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Night Watch
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • From one of our most accomplished novelists, a mesmerizing story about a mother and daughter seeking refuge in the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War—and a brilliant portrait of family endurance against all odds
"A tour de force." —Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage
In 1874, in the wake of the War, erasure, trauma, and namelessness haunt civilians and veterans, renegades and wanderers, freedmen and runaways. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, the adult in her family for as long as she can remember, finds herself on a buckboard journey with her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken in more than a year. They arrive at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, delivered to the hospital’s entrance by a war veteran who has forced himself into their world. There, far from family, a beloved neighbor, and the mountain home they knew, they try to reclaim their lives.
The omnipresent vagaries of war and race rise to the surface as we learn their their flight to the highest mountain ridges of western Virginia; the disappearance of ConaLee’s father, who left for the War and never returned. Meanwhile, in the asylum, they begin to find a new path. ConaLee pretends to be her mother’s maid; Eliza responds slowly to treatment. They get swept up in the life of the facility—the mysterious man they call the Night Watch; the orphan child called Weed; the fearsome woman who runs the kitchen; the remarkable doctor at the head of the institution.
Epic, enthralling, and meticulously crafted, Night Watch is a stunning chronicle of surviving war and its aftermath.
"A tour de force." —Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage
In 1874, in the wake of the War, erasure, trauma, and namelessness haunt civilians and veterans, renegades and wanderers, freedmen and runaways. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, the adult in her family for as long as she can remember, finds herself on a buckboard journey with her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken in more than a year. They arrive at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, delivered to the hospital’s entrance by a war veteran who has forced himself into their world. There, far from family, a beloved neighbor, and the mountain home they knew, they try to reclaim their lives.
The omnipresent vagaries of war and race rise to the surface as we learn their their flight to the highest mountain ridges of western Virginia; the disappearance of ConaLee’s father, who left for the War and never returned. Meanwhile, in the asylum, they begin to find a new path. ConaLee pretends to be her mother’s maid; Eliza responds slowly to treatment. They get swept up in the life of the facility—the mysterious man they call the Night Watch; the orphan child called Weed; the fearsome woman who runs the kitchen; the remarkable doctor at the head of the institution.
Epic, enthralling, and meticulously crafted, Night Watch is a stunning chronicle of surviving war and its aftermath.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2023
About the author
Jayne Anne Phillips
49 books497 followersJAYNE ANNE PHILLIPS is the author of Black Tickets, Machine Dreams, Fast Lanes, Shelter, MotherKind, Lark and Termite, and Quiet Dell. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Bunting Fellowship, and two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships. Winner of an Arts and Letters Award and the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she was inducted into the Academy in 2018. A National Book Award finalist, and twice a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, she lives in New York and Boston.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,117 reviews
October 9, 2023
Night Watch was a fascinating historical fiction about the Civil War, the effects on both soldiers and civilians in the aftermath of the war and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia. The story is told mainly through the eyes of Conalee, a young girl tasked with taking care of her mother and young half siblings.
Conalee’s father went to war, fighting for the Union, before she was even born. He expected to be home within months. But an accident robs him of his eye and his memory. Meanwhile, a Rebel deserter forces himself into the lives of the family left behind. When he tires of them, he deposits them at The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. The TALA is an actual place and the book includes pictures from when it was operational.
The story was haunting and at times graphically brutal. But it is also about endurance and resolve. All the characters came across as realistic and fully formed. There is a small touch of magical realism, as Dearbhla has the ability to sense where her loved ones are.
The writing was wonderfully descriptive and I was totally drawn into this story. At times, it had a dreamlike quality to it. The ending was a bit predictable but not enough to lessen my appreciation of the story.
What a treat to finally have a story involving an asylum where the residents were treated well and actually cared for under a practice known as Moral Treatment.
My thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Books for an advance copy of this book.
Conalee’s father went to war, fighting for the Union, before she was even born. He expected to be home within months. But an accident robs him of his eye and his memory. Meanwhile, a Rebel deserter forces himself into the lives of the family left behind. When he tires of them, he deposits them at The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. The TALA is an actual place and the book includes pictures from when it was operational.
The story was haunting and at times graphically brutal. But it is also about endurance and resolve. All the characters came across as realistic and fully formed. There is a small touch of magical realism, as Dearbhla has the ability to sense where her loved ones are.
The writing was wonderfully descriptive and I was totally drawn into this story. At times, it had a dreamlike quality to it. The ending was a bit predictable but not enough to lessen my appreciation of the story.
What a treat to finally have a story involving an asylum where the residents were treated well and actually cared for under a practice known as Moral Treatment.
My thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Books for an advance copy of this book.
May 11, 2024
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2024 - Among the most prestigious book prizes, the Pulitzer Prize stands out as the most political. Themes often overshadow artistic and storytelling qualities, allowing books like this one to win.
This well-researched story, set in the Civil War era and exploring the treatment of people with mental illness at the time, was so unenjoyable to read. Difficult does not make it smart, and thorough research does not mean you can write a novel. The writing was so ugly that it might be the first time in my Kindle history that I didn't notice a single popular highlight. Best to avoid.
This well-researched story, set in the Civil War era and exploring the treatment of people with mental illness at the time, was so unenjoyable to read. Difficult does not make it smart, and thorough research does not mean you can write a novel. The writing was so ugly that it might be the first time in my Kindle history that I didn't notice a single popular highlight. Best to avoid.
November 27, 2023
4+ stars
The wounds of war, both the physical and emotional trauma, slavery, mental illness, grief, created family defying family roots, healing nurtured by humanity are among the multiple themes covered in this post Civil War novel. The story of twelve year old ConaLee Connelly and her family is painful to read, dark at times . It’s sad and gut wrenching, yet touching and hopeful. The book opens with ConaLee accompanying her traumatized mother to an insane asylum for healing, leaving her three younger siblings behind.
