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The Night Watch

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 8,757 ratings · 880 reviews

�[A] wonderful novelWaters is almost Dickensian in her wealth of description and depth of character.”—Chicago Tribune

Moving back through the 1940s, through air raids, blacked-out streets, illicit partying, and sexual adventure, to end with its beginning in 1941,The Night Watch tells the story of four Londoners—three women and a young man with a past—whose lives, and thos...more

Paperback, 528 pages

Published September 27th 2006 by Riverhead Books (first published 2006)

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Jun 01, 2008 Kate rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, own, post-2000, gbr_ire_cmnwlth

I struggled with my rating on this one. It seems sad to give only 1 star to what feels like an author's greatest effort to date. And I did end up liking one of the characters a little.

Oh well.

Luckily, this book improved after the first 250 dreadful pages. But isn't that a long time to wait for improvement? See my earlier comment for the defects of the book's Part One (takes place in 1947). Part two, set three years earlier, is certainly less boring, but only because the war was still on, not bec...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Sabrina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, glbt

Reading a Sarah Waters novel is like eating a pomegranate. Sweet exotic fruit. However, you have to be patient in order to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

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Mar 19, 2009 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-isles-theme-setting, war-conflict, read-2009, historical-fiction

This is such a touching, sober and tender novel. The setting is London: the story begins in 1947 and works backward to end in 1941. The story weaves through the lives of a handful of women, some of whom had tedious office jobs, others the grim work of driving ambulances or sorting through the rubble of destroyed homes, but all bravely assisted their fellow citizens through the messy, tragic business of living in London during the war. After the war, these women seem without tether and are once a...more

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Jun 01, 2008 Lacey Louwagie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

I had this book pushed on me from someone in my building. I didn't really mind because I saw it was by Sarah Waters who wrote Tipping the Velvet, but I wasn't particularly excited to start this one. I finally cracked it open because said neighbor is moving out soon and I wanted to get it back to him before he left. Now I feel sad that I have to part with it.

I loved this book. It follows the lives of four people backwards through World War II. It begins post-war, in 1947, and you meet these chara...more

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Sep 10, 2011 Misha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: literary-fiction, historical-fiction-non-fiction, british

It took me an extraordinarily long time to finish this book. I could not get into it at first. On the top of it, discovering The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R Martin diverted my attention further away from it. When I finally came back to The Night Watch and gave it another try, that's when I started to appreciate the quiet beauty of this book. The Night Watch is absolutely different from the other Sarah Waters books I've read - Fingersmith, Affinity and The Little Stranger. There are...more

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Mar 05, 2009 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2007, fiction, historical-fiction, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 04, 2009 Punk rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: queer

Historical Fiction. I love the writing in this. Waters' prose reminds me of Margaret Mahy -- slow and lyrical, with surprising moments of whimsy. The story is filled with compelling characters and tracks the way their lives intersect, overlap, and diverge again.

I was less thrilled with the fact the book starts in 1947 London and works its way backwards to 1941. It's well done, but gimmicky, a perfectly ordinary novel made slightly mysterious with...whatever the opposite of foreshadowing is. Odd...more

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Aug 15, 2008 Gabe Wright rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first section of the book feels it was over edited. The pace is faintly too slow because of being overly pregnant with descriptions which do not add any significance to the story. Some metaphors are forced at the last minute with hopes of magnifying a scene and it is painfully obvious. The characters feel to some extent stagnant for the first section of the book. Perhaps, Ms. Waters intended this as a plot device to show how the progression of time causes most people’s lives to dwindle into...more

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Jun 01, 2008 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: literary

I can honestly say I haven't read a book like this before, and that's a good thing. It was really engrossing, mainly because it was almost completely character driven, and the characters were very interesting. The story starts in 1947 in post-War Britain, then the 2nd half is in 1944, and then it ends in 1941 (basically wrapping up how these characters first met each other). I really have to go back and skim the first third of the book because now i will understand what's really going on with al...more

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Jun 01, 2008 Kristina A rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: neo-victorian

Stayed up late reading yet another Sarah Waters novel... Something about her writing helps me recapture the excitement about reading that has diminished somewhat since I've become an academic -- reading in a kind of fever, staying up late, etc.

