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A review by leilabintik
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Another beautiful Waters novel written with tension and female desire. Half the book is dedicated to the blossoming romance that soon turns sour in the second half where the classic Waters crime drama unravels.
Frances' and Lilians romance is sweeping, enthralling and definitely too good to last. At no point in the novel did I fully trust either of them, and yet, I rooted for them anyway. Frances is wholly relatable in that she is dissatisfied with her life and feels that her best years have passed without her really doing anything with them. Struck by a Hamlet-esque indecision, Frances is a character not brave enough to jump until she is forcefully pushed off the cliff. She falls for Lilian (though, in my opinion, it could have been any woman who showed interest). Lilian is guarded and layered, making a character we want to unravel while also being distrustful of. Did she plan to kill leanord? Did she know of the baby before she let on? How sincere are her feelings for Frances?
The prose and characters ran the show and while the crime, cover-up and courtroom drama were interesting, it ran on for about 100 pages too long and there were no surprises that I didnt see coming.
The fourth Waters novel I've read, it comes in second behind Tipping the Velvet, followed by Fingersmith and Affinity.
Frances' and Lilians romance is sweeping, enthralling and definitely too good to last. At no point in the novel did I fully trust either of them, and yet, I rooted for them anyway. Frances is wholly relatable in that she is dissatisfied with her life and feels that her best years have passed without her really doing anything with them. Struck by a Hamlet-esque indecision, Frances is a character not brave enough to jump until she is forcefully pushed off the cliff. She falls for Lilian (though, in my opinion, it could have been any woman who showed interest). Lilian is guarded and layered, making a character we want to unravel while also being distrustful of.
The prose and characters ran the show and while the crime, cover-up and courtroom drama were interesting, it ran on for about 100 pages too long and there were no surprises that I didnt see coming.
The fourth Waters novel I've read, it comes in second behind Tipping the Velvet, followed by Fingersmith and Affinity.