The Night Watch Audiobook

" This is a very clever book and weaves together the stories of many characters in the setting of World War 2. I would very much recommend it "

" I thought this book was very well written. The book had a life of its own. Loved the characters' connections to one another. Good historic fiction, great gay fiction, wonderful literary fiction. "

" Not as good as Fingersmith, but still worth taking a look at. "

" An unique end-to-start book. Enjoyed seeing how it began! "

" This one was okay. I don't mind the narrative device of progressively going back in time. At one point, in the first segment, Ms.Waters actually points to her device by having a character admit that they find people's pasts more interesting than their futures. I wish she had kept this in mind when writing the third segment. This section completely fizzled out for me.I particularly disliked the 'meet cute' of the straight couple. The second segment was good but it made me wonder why the Hell Viv was still putting up with Tony 3 years later in the first segment. No clues are offered in the first segment of the book so it is rather baffling. The final story of Duncan, potentially one of the most interesting at the beginning, seems like a half-hearted attempt to tie-up loose ends and she seems to have forgotten about his cell mate by then because he fails to make an appearance. I feel like a could have done without Viv's storyline altogether if it would have meant she spent more time on Duncan's. This novel felt like an homage to the earlier work of Mary Renault. In fact, a female side character actually lives on a boat, reminiscent of Renault's early novel "The Friendly Young Ladies". I'm not a fan of Ms.Renault's rather melodramatic early stuff so I don't quite see the point except as a creative exercise. After her first three novels this one was a supreme let-down. "

" Not quite as good as her book "Fingersmith" but I loved the images it painted in my head of what it must have felt like living in London during the air raids in the 1940s. "

" A very well-written unconventional love/war story. If you know Sarah Waters, I think you know what you may expect. "

" I read this again for a book group and enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time. "

" Have patience when reading this, it's a long story and wonderfully told. I skipped ahead when I had about a third of the story left and was glad I did. "

" I was disappointed with this. maybe I just don't like historical fiction. I found the story unappealing an had to force my way through the second half. "

" Interesting references used and a good story based on fact "

" This book was interesting because it had a different feel from Sarah Waters's other books. It is an interesting character study. "

" Great page-turner. All about london during the blitz and then after the war. Great characters and intertwined stories. "

" This was an ideal companion on the train winding south through France (and then back again). My first introduction to Waters was engaging and a bit dreamy. "

" Very good book, nice to read and you keep reading because you want to know why! "

" honestly i cannot put this book down! unlike tipping the velvet and fingersmith this has fallen away from the sex side of things into a more wanting secretive storyline "

" Loved this. I felt really annoyed when it jumped back and left me hanging, but it's a credit to her writing that I cared so much about her characters. "

" I got half way and gave up. Couldn't finish this book it was so slow. "

" Oh, I loved this. I was sorry to see it end. It felt clear, beautifully constructed, and so restrained but full of emotion. A more successful book for me than The Little Stranger, the only other Waters novel I have read until this. "

" Really loved this book. London Blitz with a romantic twist. Well-written and gripping. "

" Quite a story but confusing as it tells the story of the characters lives backwards. As I listerned to the audio version it sometimes got confusing. "

" I read this for the quality of the writing, but I didn't see the point of going backwards in time. There was no crisis at the beginning that was solved by knowing the beginning (at the end). "

" Enjoyed quite a bit this tale of life during wartime London, with layers of secrets among the characters. A bit contrived is the author's keeping from the reader one of the main secrets till near the end of the boo. The structure of the plot was not linear, but I found it very well done. "

" This was mediocre to my mind. The convention of the novel did not work in my opinion. Found it dry and rather boring but still a Sarah Waters so worthwhile reading if you are a fan. "

" Very slow. I bought this at the airport before going on vacation. It's taken me this long to finish (I've been back for over a month). I couldn't connect with the characters and kept hoping it would improve. "

" First book I ever read twice. "

" This was a good book, but definitely not my favorite Sarah Waters book. Interesting storylines, but the whole thing felt incomplete and undeveloped to me. "