Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

What do readers think of Rise by Cara Brookins? Write your own review.

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

Rise by Cara Brookins

Rise

How a House Built a Family

by Cara Brookins

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Readers' Rating (40):
  • Published:
  • Jan 2017, 320 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews

Page 3 of 5
There are currently 40 reader reviews for Rise
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Shari H. (Penfield, NY)

How a house built a family
I used the words from the cover of the book because that is what the main theme of the book is. It is a story about a bruised, broken and scared family. They have suffered the horror of having a family member that not only is mentally ill but dangerous, not once, but twice. The story of how the family built their dream home of safety and comfort. The family pulled together and discovered the joys of family and accomplishment as well as depending on each other. It was a very heartfelt drama unfolding and I felt pulled into the story. I could relate somewhat to what Cara went through and the steps she did to protect her children. I really enjoyed the book.
Elizabeth L. (Bellbrook, OH)

Rise is uplifting
It's hard to believe this is a true story but it is. Following along as this mom and her resilient kids rebuild their lives as they build their own home is a fascinating experience. My only criticism and it's a mild one, is the flashback scenes to her marriages sometimes interrupted the flow of the narrative and made it feel choppy. Otherwise, this was an uplifting and highly enjoyable read.
Claire M. (New York, NY)

Rise-A family made house
An inspirational story of a woman who finally has the courage to break away from her schizophrenic, abusive husband, Cara Brookins and her four young children grow individually as well as a family through building a house. Cara sits down one night and talks about building a house. Her son Drew pipes up with rooms and where they belong. Cara obtains a lot and the building begins. Talk became life and a game changer. You want to read this story: it's real life in the making.
Louise E. (Ocean View, DE)

Uplifting story
The story of Cara Brookins and her 4 children was an enjoyable, easy read. She alternates her chapters between Rise (during house building) and Fall (prior to house building) However after a few chapters I decided to read the Rise chapters first because I was more interested in how they built their house and the flow was being interrupted by the Fall chapters. It's amazing how they were able to learn enough on Utube to build a house with some outside help. I was also surprised she was allowed to do her own plumbing.

The Fall chapters showed us how the family was living before building their dream home. These chapters were insightful but disjointed, missed big parts of their life with 2 different abusive husbands and Cara's parents. I learned the affects an abusive person can have on their spouse and children. It seems this family has made great strides in healing and living fulfilling lives.
Arlene M. (White Oak, PA)

Rise by Cara Brookins
Cara Brookins has certainly written a memoir that is inspiring and heartbreaking. Reading this book made me want to join the family in their endeavor to build a house and solidify their love for each other. Their step-by-step process and the knowledge gained from YouTube is a wonder in itself and gives a new meaning to determination.

Cara and her children have shown through their spunkiness, optimism and strength that even though there were many obstacles in the way they could eventually overcome them.
Carolyn A. (Katy, TX)

Rise. How a House Built a Family
I enjoyed the first third of the book and then I begin to find the events, though different, becoming repetitious and annoying. I stopped reading about one third of the way through, So sorry.
Monica P. (Cleves, OH)

Inspiring
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story of a family who beat the odds after living with domestic violence and mental illness. Although at times it seemed a little bit too simplified, I appreciated their tenacity and loved the way it brought them together in a healing way.
Jill F. (Blackwood, NJ)

mind blown
All I can say is wow! I can't even get my kids to clean their rooms and Cara gets hers to build a house? I can't imagine undertaking a task like that. What were they thinking? She's either one of the strongest, fearless and determined women on the planet, or out of her damn mind! I haven't decided. It was fascinating "watching' the family work together to get this done. Their struggles with Adam highlight the failings of our mental health system. I can't imagine being in that situation, trying to protect yourself and your children while having empathy for the person with the illness. I guess next to that building a house is child's play

More Information

Read-Alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
    The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
    by Lynda Cohen Loigman
    Lynda Cohen Loigman's delightful novel The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern opens in 1987. The titular ...
  • Book Jacket: Small Rain
    Small Rain
    by Garth Greenwell
    At the beginning of Garth Greenwell's novel Small Rain, the protagonist, an unnamed poet in his ...
  • Book Jacket: Daughters of Shandong
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Daughters of Shandong is the debut novel of Eve J. Chung, a human rights lawyer living in New York. ...
  • Book Jacket: The Women
    The Women
    by Kristin Hannah
    Kristin Hannah's latest historical epic, The Women, is a story of how a war shaped a generation ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Who Said...

I like a thin book because it will steady a table...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.