This book was a total miss for me. I couldn't relate to,the character and even reading about Paris was kind of a snooze.

Gorgeous, descriptive writing about Paris and the flooding, but a tedious story with characters that just didn't come alive and that I never really cared about. It was a struggle for me to get through this book.

I was given a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to the book because I recognized the author. This is the first time, however, that I have read one of her books.

My first impression was that it was a bit slow. Much like a serious drama that you watch because it’s critically acclaimed, but doesn’t really hold your attention. That’s what I went through with this. It took me a while to finish reading it, because there was very little action.

Also, I know next to nothing about Paris, the French language, or the culture. Admittedly, I was a bit lost at times because of this.

Nevertheless, I pressed on. I grew curious about the Malegarde family. I wondered what was going on behind the curtain. As I went along, I felt invested in their struggles, and the world of Paris that the author had immersed me in.

And while the synopsis promised plenty of deep, dark, family secrets, very little was shocking. In fact, the storyline from Paul’s childhood seemed completely unnecessary. It was as if it was added to create suspense, only to fall flat at the end.

This novel was not the roller coaster ride that I was expecting. While it was a pleasant diversion, it likely isn’t one I will repeat.

"The Rain Watcher" takes a common idea such as family drama and spins it into an incredible novel. Many of us experience the tensions and "walking on eggshells" associated with family members, but it is comforting to know that even the weakest threads can be made stronger among family.

This author has a gift at storytelling. Interesting family drama mixed with a natural disaster - clever plot and well done.

The Malegarde family is planning a get together in Paris,to celebrate the 70th birthday of Paul and the 40th wedding anniversary of his marriage to Lauren. Like most families,there are secrets,petty jealousies and difficult family members involved,and all this is set against the 2017 floods in Paris,that threaten the very existence of life and limb for so many people.
The narrator is Linden Malegarde,a photographer,who has a difficult relationship with his father,and hasn't yet confided that he is gay and engaged to Sacha. His sister ,Tilia,is married to Colin,a drunkard and is resentful of her brother. So far,so French. The nature of the Malegarde family is exposed during their stay in Paris,and as each painful memory is explored,you can feel the tension,like the Seine,threatens to overflow and destroy happiness and the ordered way of life.
The uncertainty of life is contrasted with the sureness of nature. The flooding of the Seine is dark and threatening,we are powerless against nature,and we keep returning to trees,the way they protect and hide and provide reassurance through their life cycle. Trees are dependable,they survive mishaps,droughts and are more reliable than humans. However,I found that more attention was given to the tree being a place of safety,rather than fully explaining what exactly happened to make a person need protecting. I was confused by Suzanne and how she was relevant to the story,and the reason behind her death and the identity of her assailant was glossed over,and this was so frustrating. We never found out the complete contents of the letters that were hidden in the metal box,that the tree was protecting.
The emphasis is upon the rain. There are drops that increase to trickles,then full blown storms and gales,whilst water levels rise,the threat of death and destruction is all around. It is reported on the news,there is kindness and concerns at first,later on we are confronted with people being evacuated fron their homes,and thieves start attacking abandoned districts.
I loved this book,but feel cheated and disappointed by the ending. It is frustrating and deeply annoying to leave readers in the lurch with so many unanswered questions. It is a cruel, poor reward for enjoying the previous pages, a real anti climax,and unworthy of the author. I actually muttered ' you have got to be kidding me!' quite vociferously and if it were a paperback,it would have gone flying across the room without any hesitation!! For that reason,I have only given it a three star rating. I want a book to have a good beginning,an interesting middle,and an ending that ties up all loose ends... and this one failed at the last hurdle.
I have posted a copy of this review to Goodreads today.

This is a gripping, sad story that will keep you glued to it until the end. I traveled to places that I will never get to see and experienced them as if I was there.

