THE RAIN WATCHER is the first book I've read by Tatiana de Rosnay and I'm impressed by how the story got under my skin. I watched the movie version of SARAH'S KEY a couple of years ago and it was fabulous. For some time I have wanted to read Tatiana de Rosnay's work, and I am glad to have started with THE RAIN WATCHER.
At the heart of this story is the family members that have come together to celebrate Paul Malegarde's 70th birthday along with Lauren and Paul's 40th wedding anniversary. Linden has traveled from his home in San Francisco and his sister Tilia from London to celebrate their parents. However, they couldn't have arrived at the worst time possible with so much rain that Paris is under threat of being flooded.
All members of the Malegarde family have their own secrets and fears that will be revealed as the story progresses. They watch as the rain pours down, and, through some turbulent days, they reveal things to each other that they have kept hidden out of fear or insecurity. Throughout the book, as the characters open up to one another, their relationships grow and their family bond is made stronger. This is a family just like any other and what binds them together is love. It's a captivating story and I especially loved the flashbacks to Paul's childhood. One could really feel that something happened to him when he was young and you get a tiny bit of information now and then as the story progressed. It completely kept my attention for the entire book.
THE RAIN WATCHER is a wonderful novel and I can't wait to read more books by Tatiana de Rosnay.
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.Linden 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 Lindon himself, the youngest, uncomfortable in his own
skin, never quite at home no matter where he livesโan American in
France and a Frenchman in the U.S.โstill 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.
No excerpt available.
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