WRAPPED IN RAIN by CHARLES MARTIN

Title: Wrapped in Rain
Author: Charles Martin
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (September 6, 2011)
Pages: 336

I had WRAPPED IN RAIN by CHARLES MARTIN sitting in my pile of books to read for a couple of months. Once I finally made the decision to read it, I did so with uncertainty, which is often the case with authors I’m unfamiliar with.

If I’m honest, I was a bit confused in the beginning, and a little disappointed with the absence of a love interest for the main character. At page sixty-two, to my utter surprise and delight, Katie stepped into the pages.

I was hooked!

Tucker Rain is a famous photographer with a childhood story that would curl your toes. His father, an alcoholic and abusive man, showed no love for his two young sons. If it were not for Miss Ella, the woman Tucker’s father hired to take care of their home and keep Tucker and his brother out of sight, things could have ended up quite differently.

WRAPPED IN RAIN is an amazing story about neglect, abuse, love, faith, forgiveness, and hope. As a writer I often pick apart the novels I read, so it’s not very often I come across one that I wouldn’t change a thing, and WRAPPED IN RAIN is one of them.

The storyline was amazing, the writing superb, and the characters three dimensional. The main characters as well as the secondary came to life with unique personalities, goals, trials and tribulations.

There were several lines that had me shaking my head, they were that good. I laughed, I cried. I wanted to reach through the pages and wrap my arms around the characters. Take a road trip for the opportunity to meet them. To reach out and let them know how sorry I am for all they’ve been through, and how proud I am of them for not giving up.

MR. MARTIN wasn’t afraid to incorporated real life situations that we often don’t speak of, adding flavor, uniqueness with gumption.

I like faith to be woven in naturally, not preachy. Never having heard of CHARLES MARTIN prior to reading WRAPPED IN RAIN, I had no idea what to expect. It was brilliantly written. The faith aspect was woven in naturally, and profoundly. It was all Miss Ella, none of the author…that’s truly amazing.

My favorite quote is on page 250:

“Tucker, you won’t understand this until you have a boy of your own, but listen close. The sins of the father are carried down to the son. There’s nothing you can do to stop what’s passed to you. You are going to wrestle with it until the day you die, whether you like it or not. The only choice is whether or not you pass them to your son. Stopping it is a choice you make.”

WRAPPED IN RAIN is now on my list of all time favorite books. One that I’ll recommend to others in the future. I look forward to reading more books by CHARLES MARTIN.

Do yourself a favor…wrap yourself in this book and get lost in the world of Rain.