Customer Reviews

Kissing The Rain

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kissing the Rain was an amazing fictional book by Kevin Brooks. While reading this book it's like living a different life, understanding exactly how the main character is feeling: all the pain and the anger. You can really relate to the main character in one way or another, by getting to know him page after page. This book makes you want to read on and find out what is going to happen next, "What is Moo going to do?" "How is he going to react?" It really makes you want to know how the story ends-even after you have finished reading it.

Moo Nelson is a young man who has to face the everyday chellenges of an oveerweight adolescent. His friends are not real friends, his enemies are real enemies though. He must deal with the "rain" (insults and beatings) every day of his life, but rather than drugs or alcahol, he escapes his inner torments with the simple peacefulness of a bridge.

One day however, the peacfulness is shattered as a case of road rage turns violent. Suddenly Moo is hurtled into a confusing series of events that endangers his well being. If Moo tells the truth, or if he lies, something terrible will happen. All Moo does know, however, is that he somehow has to overcome the rain.

This book is speactacularly written, truly revealing the inner torments of an overweight teenager. The confusing thoughts, the pain, the misery all comes pouring out in a horriyingly calm and accepting manner. I am 15 years old and an avid reader, so I am not easily impressed, but the book was very impressive. If you enjoy this book I would recommend "Crusader" as well.

THIS IS A GOOD BOOK, WITH A GOOD PLOT, BUT I WAS DISSAPPOINTED THAT I SPENT 4 DAYS READING IT AND NOT GETTING TO KNOW WHAT MOO CHOOSES IN THE END. THE BOOK MADE ME THINK, BUT IT CONFUSING IN SEVERAL PLACES.

It had a good storyline but the narrative is like the 15yr old fat boy is talking to you and he will repeat questions over and over and just be like "what are you gunna do bout it? there aint nuthin you can do bout it" and it gets quite confusing at points. even if you do get through the writing like i did the ending is absolute CRAP it does not resolve ANYTHING and not in a hmm good ending i wonder what happened way.. it was a WHERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER?? way. i was pissed that i spent over a week reading the story to get NO resolution

This is a book about a kid named Moo who is bullied and picked on and one day he goes to his "special spot" and witnesses a road rage where someone is murdered. He ends up going to court but is blackmailed by the lawyers before he gets there. You eventually figure out which side he testifies for, and at the very end you find out what "kiss the rain" actually means. This is a descent book but it's hard to understand. Moo repeats himself over and over and he also does a lot of talking to himself which makes the book confusing. I wouldn't advise anyone lower than tenth grade to read this book.

Yes, I do rate this a 5 out of 5. It has an interesting approach to writing, because the 'cause's are spelled cos, and Brooks uses capitals very often throughout the book, practically on every page. It's a great book to read, and sometimes the main character, Michael, nicknamed "Moo" for his fatness, states his thoughts in the book, and his thoughts are peculiar and its like...he takes all the words literally. For example, when a guy says all right?, after that he thinks of like...ALL RIGHT? IM ALWAYS LAUGHED AT FOR BEING FAT AND PUSHED AROUND. ALL RIGHT? yea...right.

The book Kissing the Rain is about a fat kid,
Michael (nicknamed Moo) who is teased, or RAINED
OFF as he calls it, a lot. Every day after
school, after the Rain, he goes to a bridge with
a highway on it. He goes there to calm his mind
and to lose himself at the bridge. One day, he
sees two cars pull over. Pretty soon, a fight
starts and one guy is killed, but no one is sure
who kills him. Moo is one of the few witnesses
and the police take a statement from him and he
has to go to court. Some people want the guy who
supposedly killed the man in jail, but that guy
will do anything to keep that from happening,
even bribe Moo and seriously hurt his friend. To
find out what happens to Moo and the rest, read
the book.

I liked this book a lot. It reminded me of
people I know at school who are teased a lot just
because of how they look. That helped me connect
with Moo and understand his feelings, which were
quite accurate. The plot kept me interested and
it was written like Moo was actually telling the
story to you. It had curse words, badly spelled e-
mails, improper grammar, and other things to make
the book seem real. The ending was a perfect
cliffhanger and it made you wonder what would
happen next. I know there is not going to be a
sequel so this book lets me imagine the ending.
Also, it left you with a message, which is you
can say you are going to do something, but are
you really going to do it? Choices in life are
often very tough to make. I recommend this book
to anyone, no matter what they like or do not
like.

Reviewed by J. Plowe for Flamingnet Book Reviews, www.flamingnet.com.

