Wow! It's not often that I have to re-read a novel to come to an understanding of its theme. In her latest novel, The Rain Watcher, Tatiana de Rosnay draws the reader into a character study of a family who are stranded in Paris as the Seine overflows its banks. The severe flooding and disastrous drowning of the city makes an apt metaphor for a family that is drowning in secrets. As the water continues to rise to historic levels the family is both physically and emotionally trapped in Paris as their father, Paul; aka “The Tree Man”, suffers a critical medical emergency.

On the surface, the narrator, Linden, a world famous photographer, the only son of Paul appears to be the main character in the novel. He takes charge of the family's crisis while his mother is bedridden with pneumonia, his sister is trapped by her own terror of hospitals, his brother-in-law is a hopeless drunk, his gay lover is half a world away and his teenage niece appears to be the only other voice of reason.

But dig deeper, dear Reader. Reflect. Go back. Re-read. Mediate on the trees. Why has Paul named both his children after his beloved Linden tree? Why is this man so shy and reserved, only feeling truly comfortable among his beloved trees? Why is Paul such a fan of the late, great David Bowie? Your best clue is the epigraph to the novel which is, “The stars look very different today” from Bowie's Space Oddity. A song that is known to be a reflection on Bowie's dark past. The final hint I will give you, without revealing any spoilers is, “ . . . everything begins, and ends, with the tree . . .” is actually an allegory.

If you like a book that will keep you thinking for a long time then this is the book for you!

A family meets in Paris to celebrate the 70th birthday of their father, who unfortunately has a stroke and is rushed off to the hospital. All this takes place during a huge flood in Paris and the city is paralyzed. The family watches the Seine River rising and doing damage to Paris, as they watch their father in the hospital. They are waiting and watching and reminiscing. Interesting people and issues tacked, more of a thoughtful book than one of action. Good descriptions of the personal and public disasters taking place simultaneously in Paris.

Engrossing tale about family, reconciliation, love and loss set amidst an unthinkable natural disaster in Paris.

As a true fan of de Rosnay, I was very disappointed in this novel. The novel parallels the relentless rain in Paris with the relentless disintegration of Linden and his family. There are secrets uncovered by the pouring rain, there is endless unhappiness, there are memories and lies. All this takes place as the family is reuniting for the 70th birthday of the patriarch, a man famous for his love of trees, but sadly lacking in love and understanding of his own family..
He clearly was not well enough for the trip, but he managed to come and as the rains came, the trip fell apart.

I had no love for any of the characters, not even the narrator Linden. I think this novel deals with issues that are long gone and churns them up. Helpless women, parents unable to accept the homosexuality of a child, misery that is too paralyzed to move on.

Sadly, I was looking forward to this novel, but it did not live up to my expectations.

A mesmerizing, poignant story told through the eyes of a photographer son during a disastrous inundating Paris rain. As the city streets are flooded, family secrets are uncovered and feelings surge to the forefront as a generation deals with a family set back.

Highly recommended!

I think I had too much expectations. I loved her first book, Sarah’s Key, but this one was nothing in comparison. Although it is nicely written the story is quite boring and gloomy. Thanks for NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I loved Sarah's Key from Tatiana de Rosnay so I was very excited to read this book and I love the cover. I was immediately drawn into the story about a family that meets in Paris to celebrate the father's 70th birthday. After you initially meet the family the story started getting scattered and repetitive. You know as soon as you meet everyone that things are being left unsaid and not talked about that is probably similar to most families. The issues are resolved throughout the book and that is what helped me finish it but there was a lot in between that didn't hold my interest. I was also very confused about the story with Susanne and how that ended and why it was included in the story. I was a bit taken back at the end and was surprised when I read the last word. Thank you Net Galley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to get early access to this book as I have enjoyed Tatiana de Rosnay's past book. In The Rain Watcher, the storytelling is very nice. I enjoyed the descriptive passages and how easily the writing transported me to the specific scenes and feelings. The book has a heavier feel - it's constantly raining as Paris is bracing for record floods and the danger associated with them. I felt like that rain cloud hung over my head throughout the book as the story touches on the floods, on health concerns, lifestyle challenges, marriage issues, suicide. A lot of descriptive passages about heavy topics and it felt a bit like the character in this story needed to unload a lot of this burden.

