The Paying Guests

By: Sarah Waters

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

The New York Times bestselling novel that has been called “a tour de force” (Wall Street Journal), “unputdownable” (The Washington Post), “a delicious hothouse of a novel” (USA Today), “effortless” (The Economist), “seductive” (Vanity Fair) and “pitch perfect” (Salon)

“Superb, bewitching…Forget about Fifty Shades of Grey; this novel is one of the most sensual you will ever read, and all without sacrificing either good taste or a "G" rating” – NPR

“One of the year’s most engrossing and suspenseful novels…a love affair, a shocking murder, and a flawless ending … Will keep you sleepless for three nights straight and leave you grasping for another book that can sustain that high.” — Entertainment Weekly (A rating)

“Volcanically sexy, sizzingly smart, plenty bloody and just plain irresistible." —USA Today (4 stars)


It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned; the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa—a large, silent house now bereft of brothers, husband, and even servants—life is about to be transformed as impoverished widow Mrs. Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers.

With the arrival of Lilian and Leonard Barber, a modern young couple of the “clerk class,” the routines of the house will be shaken up in unexpected ways. Little do the Wrays know just how profoundly their new tenants will alter the course of Frances’s life—or, as passions mount and frustration gathers, how far-reaching, and how devastating, the disturbances will be.

Short-listed for the Man Booker Prize three times, Sarah Waters has earned a reputation as one of our greatest writers of historical fiction, and here she has delivered again. A love story, a tension-filled crime story, and a beautifully atmospheric portrait of a fascinating time and place, The Paying Guests is Sarah Waters’s finest achievement yet.

Juliet Stevenson is a genius

Where does The Paying Guests rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the most amazing and moving performances I've ever heard. Maybe the best ever!

What did you like best about this story?

The performance

Have you listened to any of Juliet Stevenson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the best of all of them. She's masterful.

A perfect literary novel with suspense

If you could sum up The Paying Guests in three words, what would they be?

A great read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Frances, as the protagonist, was clearly my favorite, but I also liked Lillian. Frances perhaps the most as the the voice of the novel and the one we are most intimate with as she goes about her life.

Have you listened to any of Juliet Stevenson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure as I listen to so many books. Ms. Stevenson was excellent. I will look for her again, most certainly.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My reaction was visceral. The prose was captivating as was the sense of place and times. There was an intimacy with the character that deeply moved me.

Any additional comments?

I am telling all my friends who love to read GREAT books to read this one. Ms. Waters is a rare and exceptionally talented writer. Brava!

Brilliant Narration of an Excellent Story

Juliet Stevenson is certainly one of the great narrators of British literature. This novel by three-time Booker Prize Nominee Sarah Waters offers is glimpse into a time and place, post-WWI London, and into the lives of a group mostly of women. Suffrage, post-war trauma, women’s changing roles, economic shifts, and a loosening of social class rigidity all play a part in this ever-changing, engrossing novel. Waters is a masterful storyteller, and she reveals information piece-by-piece with a deft hand and a sharp eye. I highly recommend The Paying Guests.

Once again.

Sarah Waters is such an amazing writer. Her writing puts the reader right in the middle of the story. As if one is on the sidelines watching every scene, hearing every word spoken by such wonderful characters. The mystery of it all,the feelings, the depth of emotion is simply incredible. Not one wasted word. How very rare is that?The performance was wonderful. The perfect voice for a perfect story. Perhaps the best performance I have heard. Overall fantastic.

Feel bad

It is very well written. You can’t let it down but it is a major downer, all the way.

perfect quarentine distraction

This was a perfect thing to listen to while I did housework and pass the time during lockdown. It was a nice balance of romance, politics of the time, I'm very good descriptions of London during the era.

Not Historical Fiction

Seems as though most people are one of two minds on this - I was one that did not enjoy this being billed as historical fiction when it really should have been listed as romance. The story is very, very slow to start and doesn't get much better. The main issue, as other reviewers have written, is merely laid into the historical context, with no real commentary or perspective. The characters could have been written in a way that would have offered this perspective, but were not. It was a murder mystery without the whodunit aspect. It was a romance with real, but created drama, not the sort that naturally occurs in society and culture but manufactured by the characters. I kept waiting for a twist or some sort of resolution and did not get it.

Unique and satisfying

Reminiscent of a Sherlock mystery but omniscient and without lull.
Definitely recommend for bored mystery lovers.

Awesome fun. Read or

Amazing

Another wonderful surprise by Sarah Waters. Don't miss this treat!
Love, murder, and a British accent!

Stunning

Would you listen to The Paying Guests again? Why?

Yes. Juliet Stevenson's narration was stunning, nuanced, dramatic, engrossing, and beautiful—lending even more weight to Sarah Waters' detailed and lovingly told story. The narrative itself, though slow at the beginning, grew in tension, until I was literally holding my breath to see what happens next.

What other book might you compare The Paying Guests to and why?

The Paying Guests reminded me a little of the atmosphere created by Peter Cameron in Coral Glynn, which also has terrific and taunt narration, in this case by Simon Prebble. If repression has a sound, both The Paying Guests and Coral Glynn have found it.

Which character – as performed by Juliet Stevenson – was your favorite?

I loved Stevenson's interpretation of Frances Wray—just the right amount of angst, desire and repression, but also goodness and self awareness.

If you could rename The Paying Guests, what would you call it?

I wouldn't do that. The title is perfect.

Any additional comments?

Going forward, I want all of my books to be read by Juliet Stevenson.