Having loved “Sarah’s Key,” I was eager to read this novel. I loved the setting of Paris, and the writing was gorgeous, but I didn’t connect with the characters.
The setup for the story took too long, and I felt a little disappointed at the end.
Still, I did enjoy the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I was fortunate enough to read this book pre-released through Net Galley for my honest opinion. This is a contemporary novel set in Paris about a family reunion celebrating the patriarch's 70th birthday, his wife and his 40th anniversary with their 2 adult children. This family is typically physically and emotionally remote, with the adult son wanting to really connect with his father. Along with this fantastic story line, Paris experiences horrific flooding which paralyses the city! The author sends a realistic warning to France of this potential natural disaster. I strongly recommend this novel. I was unable to put it down so make sure you have the time to read uninterrupted!

I am very disappointed after reading this book . I read Sarah's key last year and was very excited to read The rain watcher by Tatiana de Rosnay . I am a huge fan of her previous book but couldn't carry on reading The rain watcher :(

The only thing I liked is Paul and his love for nature ❤ and there is Tilia , who didn't want to go to see her father Paul in the hospital after he suffered from a stroke because she had an accident years ago and she doesn't like hospital . I mean he is her father right ? her 18 year old daughter is more mature than her . I am not going to give a full review so here it ends . x

The Rain Watcher is set in Paris for a family reunion/celebration of the patriarch Paul's 70th birthday. The rain is as oppressive as the story. It was very hard for me to get through this book. I felt like some of Linden's POV/voice was written like a chain of random thoughts. I just didn't enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me this electronic copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheRainWatcher #NetGalley

Although I really enjoyed the authors past work, this new title left something to be desired.
It was very atmospheric, I almost felt the need for an umbrella ! However, the story itself was
only mildly engaging. Sorry, as I really was excited to read this book !

The Rain Watcher is a beautifully written portrayal of a family coming closer together while a whole city falls apart.
The Malegarde family gathers in Paris for their father Paul's 70th birthday. The talk on every tv and radio is of the record rainfall and the fear of flooding in the Seine river. Tragedy strikes the family when both the parents become ill and Paul is hospitalized. They extend their stay to care for their parents. Family secrets are revealed as Linden learns to communicate with his father as he was too afraid to before and Tilia faces her fear of hospitals due to a tragic accident in her past. And through it all, the rain falls...
I absolutely loved Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay and I was excited for the opportunity to read this new book. I didn't like it as well, but I do love her writing style. Her description of the flooding and people's reactions and responses to it made me feel as if I was living through it as well.

This a well written story about a family celebrating a 70th birthday when it floods. It is beautifully told. I kept turning the pages until I sadly, reached the end. I enjoyed this author and can't wait to read more.

I loved Tatiana’s previous novel, Sarahs Key, so I could not wait to dive into the Rain Watcher. Set in Paris, the story follows the Malengarde family and is written from Linden’s point of view. Each family members deepest secrets are brought to light as their family reunion is extended due to their father falling ill. Add in a historical catestrophic flooding and it sounds like the makings of a great novel. I enjoyed The Rain Watcher but was not fully invested in the story as with other books. There was no ‘a ha’ moment and I could have easily set this book down for a later read. A bit disappointed in the story being pulled in so many ways but cannot not mention the beautiful descriptions of Paris by Rosnay.

I liked this book even though some parts of the story did not connect. Perhaps there was symbolism in regard to that element? Most families have their secrets and dysfunctions. This was true for Linden’s family and the many emotions that you will experience as their story unfolds. Thanks to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s press for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion. .

I wanted to like this much more than I did. Paris floods as this family gathers to celebrate a 70th birthday party.

Lots of turmoil and lots of family drama. Ms de Rosnay is a wonderful author and she sure knows how to tell a story!

My thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this advanced readers copy.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending the electronic copy of de Rosnay’s latest book due for publication in October, 2018. I loved Sarah’s Key so was eager to read the Rain Watcher!

The Malegarde family meets in Paris to celebrate Paul’s 70th birthday and Paul and Lauren’s 40th wedding anniversary with their two adult children, Linden and Talia. (No parnter, husband or child invited!) They arrive in Paris in rain and as the days go on, the rain continues - the weather as dismal as the family relationships! Things get more and more complicated as the Seine overflows, flooding results and medical emergencies arise. Each family member is harboring a secret which has kept them from the closeness they all desire. Gradually, secrets unfold and there is redemption and healing.

