Boarding house owner falls for one of her boarders. A very good read.

In this moving tale of a bygone generation and a strong young widow who must rise above her circumstances. Ella Barron is determined that even the ravages of the Dust Bowl will not affect the well-ordered life she has built for herself and her special child, Solly, who lives in a world of his own that even she can't enter. Aware that he evokes pity and distrust, Ella holds herself aloof from her small community, but her new boarder, David Rainwater, comes into her life— and changes it forever. As economic desperation creates bitter social unrest in the town and surrounding farms, Ella finds herself relying on Mr. Rainwater's soft-spoken advice and the steely resolve of his convictions. But tensions escalate in the summer heat, until one violent night everything they believe in will be put to the ultimate test. Sandra Brown's Rainwater is a poignant, lyrical novel that will speak straight to your heart, a story that bears witness to a powerful truth: love is worth whatever price one must pay for it.

I learned a lot about the depression that I didn't know even though I consider myself pretty well aware of the history of that time period. The portrait drawn of the times and the people who lived through them was extremely vivid. The characterization was wonderful. They kind of just gently knocked on the door of your mind and stepped inside. Before you knew it you were totally vested in them. You'll probably cry. I did. But so worth it. ( )

This is a first romance book I've read of Sandra's thus a little perplexed. She writes well so even though the storyline is expected, I do enjoy this light read. I would still prefer Envy though ☺ ( )

Beautifully written story which could have been depressing but managed to be hopeful in the end. I'm not a Sandra Brown fan, but found her description of Depression era hardships, racial conflicts, and the difficulties of dealing with a "special child" to be heartbreaking while at the same time affirming the basic goodness of humankind. would recommend. ( )