Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
"Tucker, I want to tell you a secret,"
Miss Ella curled my hand into a fist and showed it to me.
"Life is a battle, but you can't fight it with your fists. You got to fight it with your heart."
An internationallly famous photographer, he has traveled the world and seen both the serious and the strange. But when his brother escapes from a mental hospital and an old girlfriend appears with her son and a black eye, Tucker is forced to return home and face the agony of his own tragic past.
Back in rural Alabama, Tucker comes to terms with the ghosts he left behind. Miss Ella Rain once loved Tuck and his brother like they were her very own. Hiring her to take care of Waverly Hall and to keep them out of sight was the only good thing their father ever did. And though Miss Ella has been gone for many years, Tuck can still hear her voice.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
It is now my favorite book
Customer Rating:
After reading this book, I have put it number one on my list of all time favorites. Previously, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers held this spot. Charles Martin is an amazing author. I read Chasing Fireflys first and enjoyed it very much, then I read Wrapped in Rain and was held captive by this story. Let me just make it short and sweet, if you love a good story which has depth, believable characters, realistic portrayals, beautifully woven themes, powerfully descriptive language, and is a joy to read, this is the one! Also, a note, I see this is a Women of Faith book, but I bought a copy for my son, it is not a woman's book or a man's book, just a great book that everyone should enjoy.
great author
Customer Rating:
I really love this author he is a great writer and always has great underlying messages
Why all the stars????
Customer Rating:
I note that there is only one other somewhat unfavorable review of this book. I'll say the one nice thing first -- Martin's writing is "pretty." When he describes something, I get a good picture of it in my head. Unfortunately, he uses lengthy descriptive passages of minor events that don't build the story line; it almost seems like filler and can be very boring. His characters are not to be believed. His story line is not believable. What happened to the mothers of these two boys? Why would the mothers give them up so easily? Where were the police when Miss Ella was beaten silly by Rex??? Where was social services when the boys were beaten silly by Rex??? Why didn't Mose beat the heck out of Rex??? Did the two boys stay in the house all the time by themselves, only visited by Miss Ella during the day? Come on. I've read several of Charles Martin's books. I'm beginning to think he had a horrible childhood because he either never mentions characters' parents in his books, or when he does, they are unbelievably abusive. Should have borrowed this one from the library. Wasn't worth the $$$$.
Wrapped in Backstory
Customer Rating:
Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin was difficult to get into, to be honest. I picked it up about two years ago, but when about 60 pages into it, I knew more about a truck-stop prostitute (who was an oversized prop--and when I say oversized, I mean oversized) than I did the story itself, I put it back down. But on the encouragement of a friend, I tried again. I'm glad I did.
Wrapped in Rain is about Tucker Mason and his brother Matthew (a.k.a. Mutt) coming to terms with their messed-up past (namely, a father who's frequent absences was preferred to his abusive presence), forgiving daily, and learning to freely love. The only redeeming aspect of their childhood was Miss Ella Rain, their nanny/housekeeper, who loved them as if they were her own and who fought for them when they couldn't fight anymore.
The story begins when Mutt, who suffers from a personality disorder because of his past, escapes from the mental health facility. At the same time, Tucker runs into his childhood girlfriend, Katie, and her son, Jase, on the run from Katie's husband, who's been abusing them. Reunited, Tucker, Katie, Mutt, and now Jase, learn to live together, love each other, and work through their issues.
The prose is flawless and beautiful, although at times superfluous (i.e. the description of the truck-stop prostitute and other well-written but long descriptions of local color). Sometimes the story seems too convenient (i.e. how Tucker runs into Katie and the subplot of Katie running from her ex, which wraps up too neatly, I think), but the emotions and inner struggle encapsulates what it means to forgive every day. Because of the nature of the story, backstory is integral, but it's overwhelming. At times it felt a little like this: I walked through the field. It reminded me of the time when...backstory...On the other side, I met Katie...then Katie shares her backstory through one-sided dialogue...We walked back together like we did that day when we were...another backstory.
I'm exaggerating. Slightly.
All in all, I'm glad I gave the story another try, and I'll read more Charles Martin because I like the flow of his prose and the development of his main characters. The prologue in the beginning kept me going through the slow story development. If you're willing to persevere through the beginning, I recommend it.
Engrossing, spiritual and unforgettable
Customer Rating:
This was such a unique book. It wasn't close to what I expected. Two boys, who live with their father in Alabama, are pretty much raised by their housekeeper, Ella Rain. Their father is very abusive and it impacts the boys life in drastic ways. Tucker, a photographer, is running from himself and the person he does not want to become. Mutt is in a mental hospital dealing with his demons and the voices inside his head. When Mutt escapes from the hospital and Katie, an old girlfriend, appears with her son and a black eye, Tucker is forced to return home and face his tragic past. This books brings faith and hope together with great character development and a very unique story line. One of those I whipped through and did not want to put down.
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