Customer Reviews

The Long Rain

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

 

 

I read this novel in my 12th grade English class and was pleasantly surprised by the way it toyed with my thoughts. At first, as I was getting a feel for the characters, I enjoyed the descriptive way Mr. Gadol wrote about the vineyards and his surroundings. Jason (the protaganist/antagonist) had finaly pulled his life (marriage and family) together, and restored his father's dilapidated vineyard when his need for speed got him into trouble...he hit a teenage boy. Although I knew Jason would not turn himself in, I still wanted him to. After days of not confessing, I found myself hoping that he wouldn't get caught. But after he created one lie after another to cover up his fatal error, and the reader has to listen to his decitful way of thinking, I began to dislike Jason and I wished he would soon recieve his comeupence. My dislike of the character increased as he became the lawyer of the man the crime was pinned on. I also dispised his wife for continuing to come back to Jason after leaving him for valid reasons. It was hard to find a character I truly liked. Aw, but that is the sign of a really good author--someone who can make you really like or even hate a character. My feelings changed towards the end of the book when the story line takes an unsuspecting twist. No matter what, I always enjoyed the poetic and serene writing of Mr. Gadol. THE LONG RAIN shows how one might justify a seemingly hienous crime. Read it--you won't be disappointed. Kudos to Mr. Gadol. Well done. One of my all time favorites.

The protoganist has lost the two things that mean the most to him: family and job. As he sorts out his life and tries to start anew, things start going well, then everything suddenly takes a turn for the worse. Guilt from being involved in an accident that claims the life of a teen-age boy consumes his thoughts. He wants to confess, but fails to do so. We, the readers, feel for him. What would we do in this situation?

There are many characters and conflicts in this novel that stir the emotions. The main character is a lawyer, and although a lawyer should be ethical, it is the human side that takes over. I can relate to issues that are raised and to the protagonist. I hope that I would react diffently, but would I under the same circumstances?

I likee the book for the style of writing, the plot, and how it stirs the emotions.

I really liked the main theme of this book, which was the moral dilemma that the character faced after he killed a boy in a hit and run accident. I also thought that the author had a marvelous command of the English language and used beautiful descriptive passages. Also loved the repetitive theme of the hard-driving rain.

However, I found it to be a very slow read during certain scenes in the vineyard, and there was something one-dimensional about the characters other than Jason. I never really got a feel for Julia and Tim. And I certainly agree with one of the other reviewers here on Amazon that the ending seemed completely unrealistic, and I could not picture a lawyer confiding in his client the way that Jason did, no matter how distraught he felt. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the book very much.

We know the killer. We know it was an accident. And we wonder how he can possibly get out of his own personal nightmare of having become a hit-and-run driver. This guy is an attorney, and he not only covers up his own involvement in the case, but he also finds himself defending in court the transient who is wrongly accused of the crime.
Talk about twisted!
Lies begin to pile up and we find ourselves feeling both sympathy and disgust for Jason, the killer/lawyer. It's a page-turner, for sure.

I read about 50 novels last year and this was definatley in the top 5. The characters and plot are extremely well done. Gadol hit the sweet-spot between making the story interesting and still making it beleivable. The plot of this book does a great job of surfacing something that we all will face on some scale during our lives: do you tell a lie to make things "easier"? This book will make you wonder what you would have really done if you were in the character's same position. Althought I wouldn't say that I would have done the same thing as him, I can definately empathize with him. By the way, you don't have to have any interest in wine ir wine-making to enjoy this book. Just read it, its great.

My daughter suggested this book to me specifically because of my interest in wine. Gadol has influence over his descriptive license and he takes advantage of it. At times, he certainly made me feel that I was at the vineyard tending the vines and trellises, harvesting in the open air, crushing the cab or bottling the brew. There are instances however that I felt the prose to be too introspective and emotional. I have to admit, once or twice I felt like jumping off of the rock that overlooks the valley myself. While I was interested in most of the conversations, I also found myself longing for more and better dialogue. Some of the twists in the plot were very interesting while others were set up transparently. All in all, The Long Rain is an enjoyable book and one that I would suggest to readers who love wine and a good fiction.

It is easy to indentify with the hero and his struggle against a crucial mistake which turns around his whole life. But by putting together the old and neglected wineyard of his father he somehow tries to reconstruct his own life. I loved the vivid pictures this novel creates!

Peter Gadol's, The Long Rain, is a great book for in depth charachter development. I loved getting into Jason's mind and finding out what makes him tick! Well written and includes a full array of emotions. One of Peter's many great books.

This book has many unexpected twists and will stick in your mind forever. Rarely does a book strike me so forcefully as this one did! You will never guess how it ends! Besides top rated entertainment, you will get a interesting lesson on winemaking! If you live in the Pacific Northwest you will have a personal knowledge of the climate and scenery of this terrific book! Do yourself a favor and enjoy this book!

Because that's how long it'll take a person to get into it! The author's dialogue is depleted after the first conversation...It's not very comlex, or inventive. I just hope that I don't sound like that when I talk! But it is very realistic, and if you like wineries, wine-making, and un-involving character situations, then you will enjoy it.