Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

16 reviews

silly_little_clown's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This was such an interesting read!! Not gonna lie, the book didn’t really pick up for me until after the 30% mark, but I’m so glad that I toughed it out.

I don’t think I’ve ever read any historical fiction written in the modern times that felt so much like I was reading about people that were actually living in that era. Even the parts that were set in Japan, I felt totally immersed into the world. The author has such a way of building up atmosphere and creating dialogues that just makes everything feel so realistic despite the fact that there are some magical realism aspects to it. I also love the work that has gone into researching all the politics at the time. It’s very interesting to have a glimpse of the international power struggles in the past.

One weird thing that I really appreciate about this book is the casual racism that were expressed by multiple characters. As a POC, while I do not condone and tolerate racism, I think it’s important to acknowledge that those were the norm in those days and they usually went on unchallenged. We are growing to evolve out of it, can’t say the same about everyone, but racism is definitely not cool now. It’s not to say that the POC characters just silently takes it, I loved it when Mori casually refuted the police’s own logic when he was confronted at the end. But I’m glad that the author decided to include those things in the story, even though it might be difficult to read for some people. It made the story all the more real, and I think as readers with critical minds, we should be well equipped to understand that depiction of a horrible thing does not mean condoning of said thing.

I love Thaniel and Mori’s dynamic so much!! They’re not the kind of couple that has a lot of tension going on, but I think that made them even more lovable. The simmering longing that is just bubbling under the surface. That’s how I would describe their pining of each other. It’s especially angsty for Mori because

he’s the person that had seen all the possible happy ever after outcomes and yet reality keeps robbing him of them one by one. Especially when he forgets things that will happen in the future that made him who he is now. My heart ached so much when he started losing his northern accent and then losing English as a language that he knows how to communicate with.

However, he’s such a clever and calculating soul that it complements Thaniel’s character so well and just makes sense for him and Thaniel to fall for each other. At least that’s what I think.

I must say I’m not a fan of Grace. Her

racism

aside, she’s just not a type of woman in STEM that I like haha. Her POV chapter was introduced too soon for me, because I’ve barely go to know Thaniel at that point. So I was a bit confused about what she’s doing here. And I just didn’t really care about her whole weird pining for

Matsumoto (I’m not a fan of hetero “forbidden” romance, like get over yourself, seriously). And her chaotic plot of getting herself intentionally hurt so she can prove her point?? With a freaking bomb?? Reckless and stupid and she PUNCHED Keita for it. The police should’ve arrested her. She literally BLEW UP a building because she wants to prove a point and she’s not even punished. At least the Irish had good reasons. She literally did it for the fun of it like. Poor Katsu, he’s just a little clockwork octopus, he didn’t deserve to be blown to smithereens. I don’t know, I know she’s smart but she just irks me the wrong way. She’s also the type of selfish character that I don’t enjoy too, like on what grounds is she standing on to demand Thaniel spend less time with Mori. It was a plain and simple contractual marriage, I was so angry when she just nonchalantly told the workers to destroy the clockwork vines on the pear trees and straight up chopped all those trees down. The audacity. I’m actually kind of pissed that the book ended with her POV.

Sorry to the Grace lovers out there. She’s just not the gaslight gatekeeper girlboss she thinks she is.

To end this review with a positive note, I can’t wait to read to spin-off and sequel! :D

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blubbn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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biobeetle's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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girlwithoutearing's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I liked the almost casually strewn in fantasy elements that are used to influence the plot. I wasn't so much a fan of the ending, but can't explain why without spoilers, so see below if you're interested. I liked that the author didn't shy away from depicting casual racism, especially since this must have been much worse in the 19th century. It just felt as if she didn't follow through with it when none of the Japanese characters in the book ever face disadvantages beyond racial slures and being looked down on in inconsequential ways.

I liked that Thaniel and Mori got to stay together, but the overall happy ending with them living together without fear of discovery and adopting a child felt a bit unrealistic and forced. Sure, showing them living in fear for the rest of their relationship wouldn't have made for a nice ending, but it kind of sounded as if the laws against "homosexual behaviour" and the threat of Grace going to the police were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Yes, these laws didn't necessarily lead to people going to jail, but the harm they did was real. If Thaniel and Mori were known to have been accused of having a gay relationship their lifes could have been ruined. I also couldn't care less about Grace getting a happy ending of sorts after she'd been so casually homophobic and unlikable in general.

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beepsies's review

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mysterious medium-paced

2.75

Interesting premise and prose that drew me in right away! The style was my favorite thing about this book, though I did feel like it started out strong and got progressively weaker.

I found the cast to be largely unlikeable, though, and felt like the climax was uninteresting and out of place. It's also packed to the gills with period anti-asian racism which the MC skirts around but is heartily professed by nearly every other character, as well as lots of anti-irish sentiments.

It has some panache out of the gate but was ultimately not to my taste.

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millerkg9's review

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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hannahsutherland's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

The descriptions of all the Japanese characters are horrendously racist. They read like the book actually was written in the 1880's.
The main female character is quite misogynistic. She has a severe case of, "I'm not like other girls".
I thought there might be some character development that adressed these things, but nope.

There were things I liked. The descriptions of the clockwork were beautiful. The plot was engaging- particularly the last two thirds. Despite enjoying parts of the book, I won't be reading the sequel or Natasha Pulley's other work. One racist book was enough for me.

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