Rainy Lake

By Mary Francois Rockcastle

Book Overview

In Rainy Lake , author Mary Rockcastle invites the reader to savor the sights, sounds, and smells of summer at her parents' lopsided lakefront cabin during the 1960s. From the landscape of her memory,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555972187
• ISBN13: 9781555972189
• Release Date: September 1994
• Publisher: Graywolf Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Broken families weave together during an American summer in the 1960's.

I admit, I purchased this book not for the story itself but for the cover art. However, once I fell into the rhythms of the story, my opinions of it kept changing. Danny (Danielle) Fillian spends her summers at a lopsided home on Rainy Lake. Her architect father, Charlie, homemaker mother May and boating enthusiast older brother Bryan fill in openly realistic set of core characters. As a person who cannot swim and dislikes the constant pull of waves and their ever-present sounds against the sand (particularly at night), I struggled to understand what others already know- the lure of swimming through lake water; the easy comraderie of adults drinking; smoking and playing cards late into the summer nights; growing up in a pocket of hazy sun, finding your place amongst the townies and summer kids. The author sets her novel in a volitile time in my nation's history, the 1960's. At the beginning, we see what appears to be a hopeful family fixing up their summer cottage. By book's end, we realize they are fighting through various upheavals and downdrafts, broken in familiar ways, proud and venegeful as the next person. I'd thought this book would be another dull story of an upper-middle class white family with Sunday values surrounding themselves with their own kind, aligning against an "enemy" and not making much sense of anything. I was wrong. This isn't to say there aren't stereotypes among the characters, particularly in Danny's brother as he struggles with the realities of the Vietnam war and biogtry of his fellow white neighbors. A worthwhile read. Also, look into the art of Diane Katsiaficas.

Best Book I Ever Read

When I first read Rainy Lake, I fell in love with Mary Rockcastle's beautifully illustrative writing. Not only was I swept off my feet by the vividly real characters, but also by the lush setting that pervaded into my own reality. I have returned to this novel many times in my life when I have needed an escape. In Rainy Lake, Rockcastle portrays a teenage girl who struggles to find a balance between living through her heart's desires and relying on common sense. I recommend this novel to all girls who are struggling with their own identities while on the road to becoming women.

Do yourself a huge favor....

Read this book! Rainy Lake is easily the best book I've ever read. I read it for the first time about 4 years ago and I loved it, but it is one of those books that you find yourself thinking about without really realizing it. When I do realize I'm thinking about it, I usually come here to see if Mary has come out with a new novel yet. Similar to "The Prince of Tides", but less predictable. It makes you feel either happy or sad, you're not quite sure; if you do feel sad, it feels good to feel sad.