Wrapped in Rain: A Novel

Written by Charles Martin

Narrated by Jonathan K. Riggs

Two half-brothers try to survive the fallout of their traumatic childhood and their abusive, alcoholic father in this tender and beautiful story about the power of forgiveness.

On a sprawling Southern estate, Tucker and his younger brother, Mutt, were raised by their housekeeper, Miss Ella Rain, who loved the motherless boys like her own. Hiring her to take care of Waverly Hall and the boys was the only good thing their abusive and alcoholic father ever did.

When his brother escapes from a mental hospital and an old girlfriend appears with her son and a black eye, Tucker is forced to return home and face the agony of his tragic past.

Though Miss Ella has been gone for many years, Tucker can still hear her voice—and her prayers. "Life is a battle, but you can’t fight it with your fists. You got to fight it with your heart." But finding peace and starting anew will take a measure of grace that Tucker scarcely believes in.

Wrapped in Rain follows Tucker’s journey from brokenness to healing through the everlasting power of love.

• Standalone contemporary Christian fiction (approx. 85,000 words)
• Also by Charles Martin: The Record Keeper, The Mountain Between Us, When Crickets Cry, and Chasing Fireflies
• Includes a fifteenth anniversary note from the author and a bonus excerpt from Martin’s novel The Water Keeper

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: May 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9780785240921

Charles Martin

Charles Martin is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. He and his wife, Christy, live in Jacksonville, Florida. Learn more at charlesmartinbooks.com; Instagram: @storiedcareer; Twitter: @storiedcareer; Facebook: @Author.Charles.Martin.

Reviews for Wrapped in Rain

[debbie13410 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The best thing about the book is the title. The main character Tucker was flat. Ella was a stereotype. I did like the character of Mutt, the mentally ill brother. It was a feel good story that has been told over and over.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s a Charles Martin book, there is not much else to say. It is the usual formula, damaged people learning to heal or seeking redemption. Often reminding the reader there can be good in the world.

[Laurie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a deeply heartwarming story! Made me laugh out loud at times, cry at others! I adore Charles Martin’s love of the Lord. My favorite character in this book is one whose voice is threaded throughout… her memory the sweetest and of a most beloved lady with a steel determination and love of all. Magnificent story and fabulous narrator!

[Laurel S · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A poignant story about unconditional love, how our childhood influences seep in and stay with us, and how redemption can play into that.

[Lyndy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stories that change minds and lives. Worth your time to read and share.

[Michelle Potter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

He has done it again, such an amazing story of love overcoming hate. Could not stop listening.

[kaylynvh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well written. It started slow but once I got into it, I really liked it. Rain is cleverly wound though out the story.

[brendaklaassen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was written by an author that I really enjoy reading. The story was well thought out and I enjoyed most of the characters, even the "ghost." In this story the good wins over the evil and in some places in the story the author lays the goodness on thick. The book was full of human emotions. I will seek out this author again in the future.

[judithdcollins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"One of the Best I have read! He will blow you away with his characters with raw feelings and emotion! If you are from the south, you will enjoy!" I have read all his books - he never disappoints!

[momsterbookworm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Two half-brothers, both internally scarred by their father's neglect and abuse, find solace under the tender care of their colored housekeeper. She was a praying woman, and constantly told the boys that life is battle not to be fought with fists, but with one's heart and being on one's knees. In their adult years, the boys each battled with their own demons, struggling and running from painful memories. Their housekeeper cum nanny passed on years before, but continues to live on in their memories, often 'quipping' in guidance and/or admonishment -- very much like Jiminy Cricket's role as one's conscience. This is a story of laying down one's burdens, of forgiveness, of endings, and of new beginnings.

[ebv-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Miss Ella Rain and all of the other characters in this book. Charles Martin has a way of developing characters that makes them part of your life (if you let them). I love the descriptions of the places in this book, my favorite being the quarry lake with the boat at the bottom. I've read it twice and it was so much more memorable the second time! If you've ever lost someone but can still feel their presence, this is a great book!

