What do you think?
Rate this book
If It Rains
A story of resilience and redemption set against one of America’s defining moments―the Dust Bowl.
It’s 1935 in Oklahoma, and lives are determined by the dust. Fourteen-year-old Kathryn Baile, a spitfire born with a severe clubfoot, is coming of age in desperate times. Once her beloved older sister marries, Kathryn’s only comfort comes in the well-worn pages of her favorite book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . Then Kathryn’s father decides to relocate to Indianapolis, and only the promise of a surgery to finally make her “normal” convinces Kathryn to leave Oklahoma behind. But disaster strikes along the way, and Kathryn must rely on her grit and the ragged companions she meets on the road if she is to complete her journey.
Back in Boise City, Melissa Baile Mayfield is the newest member of the wealthiest family in all of Cimarron County. In spite of her poor, rural upbringing, Melissa has just married the town’s most eligible bachelor and is determined to be everything her husband―and her new social class―expects her to be. But as the drought tightens its grip, Henry’s true colors are revealed. Melissa covers her bruises with expensive new makeup and struggles to reconcile her affluent life with that of her starving neighbors. Haunted by the injustice and broken by Henry’s refusal to help, Melissa secretly defies her husband, risking her life to follow God’s leading.
Two sisters, struggling against unspeakable hardship, discover that even in their darkest times, they are still united in spirit, and God is still with them, drawing them home.
It’s 1935 in Oklahoma, and lives are determined by the dust. Fourteen-year-old Kathryn Baile, a spitfire born with a severe clubfoot, is coming of age in desperate times. Once her beloved older sister marries, Kathryn’s only comfort comes in the well-worn pages of her favorite book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . Then Kathryn’s father decides to relocate to Indianapolis, and only the promise of a surgery to finally make her “normal” convinces Kathryn to leave Oklahoma behind. But disaster strikes along the way, and Kathryn must rely on her grit and the ragged companions she meets on the road if she is to complete her journey.
Back in Boise City, Melissa Baile Mayfield is the newest member of the wealthiest family in all of Cimarron County. In spite of her poor, rural upbringing, Melissa has just married the town’s most eligible bachelor and is determined to be everything her husband―and her new social class―expects her to be. But as the drought tightens its grip, Henry’s true colors are revealed. Melissa covers her bruises with expensive new makeup and struggles to reconcile her affluent life with that of her starving neighbors. Haunted by the injustice and broken by Henry’s refusal to help, Melissa secretly defies her husband, risking her life to follow God’s leading.
Two sisters, struggling against unspeakable hardship, discover that even in their darkest times, they are still united in spirit, and God is still with them, drawing them home.
400 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2021
336 people are currently reading
4773 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer L. Wright
4 books360 followersJennifer Wright has been writing since middle school, eventually earning a master's degree in journalism from Indiana University. However, it took only a few short months of covering the local news to realize that writing fiction is much better for the soul--and definitely way more fun. A born and bred Hoosier, she was swept off her feet by an Air Force pilot and has spent the past decade traveling the world and, every few years, attempting to make old curtains fit in the windows of a new home.
She currently resides in New Mexico with her husband, two children, one grumpy dachshund, and a herd of overly demanding guinea pigs.
She is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers Association) and her second novel, 'Come Down Somewhere,' is a semi-finalist for a 2023 Carol Award in the Historical Fiction category.
She currently resides in New Mexico with her husband, two children, one grumpy dachshund, and a herd of overly demanding guinea pigs.
She is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers Association) and her second novel, 'Come Down Somewhere,' is a semi-finalist for a 2023 Carol Award in the Historical Fiction category.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
August 26, 2022
This is my second Dust Bowl book this year. Reading about that time in history is so difficult. There was so much suffering and hopelessness. There were three things about this book that I loved: 1) There is a character who succinctly expresses the reason the Dust Bowl happened. 2) The "Wizard of Oz" bits sprinkled throughout in obvious and subtle ways. 3) The hope of the gospel. These two sisters will both win your heart even though they are so very different. The bond they share is priceless and most certainly a legacy from their dear departed mother. Jennifer L. Wright includes helpful notes that include other books to read about this time period. I would also recommend Finding Dorothy as a companion read if you love "The Wizard of Oz."
Jennifer L. Wright has a new book coming out soon: Come Down Somewhere. Check it out!
Jennifer L. Wright has a new book coming out soon: Come Down Somewhere. Check it out!
November 8, 2022
If it Rains by Jennifer L Wright was written during the dust bowl. Such a wonderful depiction of the hard times of the dust bowl intertwined with the depression. The rich untouched but women still have no real rights. The poor are left to die or just go away. The book follows two sisters. One who married a rich man. The other is younger, with a crippled foot. How they both survive. How they mourn those they left behind. How they survived on their own.
July 5, 2021
Kathryn Baile is fourteen, she was born with a clubfoot and it causes her a lot of pain and discomfort. She lives in Oklahoma in a dugout with her father James and stepmother Helen and older sister Melissa. Her sister marries Henry Mayfield, he’s a real catch and comes from a well to do family.
Due to the drought, her father James sells the farm, he wants to move closer to Helen's family and Kathryn can have surgery to correct her deformed foot. Kathryn doesn’t want to leave the farm, her sister and she has no choice. Melissa read the book the Wonderful Wizard of Oz to her little sister, Kathryn gives Melissa their battered copy for safekeeping and begins her trip to the city. During the journey to Indianapolis a huge dust storm hits, Kathryn finds herself alone, she meets some interesting and rather unique characters as she tries to find her family along the road.
Melissa's adjusting to being married into one of the richest families in the area and she misses her family. Her new home is huge, with indoor plumbing and it’s rather different to living in a dugout. She’s doing her best to keep Henry happy, married life isn’t at all what she expected, and she finds her new social status rather intimidating. The drought gets worse, Henry's under pressure and he takes out his frustration on his new bride. Melissa is shocked by her husband’s behavior, she feels sorry for people she knows who are struggling, she has a kind heart and wants to help. Henry sees others misfortune as a way of increasing his wealth, he doesn't feel sorry for anyone and Melissa’s horrified by her husband’s actions.
If it Rains is a story about the Great American Dust Bowl, the terrible hardship people faced, the foreclosures, and the poverty and dust pneumonia. It’s also about two strong and brave sisters who are determined to do what’s right for themselves, help others and keep their faith during one of America’s most difficult times.
I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review, a quick and interesting read and four stars from me. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
Due to the drought, her father James sells the farm, he wants to move closer to Helen's family and Kathryn can have surgery to correct her deformed foot. Kathryn doesn’t want to leave the farm, her sister and she has no choice. Melissa read the book the Wonderful Wizard of Oz to her little sister, Kathryn gives Melissa their battered copy for safekeeping and begins her trip to the city. During the journey to Indianapolis a huge dust storm hits, Kathryn finds herself alone, she meets some interesting and rather unique characters as she tries to find her family along the road.
