The Rain Watcher was a deep, engrossing novel. I enjoyed the emotions that flowed through the story. The story is about Paul and Lauren, along with their grown children Linden and Tilia. They are all meeting in Paris to celebrate both Paul’s birthday and Paul and Lauren’s anniversary. What is supposed to be a nice stay together to reconnect soon becomes a sort of nightmare as events occur that turn their stay into a disappointment. Rain falls continually and threatens to bring the city of Paris to a dark standstill. Over the next few days everyone confronts the past, including their memories, emotions, and relationships. We get to know the son Linden the most and we only see pieces of the other characters. There are so many levels to this story. It is full of mystery, regrets, secrets, and pain. This was one of those books where I was upset to realize I had reached the last page. I flipped back through the pages again as I tried to put the story together again and resolve my feelings. But now as I write this review, new thoughts and understanding of the story have come to me.

Today, I am reviewing Tatiana de Rosnay's newest book entitled, The Rain Watcher. I loved her book Sarah's Key, was not a fan of her book A Secret Kept and now with this one, I am somewhere in the middle.

One's family is the cornerstone of who they are. They are the ones who planted seeds within yourself that when nurtured grow to produce a good person. The Malegarde family comes together to celebrate their father's seventieth birthday. Bearing secrets and lifetimes, the family faces a health crisis with their father. Meanwhile Paris itself is under siege from rainstorms which cause huge flooding issues and lends quite a somber atmosphere to the goings on of the Malegarde family.

Prominent among the characters is Linden the son, who has faced the fact that he is gay, the loss of a beloved aunt, a somewhat tenuous relationship with his father, and also a secret that his mother has kept from him. He is floundering and yet he is the one who is expected to hold the family together. Can love, tragedy, and loss bring this family unity or will they each at the end go their separate ways?

This character driven novel is sometimes powerful but often the writing seems to get in the way of the story. I found it to be ponderous at times and found myself losing attention with paragraphs that were overly long and drawn out.

Was this a bad novel? No, not at all. It was just a novel that seemed to want to arrive at something but never really got there. Although it was not really for me, I do recommend it to those who like a character driven book, one where family interaction resemble what many families are experiencing, one where the descriptions of Paris and the flooding come through loud and clear. The city and the family share a crisis which both of them might never recover from.

Thank you to Tatiana de Rosney, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

I love books set in Paris. In this one, the city is flooding right when the Malegarde family is planning a trip to celebrate the father's birthday. It is a truly inconvenient time to visit Paris, catch the flu, and suffer a stroke. Not that those things all happened to one of the characters. I thought the imagery was stunning, especially as the main narrator is a photographer and has a slightly different perspective than what you might expect. There is also an underlying mystery that the father has kept hidden since he was a small boy. The trip is an opportunity for the family to come to peace with each other before it is too late and they become further apart (or tragedy strikes). I thought it was well written. The father's story is a little weird, however.

The Rain Watcher is a quiet, character-driven novel that recounts a family weekend in Paris gone awry. The focus is on Linden, but we also learn much about the rest of the family - his sister Talia, his mother Lauren and father Paul. Through their trying time in Paris, Linden learns more about each member of his family, their haunting pasts and dark secrets. At the heart of it all is the complicated relationship between father and son and their desire to understand one another. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. It was a pleasant surprise.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC Copy of The Rain Watcher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. I was very intrigued by this book when I first requested it.

Linden Malegarde's family is reuniting in Paris but in the midst of a huge rainstorm and flood. Along the way, the family faces different trials and questions on their relationships with one other. With feelings of regret, curiosity and the exposed secrets coming to life, this book is your basic "dysfunctional" family novel.

I was curious as to where the story would go with Linden Malegarde and his family. But unfortunately, I got quite bored half way through. I was constantly waiting for something to happen. This was my first novel by Tatiana De Rosnay and I do have to say that her writing is exquisite, it's what kept me reading. The attention to detail never fails.

Reading The Rain Watcher is like taking a journey into a family's essence. The story opens with Linden Malegarde arriving in Paris to meet his family for a family celebration. Paris is not at its best. It has been raining for weeks and the Seine is rising. The family tries to make the best of it, but then illness strikes and the story takes a different turn. Suddenly, Linden finds himself taking charge of a rapidly deteriorating situation. Slowly and methodically, secrets are revealed. Is the family strong enough to face what is ahead?

I found this to be a well crafted and riveting story. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Getting together with family at anytime can be tough but add the flooding of the Sienne and all the other elements of this story and it really makes a good story. The relationships and memories that are exposed are real and raw. A very memorable book. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

I just couldn't get into this book.. The basis for the novel is excessive rain and a flood in Paris during one family's vacation celebrating their father's 70th birthday. Several serious setbacks, along with the flood, create tension among these adults who were already partially estranged from each other. I just didn't care about their family conflict; the characters seemed immature and unwilling to meet one another halfway on ANYthing. It was a slow and boring read.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing this book for review.

