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Mother of Rain
Weatherford Award for Fiction. Best in Southern Appalachian Fiction.
“Maizee Hurd was an easy target for hard times,” according to Burdy Luttrell, the town healer. Burdy is a Melungeon woman with striking features and mysterious ways. She owns the land the Hurds leased following their marriage on June 3, 1940. Maizee moved upriver at the age of ten after tragedy struck, and she was sent off to be raised by a childless aunt and her doctor husband. Shortly after Maizee’s ferry boat arrival in the rural mountain community of Christian Bend—carrying only a small suitcase, her mama’s Bible, and her doll Hitty—the young girl began hearing the voices that would continue to torment her. It was the tender love of her husband Zeb and their shared passion for the Appalachian hills and rivers of East Tennessee that helped quiet the voices. But, as World War II tears through Europe, and Zeb prepares for deployment, Maizee’s life is rocked by the ripples of war. Despite the love that carried her through the birth of their son, Rain, and the boy’s subsequent illness that rendered him deaf, Maizee can’t silence the demons in her own head. The voices have returned with a vengeance and a plan.
“Maizee Hurd was an easy target for hard times,” according to Burdy Luttrell, the town healer. Burdy is a Melungeon woman with striking features and mysterious ways. She owns the land the Hurds leased following their marriage on June 3, 1940. Maizee moved upriver at the age of ten after tragedy struck, and she was sent off to be raised by a childless aunt and her doctor husband. Shortly after Maizee’s ferry boat arrival in the rural mountain community of Christian Bend—carrying only a small suitcase, her mama’s Bible, and her doll Hitty—the young girl began hearing the voices that would continue to torment her. It was the tender love of her husband Zeb and their shared passion for the Appalachian hills and rivers of East Tennessee that helped quiet the voices. But, as World War II tears through Europe, and Zeb prepares for deployment, Maizee’s life is rocked by the ripples of war. Despite the love that carried her through the birth of their son, Rain, and the boy’s subsequent illness that rendered him deaf, Maizee can’t silence the demons in her own head. The voices have returned with a vengeance and a plan.
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2013
7 people are currently reading
1118 people want to read
About the author
Karen Spears Zacharias
18 books98 followersKaren Spears Zacharias is an Appalachian writer, a former journalist, and author of numerous books, both fiction and non-fiction.
She holds a MA in Appalachian Studies from Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and a MA in Creative Media Practice from the University of West Scotland, Ayr, Scotland.
Her debut novel Mother of Rain received the Weatherford Award for Best in Appalachian Fiction from The Loyal Jones Appalachian Center at Berea College, Kentucky.
Zacharias was named Appalachian Heritage Writer in 2018 by Shepherd University.
Her work has been featured on National Public Radio, CNN, the New York Times, Washington Post and in numerous anthologies.
She lives at the foot of the Cascade Mountains in Deschutes County, Oregon, where she’s an active member of the League of Women Voters and Central Oregon Writers Guild. She is a member of Phi Beta Delta and Phi Kappa Phi. A Gold Star daughter, she is a fierce advocate for democratic principles and women’s rights.
Zacharias taught First-Amendment Rights at Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington, and continues to teach at writing workshops around the country.
Her forthcoming novel No Perfect Mothers will be released by Mercer University Press, Spring 2024.
She holds a MA in Appalachian Studies from Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and a MA in Creative Media Practice from the University of West Scotland, Ayr, Scotland.
Her debut novel Mother of Rain received the Weatherford Award for Best in Appalachian Fiction from The Loyal Jones Appalachian Center at Berea College, Kentucky.
Zacharias was named Appalachian Heritage Writer in 2018 by Shepherd University.
Her work has been featured on National Public Radio, CNN, the New York Times, Washington Post and in numerous anthologies.
She lives at the foot of the Cascade Mountains in Deschutes County, Oregon, where she’s an active member of the League of Women Voters and Central Oregon Writers Guild. She is a member of Phi Beta Delta and Phi Kappa Phi. A Gold Star daughter, she is a fierce advocate for democratic principles and women’s rights.
Zacharias taught First-Amendment Rights at Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington, and continues to teach at writing workshops around the country.
Her forthcoming novel No Perfect Mothers will be released by Mercer University Press, Spring 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 2, 2024
This book starts the full first chapter with a horrendous story of animal cruelty. It had no purpose to the rest of what was an amazing story. IMO the author could have demonstrated the lesson she attempts to teach in many other ways than with this horrible event. You could skip the first 8 pages. They make no difference to the rest of the story.
