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This month's review looks at Victor Villasenor's book Rain Of Gold. While this is not a grief and healing book exactly, the prose of Victor Villasenor's Rain Of Gold tells a story of tremendous loss, of hardships endured, and survival that is treasured! I picked this book up because it is the choice of our book club for November. I had planned to pace my reading so that I'd have something to read for the entire month. Ha! I read these 562 pages in one weekend. I simply could not put it down!
For several years now, I have been obsessed with the writings of women who have had to survive the death of a child. I've been trying to figure out what makes those women keep going. Well, the women in Rain Of Gold lost children, husbands, homes, fortunes, and anything else you can think of. But you keep reading this amazing story because even with all that loss, these women and men are some of the wealthiest souls in the universe! I imagine Dona Margarita surviving each hard day because of her personal relationship with God-- and I do mean personal! The best parts of the book are when Dona Margarita has her one-on-one discussions with God, Christ, and Mary. Dona Margarita muses at how powerful Mary really was-- having two husbands (Joseph and God) and still managing to convince that world that she was a virgin when she was pregnant! In all my life, I have wanted a role model who could explain to me what a personal relationship with God would look like. Well, Dona Margarita is the teacher for me! (I know I'm overusing the exclamation point in this review, but you won't understand until you read the book how very energized Villasenor's writing has made me.)
This is the story of the grandparents and parents of the author, Victor Villasenor. Lupe and Salvador are Victor's parents. You follow them from childhood to marriage as their families immigrate from Mexico to California. The time line of the story is from before the time of the Mexican Revolution all the way to the 1920s. Lupe's mother, Dona Guadalupe, is equally as interesting and powerful as Dona Margarita (mentioned above), Salvador's mother. And both Lupe and Salvador have sisters who are forces to be reckoned with, for sure!
This whole story is magical. Victor Villasenor's craft of writing this story and these characters is magic. I'm sure the real people were magic. You just don't know the meaning of loss, healing, prayer and abundance till you read this book. You'll see the words God, miracle, prayer, and others many times over as you read. But this isn't religious propaganda or dogma. It isn't fluff, sentimental nor meaningless. This is the stuff of REAL life.
You just have to read this book. You have to. Go! Now! Get a copy and read it. You'll be glad you did.
Click here to order your copy today!
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