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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I like how all of Sarah Waters' novels are completely different- she is so inventive and daring in her writing, and after each book I am struck at how she can seamlessly move from Victorian London to WWII London to 1920s London and so on, and have each book vivid and compelling and true to its time period. Her characters are never perfect (that would be boring!) but they stay with you for months (years?) after you finish her books. I especially liked Kay in this book- although I would have liked to have known what happened to her after 1947- I would have liked some small hopeful thing to leave with, like how The Paying Guests ended. It was a beautiful book, do read it.
Not bad but certainly not great. I'm personally not a big fan of this type of "slice of life" thing where nothing has a neat resolution.
Love all the queer characters. That is to say, I love the number of them. Not the characters themselves. Helen and Julia can kick rocks and so can Duncan for his transmisogyny, not cool. And on that matter, this book was largely historically accurate but I swear we do not need to use every racial slur ever invented. Especially in a book about all white queer people where I don't recall any uses of homophobic slurs.
The stories were compelling. I like how it moved backward through time. Lots of interesting details of the time period. A couple of major historical inaccuracies though for sure.
I don't really know why Viv and Reggie were in this book at all. Maybe just for the scene? Their story was otherwise utterly meaningless.
Justice for Kay, honestly. She just wants a wife! She's too sweet.
Love all the queer characters. That is to say, I love the number of them. Not the characters themselves. Helen and Julia can kick rocks and so can Duncan for his transmisogyny, not cool. And on that matter, this book was largely historically accurate but I swear we do not need to use every racial slur ever invented. Especially in a book about all white queer people where I don't recall any uses of homophobic slurs.
The stories were compelling. I like how it moved backward through time. Lots of interesting details of the time period. A couple of major historical inaccuracies though for sure.
I don't really know why Viv and Reggie were in this book at all. Maybe just for the
Spoiler
abortionJustice for Kay, honestly. She just wants a wife! She's too sweet.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very well written and researched. This is a heavy read and a difficult subject matter(s). I enjoyed the reverse narrative and learned lots about London during WW2. I think you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy this book - which I don't think I was, hence the **. I found the elements of the Blitz (understandably) harrowing but more so atm when people in Ukraine are going through similar experiences. I thought the author was clever in making this era so evocative detailing every minutiae and making it feel so personal. She was also clever by leading the reader to make assumptions that didn't pan out.
Definitely going to read more by Sarah Waters and have already read and loved Fingersmith
Definitely going to read more by Sarah Waters and have already read and loved Fingersmith
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Abortion, War
Minor: Suicide, Antisemitism
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Although I was apprehensive about Sarah Waters's leap from her usual Victorian setting to post-WWII Britain, she has proven that she can do no wrong to & with any era about which she chooses to write. While Night Watch is not as full of suspense as 'Fingersmith' or as rollicking an epic as 'Tipping the Velvet,' Waters blends meticulously researched historical detail with the subtlety and complexity of her characters' emotions. It's unlike her previous novels in its intimate scale; it portrays every day tragedies and miscommunication affecting people's lives in the face of personal and national upheaval.