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Claire King

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The Night Rainbow: A Novel Paperback – April 9, 2013

by Claire King (Author)

3.9 883 ratings

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It is summer in the south of France, and Pea and her little sister Margot spend their days running free, inventing games in the meadow behind their house. But Pea has worries beyond her five and a half years. Her father has died in an accident, and her mother has just lost a baby. Maman is English, already isolated in this small, foreign village, and in her compounded grief, she has retreated even further. Pea and Margot stay out of her way and try to make things better, but they can't make Maman happy again.

When Pea befriends Claude, a man who seems to love the meadow as she does, she wonders if he could be a new papa. But why do the other villagers view Claude with suspicion, and what secrets does his large empty house hold?

Beautifully written, haunting, and full of surprises, The Night Rainbow is a novel about innocence and experience, grief and compassion, and the blessings and perils of imagination.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Five-and-a-half-year-old Peony—Pea for short—has become awfully good at entertaining herself. Practicing cartwheels in the meadow behind her house, picking blackberries from the bramble bushes, feeding the chickens in the coop . . . anything to stay out of her very pregnant mother’s way. After Pea’s father passed away from a sudden heart attack, Pea’s mother seems to have given up on all but the basic upkeep of the house, herself, and Pea. When Pea meets a stranger and his dog in the meadow, she discovers a series of secrets in his dusty house that affects her entire world. King’s debut is a poetic, engaging story with a slow-burning plot set in the idyllic French countryside. King’s authorial voice shines through Pea, as her skillful narration is childishly authentic without being cloying or cutesy. Reminiscent of Myla Goldberg’s Bee Season (2000) and Emma Donoghue’s Room (2010) but decidedly lighter, The Night Rainbow is an ode to childhood resilience with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it twist ending. Gorgeously written and deeply heartfelt, King’s novel captures one family’s reaction to and tentative return from seemingly insurmountable tragedy. --Stephanie Turza

Review

“One of the most remarkable features of The Night Rainbow is the language, shaped entirely through Pea's perceptions. The children's powerful imagination and cleverness define the narrative...King's story of a young child's quest for a light in the profound darkness of her life reaches deep into the complexities of human consciousness.” ―ShelfAwareness

“With a narrative voice reminiscent of young Jack from Emma Donoghue's Room, observing evreything but lacking the wisdom to truly understand the grown-up world, this surprising and enchanting first novel is enthusiastically recommended.” ―Library Journal

“King accurately captures the speech rhythms and partial understanding of a small child. Well-written and sometimes quite moving.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Poetic, engaging...King's authorial voice shines through Pea, as her skillful narrative is childishly authentic without being cloying or cutesy. Reminiscent of Myla Goldberg's Bee Season and Emma Donoghue's Room but decidedly lighter...Gorgeously written and deeply heartfelt.” ―Booklist

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury USA (April 9, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 263 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1608199444
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1608199440
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.84 x 0.79 x 8.21 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,694,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #29,609 in Psychological Fiction (Books)
- #67,527 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
3.9 883 ratings

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Claire King

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Claire King spent the last fourteen years living in Southern France, but recently hung up her onions and moved back to the UK with her husband and their two daughters. They now live by a canal in the Cotswolds.

Claire's prize winning short fiction has been recognised by fancy places like BBC Radio 4, The New Scientist, The Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology and Writers Forum magazine.

Claire blogs about her writing and assorted other things at www.claire-king.com

You can follow her on twitter @ckingwriter

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5

883 global ratings

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F MacNeill

Ignore All These Reviews!

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2013

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They have been written by adults who are analytical, and comparing this book to their own adult experiences or other books. King's writing allows the reader to take a journey back to seeing the world as we did as five year olds. What a gift! Is it perfect, is it slow or fast, are the characters developed? I for one, find it well done. It is hard enough for us adults to step out of our adult framework for even a few minutes, but King takes us along to a worldview rich in how a five year old makes sense of things which do not make sense to the adults of the story. This is a very unique book, a rich tapestry of five year old words,time, and spontaneity, Thank you, Claire King, for this gift of writing to your readers.

2 people found this helpful

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Mrs. Cynthia C. Roelofs

A unique read

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2013

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Told in a child's voice I wondered if the mingling of more mature language and personal revelation might mar my enjoyment of this book, but found that the story carried my imagination and allowed my suspension of disbelief that a child could express herself this way. The writing painted complete pictures of fascinating places.

One person found this helpful

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zetabetsy

A slow-moving book, but well-written and worth a read.

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2013

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The night rainbow was a sweet story, but I felt that it was very slow moving and didn't seem to be going anywhere in the story line for almost the entire book. The ending was surprising, however, and did make the book a memorable one.