Pay special attention to the insertions of the four year old boy and his sitter. Who is this boy and how does it shape who he becomes? I had to go back and read them a second time to fully grasp their significance. Beautifully done by de Rosnay!

The main characters are all well developed, but I would have liked a bit more development of a couple side stories involving Lauren’s sister, Candice, and her former fiancée and current friend, Jeff. At the same time, I could have done with a little less description of the flooding. Not being a Parisian, most of the streets and landmarks were unfamiliar. The author did a good job though of describing the seriousness of it all - an actual Paris event in January, 2018.

I found this a well written story of family relationships, secrets divulged, forgiveness and love.

This contemporary n0vel set in Paris centers around a family drama with the backdrop of flooding encroaching Paris. It started out well, with interesting characters - hard to beat Paris as a novel’s setting and de Rosnay displays an obvious knowledge and love for the city. I also enjoyed the backstory of photographer Linden’s childhood and that of his father growing up in the French countryside. It was an intriguing set up to have a family reunion set against the background of impending disaster. The novel was marred for me, however by the unevenness of the writing, particularly the constant use of short, choppy sentences that impeded the enjoyment of reading this novel. . I also felt that the conclusion was a little abrupt and unsatisfying. De Rosnay is writing with less emotional resonance and more formulaic plot driven need in this novel.

Story of family relationships. Just couldn't keep my interest. the characters seemed to flat for me

The Malagarde family has gathered in Paris for the father's 70th birthday. He has a stroke while there, and the mother falls ill with the flu - and at the same time, the Seine is rising to historic levels and threatening to flood Paris. The children struggle to care for their parents in them midst of this natural disaster, and deal with their own emotional disasters. Each family member has secrets that gradually come to light as the story progresses. To be honest, I almost put this book aside after the first big 'reveal', thinking here we go again, just another trendy topic. But I'm glad I kept reading, because I really enjoyed this story. The writing is wonderful, the way the layers were peeled back for each character was quite moving at times, and the depictions of a flooded Paris were vivid and quite interesting. The ending was quite abrupt, my first thought was "what in the world?" - but I still liked the book more than enough to recommend it. This is an excellent look at how you can't really know anyone based on their appearance, how circumstances and events shape a person's life, and the importance of famly, and of love. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the E-arc. 3.75 stars

I loved the setting of this book (Paris) even if it is going through a terrible rain storm. I thought the main character Linden was very well developed and sympathetic. The main family story line is interesting but I felt the rest of the smaller stories taking place around the main one were a little scattered and didn’t necessarily add anything. This is a solid book though and if you love Paris you’ll really feel for the city in this one.

I was a big fan of the film and just recently read the book Sarah's Key, but this book is nothing like Sarah's Key. It covers a family vacation that goes bad because of inclement weather, and drags on and on like bad vacations do. Pretty disappointing reading considering the depth of her previous work.

4.5 stars!

Another wonderful story by Tatiana de Rosnay!

The book intertwines the story of Paris, in the midst of unimaginable flooding, and a medical crisis that develops while the Malegarde family comes together in the city for family celebrations. It starts off very simply, and gradually family secrets are revealed (and most subsequently addressed/resolved) while at the same time, the water in Paris is rising.
I found most of the family members so interesting, especially the focus on Linden (the son) and Tilia (the daughter) and their relationship. The author does a wonderful job of presenting characters who are flawed in real life ways, but also makes them realistic and capable of being likable. Some of the reveal of the secrets were a bit drawn out (ie Aunt Candy) which is why I didn't rate a full 5 stars. Also loved the role the music of David Bowie played!
Having the city of Paris as a character was also very interesting and makes me want to return (although not when there's flooding)!
Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan for the opportunity to read The Rain Watcher in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Rain Watcher was a little slow in the beginning and took me a while to get into, The backdrop of Paris flooding was more compelling to me than some of the side emotions over the past and how each character was coping with the situation. The end felt very rushed and disjointed and while I liked the book, it definitely took concentration to read it.

