The Paying Guests in Around the World in 80 Books

Feb 18, 2017 Terri rated it really liked it

Shelves: british-fiction, wwl-fiction, writer-sarah-waters, awards-nom-walter-scott, british-historical-fiction, awards-nom-orange-women, favorite-women-writers

This is a slow read and packed with lots of details of English domestic life so be warned. I plodded through semi-interested and occasionally riveted. The ending is a humdinger (don't you love that word) and so I am glad I stuck with it. I am a fan of the talented Welsh author Sarah Waters. If you haven't read "Fingersmith" or "The Little Stranger"...go pick up some copies.
Her book is set in 1922 in Camberwell, South London, where a elderly widow and adult daughter live in a comfortable home. T ...more

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Dec 31, 2014 Sara rated it liked it

I read this for the 2015 Reading Challenge Week 4: Book published this year.

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Feb 05, 2015 marianne rated it liked it

Shelves: chez-moi, bookclub

Sarah Waters is a gifted writer; though it could have benefited from a stronger plot, this book reads very easily and paints the 1920s London setting wonderfully. I loved the descriptions of the city itself, the fashion of both old and young, the intricacies of that era’s social ladder... my favorite parts were probably following Frances as she ventured into the city. So vivid! Her house also takes on a distinct personality of sorts (I would even count it as a minor character in the book), and, Sarah Waters is a gifted writer; though it could have benefited from a stronger plot, this book reads very easily and paints the 1920s London setting wonderfully. I loved the descriptions of the city itself, the fashion of both old and young, the intricacies of that era’s social ladder... my favorite parts were probably following Frances as she ventured into the city. So vivid! Her house also takes on a distinct personality of sorts (I would even count it as a minor character in the book), and, without giving too much away, I even developed an interest in (view spoiler)
This book was also an eye opener for me in terms of how England struggled to bounce back after WWI, the vast impact that losing so many men at war had on the country, how nearly everybody lost loved ones, and the place of women in that society. Wow. These are not central “points” in the book, but just part of the normal background noise, helping paint the setting and giving context to the characters’ lives, aspirations and predicaments. This is another way in which I think Sarah Waters is a very effective and astute historical story teller.

I do think it was missing a sturdier plot, or in the absence of this, a few juicy subplots and especially so in the first third of the book, which lumbers along sluggishly despite the pleasant prose. I found myself waiting for some good old fashioned action and really hoping the plot would eventually take on a few curvy, wild twists such as in Waters’ earlier novel Fingersmith. To be fair, there were a couple plot twists in the end, but as reader Dianne pointed out, some of these felt somewhat artificial. (view spoiler). In truth, I was never entirely convinced of the love affair between Frances and Lily beyond its physical passion. Something felt hollow about their relationship, whereas Lily and Len’s marriage, even if unhappy and unsustainable, was much more believable and complete.

I would recommend Fingersmith or Tipping the Velvet for those reading Sarah Waters for the first time and recommend The Paying Guests only to seasoned and devoted Sarah Waters fans who want to read her whole works (a fine idea, after all!). ...more

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Sep 12, 2014 Kay Green rated it it was ok

Not the book I was expecting. I thought it would be about a group of different people living together in a rooming house and how their lives intersect. I really don't see why this is popular (based on how long it took me to get the library version). Lesbian lovers, a graphic murder, and drawn out court proceedings. I could not sympathize with any of the 5 or 6 major characters. Oh well. ...more

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