I liked the structure of the novel presenting different points of view in different time frames. It served to tell us more about ConaLee, her mother and the other main characters, as well as put together like puzzle pieces , how the present situation came to be . My favorite perspective is that of ConaLee, who at twelve is an old soul, wise for her age, carrying burdens no twelve year old should have to bear. She’s another child character who stole my heart. It’s tough one to read, but I was definitely invested and immersed in the story. Much happened before and after their journey to the asylum. I leave it at that. I recommend you discover the story for yourself.
The chapters are interspersed with quotes by Dr . Thomas Story Kirkbride and after reading about him online and the author’s note at the end, we learn that the asylum was a real place and that he was known for the humane treatment of patients at the asylum unlike asylums of that time I have read about. A worthwhile story to read .
I read this with with Diane as our usual monthly read.
I received a copy of this book from Knopf through NetGalley.
The wounds of war, both the physical and emotional trauma, slavery, mental illness, grief, created family defying family roots, healing nurtured by humanity are among the multiple themes covered in this post Civil War novel. The story of twelve year old ConaLee Connelly and her family is painful to read, dark at times . It’s sad and gut wrenching, yet touching and hopeful. The book opens with ConaLee accompanying her traumatized mother to an insane asylum for healing, leaving her three younger siblings behind.
I liked the structure of the novel presenting different points of view in different time frames. It served to tell us more about ConaLee, her mother and the other main characters, as well as put together like puzzle pieces , how the present situation came to be . My favorite perspective is that of ConaLee, who at twelve is an old soul, wise for her age, carrying burdens no twelve year old should have to bear. She’s another child character who stole my heart. It’s tough one to read, but I was definitely invested and immersed in the story. Much happened before and after their journey to the asylum. I leave it at that. I recommend you discover the story for yourself.
The chapters are interspersed with quotes by Dr . Thomas Story Kirkbride and after reading about him online and the author’s note at the end, we learn that the asylum was a real place and that he was known for the humane treatment of patients at the asylum unlike asylums of that time I have read about. A worthwhile story to read .
I read this with with Diane as our usual monthly read.
I received a copy of this book from Knopf through NetGalley.
May 14, 2024
Flipping through all the glowing reviews, I saw this one by Dwight Garner from NYT:
Sludgy, claustrophobic and pretentious. Each succeeding paragraph took something out of me ... When the Jorie Graham-like gauziness dissipates, when the fog lifts, what’s left are sentimentalities and near banalities ... Maybe Phillips’s early books were simply there when I needed them. But I need them still, and I didn’t need this one.
Ouch! I like Garner, but can you rant in the NYT? Is it even allowed? I, for one, am always so uncertain of myself, worrying about being too negative on my goodreads account that nobody reads about books by authors that are long dead! The thought of upsetting the author makes me so uncomfortable, and yet here Garner ripping apart in the NYT! The author always reads their reviews from NYT, right? I didn't plan to write a review of this one myself, but he inspired me. Anyways, he’s 100% right about the book.
At the first glance this should’ve been heart-wrenching storytelling: there’s an interracial love story in the last years of slavery in the USA, between a white woman and a passing as a white man who decides to join the war for his children’s sake. There’re horrors of battle, trauma of war. There’s sexual abuse and complete subjugation of a woman by a male stranger. There’s amnesia as a main plot point, I’m not kidding! There're crazy villains, mysteries and murder! The author should’ve embraced it all and leaned into it. The story is taking place in the insane asylum in 19th century. This could’ve been such an intense perhaps gothic drama, or at least an interesting read. Unfortunately we have high literary aspirations here, so what we really got is:
A book so unfocused and meandering that 300 pages felt like eternity. A book so unfocused, it was jumping around 5+ perspectives, non-linearly, for no reason other than to make it less engaging. A book so pretentiously written just to make you not care at all about anyone in it, a book that randomly decides to get very graphic about sexual assault for no reason just for one scene, that just read as pure voyeurism about abusing female’s body, in the hopes, I assume, that it would add some abuse points to this limp story, because at that point we did not know anybody really and had no reason to care about the characters, a scene that felt like like randomly bumping onto a porn while surfing the channels on a commercial break. Perhaps it was for critics who mistake bad writing for drama and would shower awards upon it. And it worked. And in its turn it worked for enticing me to finish the book, because I would’ve not if it wasn’t for the pulitzer. I think my review failed to make you understand how truly bizarre the story is, barely holding together (not holding together at all). Really, one of the worst books I've read in ages!
Sludgy, claustrophobic and pretentious. Each succeeding paragraph took something out of me ... When the Jorie Graham-like gauziness dissipates, when the fog lifts, what’s left are sentimentalities and near banalities ... Maybe Phillips’s early books were simply there when I needed them. But I need them still, and I didn’t need this one.
Ouch! I like Garner, but can you rant in the NYT? Is it even allowed? I, for one, am always so uncertain of myself, worrying about being too negative on my goodreads account that nobody reads about books by authors that are long dead! The thought of upsetting the author makes me so uncomfortable, and yet here Garner ripping apart in the NYT! The author always reads their reviews from NYT, right? I didn't plan to write a review of this one myself, but he inspired me. Anyways, he’s 100% right about the book.
At the first glance this should’ve been heart-wrenching storytelling: there’s an interracial love story in the last years of slavery in the USA, between a white woman and a passing as a white man who decides to join the war for his children’s sake. There’re horrors of battle, trauma of war. There’s sexual abuse and complete subjugation of a woman by a male stranger. There’s amnesia as a main plot point, I’m not kidding! There're crazy villains, mysteries and murder! The author should’ve embraced it all and leaned into it. The story is taking place in the insane asylum in 19th century. This could’ve been such an intense perhaps gothic drama, or at least an interesting read. Unfortunately we have high literary aspirations here, so what we really got is:
A book so unfocused and meandering that 300 pages felt like eternity. A book so unfocused, it was jumping around 5+ perspectives, non-linearly, for no reason other than to make it less engaging. A book so pretentiously written just to make you not care at all about anyone in it, a book that randomly decides to get very graphic about sexual assault for no reason just for one scene, that just read as pure voyeurism about abusing female’s body, in the hopes, I assume, that it would add some abuse points to this limp story, because at that point we did not know anybody really and had no reason to care about the characters, a scene that felt like like randomly bumping onto a porn while surfing the channels on a commercial break. Perhaps it was for critics who mistake bad writing for drama and would shower awards upon it. And it worked. And in its turn it worked for enticing me to finish the book, because I would’ve not if it wasn’t for the pulitzer. I think my review failed to make you understand how truly bizarre the story is, barely holding together (not holding together at all). Really, one of the worst books I've read in ages!
