The Rain Watchers by Tatiana de Rosnay

The Rain Watchers by Tatiana de Rosnay takes place in Paris during an epic flooding time. The Malegarde family had agreed to meet in Paris to celebrate Paul’s (father, husband) 70th birthday. While everyone showed up, so did the rain and it kept raining. The story follows the family story while seemingly paralleling the story of Paris flooding.

Slowly but surely various things happen which cripples the family just as the water rising cripples Paris. The father - Paul have a massive stroke and the mother becoming quite ill with pneumonia. The part that makes the story most unique is the backstory of Linden and his coming out and growth toward becoming the person he is. To Linden, his father is a figure of strength and preoccupation. Paul is the foremost tree expert and often is called in on assignments that take him away physically from his family, but we are left with the feeling that he has often been missing even when he is there from his family. As the flood grows so do the backstories and unknown information slowly seep out. The ending did not satisfy me and make the story come together as I had hoped, but perhaps I am missing something.

The Rain Watchers by Tatiana de Rosnay was a different read for me. I think people who like thoughtful books with family drama will enjoy the story.

The Power of family, a force of nature all in Paris for a family reunion. An interesting and intriguing story with elegant writing! Very good!

I could not get into this book in order to give it a good review. My apologies to the author - it just didn't catch my attention.

I keep wanting to love work from de Rosnay, and I was really hoping this one would be good, but nothing has come even close to Sarah’s Key.

Incredibly boring book I did not finish. I could not sympathize with any characters and the text messages strewn throughout the passages were ill-fitting and just plain confusing.

I LOVED Sarah's Key, so I was so excited to read another novel by Tatiana de Rosnay. And this one is just as spell-binding as Sarah's Key. (If you haven't read that one, ABSOLUTELY read it NOW.)

Linden Malegarde travels home to Paris from America, to see the family he hasn't seen in years. It's his father's 70th birthday, and everyone is hoping the weekend will be free of drama and argument. But when you start with a dysfunctional family and add in an unexpected natural disaster, you definitely don't end up drama free. 

I love reading books about familial relationships, and this one was an incredible read. de Rosnay has an amazing gift of storytelling, using lyrical words, incredible descriptions and soulful stories. This is a great read, and one that I will pick up again and again.

"The Rain Watcher" by Tatiana de Rosnay wasn't an easy book to finish. There were moments when I was really struggling to keep reading. The novel basically is about a troubled family stuck in Paris during the flood. The level of water in the Seine is raising and the streets of Paris are flooded. Due to health issues the family has to stay in Paris despite the dangerous circumstances. Surprisingly, the necessary stay in the City of Lights brings the family members close together. For the first time they have time to confess, revisit the past, understand and confront each other.

What makes this book tedious to read is that there is no conflict in this book and the characters aren't very engaging. It seems than everyone has some dirty or painful secret. Either it is a tragedy from the past or a secret love. Characters have serious problems with communication, but they are good if flawed people. I just couldn't care about any of them and the constant flow of information about the flood in Paris was like reading the weather forecast. The main character, Linden, was too distant for me. Even if he was opening his soul, declaring love or remembering the most painful events from his youth, it felt somehow distant and cold, devoid of any real intimacy. I wondered many times if the 1st person narration wouldn't be better for this book. Also it would be better if some events were described with more depth and emotion not only glossed over. My rating and review may seem a bit harsh, because the book is really well-written, but for me it was a disappointment. I really think that this novel could be so much better!

To sum up... I would recommend this book only to Tatiana de Rosnay fans, people enthusiastic about Paris, family secrets, floods and weather in general.

I received "The Rain Watcher" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

I found this book confusing and dreary. I didn't relate to any of the characters, and I didn't enjoy reading about France (which I usually do). Sorry...