The Rain Watcher is a family drama set in Paris as the Malegarde family reunites just as Seine River is flooding. It’s a tale of a fractured family and is not a happy tale. The writing was wonderful and very descriptive. I found parts of the story engrossing and other parts not so much. I found myself at times skimming through. I was invested enough to keep reading pulled in by the description of the city in crisis.

The Malegarde family reunites for a weekend in Paris to celebrate the father’s 70th birthday and parents anniversary. Family only, their American born mother Lauren insists. Grown now, Linden and his sister gather for this special occasion. In turn, Paris is experiencing an historic flood as rain pelts the city and the Seine rises to devastating heights. The family becomes trapped as the weather and declining health of both parents hold them hostage for a number of days. Linden, a likable character and famous photographer flashes back through his life and struggles. This novel is beautifully descriptive but the contrived series of events followed by one tragic remembrance after another is over the top, entirely constructed for a family the reader never has a chance to sincerely care about from the start. Having loved many novels by this author, I was sorely disappointed by this early read that failed to capture my heart.

I loved this book! Books are so much more interesting when the authors choose unfamiliar but more descriptive words for terms most of us know; this book contained one of those every few pages and kept the reader engaged beyond the story. The story itself was quite good as was the development of the characters. I predict this one will do well when published

A wonderful tale of love, loss, and trees.
Linden is the son of a great arborist in rural France and is meeting up with his family to celebrate his Father's birthday in Paris. However, the family becomes embroiled in drama as the Seine floods and tragedies occur. At times, this book is touching, engaging and well-written. The tale of Paul (the father), Candice (Linden's aunt), his mother and sister are delicately interwoven and make for a beautiful story. The character development is deft and I was greatly surprised with how fast of a read this book became.

I really liked this book! Loved the story and the characters, which were very well developed. Little bits of history and a family saga made it a great read.

This was a DNF for me. I felt the dialogue was sluggish, the characters hard to connect with, and the plot, while Interestint, didn’t compel me enough to devote my time to finishing this book.

4.5 Stars

”As long as I remember
The rain's been comin' down
Clouds of mystery pourin'
Confusion on the ground

“Still the rain kept pourin'
Fallin' on my ears
And I wonder, still I wonder
Who'll stop the rain?”
--Who'll Stop the Rain, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Songwriters: Glenn Gregory / Ian Marsh / Martyn Ware

”I will start with the tree. Because everything begins, and ends, with the tree. The tree is the tallest one. It was planted way before the others. I’m not sure how old it is, exactly. Perhaps three or four hundred years old. It is ancient and powerful. It has weathered terrible storms, braced against unbridled winds. It is not afraid.”

Set against a background of a natural disaster occurring in Paris, the rising waters of the Seine, this is the story of the Malegarde family who is gathering together to celebrate their father’s 70th birthday. The father, Paul is a renowned tree specialist, indeed he seems to be more at home among the trees than he does with his family, or people in general. It is in the midst of his trees that he feels safe, known. Protected. Paul’s wife, Lauren, is an American woman who came to Paris for a vacation, and never left. Their daughter, Tilia, is an artist who lives in London with her husband, and Tilia’s brother, their son, Linden, lives in San Francisco, traveling frequently in his work as a world renowned photographer.

Each has their own story to tell, and in its own way, Paris does as well. Secrets that they have kept to themselves, from each other, some are about the past, and some are about the present. Some of these secrets they wish they could share, and some they want to keep hidden.

However, just as a flood is bound to release some things hidden from view, their secrets will eventually spill out, as well, and things will begin to unravel beginning with the dinner celebration.

Linden is an especially convincing and compelling character, as he remembers his early years in Paris, life was not easy for him. Tilia is broken and angry and suffering the emotional scars from something that occurred long ago, but she is less sympathetic, keeping her walls high and impenetrable.

There were brief references to things I’d read, things we’ve learned about trees, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries From a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben, and which was shared in a more “novel” way in The Overstory by Richard Powers more recently, but this story includes reference to this knowledge almost casually, so it doesn’t intrude and break the rhythm of this story, which seems to be driven by the endless rain, the roar of the rising river. In a sense, trees are an integral part of this story, weaving all of their separate stories together.