Melissa's adjusting to being married into one of the richest families in the area and she misses her family. Her new home is huge, with indoor plumbing and it’s rather different to living in a dugout. She’s doing her best to keep Henry happy, married life isn’t at all what she expected, and she finds her new social status rather intimidating. The drought gets worse, Henry's under pressure and he takes out his frustration on his new bride. Melissa is shocked by her husband’s behavior, she feels sorry for people she knows who are struggling, she has a kind heart and wants to help. Henry sees others misfortune as a way of increasing his wealth, he doesn't feel sorry for anyone and Melissa’s horrified by her husband’s actions.
If it Rains is a story about the Great American Dust Bowl, the terrible hardship people faced, the foreclosures, and the poverty and dust pneumonia. It’s also about two strong and brave sisters who are determined to do what’s right for themselves, help others and keep their faith during one of America’s most difficult times.
I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review, a quick and interesting read and four stars from me. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
August 14, 2021
1935 Oklahoma
Well written debut! Two sisters survive the Dust Bowl.
Melissa and Kathryn were poor and raised by their father. Older sister Melissa acts as a pseudo mom for Kathryn. When Melissa marries and with their father already remarried, Kathryn is angry at most everything. These life changes are on top of dismal living conditions and a nationwide depression.
The story is told through two points of view: Melissa's and Kathryn's. The chapters alternate between the two sisters. Their story lines diverge early on. I found myself more engaged in Melissa's, however, both were good.
The book The Wizard of Oz is an integral part of the novel. I loved the way the author blended in details from The Wizard of Oz and made them applicable to the story line.
The love of Christ shines throughout the novel. I look forward to the author's next release. Definitely an author to watch. Her writing style is smooth and kept this reader turning digital pages quickly.
The afterward provides good detail on what was based on fact. I loved the author's note which said to her husband and children: "I love you all even more than books (and that's saying something).” So cute and relate-able to readers!
My gratitude to publisher Tyndale for a complimentary NetGalley copy of the novel. I was not required to post a review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Well written debut! Two sisters survive the Dust Bowl.
Melissa and Kathryn were poor and raised by their father. Older sister Melissa acts as a pseudo mom for Kathryn. When Melissa marries and with their father already remarried, Kathryn is angry at most everything. These life changes are on top of dismal living conditions and a nationwide depression.
The story is told through two points of view: Melissa's and Kathryn's. The chapters alternate between the two sisters. Their story lines diverge early on. I found myself more engaged in Melissa's, however, both were good.
The book The Wizard of Oz is an integral part of the novel. I loved the way the author blended in details from The Wizard of Oz and made them applicable to the story line.
The love of Christ shines throughout the novel. I look forward to the author's next release. Definitely an author to watch. Her writing style is smooth and kept this reader turning digital pages quickly.
The afterward provides good detail on what was based on fact. I loved the author's note which said to her husband and children: "I love you all even more than books (and that's saying something).” So cute and relate-able to readers!
My gratitude to publisher Tyndale for a complimentary NetGalley copy of the novel. I was not required to post a review and all opinions expressed are my own.
October 22, 2021
First off, I felt like the intro raised too many questions and that I was thrown into the middle of the action without any of the directions known. It was a shocking entry into the characters' lives and there were obviously tons of things going on that were told because the story was too busy showing the scene at hand to explain anything. Then a girl in emotional turmoil simply goes and settles in to read a book....is she some sort of psychopath, to just shrug off trauma like it never happened, and to just sigh and go read her book in peace after a fast-paced scene of premature birth? It did not give me a good connection to the MC from the very beginning.
Next comes a detailed, explicit sex scene in a Christian book. Detailed, but only halfway? She drops her dress but somehow she'd not been wearing any underwear? In the 1920s? And then it describes more detail than a 1990s secular romance. First, that's not appropriate for a book marketed to a general audience commonly read by girls around 13, especially since one of the sisters is 14 and it would be of interest to casual readers browsing shelves because of that. Second--it's very heavyhanded foreshadowing of the unrelenting marital abuse that follows. This is within a generation of the Victorian era. A sheltered girl wouldn't really take alarm at that behaviour and wouldn't find any sympathy in the women around her; her mother's era was the "lie still and think of Scotland" era.
Then he begins to force her to wear makeup etc. I found it really unrealistic of how quickly she took alarm because few starry-eyed girls recognize the symptoms of abuse that fast.
Kathryn is a snotty nosed brat and Melissa is a frustrating mix of naive and injured. I expected from the synopsis that I would be 100% on Melissa's side but honestly her husband is such a caricature that he didn't even seem real.
I can't make it to the end, but I decided to go ahead and post my review because I would hate for some girl to run across a sex scene like this by accident. The shock value writing and the stereotyped characters/unexpected character actions and emotions made me think more of a Steinbeck novel than a representation of average middle America in the Depression.
*My star system--if I can't finish the book because of issues in the book, that's an automatic one star "was not okay" rating*
Next comes a detailed, explicit sex scene in a Christian book. Detailed, but only halfway? She drops her dress but somehow she'd not been wearing any underwear? In the 1920s? And then it describes more detail than a 1990s secular romance. First, that's not appropriate for a book marketed to a general audience commonly read by girls around 13, especially since one of the sisters is 14 and it would be of interest to casual readers browsing shelves because of that. Second--it's very heavyhanded foreshadowing of the unrelenting marital abuse that follows. This is within a generation of the Victorian era. A sheltered girl wouldn't really take alarm at that behaviour and wouldn't find any sympathy in the women around her; her mother's era was the "lie still and think of Scotland" era.
Then he begins to force her to wear makeup etc. I found it really unrealistic of how quickly she took alarm because few starry-eyed girls recognize the symptoms of abuse that fast.
Kathryn is a snotty nosed brat and Melissa is a frustrating mix of naive and injured. I expected from the synopsis that I would be 100% on Melissa's side but honestly her husband is such a caricature that he didn't even seem real.
I can't make it to the end, but I decided to go ahead and post my review because I would hate for some girl to run across a sex scene like this by accident. The shock value writing and the stereotyped characters/unexpected character actions and emotions made me think more of a Steinbeck novel than a representation of average middle America in the Depression.
*My star system--if I can't finish the book because of issues in the book, that's an automatic one star "was not okay" rating*
August 29, 2021
A stunningly well written book! As I read, I kept shaking my head, in awe that THIS is Wright's debut novel. It's SO good!
October 22, 2021
I had hoped this one would be fantastic, because the Dust Bowl is intriguing to me, and I adored the cover with its muted, earthy tones. The Dust Bowl part of this story was the best part for me. I especially enjoyed the haboob (dust storm), which is not an often-featured disaster in the books I read, and Kathryn’s journey through that event.
