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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
Although the writing was fine at times, I found this book incredibly dull until the last few chapters, which were only slightly more interesting.
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like this book but could not get through the first 100 pages.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sarah Waters is such a wonderful storyteller. The build up is deliciously slow and when I got to about one third in, it became nearly impossible to put it down. First an awkward friendship, then a slowly blossoming forbidden romance which rapidly turns into a tense murder case, where you actually find yourself rooting for the guilty party.
I've previously only read Tipping the Velvet, and in comparison this feels like a much more serious novel, not just because of the murder and the consequent trial, but also the post-war setting and how heavily everything is influenced by that. Perhaps because of that rawness, it also feels more real than Tipping the Velvet, which was like an entertaining (and fairly dirty) Westend show on page, with melodrama and what felt like unrealistic and fanciful scenarios.
I've previously only read Tipping the Velvet, and in comparison this feels like a much more serious novel, not just because of the murder and the consequent trial, but also the post-war setting and how heavily everything is influenced by that. Perhaps because of that rawness, it also feels more real than Tipping the Velvet, which was like an entertaining (and fairly dirty) Westend show on page, with melodrama and what felt like unrealistic and fanciful scenarios.
I liked it pretty well, but there were definitely some draggy sections. But some of it was quite memorable, so it kind of all balanced out.
The author's style lulled me into thinking the was a lovely slow paced Downton Abbey-Esque stroll and wow that didn't last long. I couldn't put the book down. Tense and exhausting.
What a huge disappointment :( I have LOVED Sarah Waters in the past, she has a true knack of conjuring up the past without it feeling like she's whacking you in the face with her research, and the same is true of The Paying Guests - the period is evoked brilliantly, beautiful little details littered throughout the pages, along with the overarching themes - the old class world disintegrating, so too marriage, and so too the "seperate spheres". I usually love the way she combines the seemingly small into something of greater meaning. She's a great storyteller in essence. So why can I only give it one star, especially when so many other people are rating it so highly? A purely emotive reaction tbh. After an ok start, I just did not like a single thing about where this book went. Maybe it was an attempt to make a comment on the ways in which women and LGBTQI people were stifled and frightened during the period and how that led them to particular actions, but I just HATED the several pivotal decisions that the protragonists made, and the ending just made it even more disatisfactory for me. By the end, I didn't like a single one of the characters, and felt like I'd learned and enjoyed nothing of the book. Sorely disappointed after the wonderful experiences reading The Night Watch and Tipping the Velvet (far more entertaining novels, with wonderful VIVID characters and adventures).
Because I can't help but still love her as an author, here is the one small moment I really loved: "It was like a cure, being with Lilian. It made one feel like a piece of wax being cradled in a soft, warm palm."
Because I can't help but still love her as an author, here is the one small moment I really loved: "It was like a cure, being with Lilian. It made one feel like a piece of wax being cradled in a soft, warm palm."
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes