It is really hard to put a finger on why I didn't take to this. Was it the back to front structure? Or was it the characters? Reading it felt like a bit of a chore and it was more turning pages rather than really caring about what befell the protagonists. This was a shame because I could see that it was very intelligently written and that Sarah Waters is a highly regarded author. I have the suspicion that I was missing something. I hope it is a book that will grow on me over time.

Well what can I say, I went into this with low expositions after reading and not enjoying The Little Stranger, don't get me wrong I knew Sarah Waters was a good writer but that book had put me off a bit! however this book surprised me.

In this story we follow four characters, starting in 1947 and working backwards to 1941 we focus on them trying to live their lives during the war while facing relationship troubles and all the things life throws at you!

I loved Sarah Waters sense of atomphere she created in this book and really felt as if I was in war torn London, the characters were all well crafted and felt like real people and I really loved how Sarah looked at different aspects of domestic life during the war looking at love, loss and what it meant to be LGBT in a time it was frowned upon, the relationships and feeling of these characters seemed so real and I felt every emotion with all the characters.

My main gripe with this book is long chapters, it's my bookish pet peeve and this often pulled me out of the story a bit as I would have to put it down in random places which I hate doing, I don't think the format worked completely for me and the jumps in time was a bit too long and I was left with a few unanswered questions and it didn't feel like the character arcs were ever completed which I found frustrating.

That being said this was a really good book and I enjoyed it a lot, domestic war time is one of my favourite themes in a book and Sarah Waters does this really well, after the Little Stranger I didn't think I would continue with her books but this one has changed my mind.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for a review copy.

After reading The Paying Guests earlier this year I wanted to read more of Sarah Waters works and this seemed an ideal opportunity.

Whilst I loved The Paying Guests I was less enamoured with this. I found the characters less engaging and the story more confusing, although I enjoyed the London Blitz / WW2 setting. Whereas The Paying Guests had an obvious plot (a crime of passion) there was a less obvious plot with The Night Watch.

The Night Watch centered around 4 main characters each facing challenges, in the most part to do with their sexuality. There were descriptions of sexual (straight and lesbian) activity which some readers might not want to read.

In the end the characters stories all intertwine which I liked. As I said before I found the plot and characters confusing. This was probably a 3.5 star read for me. It hasn't turned me against the author and I would read her other works.

A modern classic, expertly weaving the lives of women in a terrifying situation.