However, there was an explicit nudity/sex scene in chapter two, and none of the positives in this book could redeem that moment for me. I understand the author was setting up Henry to be an abusive husband from the jump, but there are cleaner ways of doing that. I do NOT need to read (or hear, as I was listening to the audio and following along on my Kindle) what happens between a man and woman on their honeymoon (or any time afterward, for that matter)—those are intended to be between-man-and-wife moments, NOT share-them-with-the-whole-class moments.
The church ladies knew Melissa was in an abusive relationship, and I think they did well to encourage her to be an obedient, submissive wife (Malachi 2:14; 1 Peter 3:1). Yet, there are also verses about men not abusing their wives, but these weren’t broached at all.
For example:
Colossians 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.”
1 Peter 3:7 “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Malachi 2:14-15 “… the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.”
1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient and kind…”
Ephesians 5:28-29 “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.”
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
Not all of those verses are strictly about husbands, but they are still overall human-decency verses about loving one another and are useful for husbands and wives alike.
I understand the church ladies were encouraging Melissa to do right by her husband, and that was a great point, but why did no one ever approach her husband about doing right by his wife? He was not honoring at all toward her, as husbands are instructed to be in 1 Peter 3:7. He wasn’t loving (John 13:34 and 1 Corinthians 13:4), but he WAS harsh with her (Colossians 3:19) and “dealt treacherously” with her (Malachi 2:14-15). Yet NOBODY in the entire town confronted him about his wrong and sinful behavior, even though they KNEW it was happening. Where were the church ladies (or gentlemen) on that side of things? The man never acknowledged his sinful ways, either.
I really adored Melissa’s heart for doing more than the bare basics where her charity work was concerned. It was so admirable that she was going above and beyond the expectations and actions of her fellow church ladies. I was disheartened to see they didn’t change their ways and do more too, but that is completely realistic and something I’ve personally seen in my own life. I strive to go above and beyond too, and always have, because there are many needs in the world, and if I can meet a few of them during my journey, then the extra time and effort involved are absolutely worth it.
Kathryn had an interesting journey. I was highly concerned for her, because she was a young teenager forced to rely on different strangers to survive through the book. It wasn’t safe to do such a thing, especially for someone as youthful as she. However, I love that she learned more about courage and pushing past what she thought she was capable of accomplishing. I also liked that, as a lead, she had clubfoot. It’s not every day that a leading lady (youngster or otherwise) has a deformity or disability, and it was fantastic to see this sort of thing highlighted and so well written. I also enjoyed that she had to face a natural disaster and its aftermath, got to meet a real cowboy, and hopped a train. She definitely had some wild adventures, and I rather enjoyed most of her portion of the story. This is what pulled my rating up from a single star and helped me push through to the end of the book even though I wasn’t really enjoying Melissa’s side of things much (because of Henry and the lack of reproach for his sins, as well as the explicit scene in chapter two).
The narrator, Sarah Zimmerman, did a fantastic job of bringing the era and community to life. Her voice inflections were spot-on, and her pacing was really great. I especially enjoyed her country accent. It felt very accurate to the South, and it was underplayed and subtle instead of exaggerated and over-the-top. She found the perfect balance and tone for the story.
I feel like I could have loved this story if it didn’t start off by offending the sacred bonds of marriage by displaying its intimate acts on the page for anyone and everyone to see.
Content: explicit nudity/sex scene, tobacco, alcohol, derogatory terms, replacement expletives, replacement profanity, crude and sexual talk, expletives, profanity, sexual abuse from a husband, domestic abuse, child abuse
However, there was an explicit nudity/sex scene in chapter two, and none of the positives in this book could redeem that moment for me. I understand the author was setting up Henry to be an abusive husband from the jump, but there are cleaner ways of doing that. I do NOT need to read (or hear, as I was listening to the audio and following along on my Kindle) what happens between a man and woman on their honeymoon (or any time afterward, for that matter)—those are intended to be between-man-and-wife moments, NOT share-them-with-the-whole-class moments.
The church ladies knew Melissa was in an abusive relationship, and I think they did well to encourage her to be an obedient, submissive wife (Malachi 2:14; 1 Peter 3:1). Yet, there are also verses about men not abusing their wives, but these weren’t broached at all.
For example:
Colossians 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.”
1 Peter 3:7 “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Malachi 2:14-15 “… the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.”
1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient and kind…”
Ephesians 5:28-29 “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.”
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
Not all of those verses are strictly about husbands, but they are still overall human-decency verses about loving one another and are useful for husbands and wives alike.
I understand the church ladies were encouraging Melissa to do right by her husband, and that was a great point, but why did no one ever approach her husband about doing right by his wife? He was not honoring at all toward her, as husbands are instructed to be in 1 Peter 3:7. He wasn’t loving (John 13:34 and 1 Corinthians 13:4), but he WAS harsh with her (Colossians 3:19) and “dealt treacherously” with her (Malachi 2:14-15). Yet NOBODY in the entire town confronted him about his wrong and sinful behavior, even though they KNEW it was happening. Where were the church ladies (or gentlemen) on that side of things? The man never acknowledged his sinful ways, either.
I really adored Melissa’s heart for doing more than the bare basics where her charity work was concerned. It was so admirable that she was going above and beyond the expectations and actions of her fellow church ladies. I was disheartened to see they didn’t change their ways and do more too, but that is completely realistic and something I’ve personally seen in my own life. I strive to go above and beyond too, and always have, because there are many needs in the world, and if I can meet a few of them during my journey, then the extra time and effort involved are absolutely worth it.
Kathryn had an interesting journey. I was highly concerned for her, because she was a young teenager forced to rely on different strangers to survive through the book. It wasn’t safe to do such a thing, especially for someone as youthful as she. However, I love that she learned more about courage and pushing past what she thought she was capable of accomplishing. I also liked that, as a lead, she had clubfoot. It’s not every day that a leading lady (youngster or otherwise) has a deformity or disability, and it was fantastic to see this sort of thing highlighted and so well written. I also enjoyed that she had to face a natural disaster and its aftermath, got to meet a real cowboy, and hopped a train. She definitely had some wild adventures, and I rather enjoyed most of her portion of the story. This is what pulled my rating up from a single star and helped me push through to the end of the book even though I wasn’t really enjoying Melissa’s side of things much (because of Henry and the lack of reproach for his sins, as well as the explicit scene in chapter two).
The narrator, Sarah Zimmerman, did a fantastic job of bringing the era and community to life. Her voice inflections were spot-on, and her pacing was really great. I especially enjoyed her country accent. It felt very accurate to the South, and it was underplayed and subtle instead of exaggerated and over-the-top. She found the perfect balance and tone for the story.
