RAIN

by GUNN, KIRSTY | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0571173004 Global Overview for this book
Registered by tangledthreads of Derby, Derbyshire United Kingdom on 5/7/2004
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
Amazon.com | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Bol.com
This book is in the wild! This Book is Currently in the Wild!
9 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by tangledthreads from Derby, Derbyshire United Kingdom on Friday, May 7, 2004
(4th copy registered.) This is the story of a glistening summer, about 12 year old Janey taking care of her little brother, escaping into their own world, away from the backdrop of their parents' endless parties. This is also the summer where innocence is lost, when realisation strikes that childhood doesn't last forever.

The image-laden prose creates a very visual landscape you can almost reach out and touch. Although poetic, it is effortless rather than contrived:
"When the rain came it came first as the scent of rain, the grey air stained darker behind the hills. Then when it came down to us it was like thread and needles, piercing the jellyish water with a trillion tiny pricks, the silver threads attaching water to sky. And there too was the sound of rain, drumming gently upon the canvas cover where it was stretched taut at the back of the boat. It was so warm."
Yet while childhood summers are vividly evoked, from the beginning Gunn injects a sinister undertone, a sense that the idyll will not last.

I was worried this book wouldn't live up to my memory of it (first read about 8 years ago), but it is still one of the best books I have read.

This bookring has now ended - please see latest journal entry for current location/availability.

*I will make a list below of members in the order the book will circulate (this may be amended later depending on shipping preferences/location etc).

*The current and previous owners of the book will be shown on the list in bold, with the current owner also marked with an arrow (>).

*Please make a journal entry when you receive the book, then read, review and release the book within 1 month of receiving it, to keep the circle turning.

*When you are ready to release the book, send a PM to the next member on the list asking for their postal details.

*When the last person on the list receives the book, please send me a PM for my postal details, for the book’s return journey.

BOOKRING MEMBERS
1. TangledThreads (UK – will ship internationally)
2. skribble (UK - will ship internationally)
3. Olifant (Netherlands [but possibly UK in June] - prefer to ship within Europe)
4. tiggsybabes (UK - will ship internationally)
5. bcosta (Brazil - will ship internationally)
6. cait017 (book returned)
7. LaurieS (skipped)
8. arturogrande (UK - will ship internationally)
back to me
9. tangledthreads (UK)

Journal Entry 2 by skribble from -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Sunday, June 13, 2004
Received with thanks!

This book is beautifully written and very evocative, but it's very sad.

As I was reading it I felt like I was holding my breath, as you get a sense that something bad is going to happen and I felt the need to steal myself against it. As the narrative unfolded I found it much less painful to read then I was expecxting and I was almost disappointed.

My book group plans to do coming-of-age books next month and I'm going to suggest this for the reading list.

On it's way to Olifant

Journal Entry 3 by Olifant from Porthmadog, Wales United Kingdom on Sunday, June 27, 2004
Book was waiting for me at a friends house in U.K.

Journal Entry 4 by Olifant from Porthmadog, Wales United Kingdom on Sunday, June 27, 2004
Beautiful, quiet book. Made me melancholic. Had an interesting talk about the theme of the book with my friend who has young children.

Off to tiggsybabes. Posted it in Manchester Piccadilly at the railway station today.

Journal Entry 5 by tiggsybabes from Pontefract, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Friday, July 16, 2004
Huge apologies! Have just found this lurking under all my bills on my desk.

Journal Entry 6 by tiggsybabes from Pontefract, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, July 22, 2004
Wow! I read this on the train to / from the Birmingham Unconvention & loved it :) I really wanted to slap the parents & their friend who was showing too much interest in the 12 year old girl. It goes to show how children can be neglected by their "too busy" parents getting on with their own lives.

Will PM bcosta for their address.

Journal Entry 7 by tiggsybabes from Pontefract, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Monday, July 26, 2004
Will be posted to Bcosta tomorrow :)

Journal Entry 8 by bcosta from Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Brazil on Friday, August 6, 2004
Thanks, tiggsybabes!
I'll read it asap.

Journal Entry 9 by bcosta from Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Brazil on Friday, August 13, 2004
Girl lives with irresponsible parents and takes care of younger brother, for whom shows great affection.

The description of the lake in the very first pages made me feel blue, but nothing as I would experience while reading further. I was all the time waiting for some terrible to happen.

A good reading. Also, a quick one. Thanks for sharing this book whith us, tangledthreads!

Will be shipped this saturday to cait017.

Journal Entry 10 by bcosta from Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro Brazil on Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Well, I sent the book to cait017, but it returned as 'UNCLAIMED'. As she appears not to be getting her PMs as well, I decided to skip her. I hope everything is ok.

