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Rain Song

(Heart of Carolina #1)

Alice J. Wisler

3.39 · Rating details · 2,595 ratings · 307 reviews

His words have unlocked a special place in her heart, but he lives in the one place she vowed she'd never return... Nicole Michelin avoids airplanes, motorcycles, and most of all, Japan, where her parents once were missionaries. Something happened in Japan. Something that sent Nicole and her father back to America alone. Something of which Nicole knows only bits and pieces ...more

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Kindle Edition, 307 pages

Published October 1st 2008 by Bethany House Publishers (first published January 1st 2008)

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Average rating 3.39 ·

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· 2,595 ratings · 307 reviews

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Jun 01, 2015 Olivia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mid-teens-15-16, my-sisters-books, for-girls, contemporary

I love the gentleness of this book...it has the perfect amount of humor. This is written in first person present and brings to life Nicole's fears and desires. The romance is minimal and clean...I love how her relationship develops with Harrison 😉 This is an easy read with good faith content and it's full of reminders to enjoy every good moment. ...more

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Sep 19, 2017 Melodie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: southern-lit

Living in North Carolina, I am partial to books that feature my adopted state.Set in 1999 in the town of Mount Olive, the book gives shameless plugs to the Mount Olive pickle company and Pepsi. I'm perfectly fine with that.I'm all about local flavor!
I enjoyed the family featured as well. There was plenty of quirky, dramatic, frequently over the top behavior. Of course at it's heart this family loves one another, warts and all. However the female lead really got on my nerves. Tragedy in her chil ...more

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Nov 12, 2018 Mikayla marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Not a bad book, but simply not my type.

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Oct 02, 2015 Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, read-reviewed

About this book:

“Nicole Michelin avoids airplanes, motorcycles, and most of all, Japan, where her parents once were missionaries. Something happened in Japan. Something that sent Nicole and her father back to America alone. Something of which Nicole knows only bits and pieces. But she is content with life in little Mount Olive, North Carolina, with her quirky relatives, tank of lively fish, and plenty of homemade pineapple chutney.
Through her online column for the Pretty Fishy Web site, she m ...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Ruth rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary

Rain song is a story about a woman who, having lived with fears and lived by tradition all her life, finally manages to face those fears - and even buck tradition.

Unfortunately, the main character is really passive, and most things happen to her rather than with her initiating the change. This makes her a pretty boring character. And she's unlikeable, too (I spent most of the book just wanting to tell her to GET OVER IT); she blames everything wrong with her on the fact that her mother is dead; ...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Erin rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This was a free e-book I downloaded on a whim. I'm glad it was free, I wouldn't want to spend money on it.

The story was like many others I have read. There was a tragedy that changed the main character forever, a strong family member who keeps the main character together, a chance encounter, a bad event that puts a bump in the road and self-discovery. Not only was it boring though, it was also poorly written.

Nicole, the main character, is passive and hard to relate to. I found myself annoyed wit ...more

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Nov 01, 2008 Patti rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A beautifully written tale of a woman who sets out to find her past and finds herself. Liberally sprinkled with lovely prose, this book was well worth the time it took to read.

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May 01, 2019 Karen rated it liked it

Nicole Michelin has avoided Planes and Japan her whole life, until she starts corresponding with Harrison, a professor from Kyoto.

We vacation every year in North Carolina, so I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the people and the local towns.

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Jan 06, 2012 Misty Baker rated it liked it · review of another edition

About a month ago I was traipsing through my local bookstore when I stumbled upon the mother of all clearances. Here I was, standing (trying not to droll) over a box the size of a small country, that was loaded up with $3.00 books, when I noticed a novel with beautiful cover art. So… trying not to solely judge a book by it’s cover… I flipped it over and read the blurb. Assuring myself that the plot sounded promising I tucked the book under my arm, and then turned to find my family. (That of cour About a month ago I was traipsing through my local bookstore when I stumbled upon the mother of all clearances. Here I was, standing (trying not to droll) over a box the size of a small country, that was loaded up with $3.00 books, when I noticed a novel with beautiful cover art. So… trying not to solely judge a book by it’s cover… I flipped it over and read the blurb. Assuring myself that the plot sounded promising I tucked the book under my arm, and then turned to find my family. (That of course had disappeared into the low flying literature mist that my brain formed from the word sale.)

