Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Night Watch

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Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips

19 reviews

ahibbs's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional mysterious sad

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

buradimari's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional sad

Loveable characters: Yes

Content Warnings

alisonvh's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I got this book from my library on a whim, and I’m so glad I did! It’s definitely a darker read than I needed in the present moment, but it’s so I good I didn’t care. I can’t put my finger on what about it I loved so much. Maybe it was just the beautiful writing. Or the nonlinear plot and the way it gives a peek into a character’s history before moving on. It’s not an easy read, but it’s so good!

Content Warnings

lmichelleb's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 0%

Content Warnings

hayreading's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

There are a lot of great things about this book. Talking about the effects of the civil war and the lives of mentally disabled individuals, as well as the effects of trauma and how it shows in different people. However, there are several aspects of the book that bring down my rating. The detail of the abuse seems excessive. The lack of quotations makes sense for Weed's perspective, but for the others it feels unnecessary and makes the reading experience more difficult. I wanted to see more about the "bad" wings of the asylum, to understand what their life would be like. The abrupt change in Papa's behavior felt out of place and at odds with the type of abuser he was in the early sections of the book. The Nightwatch dying after suddenly knowing his past felt unrealistic for the rest of the story. Overall, it was a difficult book to read, with many faults, but much of the content was interesting and had much to say.

Content Warnings

dahlface's review against another edition

2.0

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Night Watch was not what I expected and I am surprised it was given the Pulitzer. A slog of a book written from the points of view of several characters many emotionally and physically pummeled by the Civil War. Despite being told from so many points of view, we never fully experience these characters’ inner selves and I struggled to keep interest in their lives. The most interesting passages are told from the point of view of an orphaned six year old who has been taken in by the cook in an asylum, but I quickly realized “Weed” was more of a plot device created to witness a very important twist in the plot than a fully fleshed out character. The inner workings of the asylum were the most interesting, but underdeveloped. I would not recommend spending time reading this undeserving Pulitzer winner.

Content Warnings