Kissing The Rain is a book about tough decisions. The book's main character is Micheal "Moo" Nelson. Moo is 15 years old, extremely overweight, he gets picked on and bullied (rained) on. His only friend is another outcast who is a midget although they don't really admit they are friends for a bit. Moo likes to get away from it all by going to a foot bridge and watching the traffic pass underneath(highway). Moo goes here often just to escape he calls the bridge, that section of the highway his. One day while Moo is at the bridge he witness road rage by two cars, and one of the guys ends up being killed. Moo is the only witness so both the defense and prosecution (and even the defendant) are pulling him and telling him that he must do this or else. It gets confusing for Moo because he doesn't know what he should do this or that , truth or lie.

The book did take a few chapters to get into but then it became really interesting. The way the book ends is sort of frustrating/sort of open ended so if you don't like books like that then this probably wouldn't be the best fit. All in all it was an enjoyable book I can relate to Moo during school I was often picked on not because of weight but just because I was different. The book is also good about making one think. What would they do if they were Moo or in his situation? Things in life aren't always cut and paste. Its not always good vs bad it can be bad vs. bad or good vs. good.

Kissing the Rain
By: Kevin Brooks
320 pp. United Kingdom.
Chicken House, 2004.

In this frighteningly realistic novel, Kevin Brooks tells of the like of a FAT boy with all the torments and jeers he endures. In Kevin Brooks' story of CHOICES and CONSEQUENCES, Moo, the fat boy, the outcast, the punching bag...can't do anything about the RAIN, with it pouring on him relentlessly. His only shelter is the bridge.

But even the shelter of his bridge can't shield him from what happens next. Standing on the bridge, Moo is the sole witness of a murder, or the set-up of a murder... Soon enough, Moo becomes the center of attention. Everyone is so curious for the real story that the RAIN and PITY almost lets up. It almost feels good. But all of a sudden, Moo's life turns upside down. Everyone wants to know the real story, but some also want him to twist the truth. Everyone tries to win him over, and everyone pretends to be his friend. Moo just can't take it anymore...

Kevin Brooks' unique writing style captivates readers, adding a slight twist to the literature, while maintaining a thoughtful tone. Through the risky writing style, Moo actually seems to be conversing with the reader, as if he were a real person. (p.127) "Donut smiles at me, but I can tell he don't like it. I can see him thinking --- What's with all these questions? Who's this FATSO kid think he is..." Moo displays his feelings and his personality through countless quotes.

Overall, the humorous and touching narrative of a FAT boy deserves a rating of five stars. It gives a feeling of connection, or understanding when you read of this teenager's difficult school life and how he swallows it down. Kevin Brooks depicts a life scarring event that he can relate to, too. His life was altered suddenly by the death of his father, which inspired the tone of many of his books. The turning of sadness into acceptance.

By James Corrigan
3-7-10

KISSING THE RAIN
By Kevin Brooks
320 pgs. Push/Scholastic Inc., New York 2004

I am a student in a middle school not unlike the one that Michael "Moo" Nelson goes to in the book Kissing The Rain, by Kevin Brooks. And the kids in my school are not unlike the bullies in the same book. If the kids in my school were to find out that there was someone who spent every day at a bridge and was fat and nerdy, they would make fun of him too.

With that in mind, meet Michael "Moo" Nelson, the star of this book. As I have described, he is fat, and nerdy, and spends all his time at a nearby bridge. Then one day, at the bridge, he witnessed something that would change his life. There was a car chase, straight from the movie screen. Then he witnessed an apparent murder. Days later, he was interviewed by the police, and then, his world goes crazy on him from that point on. He was thrown into a battle of what is right and what is necessary. Moo even said on pg. 100, "There was just one time, one place, one thing, one STUPID LITTLE MOMENT, and the next thing I know I'm smack in the middle of something MENTAL..." Not a great situation to be in. Then, it gets even more complicated when he is getting blackmailed by the prosecutor, and the man accused of the murder. And then...you'll have to read the book to find that out.
When you get down to it, this novel really makes you think. You find yourself thinking, "what would I do if I was Moo?" And, when the book ends, you will find yourself thinking, "WOW, did that just happen?" This book gives you insight on a whole different world that some of you may never know. It also gives you an insight of the investigation of a crime and the interrogation of a witness. In the end though, Moo must make a decision between right and wrong.

The narration of the book in first person by Moo was tremendous, and gave the audience a whole different perspective of the way stories are told. The possibilities in this book are many. It shows you what can happen if you get caught between a crime. One flaw of the story was that during the scene with the murder, Moo says that the victim was never touched. If that's the case, how did he end up dead? That part was unclear but the rest of the book was brilliant and achieved its goal of entertaining the reader. Overall, Kissing The Rain is an entertaining, exciting story that I would definitely recommend.

James Corrigan is a regular student in Mrs. Crowley's 7th period English class.