That said, this novel (as other reviewers have noted) is quite different from her others. The plot is certainly not as fast-paced or full of "twists" as the earlier novels; the setting has moved from Victorian to WWII (which makes a big difference to me a...more Stayed up late reading yet another Sarah Waters novel... Something about her writing helps me recapture the excitement about reading that has diminished somewhat since I've become an academic -- reading in a kind of fever, staying up late, etc.

That said, this novel (as other reviewers have noted) is quite different from her others. The plot is certainly not as fast-paced or full of "twists" as the earlier novels; the setting has moved from Victorian to WWII (which makes a big difference to me as a Victorianist); and the voice has changed from first person to third, with four main characters instead of one or two. Perhaps the biggest but not as obvious change is an overall difference in tone and writing style; although she hasn't really captured a Modernist tone as she caught the Victorian tone of past novels, she is clearly working in a mid-twentieth century style, one that's more concise (other reviewers might say "less flowery," though I take issue with the description of Victorian style as flowery). I'm always impressed with the subtle differences in the feel of her novels and her ability to make her characters sound different from one another, but this departure is to me the most impressive of all.

I didn't give the novel the highest rating, only because I'm trying to reserve that if possible for my very favorite novels, but I did like this very much. Although it was slower than others, I still was drawn in emotionally right from the beginning (perhaps I felt this more keenly coming in right from The Thirteenth Tale, into which I was, sadly, not drawn). I really felt for the characters. At first I wasn't sure about the chronology (the first part takes place in 1947, the next in 1944, and the final in 1941), but as I thought more about the novel, I liked it because I felt like the structure reinforced the story. That is, the story is about trauma on a number of levels, and the only way to approach trauma is to work backward. Ultimately the reader is left hanging somewhat -- even if you re-read the early sections you're not sure exactly what will happen to the characters -- but this really works for the story, since the characters themselves are stuck, unsure if they can really get past their situations. Some of them see a way out, but will they be able to get there? We're not entirely sure.

One of the things Waters writes about best, in my opinion, is betrayal. And she does a wonderful job in a number of the books with showing the other side of a betrayal -- what made a person do what they did. But even if she doesn't show the other side, she's so good in any case at making you feel the chill of a lover's betrayal. If anyone can defend Reggie's behavior, please leave a comment. His betrayal is one of the worst I can think of. Man, I hated that guy. And kinda enjoyed hating him, too.(less)

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Jun 01, 2008 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

London after, in the middle of, and at the beginning of WWII, in that order; I am awed by the beauty of the nonlinear storytelling of The Night Watch. It's a character-driven novel, and it was a breath of fresh air after all the plot-driven fiction I've been reading lately. There is something poignant about the way Waters works backward through time in this novel, the way the characters come intensely to life as they grow younger, as the reader sees who they are, knowing whom they will become. T...more

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Aug 02, 2011 JChipol added it · review of another edition

After reading two of her last books, I find that I am fast becoming a fan of Sarah Waters’ writing. This novel is quite different from the last ones I read; it is a quieter, sadder book than its predecessors, but it is a very good one and one that grows on you as you read it.

The Night Watch's structure is a reverse chronology that recedes from the sad and exhausted ‘present’ of 1947, back through the bombardments of 1944, to the expectant apocalyptic atmosphere of 1941. This may seem like a gimm...more After reading two of her last books, I find that I am fast becoming a fan of Sarah Waters’ writing. This novel is quite different from the last ones I read; it is a quieter, sadder book than its predecessors, but it is a very good one and one that grows on you as you read it.

The Night Watch's structure is a reverse chronology that recedes from the sad and exhausted ‘present’ of 1947, back through the bombardments of 1944, to the expectant apocalyptic atmosphere of 1941. This may seem like a gimmick, but makes sense if you believe in our need to understand the past in order to explain the present.