May 10, 2024
*Winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction*
3.5⭐️
Set in the aftermath of the Civil War the novel opens in 1874 where we meet twelve-year-old ConaLee and her mother, Eliza, who has been mute for over a year as they are dropped off by a man she calls “Papa” at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia. O’Shea, the Night Watch lets them in and eventually, they find refuge in the Asylum, with Eliza under the care of the Physician Superintendent and ConaLee hiding the truth of her relationship with Eliza to be employed with the Asylum as caregiver to Eliza in return for room and board.
As the narrative progresses, we get to know more about ConaLee and Eliza’s story and the people and events that led to the present day. Eliza’s husband never returned from the War and with Dearbhla, who had raised her as her only friend, Eliza’s life had not been easy. Eliza’s story of loss and grief, fear, and abuse. Under the care of the kind doctor and the “Moral Treatment” practices in the asylum, Eliza begins to heal and ConaLee begins to search for answers about her mother’s past.
Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips is an interesting work of historical fiction that touches upon themes of PTSD, the ravages of war, trauma and abuse, mental health, and healing. The author describes the setting well and paints a vivid picture of life in the post-Civil War period. The main characters are well-developed, and the story is overall engaging despite the uneven pacing and slightly disjointed narrative that moves between past and present. The pace of the novel is on the slower side in the first half and uneven throughout. I thought the ending was rushed and a tad contrived, which is why I cannot give this novel a higher rating, though I did like the plot structure and how the story developed until the final quarter of the novel. Please note that there are disturbing descriptions of war injuries and sexual assault, which might be triggering for some readers.
The narrative is interspersed with quotes by Dr . Thomas Story Kirkbride, a physician known for his compassionate and respectful methods of treating the mentally ill. I found parts of the narrative quite informative and was motivated to read more about Dr. Kirkbride's methods for treating the mentally ill and about the Asylum which was a psychiatric hospital in West Virginia that was in operation from 1864 until 1994.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, Anchor and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Night Watch was published on September 19, 2023.
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June 21, 2024
I've been a fan of Jayne Anne Philips for years, and yet (somehow) I missed this one until it won the Pulitzer Prize. Well, thank you Team Pulitzer for bringing it to my attention, because it's fantastic. Moving back and forth between 1864 and 1874, between the cataclysm of the Battle of the Wilderness and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia (a real place), this beautiful novel follows the lives of three people still reeling from the Civil War: scarred, silent, confused. And very, very damaged. Phillips is a brave, unflinching storyteller, and NIGHT WATCH is a gem.
May 29, 2024
55th book of 2024.
Well, here we are again with a 1-star Pulitzer winner, like Demon Copperhead last year. Phillips has written a clunky, mostly boring novel, set in a fascinating time period (post-Civil War). It felt like a shoddy Faulkner wannabe. It starts,
Many reviews focus on the graphic and longwinded sexual assault/rape scene, but there are plenty of problematic scenes, even right at the end with the most ridiculous, dramatic and excessive climax imaginable. The characters' motives all seemed unbelievable and the writing is transparently trying to be good, and so, comes off false. Coincidentally, in my current Karl Ove Knausgaard volume, he talks about Phillips, along with Bret Easton Ellis, as being the good American authors he likes. I'd never actually heard about her, or this book, till she won.
When she's not trying to be Faulkner (the 'fool' Weed has some perspective chapters that read a bit like crap Benjy imitations), I also saw Crane's influence with the singular war scene. I just find myself frustrated by the whole thing. It felt messy, drawn-out (then very rushed at the end with everything magically falling into place like a romance novel), and tiresome. Weed's chapters, particularly, just felt gratuitous. Not a worthy winner at all.
Well, here we are again with a 1-star Pulitzer winner, like Demon Copperhead last year. Phillips has written a clunky, mostly boring novel, set in a fascinating time period (post-Civil War). It felt like a shoddy Faulkner wannabe. It starts,
I got up in the wagon and Papa set me beside Mama, all of us on the buckboard seat.
Hold her hand there, he said to me, like she likes. Sit tight in. Keep her still.
I saw him lean down and rope her ankle to his. I was warm because he made me wear my bonnet, to keep my skin fine and my eyes from crinkling at the corners. In case someday I turned out after all.
Talk to her, he said. Tell her she'll like it where she's going. A fine great place, like a castle with a tower clock. Tell her.
Many reviews focus on the graphic and longwinded sexual assault/rape scene, but there are plenty of problematic scenes, even right at the end with the most ridiculous, dramatic and excessive climax imaginable. The characters' motives all seemed unbelievable and the writing is transparently trying to be good, and so, comes off false. Coincidentally, in my current Karl Ove Knausgaard volume, he talks about Phillips, along with Bret Easton Ellis, as being the good American authors he likes. I'd never actually heard about her, or this book, till she won.
When she's not trying to be Faulkner (the 'fool' Weed has some perspective chapters that read a bit like crap Benjy imitations), I also saw Crane's influence with the singular war scene. I just find myself frustrated by the whole thing. It felt messy, drawn-out (then very rushed at the end with everything magically falling into place like a romance novel), and tiresome. Weed's chapters, particularly, just felt gratuitous. Not a worthy winner at all.