Now, of course, getting out of there with only 1 book is completely ludicrous, I think that day I left with 4, but today I will only (mildly) bash one of them. “Rain Song” by Alice J. Wisler.

Nicole is a small town girl, and if she has anything to say about it, she will remain that way. She hates motorcycles, airplanes and more recently (since the traumatic death of a distant friend of a friend) roller-coasters. She prefers the company of her fish to the company of actual humans, spends her days teaching middle school English, and her nights calming her paranoid aunts fears about cucumber neglect, but after an article she writes “about fish” prompts a man from Japan to email her… everything she has grown up to know… or not know… is about to change. Will her fear of the past keep her from finding her future? Only 1 person can really answer that… and like I said before… she’s very afraid of flying.

I’ll be honest, it took me a little while to get comfortable with the writing in this book. The problem was not the plot (although the abruptness of the 1st email took me a little by surprise) the problem was with the staccato formatting. While most authors will take several thoughts and form one long running paragraph/sentence Wisler’s thoughts were extremely choppy. For example: “When my hands feel like ice, I come inside. Suddenly I know why I haven’t commented to Harrison on his poem. I haven’t written back to him because it is clear he lives in Japan.” After about 10 chapters, my acute awareness of this finally faded and it became the characters natural cadence, but I do think it is something Wisler needs to pay very close attention to if she decides to continue her literary future. The plot was a little slow in places, and the overall story focuses more on her wacky family and their nuances than any actual “budding romance” which the back of the cover leads its potential reader to believe, but either way… it’s mildly enjoyable. It does however teach a very important lesson (which I think is enhanced if you read the authors biography – no I won’t spoil it for you.)

I don’t think that everyone will find the same amusement with this novel that I did though, so I leave you with this… read the reviews, weigh your options and if you still feel like spending the dough go for it, just make sure your not looking for life changing (because this is nothing more than – ironically enough – airplane material.)

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: never let your 3 year old niece feed your fish unaccompanied. ...more

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Jul 07, 2019 Joyce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction, fiction

Public library copy. Amazing what wonderful books and authors I've found in my public library, for which I thank God. This book is a book of the heart. Absolutely fabulous writing. About 100 pages to go. Love the title, the character, the cover, the story, the identifying with the character (sometimes feels like she's in my head).

Finished. I miss her. Is there more to the story? Really loved this book. It's very real to me. Can't wait to read more of this author. ...more

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Mar 01, 2018 R.A. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-top-top-favourites, my-books, read-2018, must-reads, young-adult, christian-fiction, novels-five-stars, my-favourite-authors

Second Read

Yes, I've re-read yet another book, why do you ask?

My heart. <3 This book is one of my top favourites (hence that fact it's in my "my top top favourites" shelf on here...) and it'll never fail to draw me in and love it!

The characters are amazing. They all have their quirks - hilarious ones at that - and they're so special!

Nicole (the main character) is great! She's definitely not perfect, which is why I love her so much! She bites her nails short, people. She's scared of flying, ridin ...more

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Sep 16, 2013 Elizabeth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction, romance

I really enjoyed this book-- it was a kindle freebie that sounded good and it was!

This story takes place near Goldsboro, NC in the year 1999.

I love books that take place in North Carolina-- whether in the mountains or near the coast-- I just love stories that take place in that beautiful state!

The main character, Nicole, is in her early 30's and is a middle school English teacher. She lives in a house alone with her fish. She is very close to her Grandmother and all her extended family which i ...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Jeni Enjaian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction, read-in-2017, contemporary-fiction, read-in-2013

**Update** My previous review holds true. This book survives round two of the purge from my personal collection.

The second reading of this book happened as part of my "purge the shelves before I move for school in the fall" goal.

Most of these books I read a few years ago and have little recollection of my initial opinion. Thus, when I started reading I was more than pleasantly surprised.