The novel follows the stories of four characters: Kay, who dresses mannishly, wanders London in a sad and empty manner (and who we later discover was a totally different character and worked as an ambulance driver on the night watch during the bombings); Helen, who lives with her writer lover, Julia; Viv, who is involved with a married soldier; and Duncan, who lives in dubious circumstances with his "Uncle Horace" and served a prison sentence during the war. Gradually, we uncover connections between the characters.

The Night Watch demands sticking power – I found it really hard to ‘get into the book’ and if it wasn’t for my belief in her excellent writing skills, I fear I may have given up all too easily. The first section of 1947 was bleak and not as intriguing as I thought it would be to keep me ‘hooked’ into the story – however, the first section probably makes far more sense now that I have finished the book. In 1947, Viv says: "I used to look forward to peace, to all the things I'd be able to do then. I don't know what I thought those things would be. I don't know what I thought would be different. You expect things to change, or people to change; but it's silly, isn't it? Because people and things don't change. Not really. You just have to get used to them." This makes sense once you know what has happened to her with the pathetic character of Reggie, than it did upon first reading.

The middle section of the book, and the largest, was thrilling and informative (she seems to paint an accurate and thoroughly researched picture of the ordinary lives of those not on the front line). The telling of their histories, their tight connections or random encounters, involves wartime imprisonment, backstreet abortions, firefighting during the Blitz - and a good deal of sex, which I have come to expect from her writing. I also found it really interesting to read about the various jobs that were available to women during the war. With so many of the men away fighting, this was a time when it became acceptable for women to do jobs that would previously have been done by the men; her picture of the ordinary everyday life in an extraordinary time was fascinating and extremely well created. I felt transported into a different time, with different beliefs, perceptions and codes.

But while the book answered some of the questions about the characters’ pasts, I was left with a lot of unanswered questions about their futures. It did leave with me with quite a deep sense of sadness, but not necessarily about her characters, but about the realism of life itself – after all, isn’t life just like that – unfair, random, and quite ordinary in its trials and tribulations. Waters seems to portray her view of love as a human driving force and yet a potentially life destroying one. I agree with her perceptions.

Sarah Waters’ book is a rare one for me – one that I would actually read again. I recommend it highly, but stick with it.

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Apr 20, 2010 Joyce Lagow rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Night Watch[return]Sarah Waters[return][return]In her 4th novel, Sarah Waters breaks radically with her first three books, in era, structure, and theme. The Night Watch is set against a 1946 London struggling to recover from the war; 2/3 of the book, however, takes place during the war itself.[return][return]Waters follows the lives of four ordinary Londoners as they cope as best as they can with the horrors of the war and its aftermath. However she does this most unusually by following them...more The Night Watch[return]Sarah Waters[return][return]In her 4th novel, Sarah Waters breaks radically with her first three books, in era, structure, and theme. The Night Watch is set against a 1946 London struggling to recover from the war; 2/3 of the book, however, takes place during the war itself.[return][return]Waters follows the lives of four ordinary Londoners as they cope as best as they can with the horrors of the war and its aftermath. However she does this most unusually by following them backwards in time; the book in three parts, starts in 1946 and ends in 1941. We learn about the lives of the four--three women and a young man--right from the beginning--or we think we do. Loss, heartbreak, obsessive love and jealousy, a dark past affecting the present--all are made clear, or seem to be, in one case through a brutal revelation by another of the characters.[return][return]Switch back to 1944, and Waters does a magnificent job of using the terrible daily struggle of Londoners to stay alive and, more importantly, stay relatively sane with some hope through the darkest period of the war. The Night Watch is named after the units, staffed mostly by women, that were sent out on call to give emergency treatment to victims of the bombing. Here we get a background--a surprising one--on the four main characters.[return][return]And finally, 1941, the start of the war. And the start of everything in the story.[return][return]As I finished the first section and started on the second seeing what was happening I wondered how in the world Waters was going to maintain any kind of tension. I decided that what she was writing, then, was some sort of psychological drama--that there would be no real mystery to it and she would simply develop the plot from the point of view of the characters� own development.[return][return]I should have known better.[return][return]There are enough twists and turns, unexpected developments, to satisfy the most devoted reader of Affinity and Fingersmith--in fact, more so. Make no mistake, this is a sophisticated book. You see what the four protagonists are going through and you feel helpless--and then we're blindsided by the developments. Possibly the overall them can be summed up by something that Kay, one of the protagonists, asks, wryly and a little sadly, why can� t we love the ones we should love? That question hangs over the book.[return][return]The last line of the book is as good as they come. [return][return]For me, Waters took a radical leap forward with this book, not content to rest on her highly deserved laurels for her three Victorian-era novels. Given that she� s capable of such surprises, it� s hard to wait for her next exploration.[return][return]Highly recommended.(less)