October 15, 2023
All I can say of this is that it read like a lost sort of feminist novel of Faulkner? However…editing my review to reflect I thought that the first half of the book was excellent and the second … maybe too much like a Faulkner imitation competition and things just got a bit unwieldy. The plot and historical content were entirely interesting and important enough and could have been told in a straightforward way to continue to be effective. Trigger warning for adult sexual assault.
August 27, 2024
This is a well-written, entertaining, post Civil War historical fiction novel. It has courageous female protagonists who experience tragedy and cruelty, but persevere. I listened to the audio book, and the narrators, Karissa Vacker, Theo Stockman, and Maggi-Meg Reed do an excellent job voicing the characters .
October 22, 2023
I am in awe. Jayne Anne Phillips just never disappoints. I hold Lark & Termite in my heart as an all time favorite but I think this Civil War era masterpiece may now be my favorite of her many great books. I especially appreciate the way she weaves her lyrical story-telling and brilliant character development into a story that is clearly well-researched and historically accurate. This is historical fiction at its finest - plus a perfect mix and darkness and light that always draws me in..
ConaLee is a heroine who speaks right to my heart - a young girl in terrible circumstances who depends on her own intelligence and heart to survive. She is no princess in need of rescue; she is strong and smart and caring. I could see her clearly and fell in love.
All of the characters are so beautifully realized and sympathetic. Phillips balances the horrors of war and rape (not an easy read for sure) with such heart and integrity in the storytelling. Once I truly settled in, I just couldn't put it down. I was horrified by war while at the same time fascinated by the lunatic asylum that is the backdrop for most of the plot. The details are so compelling.
ConaLee is a heroine who speaks right to my heart - a young girl in terrible circumstances who depends on her own intelligence and heart to survive. She is no princess in need of rescue; she is strong and smart and caring. I could see her clearly and fell in love.
All of the characters are so beautifully realized and sympathetic. Phillips balances the horrors of war and rape (not an easy read for sure) with such heart and integrity in the storytelling. Once I truly settled in, I just couldn't put it down. I was horrified by war while at the same time fascinated by the lunatic asylum that is the backdrop for most of the plot. The details are so compelling.
May 19, 2024
The writing. Oh, the writing. This is one of those books that demands to be reread—even if it's just a paragraph here and a page there. The writing is masterful, lyrical, and nearly poetic. And this is only one of the reasons this profound, haunting novel by Jayne Anne Phillips won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
The book opens in 1874 when Eliza and her 12-year-old daughter are being driven in a wagon to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia. It is not only the men who fought in the Civil War who are suffering psychologically from the trauma it wreaked. How and why they are here is the heart and soul of this heartbreaking plot that jumps back and forth in time from 1864 to 1874 in a way that is seamless and brilliant—as in, this is the best possible way to tell the story. The plot is convoluted and to reveal anything else here would be revealing spoilers. Suffice it to say that there are several gut-punch plot twists/revelations that left me almost breathless they were so stunning.
In addition to the ingenious, multilayered plot and good old-fashioned storytelling, the characters, who are doing what it takes to survive in unimaginably difficult circumstances, make this emotionally searing novel special. They feel like real people—from their actions and dialogue to the descriptions of their clothing.
While it took a few chapters to get fully immersed in the story, once I did, I was captivated…totally mesmerized. Sometimes I would look up from the page and wonder where I was. This is literary fiction at its finest.
The book opens in 1874 when Eliza and her 12-year-old daughter are being driven in a wagon to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia. It is not only the men who fought in the Civil War who are suffering psychologically from the trauma it wreaked. How and why they are here is the heart and soul of this heartbreaking plot that jumps back and forth in time from 1864 to 1874 in a way that is seamless and brilliant—as in, this is the best possible way to tell the story. The plot is convoluted and to reveal anything else here would be revealing spoilers. Suffice it to say that there are several gut-punch plot twists/revelations that left me almost breathless they were so stunning.
In addition to the ingenious, multilayered plot and good old-fashioned storytelling, the characters, who are doing what it takes to survive in unimaginably difficult circumstances, make this emotionally searing novel special. They feel like real people—from their actions and dialogue to the descriptions of their clothing.
While it took a few chapters to get fully immersed in the story, once I did, I was captivated…totally mesmerized. Sometimes I would look up from the page and wonder where I was. This is literary fiction at its finest.
Want to read
May 6, 2024WINNER of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
September 20, 2024
Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips won the Pulitzer for fiction this year, and I can see why. But at the same time, it made me so uncomfortable, as it stigmatizes and even exploits the image of people with mental illness. It's also needlessly descriptive of violence against women and children.
Full review:
I found an audiobook copy of NIGHT WATCH by Jayne Anne Phillips on Libby. Read by multiple readers. All views are mine.
They believed in Grant. But they didn't want to die for him. For he saw them as one nameless sacrificial tide that must turn another. (1:37:13)
I was attracted to NIGHT WATCH by Jayne Anne Phillips because I love historical fiction written over periods that don't come up much– in this case, right after the Civil War. I found out froma friend's Goodreads review that NIGHT WATCH won the 2024 Pulutzer for fiction. I really expected to love this book, and I did love the writing and the main character, Conalee.
But this book's plot centers around a traumatized, mentally ill character and her time in a historically factual residential treatment facility, famous in history for its beneficent approach to treatment. However, much of what I read surrounding this narrative, the main plot, either stigmatized or outright exploited mental illness in its various representations.
I recommend this one for people who love Pulitzer winners. Beyond that, I wouldn't recommend it. I simply wasn't that impressed.
Reading Notes
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. This opening scene is strange. Not in a bad way.
2. I really like how Weed's sections are written. The narrator rarely uses a pronoun for this character, he or him. Mostly, Weed. It's a crude effect for a crude character.
3. I've read several reviews complaining about the writing style– basically, that it is too heavy-handed. I think it's gorgeous– A well handled purple that drew me into every POV section, which I usually struggle with. Rivers and falls swelled with snowmelt, rivulets in abundance, so clear and cold, the water ached in the mouth. Freshets of icy runs cast their rapids down the ridges, and Dearbhla dreamed of Conalee, the child, on her knees by the forest creek she'd known from birth, set afloat an endless fleet of curled leaves that dipped and swirled and plunged. (2:35:43)
4. The accounting chapter is extremely interesting!
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. This book really needs content warnings in the front matter, but I'm impressed with the author's handling of disabled rep and interests. *edit Consider this my content warning for abuse of a disabled person, SA, violence against children, abduction, psychiatric treatment facilities.
2. At the 25% mark, with the advent of Eliza's section, I don't know what the heck is going on. I really hate a convoluted narrative, it always happens with switching POVS coupled with switching timelines. The plot just gets to be a mess.
3. I often wonder what a writer's priority is when they write very detailed abuse scenes– rape, torture, animal cruelty, doesn't really matter the flavor. It takes skill to write these scenes in a way that shows empathy to the reader rather than drags their nose through the suffering. Whatever those priorities are, I wish writer's understood that we don't need them in order to understand pain and suffering, we can do that on our own. Life is more than happy to teach us all.
4. I don't care what year this is, a doctor feeling romantically toward his mentally ill patient is disgusting. I don't appreciate the author romanticizing that part of the story. She certainly didn't do that for anything else.
5. I read reviews calling the ending predictable. On the other hand, I find it a deus ex machina, as Phillips didn't plot this turn at all.
Rating: 👨⚕️👨⚕️ bad doctors
Recommend? Only if you have a thing for Pulitzer winners
Finished: Aug 18 '24
Format: Audiobook, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🏆 prize winners
👨👩👧👦 family stories, family drama
👭🏽 teenage girl coming of age
🕰 19th century travel
❤️🔥 very forbidden romance
Full review:
I found an audiobook copy of NIGHT WATCH by Jayne Anne Phillips on Libby. Read by multiple readers. All views are mine.
They believed in Grant. But they didn't want to die for him. For he saw them as one nameless sacrificial tide that must turn another. (1:37:13)
I was attracted to NIGHT WATCH by Jayne Anne Phillips because I love historical fiction written over periods that don't come up much– in this case, right after the Civil War. I found out froma friend's Goodreads review that NIGHT WATCH won the 2024 Pulutzer for fiction. I really expected to love this book, and I did love the writing and the main character, Conalee.
But this book's plot centers around a traumatized, mentally ill character and her time in a historically factual residential treatment facility, famous in history for its beneficent approach to treatment. However, much of what I read surrounding this narrative, the main plot, either stigmatized or outright exploited mental illness in its various representations.
I recommend this one for people who love Pulitzer winners. Beyond that, I wouldn't recommend it. I simply wasn't that impressed.
Reading Notes
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. This opening scene is strange. Not in a bad way.
2. I really like how Weed's sections are written. The narrator rarely uses a pronoun for this character, he or him. Mostly, Weed. It's a crude effect for a crude character.
3. I've read several reviews complaining about the writing style– basically, that it is too heavy-handed. I think it's gorgeous– A well handled purple that drew me into every POV section, which I usually struggle with. Rivers and falls swelled with snowmelt, rivulets in abundance, so clear and cold, the water ached in the mouth. Freshets of icy runs cast their rapids down the ridges, and Dearbhla dreamed of Conalee, the child, on her knees by the forest creek she'd known from birth, set afloat an endless fleet of curled leaves that dipped and swirled and plunged. (2:35:43)
4. The accounting chapter is extremely interesting!
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. This book really needs content warnings in the front matter, but I'm impressed with the author's handling of disabled rep and interests. *edit Consider this my content warning for abuse of a disabled person, SA, violence against children, abduction, psychiatric treatment facilities.
2. At the 25% mark, with the advent of Eliza's section, I don't know what the heck is going on. I really hate a convoluted narrative, it always happens with switching POVS coupled with switching timelines. The plot just gets to be a mess.
3. I often wonder what a writer's priority is when they write very detailed abuse scenes– rape, torture, animal cruelty, doesn't really matter the flavor. It takes skill to write these scenes in a way that shows empathy to the reader rather than drags their nose through the suffering. Whatever those priorities are, I wish writer's understood that we don't need them in order to understand pain and suffering, we can do that on our own. Life is more than happy to teach us all.
4. I don't care what year this is, a doctor feeling romantically toward his mentally ill patient is disgusting. I don't appreciate the author romanticizing that part of the story. She certainly didn't do that for anything else.
5. I read reviews calling the ending predictable. On the other hand, I find it a deus ex machina, as Phillips didn't plot this turn at all.
Rating: 👨⚕️👨⚕️ bad doctors
Recommend? Only if you have a thing for Pulitzer winners
Finished: Aug 18 '24
Format: Audiobook, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🏆 prize winners
👨👩👧👦 family stories, family drama
👭🏽 teenage girl coming of age
🕰 19th century travel
❤️🔥 very forbidden romance
May 17, 2024
Night Watch is the winner of the 2024 Pulitzer fiction award. It takes place during the Civil War and the following decade. In 1861 Eliza’s husband leaves to join the Union forces. Eliza and her unborn baby, later to be named ConaLee, survive in the mountains of West Virginia with the help of their friend and neighbor Dearbhla. All efforts focus on survival and the frequent threats. Eliza occasionally gets letters from her husband, but then the communication stops.
An integral part of the story is an insane asylum that treats anyone who has suffered and been unable to recover from the terrors of these years. Short descriptions of the operations and management of the asylum, interspersed throughout the story, provide great insight into the support and safety-net that such institutions provided during a period of significant unrest and turmoil. While the best side of humanity is often displayed, there is evidence of cruelty and avarice.
The prose in this novel was wonderful. I was strongly drawn in by several of the characters. The story captured me and carried me forward. In its second half, though, the story seemed to follow a rather predictable path such that my interest began to wane. The author closed out the story with an epilogue that tied everything up—that is a major negative for me, but I know some readers like it. As part of the storytelling, there are some very violent scenes.
