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.
Victor Villaseñor creates a powerful, moving protrait of his father's family - the Villaseñors - who in their courage and love of life represent the whole passionate history of Mexico. An epic portrait of Mexico is painted as this spellbinding story of madness and miracles, rage and redemption, unfolds. Margarita...wild of heart and powerful in her earthborn mystery is the indomitable Indian matriarch who guards her family and conquers her enemies with the cutting edge of unconditional love - and a touch of magic. As a young woman, she was swept away by Juan Jesus Villaseñor, a powerful arrogant man who carried the blood of Spanish royalty in his veins - and who, unarmed, once wrestled with the great serpent that held his village hostage - and won. Together, Don Juan and Dona Margarita would create a dynasty on the eve of the Mexican Revolution. Their daughters...Emilia and Luisa, beautiful, sensuous, mysterious, who find courage and endurance in their mother's faith, and searing, explosive passion amid the turmoil of war. Their sons...Jose, who becomes a legendary horseman and a hero of the revolution. And Juan, the youngest, Victor Villaseñor's father, through whose eyes this brilliant, tumultuous saga unfolds.