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Mar 20, 2009 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It takes place in London at the beginning, end, and after WWII except in reverse order. The story involves a number of people most of them coupled in some way whose lives intertwine in various ways throughout the story. It took me awhile at the beginning to get a hang of all the characters because there are quite a few, but after that it wasn't a problem. The book definitely keeps you engaged because the story starts in 1947 and you learn things about what happened to...more

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May 07, 2013 Bjorn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Incredibly detailed, with some very well-written characters (I was initially a bit wary as she started off by describing then hair colour of the various protagonists, but then I quickly forgot about that and built my own images instead - and boy, does she make it easy to do that). One might argue that the characters are ALL the novel's got going for it, but... well, there's a bit more to it than that.

The reverse-timeline thing bugged me a bit at times - by the time I reach the beginning of the b...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Rosie Waine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Since reading this for the first time in December 2012 I have picked it up dozens of times, re-read chapters, circled quotes on the page, bought the audio book so I can listen to it wherever I am... in short this has turned into one of favourite books, and has a really special place on my shelf.

This was not the book which got me interested in Sarah Waters, but it is definitely the book I would recommend for anyone wanting to get into her work for the first time. I began with 'Tipping the Velvet...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Христо Блажев rated it 4 of 5 stars

Обърнато време и обърнат свят: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/n...

Обърни времето. Усучи го. Направи края начало и после дозащриховай всичко наобратно – от дребните елементи към общия план. Задължи читателя да мисли непрестанно за всичко в цялото протежение, не само за моментното действие и поведение на героите. Започни в мир, завърши във война. И бомбардирай здраво, дали с истински, дали с емоционални, но не по-малко болезнени и нараняващи бомби.

Да, “Нощна стража” на Сара Уотърс си е дамск...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Stephanie "Jedigal" rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, lgbt

"Read" the audio version. I really enjoyed, but I did feel like I had a harder time keeping the characters straight than I might have if I'd read with my eyes. It was NOT the fault of the narrator though. She did an EXCELLENT job creating the voices for the many different characters, it was very impressive.

Starts in England immediately after WWII, and then ends up during the war to set up how the characters ended up where we first meet them. Again I'm not sure this structure of going back in ti...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Iza Moreau rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a book that is hard to blurb and hard to review; it is simply too rich and varied to summarize. Yet it is also too important not to make an attempt.

Set in the 1940s, this incredible novel follows the lives, loves, and fortunes of four Londoners during and just after the London blitz of WWII. Kay, an ambulance driver, meets Helen and Viv by chance during the bombings, and their lives become inextricably entwined. At the same time, Viv’s brother Duncan is doing time in Wormwood Scrubs for...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Rhiannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was almost reluctant to read this book as the reviews I had seen claimed that it wasn't as good as Waters' other novels. Having read all her other novels and enjoyed them immensely, I was concerned that I wouldn't enjoy The Night Watch, and I really didn't want this to be the case.
As soon as I started the first page I knew that this was going to be another fine novel. The cleverly interwoven lives of the key players, the superb attention to detail, the vividness of the descriptions which made...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: literary

This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com.