I feel like I could have loved this story if it didn’t start off by offending the sacred bonds of marriage by displaying its intimate acts on the page for anyone and everyone to see.
Content: explicit nudity/sex scene, tobacco, alcohol, derogatory terms, replacement expletives, replacement profanity, crude and sexual talk, expletives, profanity, sexual abuse from a husband, domestic abuse, child abuse
Read
February 2, 2021from endorsement:
Reminiscent of the striking narrative of Delia Owens and with the poetic grace of Julie Cantrell, Wright exhibits an inimitable voice and pitch-perfect historical acumen. Wholly immersive and gorgeously spun, there is a classic resonance to this treatise on belonging and family with a wonderful homage to Frank L Baum as two sisters find themselves and each other against seemingly insurmountable odds. One of the freshest debuts I have read in an age by a uniquely talented author to watch!
Reminiscent of the striking narrative of Delia Owens and with the poetic grace of Julie Cantrell, Wright exhibits an inimitable voice and pitch-perfect historical acumen. Wholly immersive and gorgeously spun, there is a classic resonance to this treatise on belonging and family with a wonderful homage to Frank L Baum as two sisters find themselves and each other against seemingly insurmountable odds. One of the freshest debuts I have read in an age by a uniquely talented author to watch!
April 15, 2022
Heartbreaking & eventually hopeful. A weighty story of two sisters struggling to survive the dust bowl years. Though the story's despair became a bit relentless, the light of redemption shone through by the end. Well-researched & well-written.
December 4, 2021
So I will be honest and say that when I saw this book in Kindle Unlimited, I jumped at it because I loved Jennifer Wright's other book Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them.
...And then I realized that they were not the same Jennifer Wrights. But I decided to hold onto this book and read it anyway because back in the spring I read The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl (a book referenced in the acknowledgements of this book, unsurprisingly) and I was down for another Dust Bowl story.
Maybe Definitely spoilery stuff beyond. Beware and whatnot.
So, I read this, and while I did finish it, and didn't hate it, quite a lot of the time I was not enjoying it. This is more a story of two sisters and their fractured family who just happen to be in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl than a story ABOUT Oklahoma or the Dust Bowl... It's the same type of deal that The Hollow Ground was - a story set in and around the man-made environmental disaster of the land, only that was the underground mine fires in Pennsylvania, and this was obviously the Dust Bowl.
I liked both stories well enough, I guess, but I didn't feel like they really did the settings that inspired them justice. I just went back and re-read my review of The Hollow Ground and feel like a fair amount of the comments I made about that book also apply to this one:
So, replace burning underground mines with drought and duststorms, and it's pretty much the same criticism from me. The story on top just felt unrelated to the setting that is supposed to be the crux of the book. I know it's weird to say that considering how Kathryn carried on about Oklahoma the ENTIRE damn book - but it was more because she was immature, frustrated, selfish, and feeling like she was losing everything she knew while being uprooted and forced to move, and that it was all orchestrated to spite her by her Evil Stepmother (tm). Oklahoma could have easily been replaced by anywhere else and her feelings would have been just as valid.
On top of that, this book just wasn't ENJOYABLE to read... 95% of the book was just misery and trauma and despair and anger and regret and fear... and Oh yes, there's also a drought and duststorms there whenever convenient to complicate matters a bit.
Then at the VERY end, the turnaround. And it just felt... wrong. It didn't make sense. It was too fast a realization and moment of growth for Kathryn to realize that her family DID love her after all, and that the entire universe WASN'T out to get her, and the entire fate of existence did NOT depend on her being "fixed" or whatever nonsense her angry brain concocted. On top of that, it was just completely out of left field in like 5 different ways for Melissa's storyline resolution. Like, even going into how bizarre it was feels like a lot of work. But I guess I will do it anyway, because I talked it up now and I know if I ever come back to this review I'll be curious and annoyed at myself for not writing it out lol.
So Melissa's pregnant with her abusive rich asshole husband's baby, and he has recently found out that she stole a priceless family heirloom from him to pay for the doctor to see the sick daughter of a widow that said abusive asshole had previously evicted for nonpayment of debts that the widow's dead husband obviously couldn't pay. He also learned that, against his wishes, Melissa had been paying the widow to help her clean, and doing so with her allowance money. So AA (abusive asshole) knows that it would hurt Melissa if he set it up so that the widow - her only friend - were to be accused of (and of course convicted for) stealing the heirloom for her daughter's care - because WHO would believe a poor widow over HENRY MAYFIELD?? Melissa begs him to leave the widow alone, he tells her to fuck off, but not in those words, and then while begging him for a shred of humanity, she sees an auction notice for her family's land (that AA had bought supposedly to hold for them, but in truth because it had a spring that was thought to be still producing water, but had dried up), and she begs him not to sell it, and he threatens her all nefariously, as AAs do, and she panics and runs.
She then waits for him to go to work the next day, and leaves the house with nothing, heads to the widow's house to give her a heads up and say that she's running - following her father and sister to Indianapolis, that her AA will kill her if she stays, and the widow is like, "He'll look for you there, you should go somewhere else, and we're going with you. I have a truck and we can go to California where I have a cousin and he'll never find us."
Cool cool cool.
But then ol Mel is like "Alright - But wait!! I just have to do this really supes important thing first, if I don't make it to the rendezvous point by Oh-Nine-Hundred hours, move out without me."
What?
What is SO important that she risks being left behind with her AA and a town who thinks his smarmy ass can do no wrong, even if that means beating his pregnant wife?
Why, she needs to leave Kathryn's favorite book in a musty, mice-infested straw pallet inside their dugout, on the land that is LITERALLY ABOUT TO BE AUCTIONED OFF, so that when Kathryn gets back from Indianapolis, she'll find it.
WHAT.
Then it starts to rain. And hail. And flood. And her AA shows up at the dugout, where she went on a freaking whim, to murder her, but gets brained by a hailstone and drown-dies in the floodwater? I don't know, my brain turned off around that point. It made no sense. Nothing made sense. WHY would he be there? He has nothing of value on the land. He doesn't know she was there. He was at work. They weren't doing the auction. He literally just showed up to try to strangle her and then die. Because him being dead meant she could stay in Oklahoma, and apparently this story is supposed to be set there... or something something important to the story..?
Sigh. Look, I wanted to like this, and as a sort of coming of age book it was good enough. I would have very much liked different endings to the sisters' storylines. But whatever. But as a story that touts itself as being a story about the Dust Bowl - it fails for me. It just didn't feel like the Dust Bowl was anything but a prop - or clickbait. There were some accurate historical details, but it just didn't feel crucial to the story being told, and I wanted it to be.
Anyway - so that, combined with the endings that were just... weird. This was a Meh for me.
