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I Will Send Rain
I Will Send Rain: A Novel | Rae Meadows
42 posts | 24 read | 84 to read
A luminous, tenderly rendered novel of a woman fighting for her family's survival in the early years of the Dust Bowl; from the acclaimed and award-winning Rae Meadows. Annie Bell can't escape the dust. It's in her hair, covering the windowsills, coating the animals in the barn, in the corners of her children's dry, cracked lips. It's 1934 and the Bell farm in Mulehead, Oklahoma is struggling as the earliest storms of The Dust Bowl descend. All around them the wheat harvests are drying out and people are packing up their belongings as storms lay waste to the Great Plains. As the Bells wait for the rains to come, Annie and each member of her family are pulled in different directions. Annie's fragile young son, Fred, suffers from dust pneumonia; her headstrong daughter, Birdie, flush with first love, is choosing a dangerous path out of Mulehead; and Samuel, her husband, is plagued by disturbing dreams of rain. As Annie, desperate for an escape of her own, flirts with the affections of an unlikely admirer, she must choose who she is going to become. With her warm storytelling and beautiful prose, Rae Meadows brings to life an unforgettable family that faces hardship with rare grit and determination. Rich in detail and epic in scope, I Will Send Rain is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, filled with hope, morality, and love.
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lynneamch
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#ReadingResolutions @Jess7 #booktwins
Same cover. Different authors. Different stories. Both good!

Mccall0113 How did you discover this? My memory is crap 6y
saresmoore Good catch! 6y
tjwill So crazy that it is the same picture! #similarcovers 6y
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Eggs Good one! 6y
mcipher I love when this happens - so weird! 6y
Reviewsbylola This kind of annoys me—is it that hard to find a different picture?! 6y
lynneamch @Mccall0113 I saw Kali speak at an event at Dragonfly Books in Decorah, Iowa. She said when she discovered her publisher had selected a stock photo that had already been used, she wasn't happy. But, thought it could work to her advantage as Rae was a popular, more well-known author. Rae's book was recommended to me by my fave author of 6y
Jess7 Omg! I‘ve never seen anything like this! 6y
RavenclawOwlCat My cover of “Hard Twisted” is the same as well. 4y
lynneamch Oh my goodness @RavenclawOwlCat 4y
47 likes1 stack add10 comments
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clconn17
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Pickpick

A heartbreaking story set in 1930's OK during the dust bowl. I loved the writing and the characters were so real. I admired Annie and Samuel and how they were able to survive so many hardships.

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Cinfhen
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#RockinMay Day 12 Not the easiest song title to work with...I really wanted " Carry On Wayward Son" but I thought that title might be harder ??This book is a #blameitonLitsy it's about a family trying to survive the 1930's dust bowl...it sounds excellent- has anybody read this book? #DustintheWind #HappyFriday

TrishB Not read book and not familiar with song 😱😱 7y
Cinfhen Really?!? You don't know Dust in the Wind by Kansas?!? Check out this video on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/tH2w6Oxx0kQ we need to fix that @TrishB
7y
TrishB I shall remedy that 👍 7y
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Kimberlone The Grapes of Wrath would also be a great option 7y
Cinfhen Excellent choice @Kimberlone 💗👍🏻 7y
ReadingEnvy I've read it! 7y
minkyb Love the cover. Looks like a Dorothea Lange photo. 7y
Cinfhen And.... @ReadingEnvy is it good? Very depressing? 7y
Reviewsbylola I'll be so curious to see what books show up today with that prompt. Fun! 7y
Jas16 I have read it and liked it. 7y
ReadingEnvy @Cinfhen smaller in scope than, say, The Grapes of Wrath, and more romance storyline present (but I wouldn't call it a romance) - the experience is just as difficult! She has vivid writing iirc. 7y
Cinfhen Good to know @Jas16 💗thanks @ReadingEnvy This will definitely be a library request 📚 7y
rubyslippersreads Haven't read it, but it's on my TBR list. 7y
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Reader651
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Pickpick

Dramatic story of a family struggling to get through hardships in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl era.

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theladygreer
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One of the highlights of my Chicago #booktour stop was visiting The Book Stall in Winnetka. Spotted this staff pick by my friend Rae Meadows -- they have good taste here! (And now they also have signed copies of Girl in Disguise.) @CherylDeFranceschi #getindie

CherylDeFranceschi It was so nice to meet you! I hope you made it to Graceland! 8y
theladygreer @CherylDeFranceschi I did, & I took a ton of pictures! Some on Instagram. Will share some here when I get a chance. So great to meet you. 8y
CherylDeFranceschi I'm so glad you got to go- it's such an incredible place, rich with history. It was so lovely of you to stop in and sign books for us! Great to meet you, too! Hope W&CF was awesome. So sad I couldn't be there. 8y
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MeggsKY
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Mehso-so

Slow and sad. Dust storms and drought and tragedy. Not a lot of redemption or hope to be found here--left me feeling disappointed.