I wonder what it is that makes authors inclined towards not so much narrative progression, but a narrative reflection, or even a regression. Christopher Priest’s The Glamour, which I read earlier this year, involves the recreation of the pasts of two characters through their own conflicting, contradictory memories: it’s about a past or pasts made present. Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, which I read not long after, involves...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Lily rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Sarah Waters fans

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Not her best. I like Sarah's authorial touches, but this one starts off very slowly and if you weren't already a fan of hers, I can't imagine you'd continue for very long. The reverse format she uses is actually quite clever, but as far as the story goes, I feel it would have been better executed with more 'in between' dates. We're left to draw far too much inference for ourselves - not something I generally mind, but in this case, it leads to more imagination than canon - and in some cases, we...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Jacquelynn Luben rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Night Watch

By Sarah Waters

Authors are sometimes told they should start a book in medias res (in the middle of things) and Sarah Waters complied with that principle in The Night Watch.

The story is told in three parts, starting with 1947 and finishing with 1941, so when you start the story, you are, in effect starting in the middle. I am not sure whether or not this technique has worked, but what didn’t work for me was the first part, lasting around 170 pages, which by virtue of it being the...more The Night Watch

By Sarah Waters

Authors are sometimes told they should start a book in medias res (in the middle of things) and Sarah Waters complied with that principle in The Night Watch.

The story is told in three parts, starting with 1947 and finishing with 1941, so when you start the story, you are, in effect starting in the middle. I am not sure whether or not this technique has worked, but what didn’t work for me was the first part, lasting around 170 pages, which by virtue of it being the end of the story, meant that a number of characters were thrown at me, not all of whom were important or very relevant, and I found it confusing and overlong. By page 150, I was thinking - when are you going to get on with the story? This was a pity, because the other two parts soon gained my attention, and I found the book far more interesting, once I had started on Part 2, dated 1944.

The plot primarily concerns six characters, and is told through the viewpoints of four of them - Kay, Helen, Vivien and her brother, Duncan, with Julia and Robert also having important roles. Kay, Helen and Julia are involved in a lesbian love triangle, and Robert is Duncan’s companion in prison. It is a little difficult to know, in the end, whether homosexual feelings are implied, between the two men, or just a friendship.

Kay - with another lesbian friend - works for the ambulance service during the war, Helen and Viv know each other via their work in a marriage bureau or dating agency in the post war period, and glamorous Julia is a writer, adored by Helen. Viv has an affair with a married soldier, Reggie, and the results of that affair are shown during and after the war; the reason for Duncan’s stay in prison is not documented, but only hinted at, until the event which has brought him there is revealed, at the end (the beginning of the story) of the book. His time in prison, though, is shown, with clarity.

There were, though, too many characters to focus on, and some of those characters did not altogether come to life. Some of the plot devices were clumsy, and it would have been more satisfying if some of the questions left open at the end, had been answered, as part of the book’s climax.

I found Duncan and Viv’s stories interesting, and the work done by the girls on the ambulance, compelling. War-time London was a good background to the story, and, in fact, where there was action and plot, the book did grab me. I was less interested in the love affairs between the women - I frankly got a bit bored with them. On the whole, though, a reasonable book, though it would have benefited greatly from some serious pruning, particularly in Part 1.

I would probably have given it 3.5 if I could have done.

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Jun 11, 2012 Beka rated it 1 of 5 stars

I picked up The Night Watch because I'd read and loved (in that deeply disturbed way) Fingersmith. In the future, I'll stick to Waters' books set in the Victorian era. The book is organized in reverse chronological order, so the idea is that as you read more, you understand why the characters were doing and thinking what they were at the beginning of the book. This is an interesting idea, particularly for a book that begins in 1947 Britain and moves backwards through WWII, but it only works if t...more

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May 13, 2012 Lisabet Sarai rated it 4 of 5 stars

In 1999, Sarah Waters' first novel TIPPING THE VELVET caused a minor sensation. A rich, sprawling tale of Sapphic love in the world of Victorian music halls and secret "women's clubs", TIPPING THE VELVET managed to be outrageously sexy while retaining impeccable literary credentials. Ms. Waters went on to publish two additional books that vividly evoke the Victorian period, the FINGERSMITH (my personal favorite) and AFFINITY. Both focus on lesbian relationships, though they are generally less gr...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Sofie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2006, historical, own, queer

