worked in mental health for some time following graduation. Combining these two fields of interest is where the idea for the novel was born. This, and the grave of a shell-shocked soldier outside our front door, got me pondering of the futility of both.”
334 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 21, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 29, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Living Inside Raindrops, tells the story of Jimmy, who grew up during World War I. We are taken back and forth between the past and present of his life.
I did not finish Living Inside Raindrops, as this book didn't hold my attention. The writing felt like it was a tv/movie to book adaptation (not book to movie adaptation). Luke Butler's writing style is very particular which is not the point I will be making for this review. The topic of WWI is one that interests me which is why I requested this on NetGalley. However, when I came to pick this up, I felt bored. This was something that I felt like I had to push myself to read. The writing felt like I was reading a TV show rather than watching a TV show.
Reading this didn't paint a picture in my head like it did other books. I felt the plot rather boring and found that the way the settings of the books, which usually is painted in my head, came out blank. I was merely reading words on a page that I had to push myself to read.
From the start of Living Inside Raindrops, I wanted the story to intrigue me, to make me want to flip to the next page. Instead, I couldn't find that pull that a book usually has, the way a plot can put me into the mood, especially when it comes to historical fiction books. This book felt like I was being told the story rather than shown the life that Jimmy lived. I was not finding anything beautiful that truly hit me while reading this, nothing that made me think, "Wow that was worded excellently". I could not find a part where I could picture the sorrow or the life that Jimmy had in my mind.
Living Inside Raindrops is a book that I wish that I was able to appreciate more but sadly found that this was a book that I think needed to show a lot more rather than tell. The writing could have improved to make a World War I book read like we were there, but, Living Inside Raindrops did not do it.
Thank you again to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Find me on:
My Blog | My BookTube | My Book Club | Instagram | Twitter
Living Inside Raindrops, tells the story of Jimmy, who grew up during World War I. We are taken back and forth between the past and present of his life.
I did not finish Living Inside Raindrops, as this book didn't hold my attention. The writing felt like it was a tv/movie to book adaptation (not book to movie adaptation). Luke Butler's writing style is very particular which is not the point I will be making for this review. The topic of WWI is one that interests me which is why I requested this on NetGalley. However, when I came to pick this up, I felt bored. This was something that I felt like I had to push myself to read. The writing felt like I was reading a TV show rather than watching a TV show.
Reading this didn't paint a picture in my head like it did other books. I felt the plot rather boring and found that the way the settings of the books, which usually is painted in my head, came out blank. I was merely reading words on a page that I had to push myself to read.
From the start of Living Inside Raindrops, I wanted the story to intrigue me, to make me want to flip to the next page. Instead, I couldn't find that pull that a book usually has, the way a plot can put me into the mood, especially when it comes to historical fiction books. This book felt like I was being told the story rather than shown the life that Jimmy lived. I was not finding anything beautiful that truly hit me while reading this, nothing that made me think, "Wow that was worded excellently". I could not find a part where I could picture the sorrow or the life that Jimmy had in my mind.
Living Inside Raindrops is a book that I wish that I was able to appreciate more but sadly found that this was a book that I think needed to show a lot more rather than tell. The writing could have improved to make a World War I book read like we were there, but, Living Inside Raindrops did not do it.
Thank you again to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Find me on:
My Blog | My BookTube | My Book Club | Instagram | Twitter
August 26, 2020
A deeply insightful book
The characters are full of life and humour. The plot takes you along with it. Jimmy and his loved ones are painted with great depth.
The characters are full of life and humour. The plot takes you along with it. Jimmy and his loved ones are painted with great depth.
March 1, 2023
I just finished reading "Living Inside Raindrops". I really enjoyed the journey the story tells. War is surely Hell.
September 9, 2020
I’ve always been interested in the 1st World War (my grandpa was an observer in the RFC), as well as the history of psychiatry, so I was drawn to this novel with its intriguing title and appealing cover design.
The main theme is the loss of innocence, and the story focusses on a young boy, Jimmy, growing up in Brentwood during the 1st World War. Jimmy’s adventures outdoors with his chum Wilfred are reminiscent of Richard Jeffries’ “Bevis”.
But these sun-filled, gently nostalgic scenes, and the sweet blossoming romance between Jimmy and his childhood sweetheart, contrast poignantly with the interspersed chapters set three years later, when Jimmy is incarcerated in Warley Lunatic Asylum.
The writing is imaginative and has a charm and naivety perfectly fitting to Jimmy’s character – lost in a dream one minute, raring to go, live, experience and set out on adventures the next. There are humorous moments amongst the joy and tragedy, and well-drawn characters – I particularly liked George, Jimmy’s dad. A number of images recur throughout, such as that of drops – raindrops, teardrops and pear drops – which is very effective.
Reading this novel was like flicking through a stack of hand-tinted sepia postcards which come to life in the imagination. I’d also recommend looking out for the stunning book trailer, which I think can be found on Vimeo.
The main theme is the loss of innocence, and the story focusses on a young boy, Jimmy, growing up in Brentwood during the 1st World War. Jimmy’s adventures outdoors with his chum Wilfred are reminiscent of Richard Jeffries’ “Bevis”.
But these sun-filled, gently nostalgic scenes, and the sweet blossoming romance between Jimmy and his childhood sweetheart, contrast poignantly with the interspersed chapters set three years later, when Jimmy is incarcerated in Warley Lunatic Asylum.
The writing is imaginative and has a charm and naivety perfectly fitting to Jimmy’s character – lost in a dream one minute, raring to go, live, experience and set out on adventures the next. There are humorous moments amongst the joy and tragedy, and well-drawn characters – I particularly liked George, Jimmy’s dad. A number of images recur throughout, such as that of drops – raindrops, teardrops and pear drops – which is very effective.
Reading this novel was like flicking through a stack of hand-tinted sepia postcards which come to life in the imagination. I’d also recommend looking out for the stunning book trailer, which I think can be found on Vimeo.
September 26, 2020
Following the traumatic opening, I found Jimmy urging me with a "c'mon" flick of his head, to join in his adventure. Luke Butler's language is simple and his narrative simply beautiful. Contrasts play a
major theme. The serenity of the youngster's childhood is devastated by wholesale loss, whilst his naivety contrasts with his intelligent sensitivity. The author writes with an affectionate and infectious knowledge of the setting, WW1 Essex. I found myself tracing Jimmy's movements on a road map of GB. His locality grew to be comfortingly familiar, and as the text drew pictures in my head, they were complemented by the, just often enough, pencil sketches. Jimmy is a hero. The one singled out to listen, even when the words are tough to hear. In the concluding pages, we witness the possibility of what might have been, to finally be confronted with the reality of his grief. The Birdman dreamed of sky wide horizons but now only within the confines of his mind. A gripping, touching read but parting from Jimmy was a sadness in itself.
major theme. The serenity of the youngster's childhood is devastated by wholesale loss, whilst his naivety contrasts with his intelligent sensitivity. The author writes with an affectionate and infectious knowledge of the setting, WW1 Essex. I found myself tracing Jimmy's movements on a road map of GB. His locality grew to be comfortingly familiar, and as the text drew pictures in my head, they were complemented by the, just often enough, pencil sketches. Jimmy is a hero. The one singled out to listen, even when the words are tough to hear. In the concluding pages, we witness the possibility of what might have been, to finally be confronted with the reality of his grief. The Birdman dreamed of sky wide horizons but now only within the confines of his mind. A gripping, touching read but parting from Jimmy was a sadness in itself.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews