RAINWATER by Sandra Brown - SIGNED FIRST EDITION BOOK
See all titles by Sandra Brown.The year is 1934. With the country in the stranglehold of drought
and economic depression, Ella Barron runs her Texas boardinghouse with
an efficiency that ensures her life will be kept in balance. Between
chores of cooking and cleaning for her residents, she cares for her
ten-year-old son, Solly, a sweet but challenging child whose
misunderstood behavior finds Ella on the receiving end of pity,
derision, and suspicion.
When David Rainwater arrives at the
house looking for lodging, he comes recommended by a trusted friend as
"a man of impeccable character." But Ella senses that admitting Mr.
Rainwater will bring about unsettling changes.
However, times
are hard, and in order to make ends meet, Ella's house must remain one
hundred percent occupied. So Mr. Rainwater moves into her house...and
impacts her life in ways Ella could never have foreseen.
The
changes are echoed by the turbulence beyond the house walls. Friends
and neighbors who've thus far maintained a tenuous grip on their meager
livelihoods now face foreclosure and financial ruin. In an effort to
save their families from homelessness and hunger, farmers and cattlemen
are forced to make choices that come with heartrending consequences.
The
climate of desperation creates a fertile atmosphere for racial tensions
and social unrest. Conrad Ellis — privileged and spoiled and Ella's
nemesis since childhood — steps into this arena of teeming hostility to
exact his vengeance and demonstrate the extent of his blind hatred and
unlimited cruelty. He and his gang of hoodlums come to embody the rule
of law, and no one in Gilead, Texas, is safe. Particularly Ella and
Solly.
In this hotbed of uncertainty, Ella findsMr. Rainwater a
calming presence. She is moved by the kindness he shows other boarders,
Solly...and Ella herself. Slowly, she begins to rely on his
soft-spokenness, his restraint, and the steely resolve of his
convictions.
And on the hottest, most violent night of the summer, those principles will be put to the ultimate test.
From
acclaimed bestselling author Sandra Brown comes a powerfully moving
novel celebrating the largess and foresight of a great bygone
generation. It tells a story that bears witness to a bittersweet truth:
that love is worth whatever price one must pay for it.
Rainwater 