As soon as the prose hooked me in I started trying to come up with an adequate way to describe Wisler's techni ...more

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Nov 18, 2008 Nancy Leigh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: women, Christians, romantics

Recommended to Nancy by: fellow writer

Rain Song by Alice J. Wisler makes a delightful weekend read. This appealing narrative takes place in Mount Olive, North Carolina and like so many stories set in the South, is chock full of quirky, charming, characters. You can’t help but like grandmother, Ducee, and her wise, yet eccentric, words of advice. Pretty cousin Grable struggles to cope with her fraying marriage and at the same time care for her daughter Monet, a special needs child with behaviors as unusual as her name. Their side sto ...more

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Dec 19, 2008 Anita rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction

Nicole is a thirty something woman who still struggles with losing her mother at the age of two during a house fire in Japan. She has many questions about her mother and her father has never given her answers. Nicole meets Harrison online and finds out that he knows about her childhood in Japan. Answers come as doors open for Nicole and she develops a friendship with Harrison.

I felt like this book was very well written. The voice was poetic. I felt like it had a very abrupt ending that left me ...more

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Aug 05, 2013 Tom Park rated it it was ok · review of another edition

It began okay, but by the time it ended I was totally frustrated with the main character's constant whining, fingernail chewing and talk about the pineapple chutney. I did read it all the way, although there were times I wondered why. The final chapter or two seemed to be the best. ...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Kristy Clemmons rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Just a free book.....not much to write about other than the pineapple chutney recipe at the end!!!!! Must try...

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Jul 22, 2013 Deanna rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Not a big fan of this one. It seemed to drag on forever, the story line was forced. If I wasn't one of those people that has to finish a book, I wouldn't have made it through this one. ...more

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Jul 07, 2020 Barbara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

n Alice J. Wisler’s debut novel, Rain Song, Nicole Michelin was born in Japan to missionary parents. Her mother died in a fire when Nicole was two. Her father brought her back to America, where she was cared for largely by her maternal grandmother in Mount Olive. NC. He was a broken man forever after, and would not answer any of her questions about her mother’s death or their time in Japan.

Now Nicole is in her early thirties and teaches high school English in Mount Olive. She has a slew of quirk n Alice J. Wisler’s debut novel, Rain Song, Nicole Michelin was born in Japan to missionary parents. Her mother died in a fire when Nicole was two. Her father brought her back to America, where she was cared for largely by her maternal grandmother in Mount Olive. NC. He was a broken man forever after, and would not answer any of her questions about her mother’s death or their time in Japan.

Now Nicole is in her early thirties and teaches high school English in Mount Olive. She has a slew of quirky Southern relatives and regularly makes pineapple chutney with her grandmother. She keeps saltwater fish in her aquarium and writes columns for a fish web site. And she battles anxiety and bites her fingernails. She has three resolves. She will never ride a motorcycle. She will never fly in an airplane. And she will never go back to Japan.

An email question about koi from her fish column leads to a correspondence with a man who seems nice. He even sends her a poem that she can’t get out of her mind.

There’s only one problem. He lives in Japan.

And then—he reveals that he knew her when she was a child in Japan.

My thoughts:

I loved this book. I can’t believe I’ve had it in my Kindle app for years and just now got to it.

I loved the Southern flavor. I loved Nicole’s grandmother’s Southern Truths. I loved Nicole’s faith journey. And I loved Alice’s writing. Here are some samples:

I threw my head back and laughed like Uncle Jarvis. Swing your head back, open your mouth, and let laughter flow like a rushing waterfall in the North Carolina mountains. It sounds like sunshine in your ears.

We’d like to think we are brave, capable, and strong. But the minute we lose our luggage or are delayed, we’ve been known to break into pieces.

You are a gutless one, Nicole. You have never watered your gift of faith. It is so small; it’s still a seed in the ground.

I thought the author must have actually lived in Japan by the way she wrote about it. She did: she was also the child of missionary parents there.

This book is the first in her Heart of Carolina series. I don’t think the characters carry over from book to book: at least, it doesn’t seem like it from their descriptions. But it looks like they all take place in NC.

I found this book both funny and touching. ...more

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Jun 25, 2018 Libby May rated it liked it · review of another edition

It was ok. Not amazing.

