Rain Line: A Novel

by Anne Whitney Pierce

Following a drunken celebration of a college hockey victory, a car goes off a bridge and plunges into a river. The passenger, a young woman, escapes; the driver, her boyfriend, drowns. In a clear, compelling voice, Leo Baye, narrator of Anne Whitney Pierce's powerful first novel, traces the aftermath of a tragedy - struggling with guilt over her own survival and slowly coming to terms with the less-than-perfect nature of the relationship she has lost.
Though a star of the Harvard hockey team, Danny McPhee had remained at heart a Cambridge "townie" whose Irish-American family ran a fish market.
Danny's memory continues to exert a powerful influence, even as Leo begins to resume her normal life as a student at the Beacon Conservatory, working on her thesis and practicing the music that will be her audition piece. She forces herself to go through the motions of daily life, taking the bus and playing her violin, and she begins to reconsider her relationship with Danny, a frustrated young man who was constantly on the verge of violence. Her efforts to reconstruct her life, however, are dealt a severe setback when she learns she is pregnant with Danny's child.

361 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Kate Drapela Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books whose story sticks with you!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very up and down for me. You wouldn't think that a book that starts with a woman escpaing from an underwater car wreck where her boyfriend dies would start off slow, but I found the first 100 pages or so a real slog. Eventually I found it pretty engaging though. The characters were certainly unique, but they were a little too quirky and remote for me at times. But it was well written and ultimately a pretty good book.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, but the story caught me. Leo, the main character, finds herself pregnant after her boyfriend dies in an accident from which she escapes. I was puzzled about what attracted her to Danny, because as she looked back at their time together, he seemed shallow and self-absorbed.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I have read it over and over again. It's a great story of a young woman on a journey through tragedy and trying to understand herself. Plus it made me want to visit Boston!!!

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, loved, loved, this book. No suspense, no graphic sex, no vampires, ghouls, or demons. Just well drawn characters, a heartbreaking story, and love triumphing in the end. Why on earth wasn't it a bestseller? Weird!

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book for those who have an affinity for Cambridge. Based on my mom's telling, the fish store in the story is the beginnings of Legal Seafood.

[Stephanie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of all time

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites I read this year.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really, really deep and thought-provoking. This book was an eye-opener to me. Full review to come.

[Erica Champagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this book. The characters are interesting and unique, and my being from Boston made the setting all the more appealing to me as a reader.