[kellyreeder · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book, and can't wait to read more by the author.

[mckait · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Life is filled with things that some call coincidence.Tucker Mason and his brother Matthew Mason were raisedby a loving and God fearing woman by the name of Miss Ella.Shewas hired by their wealthy and abusive father to keep them out of his way.Miss Ella did her best to do accomplish that task, as most interactions withtheir father Rex had dire results.Miss Ella'sbrother Moses also played an important part in the lives of the two boys.Mose beat the odds and became a doctor. He then went back to the town where hewas raised to doctor the people there and to watch over his sister who was also avictim of the boy's abusive father.The boys lived by Miss Ella's rules and listened to her preaching and and they learnedabout love and being respectable men from her. They had a good friend, Katie who lived nearby.In time Tucker came to view her as more than a friend, but life and cruelty has a way ofintervening . As an adult, she too, suffered abuse. For Katie, it was at the hands of herhusband. When he turned on their son, she knew she had to leave, to run, for Jase.A day came, when Miss Ella was years dead, her brother retired andthe three friends had grown into someone's mother, a photographer ofsome renown and a recent escapee from an asylum, they find themselveswhere they had spent the best day of their youth. Together.The result of the excellent, or unfortunate timing is worth reading the bookto find out. The story is a good one. The characters realistic and of course flawed.This book might also have you beginning to rethink the definition of the wordfamily. I spells out the meaning of the word love.

[pamelabarrett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“Light doesn’t have to announce its way into a room or ask the darkness to leave. It just is. It walks ahead of you, and the darkness rolls back like a tide.” This profound quote is one of many, in the voice of Miss Ella Rain, taken from this story about making peace with your past.Tucker is a world renowned photographer who has spent most of his adult life alone, in remote places, engaging with the world only through his camera lens. He never knew his mother, his wealthy father was abusive, and his brother is in a Florida mental institution. The brothers grew up in a mansion on a restored Plantation in rural Alabama, raised by their housekeeper Miss Ella Rain. She is a God fearing woman who lived her faith in action, and also spoke words of light into the dark places of their childhood. Tucker is on his way back to the plantation, from his latest photo shoot, when he runs into a childhood girlfriend and her five year old son. She is running from something dark and dangerous, and needs somewhere safe to stay. He brings them to the plantation only to find out that his brother has escaped from the mental institution. With Miss Ella’s voice to guide him he sets out to find his brother and heal the hurts from the past.Get ready for another fantastic story from Charles Martin; where the characters jump off the page and into your heart. I wept with them, felt their anguish and rejoiced in their victories. Every word of wisdom from Miss Ella’s mouth reverberated with truth. 5 stars. I happily read this through the Amazon Vine program.

[janarose1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Raised by a wealthy, yet abusive father, Tucker is struggling to overcome his past. With the voice of his nanny, Miss Ella, in his head, he attempts to do the right things in life. One stormy night he stops to help a car that has become stuck in the mud, only to discover that it is a girl from his past. A girl who is running from her abusive ex-husband with her son in tow. Further, Tucker's brother Mutt, escapes from the mental hospital where he has been staying the past seven years.The author alternated between first point-of-view to third point of view depending on which character he was addressing. I found this to be a bit annoying and would have preferred one writing style throughout the entire book. Further, the characters seemed a bit stereotypical and their actions were predictable. Overall, I didn't think the book was bad, but I wouldn't re-read it.

[marient_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An internationally famous photographer, he has traveled the world and seen both the serious and the strange. But when his brother escapes from a mental hospital and an old girlfriend appears with her son and a black eye, Tucker is forced to return home and face the agony of his own strnage past.Back in rural Alabama, Tucker comes to terms with the ghosts he left behind. Miss Ella Rain once loved Tuck and his brother like they were her very own. Hiring her to take care of Waverly Hall and to keep them out of sight was the only good thing their father ever did. And though Miss Ella has been gone for many years, Tuck can still hear her voice.