Linden, a successful photographer living in California, Tilia, his sister, a stay at home mother with one daughter living in London, along with their parents Paul and Lauren, plan a family vacation to Paris, France to celebrate Paul's 70th birthday and Paul and Laurens 40th wedding anniversary. However, things do not go as planned, as the rain continues to fall down in record numbers, catastrophic flooding becomes unavoidable. To make matters worse, Paul collapses during his birthday dinner, ending up in the hospital. Looks like none of them will be leaving Paris for a while.
While Paul is in the hospital, past demons surface and old wounds are opened. As Linden and his family confront many topics such as sexuality, grief, fear, and acceptance for past regrets. The Rain Watcher is emotional, and at times, heart breaking, but I enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Ms. de Rosnay is one of my favorite authors so I was tickled to pre-read a copy of the Rain Watcher. I really enjoyed the voice of Linden and sharing his journey and memories during his week in Paris with his family. I loved the descriptions of the scenes of Linden in the boats exploring the Seine during the flood. Though this book I don't think is meant to be futuristic by and means the thought of a 1,000 year flood of the Seine and the country's unpreparedness for this natural disaster raises questions whether in fact if this were to happen, how would the Parisians fare today. I loved seeing the relationship between Linden and his father develop during the course of the story and only near the end of Paul's life was Linden able to share with him his true self. The descriptions of Paris of course wanted me to book my next vacation to France!

I absolutely adored her previous novel, “Sarah’s Key” but I was not a fan of this novel. I felt the storyline was slow and overall was disappointed in the final product.

I enjoyed this book very much, even though it's not what I usually read. The pace was just right and it envelopes you in it's grey, soggy atmosphere. The characters were complex and interesting in their own right, and the weather is a perfect backdrop for the events that take place. I look forwards to reading other works by this author.

The Rain Watcher was a captivating book although I felt that it started slow for me. I love the city of Paris so all the references to the different areas and their descriptions were very vivid for me. This story weaves around Linden and his family who have come to Paris for their father Paul's 70th birthday party. Paris is experiencing rainfall likened to the flooding in 1910. Paul has a medical emergency during the birthday celebration necessitating everyone staying in Paris as the Seine rises and floods the city. Each family member has complicated stories that are revealed as the book moves on. The main characters are developed thoroughly and you are pulled into their stories and their heartaches. Unfortunately, there are also some story lines that do not seem to go anywhere and their introduction does not seem necessary to the story. Overall, it is an intense story of secrets and emotions revealed and subsequent healing.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An interesting story about a family that has drifted apart. In the background is the Paris flood. I found myself more interested in the flood than the characters.

The Rain Watcher focuses on family and the secrets they hold, while Mother Nature simultaneously threatens their destruction. The book had a great premise. A family is getting together for a dual celebration while a natural disaster is begging the Seine to flood. Obviously this causes a time of much reflection.

Overall, de Rosnay is a great storyteller. I love that her books always bring Paris to life, and this one, she reminds us of how quickly a city can be pummeled. Family and its many dynamics are brought to life, often by memory. There are many relatable moments that most of us can relate to. This family has not been together for ten years, so naturally there are secrets unearthed and burdens unhinged.

This is one of those books that I had a hard time starting but then fell easily into its groove. Not sure what kept me from falling deeper into this book, but something was missing for me. The only thing I can think of is too many characters brought in that had loose ends. I'm not sure and wish I did, because I think I'm in the minority for finding this book good, but not amazing.

This one just wasn't for me. Very slow to start and couldn't get into it. I tried my best but had to give up to move on to ether books.

If you haven't fallen in love with Paris from reading other books, don't read this book, yet! The Seine River is bursting it seems and so it seems is the Malagarde Family who meets in Paris for the Patriarch's 70's birthday. Each family member has their own niche in the world and each family member holds secrets that they are afraid will disrupt the family if anyone in the family finds out. The Rain Watcher tells the story of a father and son relationship that hasn't age well over time. It tells the story of a mother who has shut down her emotions after her son tells his truths, and it tells the story of a sister who seems all put together but may not be as put together as she seems.

This book is fraught with emotion. It is a hard book to get into, however, don't give up! Plug on, because once you do, you will enjoy every second of your journey.

Author Tatiana de Rosnay, the author of Sarah's Key gives another stunning book to the reading world that pulls your heartstrings, makes you reevaluate your relationships and hopefully makes you a better friend, daughter/son, sister/brother, mother/father, and or, wife/husband/partner.

I loved this book. The family was so likable and you wanted to know them. Easy read and it hooked me in right away.

This was family drama at its finest. Although it was still boring and bland. I was expecting a little bit more from the author of Sarah’s Key but I guess you can’t win them all.

Very descriptive, scene setting type of book..A deeply atmospheric story in which has a man concurrently juggling his fathers sudden stroke during the flooding of Paris which is where he has come to meet his parents and adult sister. Family secrets are revealed as each member of the family gains a deeper understanding of one another. Beautifully written.