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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Read as part of BooksandLala's Buzzwordathon.
'Happiness is such a fragile sort of thing these days. It's as though there's only so much to go around.'
Even if a bit long and unbalanced for what it is trying to (and largely does) accomplish, this is an astoundingly well-written book that takes a unique angle on the utterly non-unique topic of the English home front's perspective of World War II.
Was it crazy, she wondered, to be as grateful as she felt now, for moments like this, in a world that has atomic bombs in it—and concentration camps, and gas chambers?
Thanks to strong research and a willingness to establish intimacy between not only the characters but the readers and the characters, this book has a beautiful sense of place: historically, geographically, and psychologically. This is particularly important with the book's structure following the characters backwards through time. Effectively established here is a benefit of hindsight for the reader, which the characters obviously lack. This is frustrating in a way that only makes the read more compelling.
The entire cast of characters is intensely flawed and completely vibrant. Where the setting, which is often treated as a hastily laid backdrop, does not always jump off the page, the characters absolutely do. From people who we frequently return to, like Helen and Viv, to those we only meet for a few pages, like Alec, every character is entirely their own person and remarkably well-developed.
But the war made you careless. You started off, she thought sadly, imagining you’d be a kind of heroine. You ended up thinking only of yourself.
It has been pointed out that Waters does not seem to have much affection for her characters given the distance with which she writes about them, and that this is pretty troubling given the topics she covers in this book - most notably the queer representation. This is a very fair observation and concern, one which I'd be interested to hear Waters discuss.
Overall, a beautifully written book that handles subjects that authors often find difficult with sensitivity.
She'd never thought of that before, about all the secrets that the war must have swallowed up, left buried in dust and darkness and silence. She had only ever thought of the raids as tearing things open, making things hard. She kept glancing up at the sky as she and Betty walked to John Allen House, telling herself that she wanted to see the searchlights go up; that she wanted the planes to come, the guns to start, all hell to break loose…
'Happiness is such a fragile sort of thing these days. It's as though there's only so much to go around.'
Even if a bit long and unbalanced for what it is trying to (and largely does) accomplish, this is an astoundingly well-written book that takes a unique angle on the utterly non-unique topic of the English home front's perspective of World War II.
Was it crazy, she wondered, to be as grateful as she felt now, for moments like this, in a world that has atomic bombs in it—and concentration camps, and gas chambers?
Thanks to strong research and a willingness to establish intimacy between not only the characters but the readers and the characters, this book has a beautiful sense of place: historically, geographically, and psychologically. This is particularly important with the book's structure following the characters backwards through time. Effectively established here is a benefit of hindsight for the reader, which the characters obviously lack. This is frustrating in a way that only makes the read more compelling.
The entire cast of characters is intensely flawed and completely vibrant. Where the setting, which is often treated as a hastily laid backdrop, does not always jump off the page, the characters absolutely do. From people who we frequently return to, like Helen and Viv, to those we only meet for a few pages, like Alec, every character is entirely their own person and remarkably well-developed.
But the war made you careless. You started off, she thought sadly, imagining you’d be a kind of heroine. You ended up thinking only of yourself.
It has been pointed out that Waters does not seem to have much affection for her characters given the distance with which she writes about them, and that this is pretty troubling given the topics she covers in this book - most notably the queer representation. This is a very fair observation and concern, one which I'd be interested to hear Waters discuss.
Overall, a beautifully written book that handles subjects that authors often find difficult with sensitivity.
She'd never thought of that before, about all the secrets that the war must have swallowed up, left buried in dust and darkness and silence. She had only ever thought of the raids as tearing things open, making things hard. She kept glancing up at the sky as she and Betty walked to John Allen House, telling herself that she wanted to see the searchlights go up; that she wanted the planes to come, the guns to start, all hell to break loose…
I so wanted to get into and love this book. The premise is right up my alley, but dear LORD was it so overly detailed. She does a fabulous job of writing descriptions, but it gets to be too much and you want to scream "JUST GET ON WITH IT" so you can get into the story. Too much show and not enough tell.
Very disappointing- especially because I loved Fingersmith so much. It was dull, long and the content seemed more like filler material, meandering without purpose.
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This story begins in 1947 England, and ends in 1941 England. Of course this makes me want to reread the book, knowing what I learned at the end. The author, Sarah Waters, weaves an intricate tale of WWII's impact on the lives of Londoners, with vivid descriptions of the frequent bombings. The story follows a lesbian couple, Julia, an upper class, successful novelist, and Helen, a working class girl who is not only insecure in her relationship with Julia, but not quite at home with her lesbianism. Viv, a beautiful young woman who works with Helen, is having an affair with a married man, Reggie, and can't seem to let go of him,despite that she's not really happy with the status quo. Viv's brother, Duncan, works in a factory and lives with an older man. One of the mysteries is of their relationship, and of the reason why Duncan was imprisoned for four years. Kay, my favorite character, spends her days alone, wandering the streets of London, but during the war, she was an ambulance driver with her friend, Mickey. Both Kay and Mickey remind me of butches in my life today, very gallant, very giving, very tough exterior, but soft inside. I read this book in four days this week, and find myself thinking of the character's as if they were real. Another great Sarah Waters novel.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This is a bit ironic.
I love the author's other books, but in some odd way 'The Night Watch' has been on my to-read list for ten years.
Now I've finally started reading it - and I'm so bored! DNF'ed after 20%.
I love the author's other books, but in some odd way 'The Night Watch' has been on my to-read list for ten years.
Now I've finally started reading it - and I'm so bored! DNF'ed after 20%.
This is the second novel I have read by Sarah Waters; the first book I read, Tipping the Velvet, also an historical novel, is a sexy coming of age romp set in victorian England which had me hooked almost immediately. The Night Watch did not capture me as quickly nor did I find it as captivating, but I did enjoy it.
This story set in London is told in reverse chronology, starting in 1947 just after WWII has ended, then the story moves back a few years to 1944 and finally ends in 1941. There are a cast of characters, siblings, lovers and former lovers, co-workers, which at first seem hard to keep track of but as the story rewinds the interconnections and relationships are revealed.
Moving backward is a unique twist, and there are moments when as the past is revealed your understanding of the characters or the situation makes more sense, other than that this novel is simply a story of heartbreak during wartime.
I enjoyed reading this. I doubt I would read it a second time but I am certain I will read another novel by Sarah Waters.
This story set in London is told in reverse chronology, starting in 1947 just after WWII has ended, then the story moves back a few years to 1944 and finally ends in 1941. There are a cast of characters, siblings, lovers and former lovers, co-workers, which at first seem hard to keep track of but as the story rewinds the interconnections and relationships are revealed.
Moving backward is a unique twist, and there are moments when as the past is revealed your understanding of the characters or the situation makes more sense, other than that this novel is simply a story of heartbreak during wartime.
I enjoyed reading this. I doubt I would read it a second time but I am certain I will read another novel by Sarah Waters.
sad
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