Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $2.99

Save $6.00 (67%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Kat Spencer
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Carolina Sunshower Kindle Edition

by Kat Spencer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 380
See all formats and editions
A girl from a small, rural North Carolina mountain community faces the challenges of growing up in a severely dysfunctional family. Kat is one of 6 children born to parents with an eighth grade education. Kat's mama is hard-working and long suffering, while Kat's father is a troubled alcoholic. Statistically, Kat should not have been able to rise above her raisings, but she manages to triumph over violence, betrayal and ignorance to live a life that she had dared not dream. This riveting memoir reads like fiction, but Kat lived every moment of it.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    163 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    September 2, 2012
  5. File size
    405 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
Next page

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0095MCI8Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kat Spencer; 1st edition (September 2, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 2, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 405 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 163 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 380

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Kat Spencer

Kat Spencer

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Kat Spencer lives in North Carolina with her husband and two sons. She dedicates the majority of her time as CEO of household operations for her family, but does work part-time from home as a human resources consultant. Kat enjoys spending time with her family, reading, writing, and running the occasional 5k. If you would like to contact Kat, you may do so at: contact@katspencerbooks.com

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
380 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

alinefromabook
5.0 out of 5 stars Her father seems to have one great moment of parenting when as a first grader he ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
This book is a memoir of Kat Spencer's life; the obstacles she was born into and how she overcame them. The story is told not as a continuous narrative but as a series of vignettes that build the characters up in the reader's mind. The conditions of her childhood were at times very desperate but throughout there is ray of hope that keeps you wanting to read to find out how it all turns out.

Kat grew up in Dirks County, North Carolina. She was born to parents who had little education. Her mother is a factory worker and her father picks up work where he can when he's not drunk. Her father seems to have one great moment of parenting when as a first grader he promises Kat to pay her $50 if she has a perfect attendance record for the year. Kat takes him up on that offer.

We see over the years how her father sinks deeper and deeper into addiction, at times being absent from the home for months, and providing very little in the way of financial support. Kat's mother on the other hand works tirelessly at a factory to provide for her children so that they can attend school and have a better future.

I found this story to be very well written with a narrative that kept me coming back to see what would happen next. I also found Kat to be very inspiring. The way she pushes herself to achieve an education in spite of being in an environment that would cause most to give up. She has no role models in her family to follow but she finds a way to put herself through 4 years of college and a masters degree program. Kat goes on to build a wonderful family of her own.

If you enjoy reading true stories, as I do, then I think you will like this book. I would also recommend it for anyone who needs a little inspiration to get past a tough spot. The human spirit can be so resilient at times and this story is a good example of that.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Charlotte R. Mitchell
4.0 out of 5 stars With Determination a Person Can Turn Her Life Around
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2018
Verified Purchase
I didn't like seeing so many f-bombs in the book although the author may have felt she needed the foul language to complete the character in the mind of the reader. I would prefer seeing symbols [#*@!*)#] such as comic books used years ago to indicate foul language uttered in anger.
Although the book was well written with very few typos (maybe 2 or 3), I still found it difficult to read because of the problematic lives of the author's family and friends.
The theme is similar to that of Hillbilly Elegy in that the main character in each book greatly improves his/her life by getting a college education. In Hillbilly Elegy, the Marine Corps helped the author to prepare for college. In Carolina Sunshower, the author was a firm believer in self help.
I was glad to find a happy ending for the book and hope the author is still happy and healthy.
Helpful
 Report
Kenya Starflight
3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best writing, but still heartbreaking and hopeful
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
A memoir is always tricky to review as opposed to a work of fiction -- while fiction can be judged by its story structure, creativity, characterization, and other elements, actual events rarely adhere to a neat narrative arc. But one can still judge writing quality, factual accuracy, and how respectful the author is towards the events and people involved. "Carolina Sunshower" is a memoir of the author's childhood growing up in small-town North Carolina, and while the writing isn't the best and some of her attitudes towards people who suffered just as much as she did are cringeworthy, it's still a powerful story about rising above your circumstances.

Kat Spencer, the daughter of an alcoholic and drug addict, grew up in a trailer in a small town in the Carolina mountains. Despite her father's many flaws and his troubled past, the one thing he does instill in her is a drive to pursue her education, which she does with an almost religious fervor. As her mother works tirelessly to support the family and her father disappears for days on end to drink, do drugs, and get up to no end of trouble, she struggles with bullies at school (both fellow students AND adults), stands witness to her both her parents' violent outbursts, and watches as others in her neighborhood fall victim to addiction and other vices. But with grit and determination, she vows to not repeat the cycle and to escape the circumstances of her childhood.

Kat's writing isn't spectacular, and I wish she had given us a better picture of where she grew up -- she's good at describing how wretched the trailer she called home was, but the town never comes to life and I never felt a sense of place as she wrote. Her story jumps from anecdote to anecdote without much flow or effort to bridge between them, and there's a lot of "showing" vs. "telling" as well. Also, it's a little disheartening to see Kat relentlessly bash people in her life who she admits went through terrible things as well, calling them names despite the fact that they're just as much victims as she was. I know going through trauma can make a person lash out, but one would think she'd treat some of these people a little more sympathetically.

Despite this, however, Kat's story is still inspiring -- difficult to read given what she goes through, but she still fights her way out of her difficult circumstances and manages to make a better life for herself. And despite her parents' flaws -- even her mother was no saint -- it's clear they still love her dearly, and do their best to raise her and teach her. Her father in particular is a tricky character, violent and prone to addiction, but Kat makes it clear that he did his best and was the product of a terribly broken childhood.

"Carolina Sunshower" is not a perfect read, but it's a powerful memoir, much in the vein of "Educated" or "Hillbilly Elegy." It's a quick read, but both heartbreaking and hopeful, and I admire Kat's strength in coming as far as she has.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Judith Benson
5.0 out of 5 stars Carolina Sunshower
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is not the sort of book I would read but after the first chapter really got in to it and thoroughly enjoyed it, would love it to have continued!
One person found this helpful
 Report
Lady Ottoline
4.0 out of 5 stars Carolina Sunshower
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2013
Verified Purchase
Thought this book was a very good view of how people can overcome their backgrounds to succeed. Really enjoyed reading this book and wonder if she will ever write again, as she has a knack for making it all seem real and happening now. Good book.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report