A Google user
The Night Watch is the story of four commoners in World War II London, coping with personal and historical tragedies during air raid, black-outs and rationing. It is a story of loss, illicit affairs, desperation, hope, and love.
Historical novels and movies have the tendency to be epic, to turn the characters into heroes, events into epics. As a result it is hard to identify with their characters, to understand what was like to live those events. The Night Watch does not fall in that trap. Its WWII London and its characters are just commoners, with common weaknesses, hopes, fears and tragedies. As a result it is impossible to not identify with them. It is impossible to not experience all the horrors, the destruction, the fears they experience, or to share their hopes or their joy for historically insignificant but extremely real events.
The result is an extremely powerful novel, able to shake the reader to the core.
A Google user
I liike the way her scenes with different characters drift into one another...It's very cinematic. The reverse chron. is an interesting way to have her story unfold, but had expected the device to be used to better advantage (with some sort of unexpected twist at the end). Some of the scenes were a bit gore ridden, but I suppose that's to be expected for a novel set in WW2 London.