The book loses 1.5 - 2 full stars for that choice.
The rest of the book is Appalachian and hard scrabble but with the love of the people for one another baked in. It is dreadfully sad and there is so much death. In the death there is also so much life.
There is an untreated psychiatric break in a main character. I did spend sometime wondering if that should be noted as a trigger. It almost lent a horror aspect to the story.
I think this review does not recommend the book in any good way yet I really did love the parts I loved. It’s just hard and dark and left me a little rattled in a full moon sort of way.
The book loses 1.5 - 2 full stars for that choice.
The rest of the book is Appalachian and hard scrabble but with the love of the people for one another baked in. It is dreadfully sad and there is so much death. In the death there is also so much life.
There is an untreated psychiatric break in a main character. I did spend sometime wondering if that should be noted as a trigger. It almost lent a horror aspect to the story.
I think this review does not recommend the book in any good way yet I really did love the parts I loved. It’s just hard and dark and left me a little rattled in a full moon sort of way.
June 2, 2018
Zacharias is a seasoned writer but this was her debut novel. And yet it reads much more like a seasoned writer. Lee Smith writes in the reviews supporting Zacharias that this is a beautiful gem of a novel and so it is. She also says that Karen is a wonderful writer and so she is. In fact, this book reminds me very much of Lee Smith novels steeped in southern culture even so far as to mimic the local vernacular.
Her characters are well developed and easy to get to know and to become protective of all the while realizing that it was never going to end well for all involved.
Her characters are well developed and easy to get to know and to become protective of all the while realizing that it was never going to end well for all involved.
August 16, 2013
Amazing characters and story. Burdy is one of the best characters I've ever read. Strongly suggest everyone read this book!!
September 13, 2013
Compelling story of Maizee, an Appalachian woman in Tennessee during the 1940's. Written in Appalachian mountain dialect, "Mother of Rain" is narrated by Maizee, her aunt, husband, and neighbor, Burdy who is Melungeon. The dialogue rarely misses a beat in representing the dialect spoken, without it detracting from the story, and the story carries the reader along from the first sentence. I read this in two nights, couldn't put it down until finished.
May 30, 2014
I really enjoyed this book!
It was tragic and sad yet~ times were hard in the 40's and as in life now. The love of friends and family is strong in this book yet it still cannot control how life gives us heartache of all kinds. I love the characters each of whom she truly portrayed the mind and emotions of flawlessly ...all drastically different personalities. The Appalachian setting was described in perfection along with the dialect which was 100% authentic. My whole family is from this region and it is the way the people talk...totally realistic. This book is written with respect of a culture that many people critically judge however, the beauty and tragedy of life shines in a well written story.
It was tragic and sad yet~ times were hard in the 40's and as in life now. The love of friends and family is strong in this book yet it still cannot control how life gives us heartache of all kinds. I love the characters each of whom she truly portrayed the mind and emotions of flawlessly ...all drastically different personalities. The Appalachian setting was described in perfection along with the dialect which was 100% authentic. My whole family is from this region and it is the way the people talk...totally realistic. This book is written with respect of a culture that many people critically judge however, the beauty and tragedy of life shines in a well written story.
July 17, 2017
If you haven't read anything by Karen Spears Zacharias before, her first novel is a good enough place to start as any. It stands in contrast to her nonfiction yet is no less confident in its voice, sense of style, and command of language (complete with a glossary of terms used in Appalachia for Yankees like myself). The characters in this story feel more like real people with real history, and there is plenty of history in Mother of Rain, alongside meditations on grief, guilt and mental illness. There's tragedy in this book, but there's also the possibility for hope. I guess I'll have to wait until the sequel comes out to know for sure,but regardless of where it leads, I've already learned by now to trust the author's storytelling skills and vision.
November 27, 2013
Karen Spears Zacharias' tale of Maizee Hurd captures life in rural Appalachia while also addressing the demons of mental illness. Told through various narrators, Zacharias gets to the heart and soul of each character while maintaining the flow and integrity of her first novel. Even after finishing the novel, you are left thinking about the book, its characters, and reflecting on how much the care of those with mental illness hasn't changed today. "Mother of Rain" is a gem of a novel and I look forward to more tales from Zacharias, who has a gift with story telling.