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MeggsKY
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I should be listening to this in the middle of summer! The story takes place during the hot months of the droughts and dust storms of the 1930's in Oklahoma. Everything is slow and drawn out: the pacing, the descriptions, the narration...Ianguid & delicious!

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Chantelle
Mehso-so

I mean, it wasn't ALL slow destruction and disillusionment.

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Jas16
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Pickpick

This book set in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl during the 1930s touches on the ways adversity can bring people together as well as isolate them. How do you stay and endure when each day holds a new trial? How do you trust your decisions when the ones made in the past brought you to a life you never imagined? Do we truly ever know our parents, spouses, children or even ourselves? It is a fast read with characters I felt I knew by the end.

rachellayown I loved this one! 8y
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DreesReads
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Mehso-so

Meh. A romance disguised as historical fiction. A few oddball and out of place very minor story lines that go nowhere, so much bountiful food after years of drought and not breaking even, and an anachronism or two. Also: you need a rooster to get chicks from eggs! 😂🐓

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DreesReads
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Quick library pickup today! Top is for 8th grader, he loved the short story and wants to read the novel. Bottom is what @Liberty gave me as a suggestion way back when. It finally came in!!!

Reviewsbylola Flowers for Algernon is great. 8y
19 likes1 comment
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Bookdodger
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Pickpick

Read this novel and you will find yourself in the dust bowl of Oklahoma fighting to stay on the land, loving your family yet needing something more to fill the void. Tragic and triumphant, Rae Meadows' spare prose will draw you in until you ARE Annie, Samuel, Birdie, Fred, and Jack.

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Bookdodger
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My rep came by yesterday and said I have to read this. He usually knows what he's talking about! So far it is excellent!

ValerieAndBooks My grandparents were "Okies" who ended up in CA. Looks good! 8y
jkjohn Best book I've read this year. 8y
8 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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8little_paws
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got these two at a book swap today! not too shabby!

Librariana That title alone makes it sound intriguing - "I will send rain" 8y
8little_paws @librariana it's set during the dust bowl! 8y
13 likes2 comments
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8little_paws
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just snatched these two up from a book swap this afternoon. A great day!

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8little_paws
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just snatched these two up from a book swap this afternoon. A great day!

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Liberty
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Morning perch. 🐾 #catsoflitsy

Kitta 😸 8y
AThousandLives87 And my husband gets onto me for how many books I have! Ha! I should show him this!!! 8y
kspenmoll My guess is you have more stacks not visible! Heaven for your kitty! 8y
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Erynecki Beautiful cat! 8y
Laalaleighh #littenkitten 😻 such a good little book guardian! 8y
Bookzombie 💕🐱 8y
youngreadrshelf So, @Liberty, do you just toss out pieces of furniture now and then to fill those spaces with books? 😉 8y
Carol The queen surveying her kingdom. 😻👑 8y
ultrabookgeek I see Square Wave - been meaning to read it! Love this book topography. 8y
Nebklvr I always tell people I don't decorate with knickknacks, I decorate with books....I think I may have a little catching up to do 8y
MrBook 😻 8y
238 likes3 stack adds11 comments
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mauveandrosysky
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Pickpick

Vivid, gritty and bittersweet, I Will Send Rain is an understated story about life‘s bleakness and beauty amid the desolate landscape of 1930s Oklahoma.

Rae Meadows tells the story in taut, elegant prose—opting for a befitting realism over sentimentality, because anything else would be a disservice to her characters. There isn‘t one unnecessary word in this book, and every plot point feels earned.

MrBook Great review 😊👍🏻 8y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Loved your review! Added to TBR! 8y
intothehallofbooks I can't wait to read this! 8y
BB1958 I have this at the top of my list. I admire authors who don't take the easy way out. 8y
41 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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librariankris
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#tbrtuesday These are on deck while I read Manitou Canyon by William Kent Krueger.

CyranoseDeBergerac I don't know why, but I'm nervous for you to read Fever At Dawn. I hope you like it! 8y
CyranoseDeBergerac Also, I like how the titles go together... I Will Send Rain, Here Comes the Sun. Patient...Fever. Maybe I should go to sleep. 8y
librariankris I can't wait to read Fever at Dawn - I ❤️ recommendations! And I didn't even consider how the spines read, but it's cool. Thanks for pointing it out. 8y
librariankris @CyranoseDeBergerac I keep forgetting to tag, so check my previous post. 8y
BB1958 I Will Send Rain is next in my list. My mother lived that period of history - and the stories she tells are heartbreaking about what it did to families. 8y
35 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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mauveandrosysky
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mauveandrosysky
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RoscoeBooks
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Here are two books that may have gotten lost in the August shuffle, but which are absolutely worth a read. One is set in dust bowl-era Oklahoma, and the other features a contemporary clan grappling with the requirements of a special-needs kid...but both are smart, compelling family dramas. Much love!

