Written with passion and gravitas, this is an engrossing novel, cinematic and persuasive. Its first half is the stronger of the two, powerfully and unpredictably narrated, pulling in war, slavery, deep ties of emotional attachment and horrible abuse. While the episodes in the asylum are engaging, they don’t quite live up to the originality of what precedes them. Coincidences dominate, and some melodramatic plot turns, mainly those involving Papa who dwindles from a character to a plot device. Nevertheless, Philips is a fine, forceful and memorable writer. And the book is strong.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Really great novel. I now want to check out other books by this author after reading this one.
Very good read. Well written and thought out.

Another wonderful novel by Jayne Ann Phillips So well written so involving I enjoyed from first to last page.#netgalley #nightwatch

Another great book by this author. She writes southern novels so well. The characters and storyline stick with you. I have visited this asylum myself. Today you can tours of it. Such a great novel.

I do not think that this was the right book for me. I really really wanted to love this book, but I could not connect to the characters or the writing style.