Rain of Gold

In Victor Villasenor's "Rain of Gold," the dominant theme or metaphor is the struggle for survival. The mythic structure provides a rich and meaningful context for the characters and their inner struggle for identity and survival. "Rain of Gold" is the story of two parallel lives -- those of Juan Salvador and Lupe Gomez, characters delineated from Villasenor's real-life mother and father, who grow up with their respective families in two distant towns in Mexico and meet as young adults in California.

The novel can be divided into three parts: the families trying to survive in Mexico, but opting to find a better life in the U.S.; their harsh and harrowing journeys through the rough terrain of the Mexican deserts; and finally, their miraculous arrival and struggle in the U.S. The novel challenges the reader to experience the harsh realities of the characters' hardships and triumphs. Their struggle is internal and personal. Villasenor's adherence to myth, religion and a little of the magical paints a vivid image of a people -- survivors not only of physical challenges, but spiritual ones as well. His story is well detailed and well developed. It is truly an epic in every sense of the word.


Huge Disappointment   December 4, 2002
Gail Moore (vancouver canada)
15 out of 34 found this review helpful

This is the first time I disagree so totally with the other reviewers after buying this book based on the outstanding reviews I'd read here. This is the story of several generations of a Mexican family that emigrated to the United States when their village life was destroyed by corporate oppression, and it is the author's own family history, presented as a work of non-fiction. It really seemed like my kind of a book.

My problem is with the style of writing, at first I thought I was just reading an extremely bad translation but quickly realized the book was written in English!!... I read through the first 80 pages or so, then scanned every 3rd or 4th paragraph to the end of the book. I'd suggest reading a couple of the sample pages before making a purchase (try page 13). Usually I love detail in historical fiction but this was just too many slow, tedious descriptions of the most mundane events, the word "the" used way, way too much, every noun with an adjective the favorites being "big" and "little". This story would have been better told if half the words in the book were removed.

I'd consider giving this book a higher rating if it was listed in the young readers section. It might also be a good choice for who speak English as a second language.


One family' s history   September 7, 2004
Rogina Ruiz (Los Angeles, CA)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

The first time I read Rain of Gold, I thought to myself, "My God this is my family!" Victor Villasenor has the ability to draw in the reader and make he or she feel that they are living the story. This is particularly true in Rain of Gold.

The book follows two people and their families very different journeys through the hard times of the Mexican Revolution and into the U.S. and the very different life waiting for them there. They meet new challenges in and find each other as they adjust and learn to make a life in this new country.

The book abounds with the mystical love of spirits, nature and God that is so commonplace for us Mexicanos. I believe it is hard for people not of our culture to understand just how real the spirits are to us. This is not magical realism, but daily life to us. Mr. Villasenor shows that aspect of our culture, that old wisdom of our grandmothers so well that it brought tears to my eyes as I remembered my own mystical, wise and wonderful grandmother.


The fact that Victor Villasenor is extremely dyslexic and encountered myriad problems in school at a very young age makes this book all the more astounding. He writes with pathos, humor and his love for his beautiful family shines through it all. His simple style of storytelling makes you feel you're sitting on the floor listening to an uncle or other family member and you are completely enraptured and caught up in his spell.


The wise women   July 13, 2002
EJS (Northern Arizona, United States)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful

Reading this book was a feast for the mind, the heart and the soul. About two-thirds of the way through I found myself mourning the fact that it would end. And mourn it I did after I finished the last page, closed the book and held it to my chest in breathless silence.

Many of the reviews listed here regale the beauty with which it was written, the rich history it embodies, and the values it imparts, but none touch on the aspect that swept me into its pages. While this story is about the family, it is the stalwart women, who evolve into the elderly matriarchs of the family, whose wisdom anchor it in its humanity. The mothers are honored for their unique and powerful place in the family. Their stories and their words offer guidance and comfort that is timeless and as applicable today as they were within the context of the story. For this reason, I recommend that when you read Rain of Gold, you do so from a copy that you own, so you can mark the words of wisdom that touch you -- you will want to reference them again and again -- and thereby honor these women in your own life.