When the Rain Ends by Mary Ellen Taylor ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts 

The emotional story of a mother and daughter learning to endure life’s twists and turns as they grieve a loss and face an uncertain future.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2023; Montlake; 978-1542034531
audio, ebook, print (335 pages); women's fiction

This beautifully written book is about a mother and her daughter at a crucial point in both of their lives.  It's a story of coping with grief and learning how to go on with life and learn to rely on other people to help you through difficult times in life.

Dani is an artist and has just learned that due to an eye disease, she'll be losing her vision in the future.  Her life is in turmoil, her ex-husband (but still good friend) has just died in a car accident and she's working to help her daughter Bella cope with life without her dad in it.  Dani decides to move from their home in the Outer Banks of NC to an inland farm near the Virginia border and she's taking Bella away from the only home that she's ever known.  Bella feels betrayed - not only does she have to learn to navigate life without her father but she's left behind all of her friends and the comfort of a home she loved.  Most of the time, instead of lashing out at her mother, she stuffs her feelings inside and works to present a calm personality.  But at 12, she does have bouts of anger and resentment and her mother is her favorite target.  She's very resentful that her mother has signed her up for a 2-week grief camp for children who have lost someone close because she doesn't want to share her closely held feelings.

Dani has always kept her true feelings from the world around her - ever since her mother died when she was very young.  She is extremely worried about losing her sight but doesn't share it with her daughter or her new boyfriend.  She absolutely doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for her and wants to continue her life as a gallery owner.

Grief is difficult to navigate and affects everyone differently but it's absolutely crucial to have people to depend on.  Will Bella learn to depend on her mother over the loss of her father and will Dani ever be able to tell Bella about her eye issues that will cause her to lose her sight?  Will they both realize that together they can face whatever life brings their way?

This book is beautifully written and has well-written characters.  Dani was a great example of a mother trying to cope with changes in her life and Bella was a perfect example of a pre-teen girl who can go from happy to angry very quickly.  These are two characters and a splendid story that I won't soon forget.

Buy When the Rain Ends at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is two hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.  

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