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suvata
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So far, so good.

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suvata
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Up next: A short novel about the 1934 Oklahoma Dust Bowl

BookBabe I want this! Looks great. 8y
suvata I will let you know how it was in a couple of days. 8y
12 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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BethFishReads
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Hope to finish this soon. I'm wishing for rain as much as this family is. Cooling off with a homemade coconut milk, banana, Chambord ice pop (not as psychedelic as I've made it look).

Tav Yum! 8y
BethFishReads @Tav and I can pretend it's good for me 8y
CherylDeFranceschi Sounds pretty amazing! 8y
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[DELETED] 2232195534 We've got a crazy amount of rain happening down here. And in August no less. Freaky!! 8y
BethFishReads @kaysreadinglife the weather is insane everywhere. But, you know, there is no climate change. 🙄 8y
Tav @BethFishReads frozen treats are good for the soul. I'm making jalapeño lime sorbet tonight, and celery rum raisin ice cream tomorrow. 8y
BethFishReads @Tav ooooohhhh both sound awesome 8y
40 likes8 comments
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BethFishReads
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I was forced to drink an ice-cold vodka & OJ to combat the dust and grit the Bells face every day.

Notafraidofwords I'm on hold at the library for this one. 8y
BethFishReads @Notafraidofwords yay. I think you'll love it. It's so good 8y
Notafraidofwords @BethFishReads good! I can't wait. 8y
rachelm I cannot wait to read this one. 8y
BethFishReads @rachelm worth the wait 8y
45 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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ErikasMindfulShelf
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I won!! 💕📖💕. There's nothing better than surprise #bookmail

Chessa Nice! Congrats! 8y
Notafraidofwords Amazing ! 8y
Megabooks Whoa! Great! 👍🏻👍🏻 8y
Reviewsbylola Wow, that's a great prize to win! 8y
BookishFeminist How wonderful! That's a killer prize you won 🎉🎉 8y
36 likes5 comments
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Litpicks
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Making the most of the babies' naps!

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moonandpeach
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Life was mostly remembering or waiting, Birdie thought. Remembering when things were better, waiting for things to get better again. There was never a now, never a time when you said, "This is it."

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BethFishReads
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I thought I'd read just a few pages to get a feel for the book. A quarter of the way in . . . I'm invested.

LynneGriffin I love everything Rae has written. Enjoy! 8y
Bookhound1 That captures so much, you get an idea of the woman and her determination to stay true to herself in those few statements. 8y
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BethFishReads
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This novel is set in the worst of times for rural America: 1934. Depression and drought are just part of the troubles a woman her family face on their Oklahoma farm. Adding this to my current rotation.

Jillreads I read it recently and really enjoyed it. I hope you do too! 8y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders I'm wishing to read this one too! 8y
BethFishReads @Jillreads I started it and was immediately sucked in. @Penny_LiteraryHoarders 8y
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bermudaonion I got this today. 8y
jennifersmeth This one is high on my TBR list 8y
39 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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Suzze
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Pickpick

Excellent. I don't think I could have endured Dust Bowl Oklahoma.

Alena I'm looking forward to this one. It's a great cover. 8y
Suzze @Alena The cover alone would make me pick it up. ❤️ 8y
35 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Suzze
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Gave up on the advance copy I was reading, started this, and was hooked by page 10.

BookBabe 😍 8y
30 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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Jillreads
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Pickpick

I will admit that I decided to read the book for very deep & scientific reasons - good cover & title, but I really fell into the story. The characters were well developed and had believable imperfect relationships. I'm a fan!

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Looks really good! 8y
10 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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intothehallofbooks
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I can't wait to read this!

Is anyone else at #alaac16? I'm having a great time ⭐️💥

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candc320
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Another surprise in the mail. Seems like the perfect story for these exhaustive, hot days of summer!

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Liberty
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I'm taking the night off from work reading to read things that I'll likely use for work. 😂

Hollie Looks so good! As a history prof from KS the dust bowl history speaks to me! 8y
Carol With an evening like that you could totally be a librarian. 📚📚📚 8y
Ellsbeth As a history teacher, I do the same thing. 😄❤️📚 8y
154 likes28 stack adds3 comments
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MrsAlexanderHamilton
Pickpick

Free copy as part of the LibraryThing early reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.
Likable characters. Some parts of the plot surprised me & some I saw coming. It was a nice balance. Relatable. The writing itself was beautiful & elegant. I would highly recommend this upon its release.

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MrsAlexanderHamilton

I will come back to you, she thought, if you come back to me.

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MrsAlexanderHamilton
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You don't need to tell me it's not the right thing to do. But we live only once, as far as I know, and happiness should count for something, shouldn't it?

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MrsAlexanderHamilton

"My sweet little bird," he had said.
"I'm not that sweet," she had said, even though she loved hearing him say it.

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MrsAlexanderHamilton
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Getting started on this ARC since I can't sleep tonight.

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