I read "Sarah's Key," a previous book of this author and enjoyed it. However, "The Rain Watcher" is not one I particularly enjoyed. Although advertised as the story of a family, I did not find there was very much about the family in the story. Since the story takes place mainly in Paris during a time of unprecedented flooding, we must read through endless descriptions of the flooding in every part of Paris. Also the family patriarch, a worldwide expert on trees, gives the author free rein to describe more about trees than I have ever wanted to know. Between the trees and the flooding, the family dynamics seem like a loose frame to tie the story about flooding and trees together. I think the issues about the family would have made for a much more interesting story if they had been developed, rather than the trees and the flooding, blah, blah, blah.

My reviews are my opinion of the book . I don’t do a summary because I’m afraid to give away the story.

Paris is the scene of a dual celebration for the Malegarde family; a birthday and an anniversary. Though it is supposed to be a time of celebration and happiness, the Seine threatens to flood the city.

This is a well written story of the struggles of a family trying to overcome barriers that have been erected. Although the barriers are in place to protect each member, they prevent closeness. The constant rain, gloom, and the threat of flood add to the struggles. The influence of the rain over the city of Paris makes Paris itself an integral character in the story.

I enjoyed this book as it is well written with well developed characters. One comes to have strong feelings about each of the Malegardes and for the City of Paris as it faces its own disaster.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written story with interesting characters.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress. The opinions expressed are solely my own

When I read the last page I sat wondering how I felt about this story. I still am not sure but I am positive that I was fully invested in all of the members of the Malegarde Family. The character development is extraordinary.

Set in Paris, a trip that is supposed to be a celebration becomes a nightmare times four. The situational horror of the flooding Seine and its effect on the story heighten the tension and the anxiety that mirrors the emotions of each member of the family.

Linden is so beautifully drawn that you feel his joy, sorrow and love as he explains the formative experiences that have brought him to this point in his life. Tilia, his sister is the staccato note, shrill, broken, brittle, scarred, scared, emotionally tied to her brother. She loves him fiercely. She can spin out of control in a heartbeat. Paul, the patriarch, reticent, comfortable with his trees, removed from his family. Lauren, the matriarch, with secrets that remain hidden from her family.

Interesting that you can love a book for the characters and leave the story behind. Beautifully written - so many tragedies are.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy.

The Rain Watcher is one of the most enchanting novels I have read this year. An eloquent family story wrapped in secondary story about the floods of Paris, this book will capture your attention from the beginning and not let you go long after you have finished the tale.

From the author of Sarah's Key, de Rosnay weaves a tale full of family secrets. As the rain rises throughout Paris, so does the tension within the family. Sibling spats, unspoken hurts and anger, revelations from the past and a dying patriarch all told with such emotion and angst that it will shatter your heart and, in the end, fill it once again with hope. The Rain Watcher is at once ordinary and mesmerizing as we, the reader, are enlightened to the humanity in us all.

I simply cannot recommend The Rain Watcher highly enough, nor do I have the words to bestow praises highly enough for this incredible book. Please, read this for yourself and see why de Rosnay is, indeed, one of the best authors of this new millennia.

Thank you to #Netgalley, #StMartinsPress and Tatiana De Rosnay for my copy of this spectacular book.

Tatiana De Rosnay is an incredibly talented author with an amazing ability to transport the reader to the setting with her writing. Reading The Rain Watcher had me completely set in Paris and even now, thinking about the book has me feeling squishy and sodden with the sound of rain pounding in my ears. I absolutely loved her last novel, Sarah’s Key, so I was absolutely thrilled to receive an advance reader of The Rain Watcher, her first novel in 4 years. In The Rain Watcher we meet the Malegarde family, who has come to Paris to reunite as a family and celebrate their fathers 70th birthday. Their trip has been long planned so when Paris is besieged with rain they continue with their plans and endure a city closing down as the Seine floods Paris. During their time in the city, each family member deals with personal conflict and secrets are revealed. This is a slow moving, tender exploration of family and family ties. While this book is definitely not my favorite of her work, I’m a fan of her writing style and this was a wonderful representation of her talent. For me, The Rain Watcher was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Thank you @stmartinspress for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

The Malegarde family is finally getting together in Paris, just the 4 of them. They are celebrating their father’s 70th birthday. Little do they know Paris is experiencing one of the worst natural disasters of its time. They are trapped and can’t leave the city. Then, the absolute worst happens. Their father falls ill.

Linden is a famous photographer. His sister, Tilia, is a struggling artist with a terrible marriage. Tilia is the only survivor of a wreck years ago. The wreck killed her best friend and left Tilia with a terrible limp. Linden is gay and being with his family in Paris has brought out all his struggles with acceptance.

This novel is just a little boring in places. It really does not have a plot. This is not on par with Sarah’s Key by any means. But, there is something about this book which keeps you reading. The heart break and the love this family shows for one another is uplifting and intense. This is a story about life, family, growing up and growing old. It is about forgiveness and acceptance of yourself and others.

I received this novel from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley for a honest review.

