The Watchmaker of Filigree Street: A bewitching tale of historical fantasy, magic, love and a clockwork octopus

by Natasha Pulley

SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2016
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BETTY TRASK PRIZE 2016
FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2016

An 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 – AHuffington Post Summer Read – A Yorkshire Post Book of the Week

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 slips 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.

• ISBN10: 1408854295
• ISBN13: 9781408854297
• Publish Date: 2 July 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 14 July 2016
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Circus
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[dragononabook]

Somehow, my favourite character was a clockwork octopus who stole my heart like Thaniel's socks.

[ross91]

DNF at 50%.
Too slow and uninteresting.
I tried to read this book since the beginning of July but every time I pick it up I just want to read something else, so I decided to DNF it.

[annieb123]

Wonderfully crafted intricately beautiful narrative.
I enjoyed this book very very much.
There were some glaringly anachronistic bits here and there but i don't think they detracted from the lovely story.

Loved this book a lot.

[MurderByDeath]

In 1883, Thaniel returns to his tiny flat to find a gold pocket-watch on his pillow. When the watch saves Thaniel's life from 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.  
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.   I don't know how I feel about this book as a whole; I didn't love it but it sucked me in completely and it stayed with me.  So, to break it down:   I hate Grace.  She is awful and selfish.   I love Mori's clockwork shop - it's so vivid in my mind's eye and it's metallically magical.   I am in LOVE with Katsu, Mori's clockwork octopus; I'm not alone in this, he steals the entire book and I'm more than a little peeved with the author.  I want a Katsu - possibly more than I want a dodo named Pickwick.   I liked Thaniel and Mori, Mori probably a bit more.  For all the time we spend with Thaniel he remains elusive; I came away with a much better understanding of Mori, a character who shares almost nothing.   I can say this with confidence: I think the author lost control of her story a bit.  The bombing is the pivotal event that kicks the story off, but then completely falls away for the middle 2/3s of the book - it's never even mentioned - only to be wrapped up in a few lines of dialogue at the end.  It feels like the middle 2/3s is the story she wanted to tell, but needed a prop to hold it up, then tacked a resolution to it onto the end as an afterthought.  It's a weird superficiality in a book full of depth.   Would I recommend this?  I don't know - it might be worth reading just for the clock work octopus!   (Note to those that fall to the right of conservative: this is not a book for you.)

[Kelly]

Just not my thing unfortunately.

[Beth C.]

Thaniel lives a boring life. He has a job with the government, very down on the bottom of the totem pole. He sends half his money home to his widowed sister and her two children. His life has become boring and predictable since he took up the mantle of respectability and gave up on his dream to play piano. Then one day, when he arrives back to his little room, he finds a watch. He has no idea where it came from or why it is there, and when he tries to pawn it, he is refused. The watch, it seems, has a habit of disappearing. Over time, Thaniel learns more about the watch and its mysterious creator, and in the process, learns more about himself.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is not an easy book to categorize. It's sort of like a complex recipe with many different ingredients that comes together to create a unique whole. A little bit of intrigue, a little bit of magic, a smattering of history, a dash of action/adventure, and the teensiest bit of romance all combine to make a book as unusual as it was interesting.

Things can get a bit confusing at times, particularly towards the latter half of the book. However, I thought the ending was pitch-perfect. I won't say more because I detest spoilers. Overall, the book was quite enjoyable to read.