The Rain Watcher is a wonderfully descriptive and atmospheric novel. The descriptions of the rising waters of the Seine slowly crippling the City of Light were fascinating and really engaging - however, the narrative of Linden's family was less engaging. There was A LOT going on - every member of the family seemed to have a ground shaking secret or life changing experience that was revealed as the story went on... but none seem fully developed nor did any of them seem at all related to one another. I suppose it's a testament to the complicated dynamics of families, where each person is their own individual as well as part of the family whole... but it just felt a bit disjointed and under developed to me.
Given the recent flooding this past winter, the fascinating premise of being stranded in Paris during a natural disaster was what intrigued me - and that portion of the novel did not disappoint. I do wish that the accompanying narrative was a little stronger - then this book would have been a home run.

This was a standout read for the cadence and ability of language to create mood, emotion, suspense and oneness with the pace of nature..
On first read the plot/narrative was not the main event, I found myself more interested in getting to the core of Lauren and her experience.
Somehow I found the less revealed characters to be the most provocative.

I have been looking forward to reading this for a while. Sarah's Key stole my heart and this new novel by de Rosnay was exactly what I hoped! I am a huge fan of historical fiction, in particular if it's set in Europe. I finished this beauty in just a few hours as it was impossible to put down. You will be able to see my full review on my blog as per St. Martin's Press guidelines.

Thank you to my friends at St. Martin Press who have provided numerous E Galleys over the years. I have had the privilege and opportunity to read and review some wonderful works of fiction. Unfortunately, I was not able to complete this ARC from Tatiana de Rosnay.

Sarah's Key remains one of my most favorite and memorable reads so I was ecstatic to return to Paris and read a new story from this esteemed author. I read until the 50% mark and than i had to call it quits. I was not enjoying this family drama about secrets, resentments and impending disasters. The writing and storyline was scattered and the authors obvious manipulation of hidden details were annoying and distracting. Honestly, this was as exciting and riveting as watching rain.
I wish I had kinder words but sometimes it's just the wrong book for a reader. Please, do not base your reading decision on my experience. Book will be available October 2018.

I kept waiting for this story to pick up, but it just seemed to go nowhere. The Malegarde family meets in Paris to celebrate the father's 70th Birthday. While they are in Paris something happens to one of the Malegarde family as well as suffering through a natural disaster. Lots of family memories and secrets are shared. This book was just ok for me.

What started as a weekend in Paris for their father's 70th birthday and their parent's anniversary ended as an extended stay while Paris underwent a terrible watery crisis and their parents underwent medical emergencies. It's a story of a family and its many complexities. A very good read.

I read about 15% of this, but it just seemed to be slow moving. I guess the writing style didn't work for me. I set it aside.

Loved this book. Didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend.

Love love love. Incredible book. Fabulous book club pick too

I have to say that I loved Sarah's key and A Secret Kept by this author and was anxious to read this book. For me this book didn't live up to the others. It was all over the place, repetitive and plain out boring! I truly hate giving authors bad reviews because so much time is put into them but this one didn't do it for me. Tnank you netgalley for letting me review this book.

Linden family are meeting in Paris for his father's 70th birthday. It has been a while since the family has all been together. This is a good time to reconnect and catch up on everyone's life.
Linden's mother, father, sister and his niece are all staying at the same motel.
The rain has been falling, and falling. The fear of flooding is spreading. And still the rain falls.
This family is in for some long awaited cleansing. From all of them. Events that haven't been addressed, but should have been. The rain falling, the river flooding, they being stuck together will help unleash these secrets. It will make them stronger as a family or break them apart.
I loved this book. A terrific story, awesome, relatable characters. Great description of the surroundings. Everything ties together for an incredible ending. And after the last word is read, you still continue thinking about about this book.
5 Stars

I started reading "The Rain Watcher" yesterday afternoon. My intent was to just dip into it to see what I might think. I did not intend to read it straight through in one sitting, but that's exactly what I did. I am head over heels in love with de Rosnay's writing. I'm a bit obsessive about "all things Paris," and this book gave me a lot of Paris, but from a perspective that needs to be given a great deal of thought today in a time when only some of our nation's leaders are seriously considering climate change. This was always in the background of a powerful book with several intertwined stories. Jenna Blum called it "Hypnotic, passionate, ominous and tender—unforgettable.” I believe that sums it up quite perfectly. I loved it.

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