The Night Watch
by Sarah Waters
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Former ambulance driver Kay lives life fast, wandering the war-torn streets and hunting for other women. Kind and clever Helen guards her secrets--and her lover--closely. Glamorous Viv remains utterly devoted, for better or worse, to the soldier she adores. And Duncan fights to make a new life for himself after spending time in prison. As these four people survive the devastation of war and the experience life's dizzying highs, their paths cross in ways none of them can forsee.Tags
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jayne_charles Both employ reverse chronology to tell a story with its roots in WWII
kiwiflowa both have female protagonists and are about the London Blitz during WWII
13
Member Reviews
I read the blurb on the back of the cover of this book and found myself intrigued by the idea that it might end with its beginning. My only reason for not reading earlier was that the book is long and I’m in a lets-read-short-books phase. But the story is actually split into three parts, so I fooled myself into treating each part as a short book, and then I couldn’t put it down. I found I really did want to find out what a story told backwards would feel like. And I like the result.
The setting was certainly of interest to me—1940s London. I’ve heard of the air-raids from family members, of shelters, the sounds of bombs, the darkened streets. And there’s quite a cast of fascinating characters, all nicely delineated. show more Occasionally I’d wonder, now where did I meet her, but only in the same sense as I might out on the street, soon realizing who it was and eager to learn what happened next—or what happened in the past. There were mysteries neatly set up in the earliest part, relationships with pasts half-told and the promise of learning more.
It’s actually quite an interesting way to uncover a story, retreating through time and wondering. After all, we usually get to know who people are before we learn who they were. What intrigued me most was how complete the story felt when the mysteries were told, though the future stayed unknown. Like life, but in a good way.
In fact, the whole novel feels very complete despite the uncertain future. The characters have settled in my mind. I know them, more than I ever would in real life. I like them for all that they’re not like me, and it’s not just time and war that separates. I’m glad the world has changed and I hope it changes more, and I want the best for those who inherit their dreams.
SALON.COM says the novel “chronicles love, sex, and obsession.” It chronicles much more, and it invites the reader to know and understand in a way few novels can, by adding the danger of war and that aspect of change that unsettles enough to leave the mind half-open. I can smell the broken buildings, the ash and the dust, and see the gifts of childhood lost and torn. And I love this book. show less
The setting was certainly of interest to me—1940s London. I’ve heard of the air-raids from family members, of shelters, the sounds of bombs, the darkened streets. And there’s quite a cast of fascinating characters, all nicely delineated. show more Occasionally I’d wonder, now where did I meet her, but only in the same sense as I might out on the street, soon realizing who it was and eager to learn what happened next—or what happened in the past. There were mysteries neatly set up in the earliest part, relationships with pasts half-told and the promise of learning more.
It’s actually quite an interesting way to uncover a story, retreating through time and wondering. After all, we usually get to know who people are before we learn who they were. What intrigued me most was how complete the story felt when the mysteries were told, though the future stayed unknown. Like life, but in a good way.
In fact, the whole novel feels very complete despite the uncertain future. The characters have settled in my mind. I know them, more than I ever would in real life. I like them for all that they’re not like me, and it’s not just time and war that separates. I’m glad the world has changed and I hope it changes more, and I want the best for those who inherit their dreams.
SALON.COM says the novel “chronicles love, sex, and obsession.” It chronicles much more, and it invites the reader to know and understand in a way few novels can, by adding the danger of war and that aspect of change that unsettles enough to leave the mind half-open. I can smell the broken buildings, the ash and the dust, and see the gifts of childhood lost and torn. And I love this book. show less
I slogged my way through the last 50 pages of [Night Watch] and would put this title in the same box as Penelope Lively's [Consequences] - the boring box. I appreciate Waters attempt to do something different with the structure of the novel - moving from present to past rather than the more common past to present timeline, but it just doesn't work because the writing is not up to the task. As I said earlier this novel is short on plot and long on structure and innovative structure alone cannot carry a novel. In the end the reader has to care about the characters and I just didn't have a feeling for caring for any of them. I only finished the book because I felt that to make an objective judgement and therefore be able to participate in show more the discussion about Waters and her work I should read the whole thing. I did, but didn't enjoy the experience.
