The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. Bloomsbury USA, 2015. Hardcover/Hardback. 318 pages. 

I love the cover art of this book immensely, and the hardcover edition of the book itself is jacket-less with a cut-out where the watch is... it's lovely.

The basic plot of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street begins when a mysterious gold watch appears on the bed of Thaniel Steepleton, eventually saving him from a bomb and leading him to the mysterious Keita Mori. At the same time, a young Oxford student named Grace Carrow is currently working on experiments to prove that the elusive ether exists. This all takes place in a wonderful Victorian London setting with brief, infrequent trips to Japan.

I loved the concept of this story; it sounded mystical, magical, intricate, and full of intrigue, and it delivered all of that. Unfortunately, how the story was delivered was not as skilled as expected. There are three main characters to focus on - Thaniel, Keita, and Grace - and they all had the potential to become complex and multi-dimensional, but sadly fell short of that. Thaniel's actions also didn't always make sense, and his interactions with Grace were confusing. The dialogue felt jilted and clumsy many times throughout the novel, and it felt like the characters were being forced to say awkward things that never quite made sense. This was actually a problem found within larger areas of Pulley's writing as well, such as in her descriptions and explanations; the way in which things were described was sometimes done in such a way that it was hard to discern the true meaning of her words.

Another area I struggled with was the setting changes. Pulley takes you back in history, then doesn't revisit that again for about a hundred pages, leaving me feeling rather lost. Some of the backstory and plot created for this story didn't ever exactly seem overly clear to me. I  feel as though Pulley needed to spend more time developing her plot and successfully weaving it all together to create one coherent story.

The ending also became a bit too.. jumbled. There were too many things that were just bunched up or didn't make sense. Everything culminated very quickly; nothing happened for a majority of the story, and then suddenly everything was happening, and none of it really made much sense.

On a more positive note, I loved hearing about how the watches and clocks were made, how the various gears worked, etc. - I assume Pulley did research for this or was already knowledgeable on the subject; either way, it definitely showed. This was one particular aspect of the novel where Pulley excelled, and she has a gift for weaving in something with such history and intricacy into the story. Thaniel's work as a telegraphist was also immensely fascinating, and it was enjoyable to read about.

Overall, I am giving The Watchmaker of Filigree Street three stars. Despite its promising plot, the characters and plot were not as developed as they could have been, and there were just a few too many issues with the writing. However, I would still recommend this to someone interested, as there are many people who have immensely enjoyed it regardless of any flaws.

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You might also like:

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
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Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson. Greenwillow Books, 2015. 432 pages. Ebook.

First off, I love historical fiction (if that wasn't already obvious by so many of my reading choices). History has always been a favorite subject of mine, and I prefer to read books that are set in a time that is different from the present. But I will be honest: the wild west/19th century American history isn't exactly one of my favorite backdrops, which is actually one of the main reasons why I put this book off for so long. However, it appears I don't know what I'm missing, because Rae Carson has written one of the better, more original books that I've read in quite a while and I loved it.

I genuinely enjoyed Carson's first trilogy, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, which I read back in 2013, so I was already confident in her writing ability, but again, I was unsure about the subject matter. Carson proved her skills by creating an original, finely developed plot and strong group of characters that have resulted in a truly enjoyable story. Her writing style is smooth and effortless; it will quickly draw you in and keep you listening to every word. Although there are subtle hints at romance, she doesn't bang you over the head with it or even make it an overly important plot role.

The story is narrated by Leah Westfall - also known as 'Lee' when she dresses up as a boy to make it to California. We've all seen the 'girl-dresses-up-as-boy' situation before, but fortunately Carson carried this notion out in such a way that it wasn't annoying or overly cliche'd, and she was actually very realistic about the struggles of being a female on a long trip with very little privacy in a time when there was a great deal of emphasis placed on being 'proper.' (For instance, men are not involved in the subject of pregnancies.)

Carson has constructed an in-depth and well-rounded cast of characters, something that appears to be quite a strong suit for her. Each person had their own motivation for travelling to California, as well as unique personalities that truly brought each person to life. Jefferson, Leah's friend from home, is a helpful, strong-headed, and rather aloof boy who is easy to relate to and understand. Besides Jefferson, there is also the entire wagon trail company that we get to meet and interact with that is made up with a variety of friendly and wise characters - as well as some close-minded and arrogant ones. All of these people, however, make for quite an engaging adventure.

