Goodreads rating: 3.67/5
Published:
Author: Sarah Waters
Genre: historical, fiction, LGBT
Moving back through the 1940s, through air raids, blacked out streets, illicit liaisons, sexual adventure, to end with its beginning in 1941, The Night Watch is the work of a truly brilliant and compelling storyteller.
This is the story of four Londoners – three women and a young man with a past, drawn with absolute truth and intimacy. Kay, who drove an ambulance during the war and lived life at full throttle, now dresses in mannish clothes and wanders the streets with a restless hunger, searching. Helen, clever, sweet, much-loved, harbours a painful secret. Viv, glamour girl, is stubbornly, even foolishly loyal, to her soldier lover. Duncan, an apparent innocent, has had his own demons to fight during the war. Their lives, and their secrets connect in sometimes startling ways. War leads to strange alliances…
Tender, tragic and beautifully poignant, set against the backdrop of feats of heroism both epic and ordinary, here is a novel of relationships that offers up subtle surprises and twists. The Night Watch is thrilling. A towering achievement.
The above taken from Goodreads.
Unfortunately, I did not finished this book. It is just not my cup of tea. I couldn't grasped the storyline, easily confused with the many plots of the many protagonists. Also, it worked backwards in time so more confusing for me. In fact, it kept giving me headache! Overall, I just felt that it had too many plots going on at the same time. Too meaty, too many details, until I don't feel the novel itself. Funnily, this book kinda reminded me of J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy which I did not finished either.
A summary of what I could gather:
Vivien + Reggie --- Fraser --- Duncan + Mr. Mundy
Helen + Julia --- Kay + Mickey
The mistress, extra affairs, suicide pacts that failed, depression, lesbianism, self harm by cutting, etc.
Year 1947 - first 3 chapters
Year 1944 - next 5 chapters
Year 1941 - last chapter
An interesting caption by Helen:
I'll burn myself, or I'll cut myself
Some new words:
Perambulator - a baby carriage, pram
Chars - a charwoman, 3rd person present
Bucolic - relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life
Tourniquet - a device for stopping the flow of blood through the vein or artery
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