Reviews - The House of Doors

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1.11k reviews for:

The House of Doors

Tan Twan Eng

3.95 AVERAGE

katielong84's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

burrowsi1's review

4.75

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ainegavgav's review

3.0

reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

conncorde's review

4.0

informative reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

quizlitbooks's review against another edition

4.0

It is 1921 and at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, Robert Hamlyn is a well-to-do lawyer and his steely wife Lesley a society hostess. Their lives are invigorated when Willie, an old friend of Robert’s, comes to stay.

Willie Somerset Maugham is one of the greatest writers of his day. But he is beleaguered by an unhappy marriage, ill-health and business interests that have gone badly awry. He is also struggling to write. The more Lesley’s friendship with Willie grows, the more clearly she see him as he is – a man who has no choice but to mask his true self.

As Willie prepares to leave and face his demons, Lesley confides secrets of her own, including how she came to know the charismatic Dr Sun Yat Sen, a revolutionary fighting to overthrow the imperial dynasty of China. And more scandalous still, she reveals her connection to the case of an Englishwoman charged with murder in the Kuala Lumpur courts – a tragedy drawn from fact, and worthy of fiction.

Having read Tan Twan Eng other two books I was really looking forward to this. It has been over 10 years since The Garden of the Evening mist came out.
He really writes the most beautiful books and this is another masterpiece. The story is multi-layered, a lot of it is based on true events and it's a fascinating read, full of intrigue and secrets.

https://quizlit.org/book-of-the-month-october-2023

unread's review against another edition

1.0

mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I misread the initial book description and didn't realise this centres white colonials, complete with period-typical sexism/racism/homophobia lol. I was initially drawn by the themes of "race, gender, sexuality, and power under empire" but I feel deeply unsatisfied by how it tackled all of those. Also book moved pretty slow for me, and the unveiling of the mystery was not as inspiring as well.