The Night Watch is the story about four people in a London marked by the Second World War, all trying to find a way for themselves. Kay was an ambulance driver during the war, fearless, energetic, loved and in love. Now she wanders the street, not certain what she's searching for. Helen is living with Julia, having all she could wish for, but she's plagued by jelousy and guilt. Viv knows that she's wasting her life waiting the next stolen moment with her married lover, but can't bring herself to...more The Night Watch is the story about four people in a London marked by the Second World War, all trying to find a way for themselves. Kay was an ambulance driver during the war, fearless, energetic, loved and in love. Now she wanders the street, not certain what she's searching for. Helen is living with Julia, having all she could wish for, but she's plagued by jelousy and guilt. Viv knows that she's wasting her life waiting the next stolen moment with her married lover, but can't bring herself to give him up. Her younger brother Duncan spends the days with mindless work in a factory and the nights with his "uncle", fading away a bit more every day. The lives of these characters, and the supporting cast, intertwine more than you can imagine when you first start reading.

The book is written in three parts, taking place in 1941, 1944 and 1947, but in reverse chronological order. I'm usually not fond of tricks like that, but in this case it works. Veil after veil is lifted, to reveal some of the mystery surrounding these characters, but not all. When I'd finished reading, after the part set in 1941, I admit I was a little bit disappointed. I didn't get the answers I'd been looking for, I wanted to know more about these persons, and most importantly, what happened to them. But I went back to the start and read some parts from the 1947 block again, and found that I knew more that I thought I did.

A lot of people seem to find The Night Watch dull compared to Sarah Water's other books. I've only read Tipping the Velvet, which was wonderful, but I actually like this one better. Perhaps it's not exciting, but it's definitely compelling.

My favourite part about the book is that, even though it's set in the 40s, the characters' sexuality is treated as a fact, and not as an issue. They have problems in their relationships, of course, but it's not because some of them happen to be gay, it's simply because they're human. It's a rather unusual approach in fiction, and very refreshing.

The war is treated much in the same way. It's there, ruthlessly shaping their lives, but it's not really commented on.

I had a lovely time reading this book, enjoying Sarah Water's wonderful langague, and I definitely recommend it.(less)

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Apr 17, 2012 Ian Mapp rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have to say that I thought this book was engrossing and entertaining, working backwards in time to reveal its mysteries.

There are many major characters here and you begin to get involved with all of them, wanting them to reveal there secrets.

Opening in 1947 after the war, each of the characters has a dark secret they wish to block out. Helen and Viv work together in a London dating agency on Oxford Street. Helen is in love with Julia, a writer of mystery fiction, but the necessity of keeping h...more I have to say that I thought this book was engrossing and entertaining, working backwards in time to reveal its mysteries.

There are many major characters here and you begin to get involved with all of them, wanting them to reveal there secrets.

Opening in 1947 after the war, each of the characters has a dark secret they wish to block out. Helen and Viv work together in a London dating agency on Oxford Street. Helen is in love with Julia, a writer of mystery fiction, but the necessity of keeping her love secret and her own jealousy is tearing their relationship apart. Viv is having an affair with a married man, Reggie – a relationship that is doomed as he is never going to leave his wife. Viv’s brother Duncan was imprisoned during the war years over an incident that is of great distress to his father and sister. A sensitive boy, he lives now with his ‘Uncle Horace’ who he knows from prison. When by chance he meets Fraser, who he also knew from prison, the claustrophobic, locked-away existence becomes too much for him to bear, but Fraser also opens Viv’s eyes to how restricted her own life with a married man is. Connecting many of these characters is Kay, a mysterious boyish-looking girl, who seems to have endured the hardships of the war better than most, but to a cost. The toll of the war years on the characters is covered in the remaining two sections of ‘The Night Watch’ as it then moves backwards in time to 1944 and 1941.

The secrets are revealed. Duncan is in jail for attempted suicide (illegal in the war) as he and his "friend" alec, try to get out of conscription. Helen and Kay were together. Kays former lover was Julia, who helen started an affair with.

