Night Watch (Pulitzer Prize Winner) Audiobook By Jayne Anne Phillips cover art

Night Watch (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

A novel

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Night Watch (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

By: Jayne Anne Phillips
Narrated by: Karissa Vacker, Theo Stockman, Maggi-Meg Reed
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PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • 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 story: 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.

Accolades & Awards

Pulitzer Prize
2024
Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Pulitzer Prize Virginia Fiction War Heartfelt Genre Fiction Suspenseful Medical
Beautiful Writing • Complex Characters • Historical Authenticity • Engaging Plot • Emotional Depth

Highly rated for:

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Very nicely written story of the civil war period. It shows the ravages that took place, but also shows a compassion that was beyond its time. I really enjoyed it.

Compassion & Brutality in Civil War Period

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It dragged on and on with just a few interesting short breaks. So much mundane and repetitive detail. I had to switch to 1.5x speed to have any hope of sticking with it to the end. There are no profound or unexpected insights or perspectives. I learned a bit about insane asylums of the late 19th century but beyond that there was nothing new.

Disappointing

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I do agree with the review that said that more clarity would have been helpful. There were times when the historical context and the identity of the character being focused on could have been shared more directly initially, prefacing that character's history, etc.

the beautiful poetic writing

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the characters and story pulled me along. I enjoyed the settings and the history. Very satisfying ending.

I loved this book!

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I love this book. It was a wonderful, beautiful story. I felt like I knew each character and loved the narration.

The story line I

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