Happy Tuesday, all! Today I am super excited to share my review of another book I group read, The Rain Watcher by Tatiana de Rosnay, publishing today by St. Martin’s Press!
My Thoughts:
The Malegarde family has gathered in Paris to celebrate the birthday of the father of the family. At the same time, a natural disaster is looming, and as it occurs, the family’s hidden secrets are exposed as the rain continues to fall and flood the city.
The voice of the story is Linden Malegarde, a young photographer. What an interesting and astute voice he has. The Malegardes have grown apart over the years, but they are not acknowledging it. Will the family be able to overcome their hurt and fears to ease their walk through immense tragedy?
With themes of love and second chances, de Rosnay’s The Rain Watcher is rife with eloquent and elegant prose that transports you to the streets, sights, sounds, and intimacy of Paris. The Malegarde family is flawed and relatable, and the storyline is an emotional one. When times are at their most hopeless, we need our families to lean on…Will the Malegardes be able to do the same?
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis:
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, in the tradition of THE NEST.
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.
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.
Check out these reviews by the other Book Besties:
Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark
Holly at Dressed to Read
Mackenzie at PhDiva
Melisa at The Book Collective
Fab review, Jenn. That is a pretty cover. It seems to fit in perfectly with the story. This sounds like quite a moving story; Paris is one of my favorite settings. Glad to hear that this was a great read.
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Thank you, Diana! Isn’t that cover something special?! It does fit with the mood of the story and of course the rain. The Paris setting is stunning, and the writing is equally so. 💕
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I read an early copy of The Rain Watcher and absolutely loved it. It will be one of my top 10 books this year.
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I read an early copy of The Rain Watcher and loved it. It will definitely be one of my top 10 books of the year.
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I’m so happy to read that you loved it, too, Susan! What an engaging story and I can definitely understand why it’s made your list. ♥️
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What an interesting premise. I just read Holly’s excerpt, and now your excellent review, Jennifer. This one is sounding too good to pass up. 🙂
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Thank you, Laurie! It is a beautifully-written quiet story of family. I absolutely love those types of reads! ♥️
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Lovely review! Enjoyed reading this one with you! ❤
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Thanks, Holls! I loved reading this with you too! Xoxo 😘
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This book is on my schedule to read next week. So glad you found it to be a good one. I did love her Sarah’s Key so I am hoping this one will be just as good.
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Thanks, Marialyce! I hope this one resonates with you, too, when you get to it. The writing is exquisite!
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This sounds like an interesting read!
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I really enjoyed it, LP! ♥️
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This one is on my schedule, too. I loved Sarah’s Key and jumped at this when it showed up. Wonderful review, Jennifer!
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Thanks, Jonetta! It’s a story that requires patience and an investment, but the payoff is grand. Beautiful writing! I hope you find it noteworthy too.
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Well said, Jennifer!
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Thanks!
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A lovely review, Jennifer – I do like that cover…
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Thank you, Sarah! It’s such a lovely cover and really suits the book.
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Oh, I’ve really been looking forward to reading this one! Beautiful photos and lovely review, Jennifer!
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Thanks so much, Darina! I’m excited to hear what you think of the writing! ♥️
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I have this one too Jen and after reading your awesome review I cant wait to get to it! Have a wonderful Tuesday and happy reading my friend!😊💕📚
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Thanks, Sus! Oh, I cannot wait to hear what you think of this one. It’s different, but in a good way. I hope your Tuesday has been grand and that you’ve had some reading time! 💗 xo
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I absolutely love great descriptions of Paris!! I’ll defintitely have to go check out what Berit thought of this one as well! 👍👍
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It’s just a beautiful book, Nicole, and Paris is definitely at the heart of it! ♥️
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Great review! This is another author whose books I own, but haven’t read yet. 😊
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Love your review, Jenn! Added it! 💜😉❤🎃
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Thanks, favorite M! This is a terrific, warm read. ♥️
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Beautiful review as always Jennifer! So glad we had another wonderful group read together <3.