Viv is running around with a married man - and has an illegal abortion during the war, which almost kills her.

Working backwards through events is a great technique and working out how all the characters interact is part of the fun.

Changing morals between the war years and present day are also strongly used.

The book has everything and certainly a contender for book of the year. There have been many contenders.(less)

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Feb 11, 2012 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very good read. There are five main characters, and their lives are layered together before, during, and after the bombing of London in World War II. The novel works backwards, with each section moving the reader a few more years into the past, and this probably wouldn’t work so well in the hands of a less able writer. In most novels, we are told about the characters’ backgrounds, but in this novel, we live it.

The most interesting of the main characters is Kay, an androgynous ambulance driver...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction3b

It's 1947, and lives are reaching out for normality after the dislocation of war. For some this is difficult, unable to replicate the adrenaline rush of falling bombs and saving lives. For others, the relationships which made sense in the unnatural intensity of the war years no longer provide security and satisfaction.

Sarah Waters' novel follows the interlinked lives of five people in these dismal years. Helen and Viv work in a dating agency. Helen lives with the sophisticated Julia, whilst Viv...more It's 1947, and lives are reaching out for normality after the dislocation of war. For some this is difficult, unable to replicate the adrenaline rush of falling bombs and saving lives. For others, the relationships which made sense in the unnatural intensity of the war years no longer provide security and satisfaction.

Sarah Waters' novel follows the interlinked lives of five people in these dismal years. Helen and Viv work in a dating agency. Helen lives with the sophisticated Julia, whilst Viv has been having a long-term affair with Reggie. Viv's brother Duncan works in a factory and lives with Mr Mundy, but is hiding a secret in his past. Kay lives alone and walks the streets without purpose. But why does Viv become so animated when she sees Kay walking in the street?

Structurally, this book is a bit like a classic detective novel. You are introduced to the story in the middle at the scene of crime, and the action unravels both forwards towards dénouement and backwards as the criminal and their motivations are revealed. In 1947, you learn about the characters, but subsequent sections are set in 1944 and 1941 and as we rewind backwards we find out why the characters are who they are and act how they act.

Sarah Waters is adept at creating a sense of time and place, and her picture of wartime London is highly evocative. The ebbing and flowing of relationships is sketched out with care and sensitivity. Yet there is something at the heart of this novel which didn't fully work for me. It's as if it were somehow not a true story of a series of relationships, but a technical exercise in showing how a book about relationships could be written in reverse chronology.

Perhaps that's unfair, perhaps one is just too conditioned to the unflowering of the plot, of the novelist's relentless drive towards a conclusion. Certainly, there are many novels where one has appreciated the storyline but the ending leaves one disappointed, and by this device Sarah Waters has avoided having to finish with her characters facing the humdrum normality of peacetime at the end of the book. But because of the structure of the book, we know who survived the falling bombs, the back-street abortions, and the slow reveal of why Helen has silk pyjamas and Viv wants to give Kay a ring does not provide an adequate motive force for the book as a whole - which is unfortunate, as many sections are compelling to read and the period and interrelationships are delineated with such care.

Taken from my blog http://roderick-random.blogspot.com/2...
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Jan 17, 2012 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh my stars.. what a depressing book! And not depressing because of its setting – WWII London - oh no, that would be an expected, almost common-place sadness. I don’t expect sunshine and ponies all the time but this dreary parade of gloomy characters offer no insight, no philosophy and no hope to the reader. If you love someone they will throw you over, much in the same way that person you loved ditched you.... everything is broken, now and always. The End.

To her credit, Ms Waters writes very we...more

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About Sarah Waters

Sarah Waters is a British novelist. She is best known for her first novel, Tipping the Velvet, as well the novels that followed, including Affinity, Fingersmith, and The Night Watch.
Waters attended university, and earned degrees in English literature. Before writing novels, Waters worked as an academic, earning a doctorate and teaching. Waters went directly from her doctoral thesis to her first no...more

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