I will say that there appears to have been some sort of miscommunication somewhere along the lines of my picking up this book, because I was under the impression that it would involve more gold-digging or use of Leah's gift in a more useful manner. Instead, the entire story basically covered Leah's trip to California. Don't get me wrong, it was still wonderfully told and entertaining, but it juts wasn't what I was led to be believe by the summaries and descriptions of the book, so don't be misled!

I am so glad that there is going to be a sequel! I have so many questions that still need to be answered. For instance, why does Leah even have this gift? Are there other random gifts out here that people have? Is this a somewhat magical world or still completely normal with the addition of Leah's random gift? Will Leah actually use this gift to its fullest extent once she's in California? And there is still so much potential for these characters that if Carson wasn't writing more in this series, I would be quite a bit more disappointed in this story, as this book was definitely more of a setup for the later series and provides a lot of important background.

Overall, I'm giving Walk on Earth a Stranger four stars for its compelling story and complex characters that really give this book life.

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Hidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen
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The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton. Washington Square Press; 2009. 484 pages. Paperback/Softcover. 

This is one of those books that frustrates me.

This is one of those books that was both good, bad, intriguing, and boring all at the same time. If you've never read a book like that, then that probably sounds pretty odd. However, I'm inclined to believe that most readers have come across a book or two like this throughout their reading journeys.

In brief, this story is told with a mix of present-day narrative and flashbacks (though more flashbacks than present-day narrative) by Grace, a woman who worked as a housemaid at the Riverton household. Her flashbacks are prompted by a film producer who intends to create a film revolving around the shocking suicide that took place at the household one night.

To begin this review, I would like to start at the end. The ending was brilliant; I loved it. It was the ending that saved the book - big time. Some people claim that it was "predictable" and "cliche," but I didn't find it to be that way at all. Perhaps I just haven't read the same books as them. Who knows. The entire story before the end sort of drudged along until the climactic moment at the end when we learn what really happened to all of the characters. I think the key to this ending being so remarkable was because rather than just revealing the answers to all of our (and the characters') questions in a regular, story-telling motion, Morton uses an incredibly powerful writing style shift that grips your heart and soul and compels you to keep reading. Without this wonderful shift, it would not have been nearly as successful.

Now, the rest of the book. It wasn't a bad book; it had a great plot and storyline, but it simply took way too long to get to anything important. If the great reveal at the end of the book was told in a slightly less impacting manner, it would not have saved the book, and would have instead been a complete letdown.

The House at Riverton simply didn't flow in an even pattern. Rather than nice, mellow waves of a lazy river, it was a choppier, hectic one. The book consists of the present-day, older Grace telling stories and having flashbacks about her days at Riverton. However, this was not executed in a very graceful (no pun intended) manner; rather than having a consistent switching off between narratives, Morton would have the flashbacks occur for several chapters in a row, and then suddenly switch back to the present-day narrative within one of those chapters. There was no continuity. The only time in which I felt Morton did good work of using dual narratives was towards the end when she started to blur them together, which was a nice reflection of how Grace's life had been influenced and continues to be affected by her past at Riverton and with Hannah.

It was also hard for me to connect with the characters, which I think was one of the larger problems that sort of ruined the reading experience for me. The only character that I felt I could begin to connect with was Hannah due to her longing for independence and adventure; anyone who has been or felt stuck in their life or in one place can understand that longing to explore the world and be your own person, rather than just act as a mere toy for a man's world. Grace was understandable, but I could never quite understand her actions, or lack thereof, which often left me frustrated and confused. I will, however, commend Morton for maintaining a consistent tone and personality with Grace; she remained reliable in her views and opinions. Overall, however, there was too much distance between all of the characters involved.

Morton's saving grace was her wonderful descriptions of the people, places, and things that inhabit the time period in which this story is set, the early 1900s. She was truly able to capture the life of housemaids and the rest of the serving staff, as well as the lives of those who the staff work for. Everything was very precise and spot-on, and I have to admit I was reminded of Downton Abbey a few time during the household descriptions.

Overall, I would have to give The House at Riverton three stars. It had excellent plot potential, but unfortunately lacked the execution that would have made it truly unforgettable.

If you like historical fiction books like The House at Riverton,  you might also like:

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

Set in the early 1900s London, The Paying Guests focuses on the life of a woman named Frances, who, along with her mother, decided to rent out their house two a young couple, unbeknownst to what troubles will arise.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
This book follows a young woman who has been married to a merchant seller and must now move from her life to live at his house. She receives a miniature set of the house itself as a wedding gift, and is shocked when she finds that someone is sending her miniature additions that are a bit too close to home.