Book Review: Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin

Allie's second husband is killed tragically when his 18-wheeler crashes into the rocks near their home in Cape San Blas--the tanker was full of fuel and the explosion could be seen on overhead satellites. She'd already lost the beloved waterfront restaurant her parents started and now losing her husband, no matter how unfulfilling their marriage was, might just push her over the edge.

Joseph's time in Vietnam left him with scars that never seemed to heal. No matter how he's tried to love or what he's tried to do since then, he can't pull himself out of the wreckage of his former life. His trust and security shaken, he isolates himself in a cabin. But every morning, he faithfully pours two cups of coffee, drinking his while he sits with the second, and then pouring out the full cup.

It's no small coincidence that Joseph found a mother and her two young children lost in the woods near his cabin. Or that when he helps them return to family in Florida, he's near enough to see that explosion. Near enough to know it's close to home. Near enough to know that his childhood sweetheart needs him.

The years have built so much distance between them, but it's the secrets that may be their final undoing. Send Down the Rain reminds us of the beauty of truth . . . and the power of love to wash away the past.

My rating:

I'm just gonna start out my review by saying that this book was a disappointment. *cries* I'm sorry, it just was. I was so excited to be reading it; I'd been told that it was better than When Crickets Cry (which is amazing, btw). But of the three Charles Martin books that I've read, Send Down the Rain was definitely my least favorite.

I wish I could say why, exactly, but I can't, 'cause I just don't know why. Maybe it's because it'd been talked up so much. One person said that it completely wrecked them; that it broke them more than When Crickets Cry. 

I'm sorry, but . . . no. I went through the entire book waiting for a scream-at-the-sky, rip-my-heart-in-half scene. But honestly, that was probably why the book disappointed me—I was expecting something that would never come.

ANYWAY. On to the real review. I really did enjoy the book; it just didn't really strike a chord in me, y'know?

Jo-Jo's character I really liked. His story was just . . . *hugs him* oh my word, y'all. So heartbreaking. So selfless.

Allie I could've done without. I mean, I liked her and all, but . . . nah. I . . . guess I liked her and Joe as a couple, but their porch visits I could've done without.

Catalina and her children were so sweet! And I LOVED how they played into the book later on.

The setting itself was endearing, but sometimes hard to envision. Beach and woods; that was pretty much all I could envision, with a long expanse of highway that stretched next to the swamp.

So what made me give it four stars instead of five?

Suzy. 

Just . . . if you've read the book, you know what a huge part Suzy plays in Jo-Jo's story. And, to be honest, that one part with Suzy was the only part that actually made me get slightly emotional about the whole book.

So, yeah. Not quite my cup of tea, but still a fabulous read and definitely recommended!

What's your opinion on Send Down the Rain?