Rain of Gold (Book Review)
Written by: Victor Villaseñor
Narrated by: Johnny Rey Diaz
goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14345.Rain_of_Gold
Rain of Gold, Victor Villaseñor’s bestselling family memoir
that reflects the experiences of many Mexican Americans, is available to US
audiences in a new Spanish-language translation. It is a true-life saga of
love, family and destiny that pulses with bold vitality, sweeping from the
war-ravaged Mexican mountains of Pancho Villa’s revolution to the days of
Prohibition in California.
Paperback: 576 pages - First published January
1, 1991
Audio: Length: 30 hrs and 29 mins
Publisher's Summary
Rain of Gold is a
true-life saga of love, family and destiny that pulses with bold vitality,
sweeping from the war-ravaged Mexican mountains of Pancho Villa's revolution to
the days of Prohibition in California.
It all began when Villaseñor’s maternal grandmother
sat him down in their little home in the barrio of Carlsbad, California, gave
him sweet bread and told him the story of their past. Of his mother Lupe, the
most beautiful girl in the whole village who was only a child when Villa's men
came shooting into their canyon. And of his father Juan and his family, reduced
to rags and starvation as they sought refuge across the border, where they
believed that endless opportunity awaited.
Lupe and Juan met and fell in love in California,
but they found that the doors to the Promised Land were often closed to those
from south of the border. His father was forced to take the law into his own
hands, in spite of his wife's objections. With love and humor, Villaseñor
shares this passionate love story that celebrates the triumph of the human
spirit.
An all-American story of struggle and
success, Rain of Gold focuses on three generations of
Villaseñor’s kin, their spiritual and cultural roots back in Mexico, their
immigration to California and overcoming poverty, prejudice and economic
exploitation. It is the warm-hearted and spirited account of the wily, wary and
persevering forebears of Victor Villaseñor.
©1991 Victor
Edmundo Villaseñor. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Reader’s Review
(2024/12)
(Audio book version)
Certainly for me a ⭐ ⭐
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ novel and production.
My original intention was to explore some of the folklore, customs and attitudes
of the Hispanic and native Indian cultures from the mountainous areas south of
California and New Mexico borders. To a restricted degree this novel does weave
some of this into the characters and times presented.
While the Publisher’s Summary outlines key plots, many
themes run this long and rich saga. From impacts of war, harsh conditions,
displacement and integration in early 19th century America. For me
rich development of family members creates the foundations that present colourful
history and deeply rich family lives.
Two powerful characters not mentioned in the Publisher’s
Summary are the family matriarchs. Juan’s mother and Lupe’s mother form
contrasting positions of roles in the large nuclear families from two very
powerful women. Many of the dialogues between mother and child I found some of
the strongest moments in Rain of Gold sometimes bringing me to tears and wonderment.
The narrator Johnny Rey Diaz developed dialects and accents
enriching characters enhancing my mental imagery. Given the length of the novel,
I applaud the narrator in his consistency throughout.
While only achieving highly focused folklore, customs and
attitudes, Victor Villaseñor’s writing grasped my interest and heart through a
most fascinating journey of the generation that produced and raised him.
Muy agradecido.