2 people found this helpful

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Jessica

unique perspective that makes the story very meaningful

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2015

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Very interesting read. I couldn't put it down. I found myself really connecting with and caring for Pea. The perspective is very interesting. While I can see how it might be a turn off for some, I found it to be very meaningful and I would suggest trying to get used to it and immerse yourself in it to fully enjoy the story. It seems that others felt there wasn't much to the story, but I think this book has a lot to say, it's just a little bit more reading between the lines than some would prefer. I highly recommend it.

2 people found this helpful

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LJ Watson

Very sweet book

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2014

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Very enjoyable read with a loveable main character. The voice of the little girl felt very true. All of the characters in the story invoked empathy and caring from the reader. I would definitely recommend to my friends and family.

This is one of the 'daily deals' that pleasantly surprised me. Filed this in my 'authors to read again' folder.

2 people found this helpful

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G. M. Banks

Magical storytelling

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2013

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This is a beautifully told story of a little girl - through her own eyes & voice. There is humour and sadness - and great humanity at the heart of it all. Pea (Peony) is left to her own devices by a mother coping with the loss of a baby, the death of a husband, and another pregnancy nearing its term. How Pea copes with this - and tries to 'make Maman happy' - is the kernel of this story. At least once review I read felt that her 'voice' is too old for a 5/6 year old - but I think all of us believe we're very grown up at each age we reach, so the voice is really in tune with her thoughts if not necessarily ours as adults. The adults in the book are slightly on the periphery - apart from Claude (a neighbour who befriends Pea) and his dog Merlin - but they play their parts. In the end - and this is no spoiler - happiness does come; and a feeling of well being lingers as you read the last page. I loved it.

4 people found this helpful

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g&l

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2015

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This was pretty good, not great.

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2013

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I kept reading, hoping to find something good at the end. I was very bored with the book and disappointed.

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Top reviews from other countries

F

Beautiful book

Reviewed in India on April 23, 2021

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Cascading language that makes you want to read the sentence again. A lovely story, unexpected ending that makes total sense.

Katherine Sunderland

5* read. Stunning

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2016

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As O'Farrell says, I too will not forget Pea, the main protagonist in this stunning debut. She is a heroine - a delightful girl who has the heart of an angel and the kindness of a fairy. Her voice is immediately compelling and I was transfixed from the opening page. Although only 5, her voice is endearing, yet fresh, and sometimes so starkly insightful it brings a lump to your throat.

"Margot is like me and she is not like me. I am 5 and a half. Margot is only 4 but she's tall for her age. We both like cuddles and insects and cuddling insects and we both have freckles and green eyes, like Maman, with sparkles of blue and brown. In the sunlight Maman's eyes are kaleidoscopes. Margot and I are the same and not the same, you can tell by our dreams. I am always dreaming about witches chasing me, or picnic days at the beach before all the dying happened - these are the best ones. Margot dreams more about the tiny people that live in the cupboards and have parties on Thursdays, and about jigsaws that make themselves."

"Jigsaws that make themselves" - I love that. So simple, yet so profound. A child's voice but a image that is laden with deeper meaning. This sums up Pea. Pea whose father has died in an accident, whose mother is grieving the recent loss of baby and now, heavily pregnant has neither the physical energy nor the emotional strength to look after Pea and Margot. The girls are left to play in the meadows surrounding their home, inventing games and setting themselves the daily challenge of trying to make their Maman happy again. Their life is a jigsaw of grief, loss, responsibility and worry which Pea and Margot try to put together again with their imaginary adventures.

But despite a life of such a broken jigsaw with missing pieces, this is not a depressing read at all. Pea's voice is strong and her observations of the world around her capture her sense of bemusement, delight and discovery. We are gently immersed back into the world of a young child and invited to see the world from her perspective. King captures the voice of a 5 year old effortlessly. I was convinced from the start.

"That [father's death] was tragic, the priest at the church said so, but afterwards it was a catastrophe."

King has taken a few liberties with the voice but only to enhance the readability of the book. She ensures there are enough nuance and flourishes to remind us that this is a very young child. The conviction of Pea's voice comes from her innocence, naivety, Pea and Margot's struggle to understand the sometimes baffling behaviour of the adults and the lovely way in which a child can observe things yet completely miss their significance.

The girls' quest to find happiness is heartwarming. They want to fix things and their innovative and imaginative attempts to do so are charming and delightful to watch. They use their "cleverness" again and again and the reader cannot help but fall in love with them and will them to succeed.