...And then I realized that they were not the same Jennifer Wrights. But I decided to hold onto this book and read it anyway because back in the spring I read The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl (a book referenced in the acknowledgements of this book, unsurprisingly) and I was down for another Dust Bowl story.
So, I read this, and while I did finish it, and didn't hate it, quite a lot of the time I was not enjoying it. This is more a story of two sisters and their fractured family who just happen to be in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl than a story ABOUT Oklahoma or the Dust Bowl... It's the same type of deal that The Hollow Ground was - a story set in and around the man-made environmental disaster of the land, only that was the underground mine fires in Pennsylvania, and this was obviously the Dust Bowl.
I liked both stories well enough, I guess, but I didn't feel like they really did the settings that inspired them justice. I just went back and re-read my review of The Hollow Ground and feel like a fair amount of the comments I made about that book also apply to this one:
It's almost not fair to rate this book because of the high expectations I had. (Though when has that stopped me before?) In this case, it just fell short for me. I think, possibly because of the interest I had in the setting, it is almost like this should be rated on two different levels. The setting, and the story plopped down on top of it.
[...]
I know the pride that people have in their homes and land here, so it's not hard for me to imagine people staying despite the ground beneath them burning, despite poisonous gases seeping up through their basements and homes, despite the risk of cave-ins and sinkholes, etc. Even if people weren't struggling financially, many would have stayed anyway.
The setting, I think, was OK... but it still felt like it was given short shrift. I wanted area and the time and the peril to be a character on its own. I wanted it to feel alive and real... And to a point it did, but I think that much of that was me projecting my knowledge of the area and its history onto the info given in the book. I brought more to it than it offered me, if that makes sense.
The story felt detached from the setting.
So, replace burning underground mines with drought and duststorms, and it's pretty much the same criticism from me. The story on top just felt unrelated to the setting that is supposed to be the crux of the book. I know it's weird to say that considering how Kathryn carried on about Oklahoma the ENTIRE damn book - but it was more because she was immature, frustrated, selfish, and feeling like she was losing everything she knew while being uprooted and forced to move, and that it was all orchestrated to spite her by her Evil Stepmother (tm). Oklahoma could have easily been replaced by anywhere else and her feelings would have been just as valid.
On top of that, this book just wasn't ENJOYABLE to read... 95% of the book was just misery and trauma and despair and anger and regret and fear... and Oh yes, there's also a drought and duststorms there whenever convenient to complicate matters a bit.
Then at the VERY end, the turnaround. And it just felt... wrong. It didn't make sense. It was too fast a realization and moment of growth for Kathryn to realize that her family DID love her after all, and that the entire universe WASN'T out to get her, and the entire fate of existence did NOT depend on her being "fixed" or whatever nonsense her angry brain concocted. On top of that, it was just completely out of left field in like 5 different ways for Melissa's storyline resolution. Like, even going into how bizarre it was feels like a lot of work. But I guess I will do it anyway, because I talked it up now and I know if I ever come back to this review I'll be curious and annoyed at myself for not writing it out lol.
So Melissa's pregnant with her abusive rich asshole husband's baby, and he has recently found out that she stole a priceless family heirloom from him to pay for the doctor to see the sick daughter of a widow that said abusive asshole had previously evicted for nonpayment of debts that the widow's dead husband obviously couldn't pay. He also learned that, against his wishes, Melissa had been paying the widow to help her clean, and doing so with her allowance money. So AA (abusive asshole) knows that it would hurt Melissa if he set it up so that the widow - her only friend - were to be accused of (and of course convicted for) stealing the heirloom for her daughter's care - because WHO would believe a poor widow over HENRY MAYFIELD?? Melissa begs him to leave the widow alone, he tells her to fuck off, but not in those words, and then while begging him for a shred of humanity, she sees an auction notice for her family's land (that AA had bought supposedly to hold for them, but in truth because it had a spring that was thought to be still producing water, but had dried up), and she begs him not to sell it, and he threatens her all nefariously, as AAs do, and she panics and runs.
She then waits for him to go to work the next day, and leaves the house with nothing, heads to the widow's house to give her a heads up and say that she's running - following her father and sister to Indianapolis, that her AA will kill her if she stays, and the widow is like, "He'll look for you there, you should go somewhere else, and we're going with you. I have a truck and we can go to California where I have a cousin and he'll never find us."
Cool cool cool.
But then ol Mel is like "Alright - But wait!! I just have to do this really supes important thing first, if I don't make it to the rendezvous point by Oh-Nine-Hundred hours, move out without me."
What?
What is SO important that she risks being left behind with her AA and a town who thinks his smarmy ass can do no wrong, even if that means beating his pregnant wife?
Why, she needs to leave Kathryn's favorite book in a musty, mice-infested straw pallet inside their dugout, on the land that is LITERALLY ABOUT TO BE AUCTIONED OFF, so that when Kathryn gets back from Indianapolis, she'll find it.
WHAT.
Then it starts to rain. And hail. And flood. And her AA shows up at the dugout, where she went on a freaking whim, to murder her, but gets brained by a hailstone and drown-dies in the floodwater? I don't know, my brain turned off around that point. It made no sense. Nothing made sense. WHY would he be there? He has nothing of value on the land. He doesn't know she was there. He was at work. They weren't doing the auction. He literally just showed up to try to strangle her and then die. Because him being dead meant she could stay in Oklahoma, and apparently this story is supposed to be set there... or something something important to the story..?
Sigh. Look, I wanted to like this, and as a sort of coming of age book it was good enough. I would have very much liked different endings to the sisters' storylines. But whatever. But as a story that touts itself as being a story about the Dust Bowl - it fails for me. It just didn't feel like the Dust Bowl was anything but a prop - or clickbait. There were some accurate historical details, but it just didn't feel crucial to the story being told, and I wanted it to be.
Anyway - so that, combined with the endings that were just... weird. This was a Meh for me.
October 28, 2022
If it Rains is a historical fiction novel set at the time of the 1930s dustbowl. In this novel, Wright skillfully depicts the resiliency of the human spirit portrayed in strong women characters. After a few twists and turns it brings the reader to a satisfying ending. 4.5★s!
November 30, 2021
Really this book is a 4.5. The story of 2 sister living in the times of the dust bowl. One move with their father to her step mother father who can fix her club foot. In the journey they separate and she is desperate to find her father, you read her journey that she takes to finally find him. The other sister married the town rich man son. Now she struggles with being rich and wanting to help the less fortunate in her community. The more she helps the more her husband is abusive towards her. Will it get her to stop or will she keep on going hoping never to be discovered. The hardest question, will the two beloved sisters ever see each other again? What a story. I have to admit it is an depressing one which had me giving the book a 4.5 instead of 5 stars. Each sisters cling on their belief in God when everything goes a mist. I found it hard to go on at times hoping each sister will find their way back to each other. I did enjoy it but if you are looking for a cheerful book this one will not be for you.