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Thank you, Kendall! I’m grateful we read this one together too. 💗
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Excellent and thoughtful review of The Rain Watcher! Although I enjoy a bit more plot, I found this quietly engaging and beautifully written!
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Thank you, Carol! That is the perfect way to describe this one!
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I love your review, Jennifer! That’s exactly it—elegant prose. This book is so delicately written!!! Loved reading this together 💕
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Thank you, Mack! Delicate is another beautiful way to describe the writing! So happy we read this together! 💗
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Beautiful view of a beautiful book!💕
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Thanks, Berit! ♥️
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Lovely pictures and review. Cannot wait to read this novel.
Happy Tuesday! 💗📚🗼
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Thank you, Virginia! I hope your Tuesday was wonderful, and I hope you love the book! ♥️ xo
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I really like the author’s book Sarah’s Key, so I do need to try and get around to this. Wonderful review. 🙂
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Thanks, Chrissi! ♥️ This has a really different feel than Sarah’s Key, but the beautiful writing is apparent in both books.
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You totally won me over with “eloquent and elegant prose that transports you to the streets, sights, sounds, and intimacy of Paris”. Sound like a delightful read. And are those my other favourites… Gerbera Daisies??? I’m so in love with this page right now. 😉 ❤️
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Aw, thank you, Nina! Yes, those are Gerbera Daisies (with some hydrangea and a multi-petaled lily), and I took this pic in July. 😂 My planning ahead is paying off! This book was absolutely beautiful! ♥️
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Wait wait wait…. you have gerberas in your garden????!!!!!
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We had those in pots this year! They will usually come back if you plant them, but it’s hit and miss, so I’ve just “cheated” and bought a couple pots of them in summer. They love to bake in the hot sun! ♥️ (There is also a calla lily from my yard – I missed naming that one!). Can you grow gerberas where you live?
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I noticed the callas. Lol. For my wedding I used callas and my bridesmaids had gerberas. I wish I could grow any flowers! 😂😂. But I haven’t had the time and patience to learn as yet…. and I’ve managed to kill a few seedlings 🙈
I ended up buying some artificial gerberas for my kitchen… not quite the same 🙄😊
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Oh, that sounds beautiful! I had tulips and orchids and my bridesmaids had tulips with some others I am blanking on the name. 😂 If you decide to buy a pot of gerberas, they are really easy. You would need to put them in full sun and water them every day. Other than that, you can give them some flower food once a month to keep them blooming. They are pretty easy compared to so many. I bet your daisies in your kitchen are still very happy and charming! ♥️
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That does sounds pretty simple. I’ll look into it!!! 🙂 Thanks!
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I love Paris as a setting but am still horrified at the idea of it being struck by a natural disaster! Sounds like another excellent read. 🙂
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It was a lovely read, FF, and the setting really makes it special. Is it unusual for Paris to flood? Off to google. 😉 ♥️
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Lovely review. This sounds like a great read. Glad you enjoyed it!
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Thank you! It was a wonderful read!
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Great review as always, Jennifer! The mention of Paris definitely caught my attention!
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Hi Jee! ♥️ Thank you! It is a lovely, quiet read with a wonderful setting! I hope you are feeling well! Xo
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Oh gosh, I didn’t even realize she had another book coming out. I loved Sarah’s Key so this is such exciting news! I’m also glad to hear it was a great read for you.
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Thank you, Suzanne! It has a different feel from Sarah’s Key, but then again, it has that same beautiful writing. I hope you enjoy it, too, if you are able to work it in.
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Great review Jenni! I do love a good family drama. 😍
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Thanks, Beth! Me, too! They are always enticing! ♥️
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Great review Jennifer. I have read all of the bestie reviews for this book and every one I read tempts me more.
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Thanks, Carla! This is a such a quiet, beautifully-written story. It’s nice to have one of those once in a while.
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Lovely review Jennifer! 😊
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Thank you, Carrie! ♥️
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This was on my October TBR but got pushed (as did many others) because I didn’t read as much as I’d hoped. Looking forward to reading it.
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I hope you enjoy it, Myndi! It’s a read that requires some patience, but I felt like my effort paid off. It was beautiful!
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