King also uses metaphors throughout the poetic prose. Her imagery is stunning and there is a real sensory overload throughout the whole book. I was there. I was in France, in the summer, in the sticky heat, in the meadows and in the market place. Every sight, smell, touch or taste is captured and used to enhance the characters, the action and the plot. King also uses the imagery of nests, birds and flight which actually carry much more deeper, hidden meanings as the novel unfolds.

"the summer babies [birds], all thin and wobbly and not as polished as the grown ups. The mother bird...keeps leaving the wire and flies in big circles.....Come on, I think she is saying, flying is easy. But her children edge from side to side on the wire, cocking their heads and looking nervous.......She doesn't [put food into their mouths] anymore. They have to do it for themselves."

The descriptions are perfectly beautiful. Pea's candid and spontaneous descriptions are incredibly effective.

"Maman sits on the sofa, with her feet up on a stool and her plate balanced on top of her belly like a hat. I sit before her, just the tiniest amount of cool space between our warmnesses. It feels like nothing and everything."

"I don't even remember the last time she kissed me, because I never knew I had to."

And then there is the lovely humour which delicately lifts the book and levels any oppression from the enormity of what Pea and Margot are actually handling. For example when a neighbour calls around, Pea and Margot lean out precariously from an upstairs window reasoning:

"Firstly Maman seems really angry and it will be better if we are not there to get under her feet when she has finished her argument and secondly because if we lean out of the window we can see better."

I loved the dialogue and relationship between Margot and Pea. I find myself unable to think of any adjectives that would really do it justice or explain how well captured the dynamics are. They are so absorbed in their world, share so much, teach each other so much and the lovely attempts at assertion and superiority as they jostle against each other to prove their cleverness or competence are delightful, charming and heartwarming. Again, these keeps the tone light and gentle.

Another image that repeats throughout the novel is that of fairy tales, fairies and witches. Josette's house is described as a cottage made of bonbons and cakes and I think the allusion to fairy tales is quite deliberate. We are after all seeing the world through the eyes of a 5 year old and we are also being lulled into a world where reality and unreality become blurred, where we are encouraged - just like Pea and Margot - to make sense of what we are told through stories and made up games.

I really enjoyed the passage at Josette's house where she cuts Pea's hair by placing a bowl on her head.

"Is she going to make you into a salad? says Margot. Or a cake make of hair?"

The repetition of witches and Pea's fear of them reinforces King's exploration of dreams and happy endings. Pea can't articulate what it is she is scared of, she can't verbalise what her pain is or explain it and so she can't acknowledge it. The reader has to read between the lines, between the description, motifs and metaphors and begin to piece together the jigsaw themselves.

At some point I realised just how magnificent King's writing was and just what depth was disguised within the prose. And then towards the end of the novel there is a slight dramatic increase in pace, action and tension. When I finished the book I felt bereft but I also wanted to turn back to the beginning and read it again knowing what I had now learnt about the characters. I think reading it again would bring as much pleasure as the first time and even more appreciation for King's exquisite writing.

This is a story that will overwhelm you with the scent and heat of a summer in France, which will tickle you with the wings of a fairy and entertain you with the escapades of two young girls. It will also encourage you to see the world through new eyes - eyes which at times see things with more perception, frankness and profundity than any adult, while also not seeing the threats, dangers and complexity of what is happening around them.

Not since "Finding Martha Lost" or "The Museum of You" have I fallen in love with such a character like Pea. King's writing reminded me of Carys Bray, Joanna Harris and Jo Baker. Anyone who loves a well crafted, beautifully written tale that is about characters will love this. It's as uneventful as a remote french village highstreet but as colourful as the wild flowers in the meadow, slow like a siesta but as lush and juicy as the ripest peach.

It's a story about the blessings and perils of imagination and truth. It's about innocence, friendship, trust and love. There is grief, there is compassion. I just loved it. A stunning 5* read from me.

3 people found this helpful

Denise Sparks-Capion

The night rainbow

Reviewed in France on October 29, 2013

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I loved the way the author looked at the world through the eyes of a little girl. Wonderful imaginative story!

Marcus Birkenkrahe

A great voice

Reviewed in Germany on May 2, 2013

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I’ve been following Claire King’s comet-like ascent as a Bloomsbury author since meeting her on the virtual waves of Twitter and at Fictionaut. Her prose is tight and though I cannot recall being a 5 1/2-year-old child (let alone a girl) the voice struck me as transporting exactly what it needs to transport to carry the story. What happens to Pea and her family pod cannot be told, should not be told with a naturalistic, fake voice. Claire King has been visited by the muse with this debut and I’m already looking forward to her next novel!