An integral part of the story is an insane asylum that treats anyone who has suffered and been unable to recover from the terrors of these years. Short descriptions of the operations and management of the asylum, interspersed throughout the story, provide great insight into the support and safety-net that such institutions provided during a period of significant unrest and turmoil. While the best side of humanity is often displayed, there is evidence of cruelty and avarice.
The prose in this novel was wonderful. I was strongly drawn in by several of the characters. The story captured me and carried me forward. In its second half, though, the story seemed to follow a rather predictable path such that my interest began to wane. The author closed out the story with an epilogue that tied everything up—that is a major negative for me, but I know some readers like it. As part of the storytelling, there are some very violent scenes.
June 18, 2024
Excellent family saga set in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War - winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It’s hard to read in places due to various kinds of trauma suffered by the characters. Don’t let this deter you, though. This is the reality of war and all that comes with it, and we should not look away.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
August 21, 2024
Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips is a post-Civil War novel is about the lasting effects of trauma, the resilience of the human spirit, and the strong bonds mother and daughter. The story is set in the 1850s in West Virginia, during a time of deep societal trauma after the Civil War. It follows a mother, Eliza, and her 12-year-old daughter, Cona-Lee, as they seek refuge in a secluded asylum. Eliza has stopped speaking for the past year due to the trauma she’s experienced. The asylum, with its secrets and haunting atmosphere, poses a threat to their well-being. It always amazes me how easy it was to be placed into an asylum back in the 1800s and before
The characters are complex, well-developed, and deeply human. Cona-Lee, a strong-willed girl, and her mother’s struggles with the aftermath of war and personal loss emotionally draw readers into their lives. The novel focuses on themes of identity, memory, and healing. It blends historical fiction, Gothic romance, and psychological thriller.
While Night Watch offers emotional and intellectual depth, it wasn’t overly appealing to me. The pacing was inconsistent and slow to draw the reader in. It wasn’t a bad read, but it didn’t fully resonate with me.
The characters are complex, well-developed, and deeply human. Cona-Lee, a strong-willed girl, and her mother’s struggles with the aftermath of war and personal loss emotionally draw readers into their lives. The novel focuses on themes of identity, memory, and healing. It blends historical fiction, Gothic romance, and psychological thriller.
While Night Watch offers emotional and intellectual depth, it wasn’t overly appealing to me. The pacing was inconsistent and slow to draw the reader in. It wasn’t a bad read, but it didn’t fully resonate with me.
July 7, 2024
Wow. I have read some really negative reviews of this and I’m a little shocked, but so glad I read them after I read the book, rather than before, as I might of thought to pass and miss this wonder of a novel. This came to my attention while watching a book tuber, discussing his less than impressed opinion of Night Watch winning the Pulitzer. I myself don’t pay much mind to that sort of thing, preferring to just read what appeals to me. First off, the cover was very appealing, so when I read the blurb and found out it was about a woman and her child dropped off at an asylum, I was intrigued. I saw it was available on Libby and immediately borrowed it. The first few pages were a little daunting. The writing took some getting used to and there’s no quotation marks used to differentiate dialogue from prose. So it languished unread until the last 2 days before it was to be returned. So feeling pretty crappy from a virus that will not bugger off I had a day to just read and rest. Well, this book took me up and completely enthralled me. The prose had a rhythm to it that I could hear in my mind. The characters finely drawn, were engaging and the world immersive. The pacing was steady and each character’s pov was just as engaging as the other’s. I found the asylum fascinating and the pictures added a level to the story that I enjoyed immensely. It had an interesting perspective of the civil war and the trauma experienced, before, during and after, not just for the soldiers, but the women and children who lost so much as well. Though it had some very deep and painfully uncomfortable things within, there was also a current of uplift as the characters found their own way through strength and resilience, to find a path through and make lives for themselves, through the wreckage of the suffering, post war. I loved this book so much that as soon as I finished I went and ordered a copy as an early birthday present for myself. This is one of those books that will stay with me and I will read again and again. It should be noted that there are trigger warnings for this one and if you’re sensitive realize there are parts that are hard to read and check for those if so inclined.
May 29, 2024
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER: 2024
===
I found this a somewhat baffling Pulitzer pick, to be honest. Set at the end and in the aftermath of the Civil War, the book started off strong for me. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, who's spent her recent memory caring for a mother who refuses to speak due to trauma and her three infant siblings, while dealing with the rages of the man she thinks is her father, was a compelling character and story. I enjoyed the bits of magical realism, particularly driven by Dearbhla, ConaLee's unofficial grandma with origins as an Irish indentured servant. The book starts in the "present", 10 years after the end of the war, with ConaLee and her mother being dropped off at the Assalym, and then we get a shift in narrative for about a 1/3 of the book that that takes us back to the very end of the war, before we come back to the present.
I was still quite enjoying the book through most of the flashblack, though I found the very detailed and explicit rape scene to be gross and totally unnecessary -- the point would have stood without the very detailed account, especially one that felt like it was written almost like an actual love scene. I found it really horrendous.
That was enough to give me major pause, but where the book really fell off for me was when we came back to the present. The plot begins to verge on the slightly ridiculous with the return of "Papa", amnesia as a plot point, love triangles, mysterious mute children, shootouts, etc. It had all the makings of a campy gothic romance with none of the styling, and the combination of these sort of OTT tropes and what is clearly meant to be "real literature" just did not work for me. And I was disappointed that I thought would be a poignant reuniting ends in tragedy. Certainly subverted my expectations, but I'm left wondering... why? I think it boils down to the fact that the author made several plot choices that just don't make sense to me and didn't really resonate, and in the end I'm not entirely sure what the message or point of the book was.
===
I found this a somewhat baffling Pulitzer pick, to be honest. Set at the end and in the aftermath of the Civil War, the book started off strong for me. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, who's spent her recent memory caring for a mother who refuses to speak due to trauma and her three infant siblings, while dealing with the rages of the man she thinks is her father, was a compelling character and story. I enjoyed the bits of magical realism, particularly driven by Dearbhla, ConaLee's unofficial grandma with origins as an Irish indentured servant. The book starts in the "present", 10 years after the end of the war, with ConaLee and her mother being dropped off at the Assalym, and then we get a shift in narrative for about a 1/3 of the book that that takes us back to the very end of the war, before we come back to the present.
