The Rain Watcher: A Novel
The first new novel in four years from the beloved superstar author of Sarah's Key, a heartbreaking and uplifting story of family secrets and devastating disaster, set against a Paris backdrop, fraught with revelations, and resolutions.
Hypnotic, passionate, ominous and tender--unforgettable." --Jenna Blum, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Those Who Save UsLinden Malegarde has come home to Paris from the United States. It has been years since the whole family was all together. Now the Malegarde family is gathering for Paul, Linden's father's 70th birthday. Each member of the Malegarde family is on edge, holding their breath, afraid one wrong move will shatter their delicate harmony. Paul, the quiet patriarch, an internationally-renowned arborist obsessed with his trees and little else, has always had an uneasy relationship with his son. Lauren, his American wife, is determined that the weekend celebration will be a success. Tilia, Linden's blunt older sister, projects an air of false fulfillment. And Linden himself, the youngest, uncomfortable in his own skin, never quite at home no matter where he lives--an American in France and a Frenchman in the U.S.--still fears that, despite his hard-won success as a celebrated photographer, he will always be a disappointment to his parents. Their hidden fears and secrets slowly unravel as the City of Light undergoes a stunning natural disaster, and the Seine bursts its banks and floods the city. All members of the family will have to fight to keep their unity against tragic circumstances. In this profound and intense novel of love and redemption, de Rosnay demonstrates all of her writer's skills both as an incredible storyteller but also as a soul seeker.
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Community Reviews
I was provided an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin's Press, through Netgalley.
I read The Rain Watcher during some of the rainiest days we'd had in Texas in a while. I curled up on the couch with a warm blanket, a warm beverage, a cat or two in my lap, and let the sound of the rain against the roof and windows transport me to Paris where the unrelenting rain is filling the Seine to catastrophic flood levels, threatening the Malegarde family's gathering. Seen primarily through the eyes of Linden, a well-known photographer, this tale is carefully woven, unraveling the characters and the relationships that have made them who they are. While it took a few chapters for me to get used to Tatiana de Rosnay's writing style, I quickly came to appreciate her ability to show things in detail without being verbose. I was completely drawn into this story, and I was sad when it ended.
#popsugarreadingchallenge (prompt #24)
I read The Rain Watcher during some of the rainiest days we'd had in Texas in a while. I curled up on the couch with a warm blanket, a warm beverage, a cat or two in my lap, and let the sound of the rain against the roof and windows transport me to Paris where the unrelenting rain is filling the Seine to catastrophic flood levels, threatening the Malegarde family's gathering. Seen primarily through the eyes of Linden, a well-known photographer, this tale is carefully woven, unraveling the characters and the relationships that have made them who they are. While it took a few chapters for me to get used to Tatiana de Rosnay's writing style, I quickly came to appreciate her ability to show things in detail without being verbose. I was completely drawn into this story, and I was sad when it ended.
#popsugarreadingchallenge (prompt #24)
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