For her fourth novel,
The Night Watch, Sarah Waters abandons the rustling petticoats and corsets of the Victorian era depicted in her first three neo-Victorian fictions:
Tipping the Velvet (1997),
Affinity(1998) and
Fingersmith(2002), and jumps to the sadder, austere setting of war-torn London in the 1940s. Published in 2006 by Virago Press, the novel has received the critical acclaim of reviewers and readers alike. Justine Jordan, writing in
The Guardian, describes
The Night Watchas “a fine nuanced, wise and generous novel” (“Through the bomb sites”, online). Likewise, fellow writer Michèle Roberts praises
The Night Watchas “sharply and compassionately observed, richly coloured, and compelling to read” (“Review”, online). Reflecting its celebrated critical reception,
2828 words
Citation: O'Callaghan, Claire. "The Night Watch". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 May 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23072, accessed 25 November 2024.]
