Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests SPOILERS!!

[VerucaInTheNutRoom]

I've just got to the part where Leonard's body has been discovered and I've stalled. The writing is wonderful but I just can't seem to care about the two main characters and I'm finding it a bit tedious. Is it worth continuing ?

Only- which did you prefer out of Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet? I'm halfway through Fingersmith and loving it. It twists and turns all over the place, keeping me gripped by the story

TBH I read them ages ago and have a shite memory, especially on a Friday afternoon so I can't remember!

I think I probably liked them about the same. They're quite similar in their milieus and themes, I think.

In that case, I think I'll add TTV to my tbr list as well. If it's as good as Fingersmith then I can't wait :)

I really enjoyed it but the final few pages were disappointing, I wanted to see a few years down the line what would happen with Frances and Lillian. It wasn't as gripping as fingersmith or the one about the psychic medium girl who was in prison, what was that one called? I'd like to read it again and can't find my copy.

Tshirt I think that's Affinity?

I agree tshirt. I wasn't convinced at all that Lillian loved Frances in any meaningful way and Frances had definetly had the scales removed from her eyes. I would be surprised if they were still together a few years on.

I enjoyed the book and thought some of the writing was really good but I agree with others that it was a bit disjointed. I liked it much better than the Nightwatch. However i have been reading a lot of Persephone books recently and many of them are set in a similar period and are better written (but don't have same sex relationships in them). F. Tennyson Jesse's " A Pin to see the Peepshow" which Waters mentions in her research is a much superior book.

I remember reading a book with very similar plot where the main character was "used" by the wife of the killed man in a similar manner. They had am affair. Then adter being found innocent the wife dumped the main character and git tofether with another guy.

I can't remember it's title though

I loved it. I think I loved Frances angsty awkward self consciousness like when Lilian was doing her hair an Frances was staring at the varnished wallpaper (I'm really selling it, aren't I) and I liked it when they had the argument about Lilian taking the wall.

I've read it and still can't decide if I liked it!

I think for me, the period stuff was great. I'm particularly drawn to books set between WW1-WW2 and this was no exception.

But I didn't take to Lillian at all. In fact, I think that's it - I liked the setting but not the characters?

I agree settings were great. I liked references to places in London I know.

I think Lillian as character was not as well developed as Frances. IMHO too much of the book was spent in setting the story's context nearly 40%!

Weren't we supposed to be suspicious of Lillian? You just knew she was playing at love with Frances and the falseness was going to be a catalyst for serious events. Perhaps that's why her character didn't ring true.

I am sure as someone said up the thread - this relationship will not last. Lillian was not in love, she was desperate to get hands on her 500 pounds and move on.

See I didn't get that feeling antimatter. More that Lillian had tried so hard to be a good wife, love her husband etc and struggled with the thought of loving another woman.

She felt reserved and not at all certain with her place in life whereas Frances did. She knew who she was and didn't try to fight it.

I finished Fingersmith this afternoon. Absolutely loved it - completely unputdownable. By far the best Sarah Waters novel so far.

The Night Watch is on my tbr pile, definitely want to read Tipping the Velvet. Is Affinity good?

I loved it! Loved the complicatedness of the relationships, Frances cleaning when her mother's out, Lillian and Leonard and Lillian's family, and I loved the descriptions of London and travelling around it.
Thérèse Raquin is a very good follow up read- very similarly claustrophobic and similar themes.

Thanks superscribbler Affinity is definitely my favourite, off to Amazon I go!

Just bobbing in here to let you know that The Paying Guest is going to be our book of the month for August - we'll be launching on 15th July and will have 50 copies to giveaway so if you haven't already read, then do keep your eyes peeled and make sure you're signed up for the book club newsletter. Sarah will then be joining us for a webchat on Tuesday 29th September between 9 and 10pm to answer questions and discuss the book.

I was really looking forward to this because The Little Stranger was so fantastic but ended up feeling a bit meh about it - just didn't care about the characters.

Amazing that we can't agree on which of her books are the best! For me, her first three (Fingersmith, Affinity, Tipping the Velvet) are great, the Night Watch is AMAZING and one of my favourite books ever, and her last two were just.. a bit bland in comparison.
I thought Paying Guest had some really nice moments but I found the first half achingly predictable and the second half quite stressful to read!

Loved this book. Brilliant writing and gripping story line, especially as the story progresses. Never fancied her books before and would welcome a recommendation of some of her others. I believe Nightwatch was on the tele so not keen to watch that as I prefer to read books before seeing films etc.

I did enjoy it, particularly the period detail but I think it dragged a bit. It did not keep me gripped like The Little Stranger - absolutely loved that!

Just finished it too. Although I enjoyed the detail of the first half, usually I'm constantly on the lookout for anachronisms, it took aaaaages for much plotto occurr. And then, when it finally came, it was 2 a.m and I had to force myself to put it down! I've read quite a lot of stuff about murders/crime passionel (sp?) in Victorian times and also 20s and 30s but kept picturing Lilian and Frances in Victorian dress. They seemed a bit not quite of their time. Anyway, first Sarah Waters. Which next?

tobee I can highly recommend The Night Watch. Not quite the page-turner that The Paying Guests was, but still an excellent novel.

Although Affinity is my favourite, this came a close second for me.
I thought it really picked up, or rather, sort of slowed down with dread after Leonards body is found. I could hardly bear to carry on reading, it was so well written, the descriptions of the terrible stress and anxiety they went through, knowing an innocent man could hang.
They did in a way get away with it, but I doubt either will ever be happy. Their relationship obviously won't last. It was all for nothing.
Fab.

I loved The Night Watch - one of my favourites ever - but The Paying Guests is a bit meh. It's just about worth reading to the end, if you're in it, but a good edit wouldn't have gone amiss.