Small Rain ~ Ppr: Amazon.ca: Madelei Lengle: Books

Review

"An unusual and beautiful book . . .--Los Angeles Times

L'Engle has created an immensely appealing character; and in the course of her quietly well-told story she has given us a true picture of the life lived by serious artists.--Philadelphia Inquirer

Product Description

Madeleine L'Engle's classic young adult books include A Wrinkle in Time, A Swiftly Planet, and Certain Women. The Small Place, an adult novel, focuses on Katherine Forrester, the daughter of distinguished musical artists, whose career as a concert pianist evolves through loves and losses. Katherine is a child growing up in a refined, yet bohemian, artistic ambience--theatrical as well as musical . . . . [Her] adolescence is lonely and difficult, but as Katherine advances to young womanhood, her heart as well as her talent is promisingly engaged (Publishers Weekly).

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
"It's kind of slow tonight, kitten. Read the first page

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Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars One of L'engle's best, Mar 14 2004

By	Audrey - See all my reviews

I came across this book quite randomly and decided to read it (as i often read any book that i can get my hands on), and i am extremely glad I did. It is a wonderful novel in the way that you feel as if you are living the main characters life.

Katherine is a young girl who is struggling to become a musician while trying to live up to her deceased mother's memory. It is a bit weak in plot but makes up for with the raw emotion. I found it rather different from L'engles other books such as A Wind in the Door or A Swiftly Tilted Planet , but then again A Small Rain is an adult book while the others are not. It is undoubtedly my favorite of her books and i definetly recommend it to anyone at all.

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5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommended for females in their teenage years., Feb 28 2003

By	"chewbecca" - See all my reviews

this ranks as one of my favorite books of all time and definitely something i'd recommend to any females out there. basically it's a coming of age book, sans your typical judy bloom-like horror stories. katherine, the main character, is being raised by her composer-father who is neglectful if not anything else, and her step-mother-actress. the book chronicles the different phases she goes through as she reaches her adulthood. i thought it was very well written (as tends to be my opinion about most l'engle books) and i immediately liked the character. the only drawback that i found to this book is that l'engle later wrote a sequel to it (a severed wasp) which excited me greatly when i finished this book as i didn't want the story to end. but instead of finding the same katherine that i had enjoyed in the first book, i found a much older version that liked to solve mysteries and was a little full of herself. at any rate, the small rain is definitely a must-read.....especially for females in their teenage years.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Plot lovers, stay away!, Jan 24 2002

By A Customer

There really is no plot to this book. Readers who are fans of Ms. L'Engle's youth fiction, like me, should exercise some caution before reading this book. Upon opening the pages, you will not escape into worlds of fantasy where your imagination is challenged with every word. Here, a more realistic story is presented. It is one of Madeleine L'Engle's "adult" books, and it is quite good, if you approach it with the right mindset. The story centers around Katherine Forrester, who has lived her entire life surrounded by artists. Now, these are not necessarily artists in the sense that Monet or Picasso was an artist; they are artistic in the "arts"- music, acting, etc. Of course, artists live in a world that most of us left-brained people cannot quite understand. This novel excellently depicts the life that true artists live. We are given unique insight into Katherine's soul, something rarely found in today's literature. Most times, characterization is ignored for a riveting plot. Katherine Forrester stirs up remembrances of Jane Austen heroines- the girls you actually knew and understood. Katherine is a fabulously flawed character that I completely loved. I felt after I read this book that I had made a new friend and discovered a new world. The book made me think. It's about time I could say that again.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best book I have ever read.
The first Madeleine L'Engle book I have ever read was "A Ring Of Endless Light," and having read it over about 8 times, which I rarely ever do with a book, I decided to... Read more

Published on Nov 27 2001 by Carol

5.0 out of 5 stars And it was her first novel!
As an embryonic writer myself, what amazes me most about this excellently crafted novel is that it was L'Engle's first, and one that was to be followed by ten years of rejection... Read more

Published on Jun 9 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book to be Praised
Reading this book made me feel real. The depth that L'Engle creates with Katherine overwhelms the reader, and brings you into it. Read more

Published on May 17 2001 by Andrea Monk

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a Vintage Soap Opera
Firstly, I must say that this book is NOT great literature. I was a dreamy 12-year-old L'engle fan when I borrowed a battered 1st edition copy from the school library and then... Read more

Published on Dec 28 2000 by Kelli