October 24, 2021
This was an impressive debut novel. I love books set during the Dust Bowl. Wright's writing style is descriptive and rich. I'm definitely going to be watching out for her future novels.
I couldn't rate this story higher because the main character, Kathryn, infuriated me! She was so snotty and hateful. She has a clubfoot, and had a tricky childhood, but she has a father and sister who love her a lot. She needed to grow up...a lot. Her adventures do shape her, but it took the whole book to soften out her hard edges. By then, I had little sympathy left for her.
Melissa, her sister, was far more likeable. She's trapped in an abusive marriage, sadly. There are quite a few scenes that left me cringing, but nothing is terribly graphic.
I liked this book enough to finish it. The writing was strong. I just couldn't like Kathryn, and that ruined the book for me.
I couldn't rate this story higher because the main character, Kathryn, infuriated me! She was so snotty and hateful. She has a clubfoot, and had a tricky childhood, but she has a father and sister who love her a lot. She needed to grow up...a lot. Her adventures do shape her, but it took the whole book to soften out her hard edges. By then, I had little sympathy left for her.
Melissa, her sister, was far more likeable. She's trapped in an abusive marriage, sadly. There are quite a few scenes that left me cringing, but nothing is terribly graphic.
I liked this book enough to finish it. The writing was strong. I just couldn't like Kathryn, and that ruined the book for me.
August 24, 2021
Depression-Era historical fiction is becoming a thing and I'm glad. If you love strong female characters facing hardships with love and perseverance, family stories, and a message of God's faithfulness despite our own weaknesses, this should be your next book.
September 25, 2021
“This drought, this depression...we are in blackness. We can either shine in the dark or be overcome by it. Sometimes shining means staying. Sometimes it means going. But it never mans to quit.”
This is a story of two sisters during the Dust Bowl of 1933. Melissa who stayed in dry, dusty Oklahoma and Kathryn who set out for Indianapolis and the hope for a better future.
This is the debut novel from Jennifer L. Wright. The author writes with dramatic prose that puts you right there with Kathryn and her gut wrenching journey, trying to reconnect with her father. Melissa’s life is no less harrowing as she exchanges poverty for seeming affluence in the middle of dwindling resources. Melissa has to contend with an abusive husband and hide all for appearances sake.
Both women are strong in different ways, but the author portrays them as totally believable and shows how God is in their midst no matter what. “For so long I had focused on what I lacked, what had been taken from me — while God had been trying to show me what had always and would always remain: Him.”
I liked the way Ms. Wright used The Wizard of Oz to connect the sisters even though they were far apart. I also liked the way Kathryn looked at the stars and remembered good times with her family.
Thank you Ms. Wright for giving us a look at a troubling time in our history and a story of hope in God.
*I won a copy of this book from the author through ACFW Book Club. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.*
This is a story of two sisters during the Dust Bowl of 1933. Melissa who stayed in dry, dusty Oklahoma and Kathryn who set out for Indianapolis and the hope for a better future.
This is the debut novel from Jennifer L. Wright. The author writes with dramatic prose that puts you right there with Kathryn and her gut wrenching journey, trying to reconnect with her father. Melissa’s life is no less harrowing as she exchanges poverty for seeming affluence in the middle of dwindling resources. Melissa has to contend with an abusive husband and hide all for appearances sake.
Both women are strong in different ways, but the author portrays them as totally believable and shows how God is in their midst no matter what. “For so long I had focused on what I lacked, what had been taken from me — while God had been trying to show me what had always and would always remain: Him.”
I liked the way Ms. Wright used The Wizard of Oz to connect the sisters even though they were far apart. I also liked the way Kathryn looked at the stars and remembered good times with her family.
Thank you Ms. Wright for giving us a look at a troubling time in our history and a story of hope in God.
*I won a copy of this book from the author through ACFW Book Club. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.*
June 7, 2021
Such a hard time in our country, the Great Depression, and on top of it bad farming practices that led to the Dust Bowl, I can't even imagine what these poor people dealt with.
Through the words of the author we put faces on these struggling people. We meet the Baile family, one marrying into the wealthiest local family and the other struggling so much they are going to leave and move to Indianapolis. We meet the Baile sister's, Melissa, and fourteen year old Kathryn, and walk in their shoes as they go about their struggles.
There are some warm and loving moments here, but there are also some gasping at what an individual is capable of doing. I loved the strong faith shown here, and those that live their walk with the Lord.
For me I really enjoyed this read and the pages flew, until there wasn't anymore.
I received this book through the Publisher Tyndale House, and was not required to give a positive review.
Through the words of the author we put faces on these struggling people. We meet the Baile family, one marrying into the wealthiest local family and the other struggling so much they are going to leave and move to Indianapolis. We meet the Baile sister's, Melissa, and fourteen year old Kathryn, and walk in their shoes as they go about their struggles.
There are some warm and loving moments here, but there are also some gasping at what an individual is capable of doing. I loved the strong faith shown here, and those that live their walk with the Lord.
For me I really enjoyed this read and the pages flew, until there wasn't anymore.
I received this book through the Publisher Tyndale House, and was not required to give a positive review.
January 23, 2022
Kathryn’s favorite book is The Wizard of Oz, and her journey somewhat mirrors Dorothy’s (although much grittier). I enjoyed spotting all the Oz references (both book and movie).
July 15, 2021
This was an amazing journey of two sisters who face the horrific Dust Bowl tragedy with courage and grace. Each sister is taken on a different journey as they do their best to navigate the storms. The story is told in first person through Katheryn and Melissa point of view (chapters clearly mark which sister is speaking). Melissa is whisked off to live with her new husband, young Kathryn Baile, who has had a few more challenges to overcome than the average bear, does her best to do life without her big sister.
This novel is gritty (in parts), and heart-wrenching, yet hopeful as this family goes through unbearable circumstances. The main and minor characters tug at your heart strings and give the reader a well-rounded grasp of how different, desperate people handled the dust bowl. Kathryn’s favorite book is The Wizard of Oz. She quickly learns that the world was meaner and scarier than Oz. This is a gripping, and insightful novel I could not stop reading. I was drawn into each of these sisters lives by their circumstances, the choices they make, and by their courage to keep fighting the good fight. All the while trying to make sense of it all as they question their faith and search for God, where was he in all of this. I liked how each girl learns what true love is all about.