An extremely well-written story about family drama and how it is handled. The setting of a rain-soaked Paris sets an amazing backdrop for the story that is about to unfold. Tatiana de Rosnay weaved together a beautiful story. I look forward to reading anything else she puts out!

The Rain Watcher follows the Malegarde family who have decided to come together to celebrate Paul, the father of the family, 70th birthday. Paul is an esteemed arborist, Lauren, his wife is an American who visited Europe with her sister Candice when she was young and fell in love with Paul. She stayed in Europe and married him. They have two children: Linden, a renowned photographer, and Tilia, the very blunt daughter of the family.

The novel is predominately told by Linden's perspective and it is clear from the beginning that he is estranged from his family and finds this reunion to be tortuous. Each member of the family seems to be walking on egg shells in order to not disrupt the delicate reunion. At the time of their reunion however, Paris is having a huge storm and the Seine is flooding. Secrets and hidden fears are about to come forth as Paris encounters a natural disaster

I was really excited about reading this novel. Especially because I loved Sarah's Key, both the novel and the movie. However, this novel was different. I had a hard time getting into it. It was a great story line, and I was looking forward to it, but felt that it was slow moving and with not a lot of dialogue like I usually like.

Linden Malegarde is in Paris with his parents, Paul and Lauren, and sister Tilia to celebrate Paul’s 70th birthday and Paul and Lauren’s 40th wedding anniversary. The trip is immediate family only with the households of Linden and Tilia being left behind.

Paris is facing severe flooding as torrential rain pours day after day with no sign of abating, The banks of the Seine cannot cope and areas of Paris are flooding as we learn more about the family and their secrets.

There is a lot of description in this book about both trees and Paris. Paul is a retired landscape gardener who loves plants and especially trees. His children are named after lime trees. Sometimes the lengthy descriptions felt slightly forced and while the details of the geography of Paris was interesting to me as I’ve visited several times I would imagine it would be quite tiresome to the average reader who is not familiar with Paris.

There was a slight twist in the first section of the book which I saw coming as it is used so often that I am bored of it. I won’t say more for the benefit of those who do not spot it so obviously and would rather be in the dark.

I was a little sceptical of the idea of Paris flooding until I checked on Wikipedia and found that the Seine does indeed rises alarmingly high at times and that the statue mentioned on the Pont D’Alma which gauges the flood depth is indeed there in real life.

This is a slow but rich character driven book which went at a gentle but comforting pace. The ending felt a little abrupt but this seems to be the case more often than not with modern writing.

With thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tatiana de Rosnay's writing is so beautifully descriptive and encompassing that you are instantly transported to whatever scene the narrator (Linden) is talking about, be it the chilly rainy weather during the flooding of Paris, or the rich verdant fields and forests of his youth.

The Rain Watcher tells the story of a family gathering in Paris to celebrate the 70th birthday of the father, Paul. Included in the celebration are Paul's wife Lauren; Linden, his son; and Tilia, his daughter. They come to celebrate, but as floodwaters threaten, and their plans begin to fall apart, they find themselves dealing with feelings and relationship strengths and flaws, both current and past. As the dirty rivers of Paris rise, it is this family's chance to come clean with each other as they never have before.

An excellent read!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lindas Book Obsession Reviews "The Rain Watcher" by Tatiana de Rosnay  St. Martin's Press October 30, 2018

Tatiana de Rosnay, Author of "The Rain Watcher" has written an intense, emotional, captivating, riveting, and intriguing novel. The setting for this story takes place in Paris, during a devastating rainfall and flooding of the Seine. The Genre for this story are Fiction. The author does an amazing job describing Paris, and the historical places  of interest. The author does provide historical background of past flooding in Paris, and the destruction that it caused. 

The author describes her dysfunctional cast of characters as complex and complicated.Each character has their own set of problems, and there are many secrets. This is a story of family coming together. Linden Malegarde, a famous photographer. has come  to Paris from the United States to celebrate his Dad, Paul's 70th birthday, and their parents anniversary. Paul has always been obsessed with trees. and is famous as an arborist.  Paul has always felt safe by trees, and feels you can't fight nature. This is a half  American family and a half French family.  Problems have occurred in the past with Linden and his sister because of this.

As the Seine continues to flood  causing damage, and havoc, the Malegarde family finds themselves in a tragic set of circumstances.  Will the family be able to unite and communicate before it is too late?

I would highly recommend this novel for those readers who enjoy an emotional story filled with conflict and natural disaster. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

This book was a bit all over the place for me. I liked the main characters. Loved the fathers consuming passion for trees/gardening. The main characters struggle of accepting who he was and the sister's challenges with her marriage and her previous accident made the characters appear to be real people walking around in our world . The author has a knack for this.

There seemed to be too many side stories referenced along the way that were not complete and in some cases seemed to leave many unanswered questions.

I really wanted to love this book but honestly I was barely able to get through the end and was left feeling disappointed and wondering if I missed important parts of the storyline of it they just weren't there.