I was still quite enjoying the book through most of the flashblack, though I found the very detailed and explicit rape scene to be gross and totally unnecessary -- the point would have stood without the very detailed account, especially one that felt like it was written almost like an actual love scene. I found it really horrendous.
That was enough to give me major pause, but where the book really fell off for me was when we came back to the present. The plot begins to verge on the slightly ridiculous with the return of "Papa", amnesia as a plot point, love triangles, mysterious mute children, shootouts, etc. It had all the makings of a campy gothic romance with none of the styling, and the combination of these sort of OTT tropes and what is clearly meant to be "real literature" just did not work for me. And I was disappointed that I thought would be a poignant reuniting ends in tragedy. Certainly subverted my expectations, but I'm left wondering... why? I think it boils down to the fact that the author made several plot choices that just don't make sense to me and didn't really resonate, and in the end I'm not entirely sure what the message or point of the book was.
November 12, 2023
TRIGGER WARNING: Detailed sexual assault.
I wanted to like this book but ended up skipping about a hundred pages in the middle to finish bc I’ve been TRUDGING through this one for weeks.
The writing style is difficult- no quotation marks to assign words to a character. I so tired of the word “babbies.”
The story is slow and dry. After 150 pages I just couldn’t do it anymore.
Super misleading book sleeve synopsis.
I wanted to like this book but ended up skipping about a hundred pages in the middle to finish bc I’ve been TRUDGING through this one for weeks.
The writing style is difficult- no quotation marks to assign words to a character. I so tired of the word “babbies.”
The story is slow and dry. After 150 pages I just couldn’t do it anymore.
Super misleading book sleeve synopsis.
December 18, 2023
A book I struggled greatly with in the beginning half.
The story revolves around Cona Lee, her mother Eliza and grandmother Dearbhla. Cona Lee's father has gone to fight in the civil war but is missing. Her grandmother (a possessor of certain strange knowledge) knows he is alive but not quite where. She goes to find her son but whilst she is away a man arrives and forces both Cona Lee and her mother into submission. As Dearbhla searches for her son the situation for Eliza becomes desperate and she finally descends into mutism and takes to her bed though this does not stop the man calling himself Papa from abusing her. Can Dearbhla persuade him that letting Eliza go will be better for him?
We begin this story as Papa drops Eliza and Cona Lee off at the Trans-Allegheny Asylum where they are let in by the mysterious Night Watch, O'Shea.
As I say, I struggled with the beginning half of the book. There are some very graphic rape scenes which are horrifying to read. I couldn't quite get a hold on the characters either. So little is spoken and so much implied that I felt as though I were second guessing a lot of the time.
However once we are on firmer footing at the asylum the story really begins to unfold and I found myself deeply involved in the story of Eliza, Cona Lee, O'Shea and a strange child named Weed, who also lives at the asylum.
I found the ending very bittersweet but it was simply more realistic than I wished for.
This is historical fiction more of the actual asylum in some ways. There are photographs and quotes from the man who was the superintendent/physician at the asylum, Thomas Story Kirkbride. The asylum (for anyone interested) has been restored recently and runs tours. Kirkbride's story is a fascinating one and worth some investigation.
All in all I'd recommend this book to any historical fiction fans who like something a little different.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Little Brown for the advance review copy.
The story revolves around Cona Lee, her mother Eliza and grandmother Dearbhla. Cona Lee's father has gone to fight in the civil war but is missing. Her grandmother (a possessor of certain strange knowledge) knows he is alive but not quite where. She goes to find her son but whilst she is away a man arrives and forces both Cona Lee and her mother into submission. As Dearbhla searches for her son the situation for Eliza becomes desperate and she finally descends into mutism and takes to her bed though this does not stop the man calling himself Papa from abusing her. Can Dearbhla persuade him that letting Eliza go will be better for him?
We begin this story as Papa drops Eliza and Cona Lee off at the Trans-Allegheny Asylum where they are let in by the mysterious Night Watch, O'Shea.
As I say, I struggled with the beginning half of the book. There are some very graphic rape scenes which are horrifying to read. I couldn't quite get a hold on the characters either. So little is spoken and so much implied that I felt as though I were second guessing a lot of the time.
However once we are on firmer footing at the asylum the story really begins to unfold and I found myself deeply involved in the story of Eliza, Cona Lee, O'Shea and a strange child named Weed, who also lives at the asylum.
I found the ending very bittersweet but it was simply more realistic than I wished for.
This is historical fiction more of the actual asylum in some ways. There are photographs and quotes from the man who was the superintendent/physician at the asylum, Thomas Story Kirkbride. The asylum (for anyone interested) has been restored recently and runs tours. Kirkbride's story is a fascinating one and worth some investigation.
All in all I'd recommend this book to any historical fiction fans who like something a little different.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Little Brown for the advance review copy.
August 30, 2024
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for 2024. This was certainly an engaging story from start to finish. I thought it was a well researched and poignant novel. Some chapters were difficult to read due to subject content, but made the story much more relevant. War is brutal, no matter what era that it takes place and there was plenty to be had throughout the story. I really wished for a different outcome but it's not my story and I thought it creative that she moved from character to character so they had added their own voice.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
May 7, 2024Read 50%.
A pathetic Pulitzer winner. This is daytime television literature, a novel of historical specificity that conjures up questions of war, civil disunity, familial structure in flux, the historical experiences of women, how mentally unwell citizens were dealt with (this time with a tad more kindness), mental health, repression, and, of course, the central concern of contemporary cultural life, TRAUMA. We live in a literary moment unable to nuance and reconceptualize trauma beyond nonlinearity; to be jostled from flashback to present to new character perspective to flashback proves to be nothing but that: a whorling jostling. It's hack work, unimaginative and insulting to anyone seeking something even remotely innovative. The style persists in the doldrums, attempting to resist aesthetic complacency while, nevertheless, seldom provoking much, never achieving a turn of phrase that surprises or strives for some sublime. The voice, unsatisfyingly, rings untrue throughout.
