Rain Village

by Carolyn Turgeon

Book Overview

Young Tessa is a diminutive girl, far too small for farm work and the object of ridicule by both her own family and the other children in their isolated Midwestern community. Her father seems to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932961240
• ISBN13: 9781932961249
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Unbridled Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Charming, Ethereal, Palpable, Joy

"Rain Village" has a gypsy in its soul, filled with secrets, scents, thrills, chills and suspense, just like every circus should be! The narrator, tiny Tessa Riley, begins to tell her tale of being too small to do chores as a mere girl in a farming family in Kansas and meeting up with Mary Finn, a strange, mystical and almost magical woman that arrived on the scene and would serve as both a mentor and an icon to her. The story unfolds like a paper flower in water, as the tale of who this woman is, how she is connected to this little girl and what lies ahead for little Tessa in that big world out there is the crux of the story. The book plays out almost like a grown-up fable, with rich descriptions, evocative phrasing and very real people who just happen to be in a very unique business: the world of the Big Top. Author Carolyn Turgeon provides a read that's as quick as a human cannonball and as light and lovely as the aerialists she describes. It is a wonderful tale that you'll wish went on at least a little longer.

Circus Magic!

A rich portrayal of circus magic, Rain Village is the best kind of page-turning literature, in the tradition of Katherine Dunn's Geek Love and Toni Morrison's Jazz or Beloved. Turgeon's writing is reminiscent of the most awe-inspiring trapeze art--such glittering, seemless, gorgeous prose. You'll fly through this book with the greatest of ease, and finish, wanting more!!!

A wonderful, evocative page turner

Rain Village is both epic and intimate, magical and yet totally real. I just loved this novel. It takes you away the way a good book ought to and so rarely does. I know several people who have read advance copies of Rain Village, and we've all been seduced by its charms. Gorgeous writing, too. I can't wait to see the movie!

Magical Realism at it's best

Rain Village is magical realism at its best. Tessa is a tiny girl raised by farmers, who finds solace first with the town's seductive but outcast librarian, then by running away to join the circus. Full of evocative descriptions, plot twists, and exhaustively researched circus scenes. This book is both a great read and proof of some serious literary chops