I wanted to read this story since I read De Rosnay’s Sarah’s Key, and had really appreciated how much of that story felt so real, my experience with her descriptive writing really had me curious about if I would experience that same sense of being there in this story – and I did, and I’m not really ready to leave these people and places behind.


Pub Date: 23 OCT 2018


Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press

Franco-American Linden Malegarde travels to Paris to celebrate with family his father’s 70th birthday to find himself trapped in a flood and more than one family crisis preventing their evacuation. Over a few deluge-filled days, the Malegarde family bursts at the seams, spewing secrets and long-held hurts, with deadly descriptive flashbacks and a horrifying centimeter-by-centimeter account of a real-life flood. De Rosnay’s writing flows like the Seine spilling over its banks, sparing no characters of their integrity in situations that require fortitude beyond their human frailty. She takes on more than one social issue, in Linden alone being an outsider in more than one way, in more than one country, his saving graces being a successful creative and having a supportive partner. Readers of historical fiction, Francophiles, and fans of Liane Moriarty and Thritty Umrigar will appreciate this novel. I was fortunate to receive an early copy of #TheRainWatcher from #St.Martin’sPress through #NetGalley.

I shared this review on my blog, Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter, and will post it to B&N on the launch date.

While this character driven novel was beautifully written the ending left me wondering why I bothered reading the book. No spoiler other than to say this reader found it unsatisfying. The characters are interesting and I really wanted them to be completely flushed out however, by the book's end many questions remained about the characters and their issues. Paris and the Seine are described vividly with the days of rain and resulting complications jumping to life. As I was reading the book I liked it, upon finishing it I found it unsatisfying.

I was drawn in by the cover and then the summary. This is a story that is mainly about the people. Sure there is a natural disaster going on at one point, but the main focus are our characters and their inner storms.



The story is in the POV of Linden who is the youngest son. He is a famous photographer who is also gay and he has told pretty much everyone but he cannot get himself to tell his dad. While he is fighting his demons, we get to see his family who all seem perfect on the outside, but we get to see them battle their demons as well.



I enjoy a good people story. They are so refreshing. This family seems so perfect. Good jobs, good lives, but they are all messes. I like it. It felt real because even the most perfect family is never perfect. Everyone has demons and secrets they must learn to deal with. I felt bad for everyone. I really wanted Linden to be honest with his Dad. His dad seemed like a chill guy. A simple man who loves deeply in the things he likes.



The story did have a few slow moments. Lots of introspection and not a lot of action going. It took forever for anything to occur. Yes, we were focusing on Linden and the other characters, but c'mon lets move forward a hair.



Paris is lovely and I liked the author's descriptive ways. She certainly knew how to not only bring the characters and their issues alive, but she made Paris come alive to me. I really want to go!! Maybe not during the storm tho...



But yes, overall, I did like this story. Lots of slow moments, but the main focus was on the people. I do love people's stories so it was overall worth it. I'll give this 3 stars.

A poignantly written account of one man and one family’s struggle to find themselves and connect before it’s too late. Set in a flood impacted Paris, the story of Linden and his experiences carry the reader through his life and struggle to be transparent with his ailing father, as he finds love and acceptance.
Loved this story, it’s multifaceted plot kept me thinking about it long after I closed the cover.

Tatiana de Rosnay really knows how to paint a scene. It's becoming a lost art to describe characters and locations without bogging down. How refreshing to read a book that balances plot and world building so very well. I must admit that it took me quite a few chapters to care about this dysfunctional family but once I started to find out why they were as closed-off I got sucked in. Give this one a bit of time, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

This book was really beautifully written. The author did a great job making the characters relatable and realistic. There were a few parts that dragged for me, and a few of the side stories were confusing and I never was able to figure out. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.