This is a novel that will undoubtedly be forgotten. It was already barely acknowledged prior to its strange Pulitzer win. I don't foresee much of a sea change.
A pathetic Pulitzer winner. This is daytime television literature, a novel of historical specificity that conjures up questions of war, civil disunity, familial structure in flux, the historical experiences of women, how mentally unwell citizens were dealt with (this time with a tad more kindness), mental health, repression, and, of course, the central concern of contemporary cultural life, TRAUMA. We live in a literary moment unable to nuance and reconceptualize trauma beyond nonlinearity; to be jostled from flashback to present to new character perspective to flashback proves to be nothing but that: a whorling jostling. It's hack work, unimaginative and insulting to anyone seeking something even remotely innovative. The style persists in the doldrums, attempting to resist aesthetic complacency while, nevertheless, seldom provoking much, never achieving a turn of phrase that surprises or strives for some sublime. The voice, unsatisfyingly, rings untrue throughout.
This is a novel that will undoubtedly be forgotten. It was already barely acknowledged prior to its strange Pulitzer win. I don't foresee much of a sea change.
October 29, 2023
baroque
Luscious writing with hazy plotting serves as a smokescreen for a slight and melodramatic plot full of coincidences and oddities
Luscious writing with hazy plotting serves as a smokescreen for a slight and melodramatic plot full of coincidences and oddities
September 25, 2024
2024 Pulitzer winner. This book is beautifully written. I will say that I preferred Demon Copperhead (the 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner) to this one. That could be because the subject matter interested me more.
July 31, 2023
Night Watch is a strangely haunting novel created by Phillips’ skill in imbuing practically every sentence with echoes of grief and the will to survive. The story spans various timelines and perspectives but centers on the relationship and experiences of a mother (Eliza) and daughter (ConaLee) who are dropped off at an asylum in the wake of the Civil War. Burdened by the trauma of loss and abuse, Eliza and ConaLee attempt to heal within the asylum while also seeking answers from their past.
Phillips is a master at crafting sentences; there were so many that I had to reread due to their simultaneous beauty and mystery if that makes any sense. This novel humanizes in a way that history textbooks cannot. We learn about the consequences of war, the emotional effects of war but not the war itself. Maybe that is the point as Phillips writes “the fighting has ceased, but not the grief”.
The main problem I had with the book was that I just couldn’t connect with certain aspects of the plot. I enjoyed best the sections in which Phillips delved into memory and the emotions of characters, particularly Dearbhla and ConaLee. When these were absent, sometimes I found the storylines a bit contrived or confusing. However, during the times in which the direction of the book fell flat, the narration consistently amazed me. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this ARC.
Phillips is a master at crafting sentences; there were so many that I had to reread due to their simultaneous beauty and mystery if that makes any sense. This novel humanizes in a way that history textbooks cannot. We learn about the consequences of war, the emotional effects of war but not the war itself. Maybe that is the point as Phillips writes “the fighting has ceased, but not the grief”.
The main problem I had with the book was that I just couldn’t connect with certain aspects of the plot. I enjoyed best the sections in which Phillips delved into memory and the emotions of characters, particularly Dearbhla and ConaLee. When these were absent, sometimes I found the storylines a bit contrived or confusing. However, during the times in which the direction of the book fell flat, the narration consistently amazed me. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this ARC.
November 12, 2023
Woof. I was really excited by the thought of reading this book. It's historical fiction! Set in post-Civil War America! There's an asylum! The potential there seemed high.
I won't get into all of my problems with this book, which are pretty well relayed by Dwight Garner in his New York Times review, but I found the book to be confusingly structured, overly literal (there are photographs of the settings woven throughout the text), found the characters poorly drawn and the reveal at the end to be somewhat unsatisfying.
All told, there's unfortunately not much to recommend about this book. It is, however, short.
I won't get into all of my problems with this book, which are pretty well relayed by Dwight Garner in his New York Times review, but I found the book to be confusingly structured, overly literal (there are photographs of the settings woven throughout the text), found the characters poorly drawn and the reveal at the end to be somewhat unsatisfying.
All told, there's unfortunately not much to recommend about this book. It is, however, short.
May 16, 2024
#NotMyPulitzer
September 25, 2023
Content warning: sexual assault on page, mentions of physical abuse of asylum patents by staff
Head's up, you might want to avoid NIGHT WATCH if reading books that include dialogue without quotation marks bugs you. This is a stylistic choice I do not understand, nor did I enjoy reading.
NIGHT WATCH has a good story, but I couldn't get past the writing style or how meandering the plot was. I feel like this book should have been 100 pages less. There was also no reason to have the sexual assault of Eliza happening on page. I did enjoy the historical photos and elements about the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia though.
Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor in exchange for an honest review.
Head's up, you might want to avoid NIGHT WATCH if reading books that include dialogue without quotation marks bugs you. This is a stylistic choice I do not understand, nor did I enjoy reading.
NIGHT WATCH has a good story, but I couldn't get past the writing style or how meandering the plot was. I feel like this book should have been 100 pages less. There was also no reason to have the sexual assault of Eliza happening on page. I did enjoy the historical photos and elements about the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia though.
Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor in exchange for an honest review.
December 3, 2023
Why is this author acclaimed instead of decried? This book is one long ,pretentious, "watch how many descriptions i can come up with" , convoluted account of horrific events.Gratuitous rape scenes, abuse, war injuries, and on and on dominate the story which leads from present to past in no coherent fashion but seems to exist only to show case the author's familiarity with a thesaurus. The rape scenes are the equivalent of literary porn and reader abuse. Read The NY Times review and spare yourself.
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