THE PLOT: it was there, locatable, but not all that interesting. I enjoyed that the mystery of Nicole's childhood was given and then solved, but overall the plot was too short to be a full on novel.
THE SETTINGS: It was ok, not amazing. I didn't actually get the "southern" vibe. They just kept referring to Ducee's "Southern Truths" and pineapple chutney.
A lot of pineapple chutney.
THE CHARACTERS: Again, passable. Nicole was slightly interesting, Iva and Monet and Grable ...more

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Feb 26, 2018 Amy rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: gave-up

I tried. I made it through three chapters before I just couldn't take it any more. I have no idea who Nicole Michelin is or why she's so whiny. I've finally decided I don't really care. The writing is disjointed and difficult to follow. I keep forgetting who is who and how everyone is supposed to be related. The book feels like it was written intentionally without context, as if the reader overheard a conversation starting in the middle. Except, the conversation is really dull because I don't kn ...more

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Jan 09, 2019 Amanda rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction, kindle-unlimited, 2019-vt-reading-challenge, ylto-bc-challenge-2019, series-i-havent-finished

Started out pretty good. While I can't say that I fell in love with any of the characters, I did like them. But around the halfway point the book bogged down hard. (view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 20, 2019 Susan rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: do-not-read

This book really never went anywhere. I got tired of the extensive details of every last thing going on. It was slow and I kept reading because I hoped the main character actually does something. It was repetitive in what happens, same old thing day after day. I read to the end because It seemed that something was going to happen. And it just ended. (view spoiler) ...more

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Sep 07, 2019 Jean Benedict rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thix was a real nice story of Nicole trying to find out how her mother died in Japan as she has no memories of her mother as she was only 2 years old.She is living now in North Carolina teaching school.Her Father will not tell her anything about her mothers death in a fire.She meets a man in Japan who knew her mother and her as his mother was a friend of her mother.She has a big fear of flying but would like to go to Japan and get answers to her questions.

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Aug 29, 2017 Kristen Newcomer rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction

This story started out with so much potential, but then stagnated. Too much of the storyline stayed stuck on Nicole's fear- fear of airplanes, fear of Japan. The story could have been condensed to the first part of grander story, potentially one in which Nicole, the main-character, could grow beyond her boring, repetitive one-dimension. ...more

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Nov 05, 2017 Melinda S. Gallagher rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great read

Intriguing and different from anything I've read. It captured my attention and kept me delightfully interested. You get to know and love each character through Nicole's eyes ...more

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Nov 08, 2018 Rita Atherly engen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book fed my heart. The characters popped with life. I loved the depth and flow of the plot. It's the deep, inward type of writing that I'll come back to. After finishing Rain Song, I ordered every other book I could find by Alice J. Wisler. She knows how to write. ...more

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Feb 07, 2019 Sydney rated it liked it · review of another edition

Looking for the past and discovering her future.

Nicole meets Harrison through her posts about taking care of fish. She lives in North Carolina and he lives in Japan. Thus begins their discoveries of their many connections.

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Jun 30, 2019 Teri Kristensen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not the kind of book I normally read, but picked it up somewhere for free and decided to give it a try. A quick read, nice story, likeable characters. Recommend for a beach or plane ride read. Just an enjoyable diversion.

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Jan 13, 2020 Rachel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I liked this book a lot more than i thought i would!!! Nicole was a very likable character and i enjoyed being with her through her journey. The writing style was simple yet sweet, and im very happy I decided to pick up this book

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About Alice J. Wisler

Alice J. Wisler

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* Born in Osaka, Japan and lived in Japan for 18 years
* Went to Kyoto International School and Canadian Academy
* Majored in Social Work and graduated in 1983 from Eastern Mennonite University
* Worked at a group home for disadvantaged kids outside of Philadelphia
* Taught English and Culture Orientation at a refugee camp in the Philippines
* Taught English as a Second Language in Japan
* Speaks and te ...more

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Quotes from Rain Song

“And as the room grows dark, I wonder at how we humans are born to pain, experience it constantly, and yet never learn the techniques of dodging it. We just learn to cope, to live. And some of us, if we are lucky enough, to thrive, in spite of it all.” — 0 likes

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