318 pages
English language
Published Dec. 2, 2015
In 1883, Thaniel Steepleton returns to his tiny flat to find a gold pocketwatch on his pillow. But he has worse fears than generous burglars; he is a telegraphist at the Home Office, which has just received a threat for what could be the largest-scale Fenian bombing in history. 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 immigrant who sweeps him into a new world of clockwork and music. Although Mori seems harmless at first, a chain of unexpected events soon proves that he must be hiding something. Meanwhile, Grace Carrow is sneaking into an Oxford library dressed as a man. A theoretical physicist, she is 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 …
In 1883, Thaniel Steepleton returns to his tiny flat to find a gold pocketwatch on his pillow. But he has worse fears than generous burglars; he is a telegraphist at the Home Office, which has just received a threat for what could be the largest-scale Fenian bombing in history. 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 immigrant who sweeps him into a new world of clockwork and music. Although Mori seems harmless at first, a chain of unexpected events soon proves that he must be hiding something. Meanwhile, Grace Carrow is sneaking into an Oxford library dressed as a man. A theoretical physicist, she is 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. Utterly beguiling, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street blends historical events with dazzling flights of fancy to plunge readers into a strange and magical past, where time, destiny, genius--and a clockwork octopus--collide.
Delightful book. Could have been gayer. Lovely writing, fun premise, gorgeous execution. The only problem is that they spend too much time being distracted by bombs and mysteries and wives and such, and not enough time yearning and having feelings and making oblique gestures that obviously the other one should understand.
First of all, this novel is set during Victorian Britain, so obviously there is period appropriate racism, homophobia, etc. present in the book. Fortunately, the novel goes to great lengths to show how stupid those things are. This is a pretty straightforward romance, with a little bit of fantasy based in a Victorian understanding of science. If that's your thing, and you just want an nice comfy historical romance, then this is for you. Further, it's got really great world building, since it consistently uses an historical geopolitical situation. With a review like this, you might be wondering why I gave this book only three stars. Well, those three stars are because I definitely recognize and appreciate the craft of the writing. However, as an asexual person, I'm just not really a fan of romance as a whole, and this book doesn't let on that it's a romance until the …
First of all, this novel is set during Victorian Britain, so obviously there is period appropriate racism, homophobia, etc. present in the book. Fortunately, the novel goes to great lengths to show how stupid those things are. This is a pretty straightforward romance, with a little bit of fantasy based in a Victorian understanding of science. If that's your thing, and you just want an nice comfy historical romance, then this is for you. Further, it's got really great world building, since it consistently uses an historical geopolitical situation. With a review like this, you might be wondering why I gave this book only three stars. Well, those three stars are because I definitely recognize and appreciate the craft of the writing. However, as an asexual person, I'm just not really a fan of romance as a whole, and this book doesn't let on that it's a romance until the final quarter (or it might, I'm not great at recognizing chemistry). In any case, it's just not for me. If this sounds like your kind of book though, definitely give it a read!
