Reviews

Hyresgästerna by Sarah Waters, Ylva Mörk

jsoakes's review against another edition

3.0

Not as good as Fingersmith. Mostly because it focused too much on the relationship, which didn't feel properly founded, and less on the intrigue that made Fingersmith so good. There was a little bit of suspense in this one (there was a lot built up, but I really felt it would only have ended the way it did) and Sarah Waters does an amazing job of breaking down characters and making them unpredictable in their actions in a totally realistic way. AKA:

Spoiler

I would have totally believed Frances or Lilian breaking down and telling the truth at any point during the inquest/trial to either save themselves and betray the other, or to take the blame themselves in order the save the other. I'm glad neither of these occurred, but it would have been believable if it had.

Amazing writing. Great setting. It did drag on a bit. Part of me feels it was necessary to really explore the brief drops into insanity and to build suspense, but part of me also thinks the book could have been about 1/4 shorter.

tashmashy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.25

I enjoyed this and really wanted to get to the conclusion but the relationships left me feeling a bit flat compared to others by Sarah Waters. I wasn't sure I believed in their love. But as always loved the setting and a very good October read. 

onecraftyreader's review against another edition

3.0

I felt like the first half of the book was setting up some kind of big life-changing event, but I didn't anticipate the one that happened. And every moment after that was just waiting on pins and needles to see if the truth would come out, and cringing at each dangerously poor decision made by certain people. Enjoyed the writing but would have cut a good bit of this out.

jassukui's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

princesszelda's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

ellathorpe's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

evaribaker's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars: an entertaining read, but could have been much more tightly edited without sacrificing content or the integrity of the storytelling.

ccfenton's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.75

slugluv's review against another edition

4.0

I went into this wanting something gay & soothing (sometimes domestic period pieces are comforting to me), but got something very different and much more emotional and suspenseful! Although it’s a long book, I enjoyed it all and liked the way Waters built up the characters slowly over the first part of the book. I found the psychological exploration of the intense experiences in the book very interesting! I also really enjoyed the subversive history in here with the anti-WW1 movement and queer counterculture in London. I really enjoyed it overall and am curious to read or listen to her other books. (the audiobook for this was very well done!)

krystyn13's review against another edition

3.0

Not what I expected & honestly had I known ahead of time I probably would not have bothered. Longer than it needed to be.