I know I start a lot of these reviews saying I didn't know what to expect but with The Rain Watcher, I really didn't. The synopsis is pretty vague and with good reason. There are a lot of family secrets that come out throughout the book. Secrets about the past and secrets about the present. And all while the Malegarde family is trying to deal with these secrets and the failing health of the father, Paul, Paris is flooding, causing much of the city to be destroyed. Let's get to the review!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
The Rain Watcher is a powerful family drama set in Paris as the Malegarde family gathers to celebrate the father's 70th birthday. Their hidden fears and secrets are slowly unraveled as the City of Light undergoes a stunning natural disaster. Seen through the eyes of charismatic photographer Linden Malegarde, the youngest son, all members of the family will have to fight to keep their unity against tragic circumstances.

Linden Malegarde is the main character and we follow him for most of the book. He is a famous photographer and is coming to Paris to have a family "vacation" of sorts. Linden makes his way to Paris, not really ecstatic about this family reunion but he figures it will just be a few days and then he can go back to work and back to his boyfriend, Sacha. But when Linden meets his family for dinner, he notices something is severely wrong with his father, Paul (Paul is famous for growing and saving trees). He looks pale and is nowhere near the commanding presence he normally is. His mother, Lauren, brushes it off as Paul just being tired, but as you can probably guess, that is not the case. #nospoilers

I say no spoilers because I want you to experience the book the way I did but it's hard to write a review for this one without spoiling it a little. So, I am going to dedicate this paragraph to a few spoilers. If you don't want to know them, skip ahead right now. Alright. One of biggest reveals is that Paul does not know Linden is gay or at least Linden doesn't think he does. He told his mother awhile ago and she did not have a good reaction, so he put off telling his father. Next spoiler: Yeah, Paul is not healthy. He has a stroke while they are having dinner and is rushed to the hospital, prolonging the family's stay in Paris. And remember...the city is flooding!! You can guess the kind of issues this brings up. During this time, with Paul health not improving Linden decides to come out to his dad while he is still lucid and conscious. You'll have to read the book to find out how it turns out.

Ok, spoilers done. Back to the rest of the story.

Linden also has a complicated relationship with Paris. He grew up there. He came out there. He had some awful experiences there and we are shown a lot of them as he goes through the city looking at the damage the flood is making. All of these scenes are very emotional and you really get sucked into this story because of how strong Linden's voice is throughout the story. Tatiana De Rosnay did a beautiful job creating his character. I had to remind myself that I didn't actually know him.

Linden is also dealing with his father's health and the flood alongside his sister, Tilia. She is a brash woman who has not had the life she dreamed of. She was in a car accident when she was younger where she was the only survivor, she is on her second husband who turned out to be a raging alcoholic, and now her father is in failing health. She is scared of going to the hospital when Paul falls ill so she spends most of the time with their mother, Lauren. Lauren comes down with pneumonia almost right after Paul goes into the hospital. So it's just Linden and Tilia trying to hold things together, all while the government is trying to figure out what the hell to do about the flooding.

Interspersed between the chapters about Linden's family and the flood are short bits of narrative about what seems to be an idyllic childhood that goes wrong. You might think these are Linden telling a story from his childhood. You might be wrong. #nospoilers

We, sadly, don't get much interaction between Linden and Sacha but we do get Linden's description of him. How much he misses him, how much he wishes he was there with him, how he immediately knew Sacha was special when they first met. Those pieces are my favorite happy bits in this book. I wish there were a few more.

The Rain Watcher by Tatiana De Rosnay is an emotional and, at times, suspenseful family drama that highlights the city of Paris and Vénozan where Linden's parents live. It's a brilliant juxtaposition to have the story set mainly in Paris, a city that is viewed by most of the world as an idyllic place and then to have such destruction and most of Linden's sad memories take place there. The same goes for Vénozan. It is described as this incredibly beautiful natural land with lime trees and gorgeous scenery but not all is what it seems there either.

I completely enjoyed this story. I did think it wrapped up a little too quickly. I wanted more but overall, I would read this book again just to go back to this world and live in Linden's past and present. I am giving The Rain Watcher 3.5 out of 5 stars. If any of what I've written sounds interesting to you, please check this book out.

The Rain Watcher by Tatian De Rosnay comes out October 23, 2018.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a new author for me and I was pleasantly surprised and excited to find a new writer to follow ! If you like to read about family and all of the underlying issues that go along with most families, you’ll love this. Every time I said I will close the book after this chapter, I found myself staying up late to get to the next chapter I would definitely recommend this !