I still have [Fingersmith] in my library and someday I will read it. However, I will not be putting it anywhere near the top of the TBR stack anytime soon. I don't think it is fair to judge a novelist by one book, especially when they have a body of work from which to choose, but I can only hope that other works done by Waters will hold my interest better than this one. I learned from reading three Lively books in one month that a writer with a fair number of works will not display an even quality throughout. For that reason I will reserve final judgement on Waters as an author, but from where I currently stand I think this is an author who is getting publicity for their work based on the outre nature of her subjects and not on the quality of the novel. I also think that there is little new explored in this novel regarding the theme of homosexuality and for me other authors I have read have reached me with a more powerful message on this same subject than Waters managed to do. show less
I still have [Fingersmith] in my library and someday I will read it. However, I will not be putting it anywhere near the top of the TBR stack anytime soon. I don't think it is fair to judge a novelist by one book, especially when they have a body of work from which to choose, but I can only hope that other works done by Waters will hold my interest better than this one. I learned from reading three Lively books in one month that a writer with a fair number of works will not display an even quality throughout. For that reason I will reserve final judgement on Waters as an author, but from where I currently stand I think this is an author who is getting publicity for their work based on the outre nature of her subjects and not on the quality of the novel. I also think that there is little new explored in this novel regarding the theme of homosexuality and for me other authors I have read have reached me with a more powerful message on this same subject than Waters managed to do. show less
I think I'm a little bit in love with Sarah Waters. Even in this fairly radical departure from her standard fare, her careful eye for historical detail and ear for lyrical prose shine through. Rather than the Victorian era, Waters has moved to post-WWII London, following the lives of a loosely-connected group of women in the aftermath of the Blitz. While I wasn't crazy about the main plot device here (the book is divided into three sections, each moving backward in time), I was thrilled by Waters's deep understanding of women's relationships. Filled with wonderful, believable characters, devastating in its emotional impact, I was reminded more than anything of my favorite book, Mrs. Dalloway.
The Night Watch follows the intertwined lives of several people -- mostly women -- in London during and after WWII. All of whom have secrets, or parts of their lives the rest of the world would consider unacceptable: homosexuality, affairs, a stint in jail...
It's an interestingly structured novel, as it's divided into three parts, each of which takes place three years before the previous one, making it a sort of journey backwards through these characters' lives. It's a structure that works remarkably well; I was always interested in what was happening to the characters at the current point in the narrative, but also curious to learn the details of past events and what led them from point A to point B. And the way the novel leaves us show more with the beginnings of things we've already seen the ending (or at least the evolution) of is rather poignant.
I didn't find it quite as addictively compelling as the other two of Waters' novels that I've read -- Fingersmith and The Little Stranger -- but for a novel that's character- rather than plot-based, it's a remarkably fast read. And I find myself extremely impressed, this time, by how well Waters captures ordinary, realistic, awkward moments, in relationships in sex, and in life. There were a few places where I found that realism almost painful, but always in a good way. show less
It's an interestingly structured novel, as it's divided into three parts, each of which takes place three years before the previous one, making it a sort of journey backwards through these characters' lives. It's a structure that works remarkably well; I was always interested in what was happening to the characters at the current point in the narrative, but also curious to learn the details of past events and what led them from point A to point B. And the way the novel leaves us show more with the beginnings of things we've already seen the ending (or at least the evolution) of is rather poignant.
I didn't find it quite as addictively compelling as the other two of Waters' novels that I've read -- Fingersmith and The Little Stranger -- but for a novel that's character- rather than plot-based, it's a remarkably fast read. And I find myself extremely impressed, this time, by how well Waters captures ordinary, realistic, awkward moments, in relationships in sex, and in life. There were a few places where I found that realism almost painful, but always in a good way. show less
I found The Night Watch by Sarah Waters one of the most interesting books I have read about London during the war. The book follows an assorted group of people and drifts back and forth in time from 1947 to 1944 and finally to the catalyst year of 1941. These Londoners are loosely connected and we follow them through their desires, their guilt, their regrets. Although many of the characters are gay this is not a story about ones’ sexual preference, rather that of people trying to live their lives in a London that has been changed by war.