This would make a memorable summer read and one that would work well for your next book club pick. It is rich in character, situation and will stay with you long after you close the book. This is the author’s incredible debut novel. Jennifer L. Wright is an author to watch.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org
This novel is gritty (in parts), and heart-wrenching, yet hopeful as this family goes through unbearable circumstances. The main and minor characters tug at your heart strings and give the reader a well-rounded grasp of how different, desperate people handled the dust bowl. Kathryn’s favorite book is The Wizard of Oz. She quickly learns that the world was meaner and scarier than Oz. This is a gripping, and insightful novel I could not stop reading. I was drawn into each of these sisters lives by their circumstances, the choices they make, and by their courage to keep fighting the good fight. All the while trying to make sense of it all as they question their faith and search for God, where was he in all of this. I liked how each girl learns what true love is all about.
This would make a memorable summer read and one that would work well for your next book club pick. It is rich in character, situation and will stay with you long after you close the book. This is the author’s incredible debut novel. Jennifer L. Wright is an author to watch.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org
February 27, 2022
Can the closeness of two sisters keep them together in spirit and love even when they must endure such hardship? That is the question for Melissa and her younger sister, Kathryn who live in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Things seem to be perfect for Melissa as she is going to marry a wealthy man and move up in life. Kathryn was born with a club foot that people always made her feel incapable and stupid for. She is not like this and has strength and a fighting will. Her father convinces her that to sell his land is best and to move. He promises her she will get surgery for her club foot. So, Kathryn also thinks life will turn out very well.
It doesn’t work this way for either sister, but for very different reasons. Still, both have a strong faith and love each other. Both long to have their family back. Trying to get by during the Dust Bowl was very difficult, and many died or were displaced and had to leave their homes. The book, The Wizard of Oz was referenced many times. Each sister relied on it as a child and you can see the parallels in each sister’s life and the themes of the book. I really enjoyed this part.
Overall, it is a tribute to the love the sisters share, their faith, and their strength to find goodness and carry on. It was a hard time, but both sisters’ spirits shine through. I routed for both of them and wanted them to find home someway.
Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer L. Wright, and Tyndale House Publishers for a copy of this book.
It doesn’t work this way for either sister, but for very different reasons. Still, both have a strong faith and love each other. Both long to have their family back. Trying to get by during the Dust Bowl was very difficult, and many died or were displaced and had to leave their homes. The book, The Wizard of Oz was referenced many times. Each sister relied on it as a child and you can see the parallels in each sister’s life and the themes of the book. I really enjoyed this part.
Overall, it is a tribute to the love the sisters share, their faith, and their strength to find goodness and carry on. It was a hard time, but both sisters’ spirits shine through. I routed for both of them and wanted them to find home someway.
Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer L. Wright, and Tyndale House Publishers for a copy of this book.
September 29, 2024
Het was een vermakelijk boek waarin ik de twee zussen Baile volgde en hun strijd om te overleven in de jaren '30 in Oklahoma. Deze periode werd de Dust Bowl genoemd. Hier had ik nog nooit eerder van gehoord, wat ik erg interessant vond. Het boek las prima door, maar helaas waren de personages wat cliché en erg zwart-wit.
August 2, 2021
Exceptional storytelling! Seldom do I get this caught up in a story. Jennifer kept me engaged, explained a little history, and helped me see God's hand at work. Well done! An absolute must read.
March 20, 2021
This was a tough book to read. Set in the middle of Oklahoma in the height of the dust bowl, there is nothing easy about it. Nothing is surviving, families are leaving behind land they have owned for years. It is the Depression.
Kathryn is one the hardest characters to like. She is as tough and ornery as the land. Born with a club foot, she has had to fight her whole entire life just to keep up with everyone else.
When Kathryn’s father sells there land to move, she is separated from her beloved sister, Melissa. The only thing that still connects them is a well read copy of the Wizard of Oz.
Author Jennifer Wright weaves references of Oz throughout the book and the story is all the richer for it.
Do you self a favor and pick up this book. It is not going to leave you comfortable and you will find yourself angry with most of the characters at one point or another, but it will also give you a lot to think about.
Kathryn is one the hardest characters to like. She is as tough and ornery as the land. Born with a club foot, she has had to fight her whole entire life just to keep up with everyone else.
When Kathryn’s father sells there land to move, she is separated from her beloved sister, Melissa. The only thing that still connects them is a well read copy of the Wizard of Oz.
Author Jennifer Wright weaves references of Oz throughout the book and the story is all the richer for it.
Do you self a favor and pick up this book. It is not going to leave you comfortable and you will find yourself angry with most of the characters at one point or another, but it will also give you a lot to think about.
April 11, 2021
This book is a really tough book that dealt with the harsh realities of the era the plot was set.
The chapters were written in a way that each sister had a chapter to herself. I love the bond between Melissa and Kathryn. It shows that family is truly everything.
Kathryn is a strong character for a fourteen years old. I believe she is the character on the book cover.
This book is not about roses and flowers. It exposes how people struggled to survive in a place where dust is everywhere and they badly needed rain.
Other characters were introduced in this book and each had their role to play on the plot.
There are lots of themes to glean from this book. Your faith will be strengthened when you rejoice in the knowledge that God watches over you.
This is not a “churchy” or “preachy” book. Anybody can read it.
Jennifer Wright writes well.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are mine.
The chapters were written in a way that each sister had a chapter to herself. I love the bond between Melissa and Kathryn. It shows that family is truly everything.
Kathryn is a strong character for a fourteen years old. I believe she is the character on the book cover.
This book is not about roses and flowers. It exposes how people struggled to survive in a place where dust is everywhere and they badly needed rain.
Other characters were introduced in this book and each had their role to play on the plot.
There are lots of themes to glean from this book. Your faith will be strengthened when you rejoice in the knowledge that God watches over you.
This is not a “churchy” or “preachy” book. Anybody can read it.
Jennifer Wright writes well.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are mine.
Read
April 21, 2022If you're looking for a feel-good, happily ever after, this isn't it. However, if you're looking for a thought-provoking and gritty story that will stay with you for a long time to come, you're in the right place.
This book is bold and sharp and honest. If you love hard-hitting historical fiction, Jennifer Wright is an author to watch.
This book is bold and sharp and honest. If you love hard-hitting historical fiction, Jennifer Wright is an author to watch.
May 28, 2022
Harsh, dark and will leave you feeling dusty..
Well written, but gritty. The domestic violence in this book, parental neglect is combined with the horror of the dust bowl. The characters are raw, real and you will relate to them, yet as you experience loss after loss with them. The writing redeemed this book and keeps you reading.
Well written, but gritty. The domestic violence in this book, parental neglect is combined with the horror of the dust bowl. The characters are raw, real and you will relate to them, yet as you experience loss after loss with them. The writing redeemed this book and keeps you reading.
June 22, 2024
I'm not sure if I noticed this one after looking up the narrator (Sarah Zimmerman) ... but when I started this (Kindle Unlimited text, Hoopla audio) and discovered the narrator was Sarah Zimmerman again, I almost pushed it off. She's a good narrator, but it was just two books ago that I'd heard her, and thought the familiar voice would be too confusing. However ... the "voice" of that characters here, Kathryn and Melissa, in the dust-bowl days in Oklahoma, had enough distinction and twang, that I was able to continue after all.