The book was sent today to arturogrande, as LaurieS asked to be skipped.

Journal Entry 11 by arturogrande from Coalville, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Saturday, October 30, 2004
Arrived safe and sound - thank you very much.

Journal Entry 12 by arturogrande from Coalville, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Friday, November 26, 2004
This is a stunning book, and I was completely beguiled by it.
The writing is utterly beautiful - managing to convey a sense of the innocence of childhood, but with the dark shadow of the loss of that innocence looming just outside the picture.
Gunn's prose style conveyed a sense of unease and queasy dread - it was obvious from the first words that something bad was waiting to happen, and the use of water imagery gave a hint as to what that might be.
I'm not going to spoil the ending, but the way the final chapter was written - obliquely, but leaving no doubt in the mind as to exactly what had happened, was breathtaking, and heartbreaking.
As I'm the final name on the ring, I'm now sending the book back home to the originator, tangledthreads.
Thank you very much, tangledthreads, for introducing me to this wonderful piece of writing.

Journal Entry 13 by tangledthreads from Derby, Derbyshire United Kingdom on Friday, December 3, 2004
Book received safely home after its travels, with thanks! Now to decide what will happen to it next...

Journal Entry 14 by tangledthreads at on Monday, December 13, 2004
Released on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 at about 1:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Ye Olde Dolphin Inn, Queen Street in Derby, England United Kingdom.

RELEASE NOTES:

Releasing at Tuesday night's Meetup - will leave on one of the Dolphin's information/leaflet tables if not picked up on the night...

Journal Entry 15 by cartref from Derby, not specified not specified on Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Caught at the Derby BC meet-up at Ye old Dolphin inn.

Released 18 yrs ago (11/18/2005 UTC) at Postal Release in per Post, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to Australia as a RABCK :0)

Journal Entry 17 by cackleberry on Sunday, November 27, 2005
WoooooooooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Lucky cackles! ANOTHER RABCK from the wonderful cartref! Thank you so much G, a fantastic surprise! I have read the previous journal entries and I am now intrigued enough to put this book on top of the three I am currently reading...

Arrived at Sherwood Brisbane Queensland Australia 3.45pm Monday 28 November 2005...

Kirsty Gunn was born in 1960 and attended Queen Margaret College in Wellington and graduated BA (Hons) in English from Victoria University of Wellington in 1982. She tried to get her stories published in New Zealand, but found editors were "only interested in New Zealand stories"; hers lacked this exclusive focus. She left soon after graduation and two years later completed an M.Phil at Oxford.

Gunn then moved to London, where she now lives. Here she continued to write fiction while holding a string of temporary jobs: writing feature articles, fashion columns, film reviews and agony aunt columns for magazines such as "Vogue", "Brides" and Setting Up Home", writing advertising copy and direct mail leaflets. For some time she was the London correspondent for "More" magazine (NZ).

Overseas editors were more willing to recognise her talent. Her stories were published in various Serpent’s Tail anthologies and three stories were published in First Fictions 11 (Faber and Faber, 1992): "The Swimming Pool", "The Hook" and "Grass, Leaves".


Journal Entry 18 by cackleberry on Sunday, December 4, 2005
Paperback. 95 pages. Published 1994.


This is Gunn’s first novel, and it was extremely well received here and abroad. New Zealand readers clearly recognise the Lake Taupo setting. Narrated in the first person by a girl on the cusp of adolescence, it is a story about familial breakdown, parental betrayal and the death of a much-loved younger brother. The writing is elegant and understated, characterised, as in her other fictions, by evocative and densely imagistic prose.

I enjoyed this book very much, thank you cartref... and now the book is destined for the NZ Bookcrossing Convention (17-19 February 2006 Dunedin).


Released 18 yrs ago (12/7/2005 UTC) at Sherwood Post Office in -- Controlled Releases --, Queensland Australia

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Posted this book to boreal in New Zealand as part of cackleberry's contribution for the 2006 New Zealand Bookcrossing Convention to be held at Dunedin 17-19 February 2006.

Together with 19 other books; mailed at the Post Office Sherwood Road Sherwood Brisbane Queensland Australia at 2.00pm Thursday 08 December 2005.

Journal Entry 20 by NZ-2006-Con from Dunedin, Otago New Zealand on Sunday, December 25, 2005
This very well travelled and wonderful book has arrived in Dunedin for the NZ convention. Thanks Cackleberry for sending it.
I (boreal) first read this as part of a bookray in 2004 and I loved it, you can read what we thought about it Here. The book was also made into a film which was good but seemed to have a slightly different focus to the book.

The attached photo show Otago harbour.

Are you sure you want to delete this item? It cannot be undone.