Natasha Pulley

Watchmaker of Filigree Street

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

Colleen

2.5 Stars
 
*An amazing premise and atmosphere that devolved into a trite romance*


The Watchmaker of Filigree Street had been on my list for a few years now but was one of those books that (for no particular reason) I never got around to.

The story opens in London 1883 with young government clerk Thaniel Steepleton (unremarkable other than having synesthesia) who finds a mysterious watch that coincidentally saves him from dying in a bomb blast. His attempts to find the origin of the watch lead him to the enigmatic (and possibly psychic) Japanese watchmaker Keita Mori and Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist unhappy with society’s how restrictions on women restrict her career. Before he knows it, Thanial is smack in the middle of political intrigue and dramatic affairs of the heart. 


  “Under the gas lamps, mist pawed at the windows of the closed shops, which became steadily shabbier nearer home. It was such a smooth ruination that he could have been walking forward through time, watching the same buildings age five years with every step, all still as a museum”

Now, the opening of this book was amazing. The hypnotic writing captured the moody and paranoid feeling of a country on the brink of war as well as the historical setting with enough accuracy to make things believable while pulling from different genres in a way that kept things interesting and unpredictable. Pulley set up an intriguing and atmospheric story that had me riveted… 

But…

Then the whole damn thing turned into a romance. And The Watchmaker of Filigree Street went from a five star read to two stars in the span of one chapter. I actually put this book down for a couple of months and seriously considered abandoning it all together.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I spend plenty of time reading romances. I reach for those feel good happily-ever-afters when I want something to brush a bit of the tar off my blackened Grinch of a heart. And even I feel satisfaction in those predictable happy endings. BUT I have to be in a specific mood. I absolutely do not like to have romance sprung upon me unawares. And I categorically despise having such a bait-and-switch pulled as this book did! Because all of that atmosphere and intrigue and teasing blend of genres? Well, without going into spoilers, all of that was to the purpose of the romance. It was all because of and for the romance. And somewhere along the line the character development went out the window, and the characters started acting inconsistent and bizarre. Keita Mori could be endearing at times but also had the creepy vibes of grooming and being manipulative and passive aggressive. Grace was such a disappointing character. Far from being inspiring, she was spoiled and selfish. She only cared about how things impacted herself and frankly turned into a controlling psycho bitch by the end. And to think I was excited about her character when she was first introduced. Silly me. And then there was loyal but bland Thaniel whose refusal to take action and lack of gumption outweighed his puppydog endearment by the end.

I thought I might still give this three stars until the end, but the ending was ridiculous and disappointing. 

One last note: although this book does combine historical fiction, suspense, a bit of paranormal, and the aforementioned ROMANCE, I disagree with people labeling this as steampunk. I can see why; the historical setting combined with the titular watchmaker’s futuristic mechanical devises do have a slight steampunk vibe. But this doesn’t actually fit the definition. So don’t expect this to actually be a steampunk story. If, you know, my review didn’t scare you off reading this. Despite everything I said, it isn’t terrible. If I had gone into it with different expectations, then I might have enjoyed it more. But that ending probably still would have ticked me off. I’m definitely not reading the sequel though!


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 2 Stars
Level of Captivation: 2 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Savindi Jinasena

DNF at 81%.

I'm so disappointed with this story. It was so confusing and just when it got interesting, it would fall flat again. The characters were so boring and (view spoiler)[ I was uncomfortable with the power dynamics of the relationship between Mori and Thaniel. It basically felt like Mori orchestrated every single event in order for him and Thaniel to be together. Thaniel didn't seem to have any say of what could happen I also hated Mori's views on Grace. At times I did feel like his views were quite sexist. (hide spoiler)] I also was uncomfortable with the use of the words "oriental" and "chinaman" and I do understand that those racist views were quite prevalent in Victorian Society, but it didn't sit well with me. 

I'm sad that I didn't enjoy this book because I was really looking forward to reading this book because it had an interesting premise and the cover is so gorgeous. 

I haven't DNF'd a book in a very long time, I suppose it would bound to happen again.

In 1884, Thaniel Steepleton returns home to his London apartment to find a new watch on his pillow. But he has bigger things to worry about than generous burglars; he is a telegraphist at the Home Office, where he has just received a bomb threat. Six months later, the watch saves his life, warning him of a blast that destroys Scotland Yard. At last, he goes in search of its maker. Keita Mori, the artisan behind the mysterious watch, is a Japanese immigrant who remembers the future. Mori and Thaniel bond quickly, and as their friendship deepens, Mori uses his gift to tweak Thaniel's daily life in his favor. But then Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist attracted to the telegraphist's refreshingly direct nature, unwittingly interferes. Soon, events spiral beyond Thaniel's control, and nothing is certain-not the present, and definitely not the future. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is a sweeping, atmospheric narrative that takes the reader on an unexpected journey through Victorian London, Japan as its civil war crumbles long-standing traditions, and beyond. It breathes a new authenticity into the era of Sherlock Holmes, exploring historical moments in a new light-as well as the prevailing social and scientific views of the age-and plays speculatively with time and destiny, ushering in a new kind of magic.