September 21, 2013
I loved this book! Set in 1940s Tennessee Appalachia the voice of Maizee captures you heart and soul right from the start, you want to rip her out the book and into your arms like she's your own child. It is one of those reads where you are left to form your own theory as to the truth of who Maizee is and why she feels the way she does. You will fall in love also with Rain. I hope that Karen Spears Zacharias is planning to keep us under her spell with a sequel............I want to continue to help "mother" Rain!
January 8, 2014
My daughter got this book at a book signing in Asheville recently. I had not heard of it or the author previously, but I'm so glad I borrowed it. The story is gripping and memorable, the writing is genuine, I learned some things about my adopted state of Tennessee and its eastern mountain citizens, and I found it hard to put down once I started. I highly recommend it.
October 9, 2013
Lyrical! Loved meeting the author
December 5, 2013
A well spun tale like a mountain road with so many twists and turns. Beautifully written and a haunting story that has stayed with me long after finishing the book.
January 4, 2014
very good Southern novel.
August 31, 2018
Mother of Rain is set in East Tennessee and the events in the novel take place between the late 1920's and early 1940's. This is a tragic novel from beginning to end. It tells the story of Maggie Hurd, who was rejected by her father after her mother's death when she was just a young girl and then goes to live with an aunt and uncle in another part of East Tennessee. Maggie is still a teenager when she marries Zeb and has a baby. Maggie has struggled with hearing 'voices' from the time she was first sent away by her father; but the problem intensifies after Rain's birth, and a year later an illness leaves him deaf. The problem becomes even more severe when she is notified her husband has disappeared after he is sent to Europe in WWII.
Since my husband was born and raised in East Tennessee, I am always especially interested in reading novels set in this location. The author has done an amazing job in her description of the lifestyle, traditions, and attitudes of the people of this area. She has also used the idioms and dialect very accurately.
This is a powerful novel and I would highly recommend it to others, especially those who enjoy reading novels set in Appalachia.
Since my husband was born and raised in East Tennessee, I am always especially interested in reading novels set in this location. The author has done an amazing job in her description of the lifestyle, traditions, and attitudes of the people of this area. She has also used the idioms and dialect very accurately.
This is a powerful novel and I would highly recommend it to others, especially those who enjoy reading novels set in Appalachia.
January 25, 2025
Deaf reader reviewing books with deaf characters. This book is listed on my ranked list of books with deaf characters.
The deaf character in this novel was inspired by hearing author’s cousin, and she had a deaf consultant as well. Rain is born about halfway through the book, and is deafened by scarlet fever at about 6 months old.
His family doesn’t realize he’s profoundly/totally deaf until his first birthday, when he doesn’t respond to anyone calling him. Maizee (his mother) insists that Rain is only hard of hearing, that “just because Rain didn’t talk didn’t mean he couldn’t hear,” and that he seems to be able to speechread her well enough. She gives up on that when he turns two, at last recognizing he is deaf. At age four, Rain speechreads some simple questions/phrases (e.g., are you hungry?) and uses some home signs (e.g., bringing fingers into mouth for “eat”).
The story focuses more on the inner lives of the POV characters, so Rain features surprisingly little throughout the book except as others think/reminisce about him.
Overall, a realistic portrayal of a solitary deaf child in a rural community, who care about and for him.
The deaf character in this novel was inspired by hearing author’s cousin, and she had a deaf consultant as well. Rain is born about halfway through the book, and is deafened by scarlet fever at about 6 months old.
His family doesn’t realize he’s profoundly/totally deaf until his first birthday, when he doesn’t respond to anyone calling him. Maizee (his mother) insists that Rain is only hard of hearing, that “just because Rain didn’t talk didn’t mean he couldn’t hear,” and that he seems to be able to speechread her well enough. She gives up on that when he turns two, at last recognizing he is deaf. At age four, Rain speechreads some simple questions/phrases (e.g., are you hungry?) and uses some home signs (e.g., bringing fingers into mouth for “eat”).
The story focuses more on the inner lives of the POV characters, so Rain features surprisingly little throughout the book except as others think/reminisce about him.
Overall, a realistic portrayal of a solitary deaf child in a rural community, who care about and for him.
August 1, 2025
When a young girl of Appalachia finds her mother dead in the garden with her eyes pecked out by the chickens she finds herself living with an aunt and uncle who were childless. Maizee forms a close relationship with her new adopted parents. She always feels there are voices in her head after her mother died. She struggles with the voices and keeps it mostly to herself. After her son, Rain, is born the voices get louder. Was she suffering from post partum blues or did she suffer from mental illness? No one addressed these issues back in the 40's. Will society ever recognize mental issues?