With Sarah Waters, one must be patient, she is wordy and her books are long and could probably do with some tighter editing, but the reward is there, a gem of a story just waiting to be discovered. show more This author writes beautifully, and has the ability to move her readers while she also educates. I can’t promise that the reader will find many characters that are truly likeable, but they are all very much alive and living lives that engaged my attention thoroughly. I know there are many that find her work a real slog to get through, but I really relished her unique point of view and enjoyed puzzling this story out.
The Night Watch is an historical novel that is rich in period details and with a few strokes of her pen she is able to place her readers on the dark streets of London during the air raids or at a government Ministry working in a typing pool. The story is complex, filled with twists and rather sad. At the end of the story, which is really the beginning, it’s almost impossible not to start in again and read the beginning, which is really the end. show less
With Sarah Waters, one must be patient, she is wordy and her books are long and could probably do with some tighter editing, but the reward is there, a gem of a story just waiting to be discovered. show more This author writes beautifully, and has the ability to move her readers while she also educates. I can’t promise that the reader will find many characters that are truly likeable, but they are all very much alive and living lives that engaged my attention thoroughly. I know there are many that find her work a real slog to get through, but I really relished her unique point of view and enjoyed puzzling this story out.
The Night Watch is an historical novel that is rich in period details and with a few strokes of her pen she is able to place her readers on the dark streets of London during the air raids or at a government Ministry working in a typing pool. The story is complex, filled with twists and rather sad. At the end of the story, which is really the beginning, it’s almost impossible not to start in again and read the beginning, which is really the end. show less
While I really enjoyed the depiction of war time London and the way the story is told (backwards through time starting in 1947 and ending in 1941), what I didn't love was that I have so many questions still left at the end. There were some things I still really wanted to know more about, such as Mr Mundy and Duncan's relationship, and how Kay and Helen eventually split up (or rather, how Helen broke the news to Kay), and how Viv decided to stay with Reggie even after he abandoned her when she needed him most. Those questions, unfortunately, left me wanting more out of the book than I got. I found myself enjoying the first part a lot more than the subsequent parts, really. However, still a good book with some fantastically good queer show more representation. show less
I like the way this book told the story "backwards": it starts in 1947 and goes back to 1945, then 1941. In this way, we get to know the characters in the present, and gradually learn their history, much like we encounter people in real life. The characters were wonderfully complex people and well developed.
In the end, the author pursued certain story lines that I found less interesting than several not pursued.
In the end, the author pursued certain story lines that I found less interesting than several not pursued.
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Author Information
8+ Works 31,644 Members
Sarah Waters was born in Wales in 1966. She has a Ph.D. in English. She is the author of several books including Tipping the Velvet, Affinity, The Night Watch, and The Paying Guests. Fingersmith won the CWA Ellis Peters Dagger Award for Historical Crime Fiction and the South Bank Show Award for Literature. She has won a Betty Trask Award and the show more Somerset Maugham Award. In 2003, she was chosen as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists and was named Author of the Year by the British Book Awards, The Booksellers' Association and Waterstone's Booksellers. Several of her novels have been adapted for television. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Keltainen pokkari (77)
Keltainen kirjasto (382)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- De nachtwacht
- Original title
- The Night Watch
- Original publication date
- 2006
- People/Characters
- Kay Langrish; Helen Giniver; Duncan Pearce; Viv Pearce; Reggie Nigri; Julia Standing (show all 9); Mickey Carmichael; Robert Fraser; Mr. Mundy
- Important places
- London, England, UK
- Important events
- World War II; The Blitz
- Related movies
- The Night Watch (2011 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- To Lucy Vaughan
- First words
- So this, said Kay to herself, is the sort of person you've become: a person whose clocks and wrist-watches have stopped, and who tells the time, instead, by the particular kind of cripple arriving at her landlord's ... (show all)door.
- Quotations
- "But, isn't it funny -- we never seem to love the people we ought to."
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Kay brushed a little longer, then moved her hand to the curve of Helen's jaw and cupped it with her palm--not wanting to leave her, after all; unable to believe that something so fresh and so unmarked could have emerged from so much chaos.
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 823.914
- Canonical LCC
- PR6073.A828
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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