Vivek Chand

Started out interesting, but then I struggled to finish it. The author has an incredible style of describing things, and this book is a bit of fantasy which didn't work for me. However, a very imaginative story which deserves more credit.

river k

4.5. Pacing felt a bit clunky and inconsistent at times, the ending felt a little too neat (but sweet if you're in the right mood), but overall really enjoyed this. A strong, original debut. The element of fantasy really hit the right spot for me. 

I was very pleasantly surprised by the incorporation of fleshed out Japanese characters (plural! if you can believe it) despite the main setting being 19th century London. (Asian characters that aren't just there for token diversity points are always a plus). Although uncomfortable, I did appreciate the fact that Pulley did not shy away from the racism that would have been quite prevalent in 1880s England.

Lizzy Grayson

2.5 stars: It started off really promising with interesting characters and storyline, but then slowly devolved into convulted blah (with an overly sentimental ending that was artificially sweet). Read the first 1/2-3/4 of the book and then make up your own ending. It will be better.

Maura

This was so good!!! I never expected to become attached to a clockwork octopus who steals socks, and yet here I am. This novel was filled with delightful twists and turns, making you sad for the could’ve beens. Maybe I’ll elaborate later, but right now I’m just in my emotions too much.

De horlogemaker van Londen

Iris vd S

Grace Emilia Machon

I had to stew on this one for a little while before I could describe my feelings. 

I just felt it had so much promise but it didn’t hook me. Part of that could have been that I’m not so great at listening to books narrated by men (I know I know feminist kill joy). I never felt myself wanting to sneak away and let it catch me up. 

I did really like Mori and the steam punk/Victorian wibbly wobbly time stuff. 
I like the way the MC relationship developed 
I loved Katsu the octopus 

It just fell a little flat for me but I would definitely pick up another book by the author, just not the sequel.

Judy Hudgins

An interesting book with clockwork and a bit of time travel.

Lisa Beasley

This book took me a while to get into and I did worry a lot about where it was heading but overall it was a nice read with twists and turns. I loved the two main characters though got frustrated with them both a few times. A few things were understated and imo that made them all the more beautiful. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Lauren James

I enjoyed this book but didn't like the ending, which is why I gave it 3 stars. 

Liked:
1. Pulley's writing style! Her writing really flows and it's very descriptive. 
2. I really liked Grace's character (which is why I didn't like the ending)
3. I really liked that Thaniel saw sounds in color
4. Katsu!!!!!
5. I really enjoyed all of the cool clockwork and clockwork animals! 

Disliked:
1. I actually didn't like Mori's character. I don't know if I just didn't connect with him or not. 
2. I didn't see the ending coming, which is normally good but it kind of felt like when you are in a car and your body prepares you to turn right but the driver turns left instead. It was a little disorienting. 
3. I felt like the book started out as light hearted and funny with an air of mystery and then lurched into something serious and not fun anymore. 



*Spoilers!****

I really liked Grace's character. I thought she was funny and witty and different than what you normally read. So it really threw me for a loop when she all of the sudden turned a jealous crazy lady. I understood her reservations about Mori as well. He pretty much was going to kill anyone who got in his way. She knew that. I just didn't like how she ended up and I didn't like Mori. Although I liked that she ended up with Matsumoto.

Michael Hessling

Delightful story. A little uneven but still worth the read. Features a clairvoyant.

Beth Bartholomew

Christian West

Sunny

Kerry McHugh West

De horlogemaker van Londen van Natasha Pulley, een verhaal over liefde, verlangen, erkenning en acceptatie tegen het decor van Victoriaans Londen.

Wanneer Thaniel Steepleton thuiskomt van zijn werk vindt hij een gouden zakhorloge op zijn kussen. Dit horloge redt een paar maanden later op wonderlijke wijze zijn leven. Gefascineerd door het zakhorloge gaat Thaniel op zoek naar de maker ervan. Dit blijkt Keita Mori te zijn, een eigenzinnige Japanse immigrant. Hij laat Thaniel kennismaken met een fantastische wereld van uurwerken, muziek en mysterie. Het lijkt allemaal onschuldig, maar een reeks van onverklaarbare gebeurtenissen doet Thaniel vermoeden dat er meer is dan hij op het eerste oog kan bevatten. Wanneer Grace Carrow in hun leven komt, raakt alles in een stroomversnelling. Thaniel wordt heen en weer geslingerd tussen zijn liefde voor de één en zijn loyaliteit aan de ander.

De horlogemaker van Londen heeft het allemaal: spanning, geschiedenis, fantastische elementen en een meeslepende stijl.

De horlogemaker van London

Remco

Jess Grossmith

Sara Nilsson

WINNER OF A BETTY TRASK AWARD 2016SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2016FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2016An International Bestseller / A Guardian Summer Read / An Amazon Best Book of the Month / A Goodreads Best Book of the Month / A Buzzfeed Summer Read / A Foyles Book of the Month / A Huffington Post Summer Read / A Yorkshire Post Book of the WeekIn 1883, Thaniel Steepleton returns to his tiny flat to find a gold pocketwatch on his pillow. When the watch saves Thaniel's life in a blast that destroys Scotland Yard, he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori - a kind, lonely Japanese immigrant. Meanwhile, Grace Carrow is sneaking into an Oxford library, desperate to prove the existence of the luminiferous ether before her mother can force her to marry.As the lives of these three characters become entwined, events spiral out of control until Thaniel is torn between loyalties, futures and opposing geniuses.

Watchmaker of Filigree Street

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