That being said, there were two storylines, Kathryn and Melissa (sisters) and both were first person, and although the narrator distinguished their voices some, and their written voices had their differences, I think I might have preferred MORE distinction between the stories, with a different narrator for one of the girls (especially as the stories didn't have much cross-over).
I appreciated the author's note (in Kindle, not included in the audio) that stated "I believe the hallmark of any good piece of historical fiction is its ability to ignite in readers a desire to learn more about the time period and events upon which it’s based." I did appreciate this bringing the dust bowl more to life, including little tidbits I hadn't really heard of before. I've read a few ... this reminded me a little of the sequel to Sarah Plain and Tall, where Sarah and the children go back East to her family (like Helen's family here).
There were Discussion Questions included in the Kindle copy ... and kudos to authors/editors/publishers who do this. It can really increase the appreciation for a book, bringing up things I might have skimmed over or not really thought about. Some discussion questions are better than others ... these ones were great and made me think.
This was labeled as "Christian Fiction" ... and had I noticed that, I might not have read it. I struggle a bit when there's a lot of discussion of God and God's plan by the characters. This was on the border of being too much for me, but I was glad I powered through. I do tend to think those who look for God's hand in things, will find it, because they are looking SO hard and that's how they'll interpret and explain.
I really enjoyed the Wizard of Oz running throughout the book ...
The Table of Contents snob inside of me wishes that the POV (included in headers at the beginning of the chapters) was also included in the TOC (so I could see at a glance which chapters were which). I believe they switched off between the girls, with Kathryn's story on the odd chapters, and Melissa's on the even chapters. 26 chapters in total.
Words: lots of scowling, some smirking, one roil
Content: no proFanity, I saw one reviewer appalled at the "marriage night" description, saying such explicit sex shouldn't be in a "Christian" book that teens might read. I thought it was handled fine and wasn't overly descriptive.
That being said, there were two storylines, Kathryn and Melissa (sisters) and both were first person, and although the narrator distinguished their voices some, and their written voices had their differences, I think I might have preferred MORE distinction between the stories, with a different narrator for one of the girls (especially as the stories didn't have much cross-over).
I appreciated the author's note (in Kindle, not included in the audio) that stated "I believe the hallmark of any good piece of historical fiction is its ability to ignite in readers a desire to learn more about the time period and events upon which it’s based." I did appreciate this bringing the dust bowl more to life, including little tidbits I hadn't really heard of before. I've read a few ... this reminded me a little of the sequel to Sarah Plain and Tall, where Sarah and the children go back East to her family (like Helen's family here).
There were Discussion Questions included in the Kindle copy ... and kudos to authors/editors/publishers who do this. It can really increase the appreciation for a book, bringing up things I might have skimmed over or not really thought about. Some discussion questions are better than others ... these ones were great and made me think.
This was labeled as "Christian Fiction" ... and had I noticed that, I might not have read it. I struggle a bit when there's a lot of discussion of God and God's plan by the characters. This was on the border of being too much for me, but I was glad I powered through. I do tend to think those who look for God's hand in things, will find it, because they are looking SO hard and that's how they'll interpret and explain.
I really enjoyed the Wizard of Oz running throughout the book ...
The Table of Contents snob inside of me wishes that the POV (included in headers at the beginning of the chapters) was also included in the TOC (so I could see at a glance which chapters were which). I believe they switched off between the girls, with Kathryn's story on the odd chapters, and Melissa's on the even chapters. 26 chapters in total.
Words: lots of scowling, some smirking, one roil
Content: no proFanity, I saw one reviewer appalled at the "marriage night" description, saying such explicit sex shouldn't be in a "Christian" book that teens might read. I thought it was handled fine and wasn't overly descriptive.
September 26, 2021
What a fabulous book! Like the author, I have watched Ken Burns' special on The Dust Bowl and this story featured what people went through in this era.
One cannot imagine the tough times these people endured. The economy was so affected because the land was stripped of its natural resources. Many people were downtrodden and many gave up. I admired the spirit of Kathryn, Melissa, and their father.
It would have been really frightening to have seen the sky get dark and that a terrible "duster" appeared and the author used this scenario to the utmost in her story.
The title of the book was so fitting because people were always wondering when it would rain. Oh, the tough times for farmers!
The author used the story of The Wizard of Oz as the favorite book of the two sisters. And the ways that she used the book by L. Frank Baum in this 1935 story were very ingenious and unique. You will really see God at work in big ways!
The book was so interesting that I did not want to put it down. I will remember this story for quite a while. I highly recommend this book.
One cannot imagine the tough times these people endured. The economy was so affected because the land was stripped of its natural resources. Many people were downtrodden and many gave up. I admired the spirit of Kathryn, Melissa, and their father.
It would have been really frightening to have seen the sky get dark and that a terrible "duster" appeared and the author used this scenario to the utmost in her story.
The title of the book was so fitting because people were always wondering when it would rain. Oh, the tough times for farmers!
The author used the story of The Wizard of Oz as the favorite book of the two sisters. And the ways that she used the book by L. Frank Baum in this 1935 story were very ingenious and unique. You will really see God at work in big ways!
The book was so interesting that I did not want to put it down. I will remember this story for quite a while. I highly recommend this book.
July 31, 2021
I did not like this book. The writing was marginal and the plot shallow. The characters were developed, but the main characters, while professing Christian values, were mean, selfish and unrepentant. So, at the end I was at a loss as to the author's motivation. It's like a movie these days that has to include a sex scene, even when it makes no sense. Maybe the superficial mentions of God were to permit the book to be sold to a Christian audience.
August 13, 2021
Told from alternating viewpoints of two sisters separated when the older one marries and the younger one gets lost in a dust storm while traveling through Kansas.
December 6, 2021
If It Rains is about two sisters, Kathryn and Melissa. It is during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl in 1935. Kathryn was born with severe clubfoot and Melissa has pretty much raised her younger sister after their mother died shortly after Kathryn was born. I like this debut novel of Jennifer L. Wright, but I felt there was a disconnect. If these sisters were so close, I kept waiting for there to be a scene with these two sisters, and but it didn't happen until towards the end, and for me that was disappointing. I really liked the character of Kathryn she really is a spitfire, and she did things that in my opinion was amazing and courageous for a 14-year-old in any generation. She really has spunk in spades. There were just things that happen that I wasn't crazy about. Having said that I found If It Rains to be an easy read, the things that happened to these two sisters didn't shut them down, instead, it raised them up. I am looking forward to reading more from Jennifer L. Wright.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews