Customer Reviews

Rice without Rain

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was the most amazing book I've ever read, it studies the trial and tragedies of a young Thai girl. At first she sees the world as flat, they always do something because that's the way they always do it, but when she meets the university students who come to study her village, the world becomes round to her. One of the great parts of the book is when her father is thrown in jail, the authors writing is so spirited that you can feel Jinda's (the main characters) anger and desparation. When she visits her father in prision tears sprang to my eyes, it's just that the author's writing is so amazing it takes you right to Bankok with the characters. The description is marvelous, the writing is timeless, and the story is amazing. Rice Without Rain will remain in my heart and my mind forever.

I thought Rice Without Rain was an absolutely spectacular book. A story that has love, war - what else could one want? RWR also brings the conflict in Thailand out into the public eye and has informed thousands about these violent periods in Thailand, of which the general population probably is vaguely aware of.

The main character and our heroine, Jinda, is a very simple, good natured young woman, and warms the hearts of all readers with her innocent naivete. The characters are so real in this novel, that they will stay for you months after. They have with me.

I personally would reccomend this piece to anyone. It has been the foundation of my newfound love for Asian literature.

Children of the River by Linda Crew, was a very good novel, but not since Rice With Rain have I had so much interest in reading a novel. I never thought that I would encounter another book as depressing as Children of the River, yet Rice Without Rain certainly was the one. The story was about Jinda Boonreung, a village thai girl, who goes through many struggles to free her father. She also seeks love and happiness from a city boy in Bangkok, Ned. Though they met and fell in love, they couldn't be together. What a ironic twist, huh!? To find out more about this ironic love story and what happened at the end, I'll recommend that you'll need to read this book.

"Rice without Rain" was a very down-to-earth and practical story.It discussed the key issues of poverty and unfairness towards farming communities.I was very emotionally touched by the life that Jinda went through as a result of all the revolutions and mental torture. She showed me that she was a strong character still very much in touch with her roots and that she treasured simple things in nature that city-dwellers like myself have come to take for granted---like rain.Indeed, in the last part of the story, as Jinda remembered all of the past, one could see that a new life was in the making.The rain was like healing water soothing the wounds of the land, curing all the suffering in the land.

Jinda, a 17 yr old girl tries to save her father from prison with the help of a Bangkok student named Ned. They fall in love but end up separated after Jinda's father dies. She stayed in the village afterwards and Ned joined the Communist army to fight for his rights. Never seeing each other again, Jinda says farewell to her first love.

Rice Without Rain is, in short, a beautiful story. Starting out as a traditional girl-meets-boy story, the book evolved into a page-turning, bitersweet tale as young Jinda is torn between two different and difficult paths. I felt heartbroken at the horrible hardships Jinda endured, but the end brought me a sense of hope, because rather than being able to fix the bad things that had happened Jinda faced the future with understanding, hope, and strength that she would not have gained without the troubles she went through in the book. I think Minfong Ho is an excelent writer, as she makes me feel that I am becoming Jinda rather than just reading about her. Keep several boxes of Kleenexes handy; but read Rice Without Rain-- it will intrest almost anyone, with touches of romance, horror, and drama. Lotus Hartman, age 13, Carthage, Missouri

This is a really good book, but I would seriously recommend you reading it before giving it to your child to read. There are VERY adult scenes (very descriptive birth scene, for example).

Everything seems natural until some college students come into the village to convince the people that they are entitled to a better life. This creates alot of conflict between the rice growers and their landowners. Sacrifice and hardship ensue, but the second generation may very well reap some benefit. Monsoons - Rice Growing - Thailand.

I enjoyed reading this book because it was interesting and had great discriptions. I didn't like the ending but it was good at the same time because it rained. Ann Kidder 6th grader American School in Japan

i read this book when I was 12 and after a decade, it is still etched into my mind as one of the best books I have ever read. I am an avid reader and rarely read books twice, but this book is DEFINATELY one to have in the home and to be reread and memorized.