June 13, 2022
I would actually rate this 3.5 stars.
This story takes place in Tennessee during the 1930's-40's in a small mountain town. The author gives us a good vision of what it would be like to live there during that time period. The cast of characters is small, but because of that they are well developed. Zacharias tells her story through multiple viewpoints of the same event which gives perspective and would lead to a great discussion in a book club.
Mental health issues, prejudice and the old ways are all topics in this short novel.
This story takes place in Tennessee during the 1930's-40's in a small mountain town. The author gives us a good vision of what it would be like to live there during that time period. The cast of characters is small, but because of that they are well developed. Zacharias tells her story through multiple viewpoints of the same event which gives perspective and would lead to a great discussion in a book club.
Mental health issues, prejudice and the old ways are all topics in this short novel.
January 6, 2022
Couldn't put it down
June 13, 2023
Enjoyed the local Appalachian setting and tales even though you know the story can’t end well
February 1, 2022
Great sad story set in Tennessee Appalachia . Loved the dialect. Misunderstood mental illness.
February 14, 2017
Such a moving story of Maizee and her family. So many things she had to fight against. All of the characters who were her family and friends are so detailed that you can imagine them. Thank you Mary Beth for sharing with me!
February 15, 2014
Like I have said before I am not a literally student and I read for enjoyment only. I don't read too much into books. With that being said, i was hooked on this book at the very beginning. It was a very quick read under 250 pages. I loves the story but I certainly just did not get it. I would have given it 4 stars if the author would have explained the purpose of the story. I am not that smart to read into why Maizee killed herself and why she heard voices. So for that I'm giving it 3 stars. If anyone can explain the above to me please do!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2013
Mother of Rain is a rare gem of a novel that carefully balances Appalachian detail and authentic characters that bring life to the manuscript, making me forget that it is a work of fiction at all. Maizee Hurd's struggles and triumphs in the hardscrabble East Tennessee hills will capture your heart and imagination, as will her husband Zeb and their hearing-impaired son, Rain. Do yourself a favor and place this novel at the top of your reading list!
June 24, 2014
Although a very readable book and interesting,I did not get what was the point of the novel. The location is within two hours of me and I have been in the area many times. It is true to place and time. At times I felt the use of local dialect inside a standard English sentence artificial. The plot is just plain sad and perhaps ends too abruptly. We are also left with the question: is Zeb really dead.
November 12, 2013
I won this book in a first reads giveaway. I would rate it 4.5 stars because I found the fact that it was written in local dialect a bit distracting. Otherwise it was an excellent book that details the struggles of a woman who hears voices-it makes me very glad to live after psychiatric meds were invented!!
September 16, 2013
Nothing special. Just life deep in the hollows of Appalachia in the '30's and 40's. A place holder until the new Grisham in published as well as a few other good books awaiting release dates. I'm looking forward to reading Tony Hillerman's daughter's first novel. She is continuing the Leaphorn/Chee stories.
September 3, 2015
Recommend Mother of Rain. Excellent first novel by Karen Spears Zacharias. The Appalachian dialect takes a bit more time to read but adds to the story and to the knowledge of how much time Mrs. Zacharias put into writing this book. Mental illness is a story line and works towards helping readers understand how it may affect people. A great story.
February 11, 2015
This novel of East Tennessee is written with a unique voice. Zacharias wrote characters who felt so very real. The plot was achingly beautiful, in a way that has you feeling raw one moment and smiling another for the Southern sense of humor. Told in the tradition of Appalachian storytelling, this is one for the reader who appreciates novels on the more literary side.
October 10, 2015
All in all, a well-spun story, allowing the reader to peek into an unfamiliar culture. The author's ability to weave in elements of mental illness and disability as a fact of life went a long way with me. I will be forever curious about Zeb. I kept thinking that he might turn up at the end of the story and felt sorry he didn't.
December 14, 2013
skilled writing. when you hear the characters speaking the author has done well. some troubling uncomfortable stories included. but the whole story makes the reason for the inclusions make sense. dark. a bit sad.
November 13, 2014
Sad; very, very sad.
"It didn't seem right that the sun should rise and set in the same fashion... If ever there was a time when the earth, moon, and sun ought to cease their ritual dance, shouldn't it be when daughters die? Had the sun no respect for Maizee?
"It didn't seem right that the sun should rise and set in the same fashion... If ever there was a time when the earth, moon, and sun ought to cease their ritual dance, shouldn't it be when daughters die? Had the sun no respect for Maizee?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews