The Paying Guests cover art

The Paying Guests

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Paying Guests

By: Sarah Waters
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $28.99

Buy Now for $28.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2014

There came the splash of water and the rub of heels as Mrs Barber stepped into the tub. After that there was a silence, broken only by the occasional echoey plink of drips from the tap....

Frances had been picturing her lodgers in purely mercenary terms - as something like two great waddling shillings. But this, she thought, was what it really meant to have paying guests: this odd, unintimate proximity, this rather peeled-back moment, where the only thing between herself and a naked Mrs Barber was a few feet of kitchen and a thin scullery door. An image sprang into her head: that round flesh, crimsoning in the heat.

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.

For 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. And as passions mount and frustration gathers, no one can foresee just how far-reaching, and how devastating, the disturbances will be.

This is vintage Sarah Waters: beautifully described with excruciating tension, real tenderness, believable characters, and surprises. It is above all a wonderful, compelling story.

2015, Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, Long-listed

2015, The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Long-listed

2015, IBW Book Award, Winner

2016, IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, Long-listed

©2014 Sarah Waters (P)2014 Hachette Audio
Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Romance

What listeners say about The Paying Guests

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    62
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    84
  • 4 Stars
    24
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    57
  • 4 Stars
    34
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Sarah Waters does it again...

[{ "answer" : "Yes -- the story is engrossing and tense and I'm not sure I would have reacted the same way had I read it from the page. Juliet Stevenson's reading makes the story breathe and sucks the listener straight in. ", "type" : "Overall", "question" : "Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why? ", "id" : 41, "typeString" : "overall" }, { "answer" : "", "type" : "Story", "question" : "What other book might you compare The Paying Guests to, and why?", "id" : 2, "typeString" : "story" }, { "answer" : "", "type" : "Performance", "question" : "Which character – as performed by Juliet Stevenson – was your favourite?", "id" : 26, "typeString" : "performance" }, { "answer" : "The reading of the most dramatic night was incredible -- so tense, so well-paced, so descriptive. Everything about that part of the book felt oppressive and riveting. ", "type" : "Genre", "question" : "Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?", "id" : 51, "typeString" : "genre" }, { "answer" : "", "type" : "Misc", "question" : "Any additional comments?", "id" : -1, "typeString" : "misc" } ]

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another masterpiece

In the beginning I found the narrative aspect to be weird and difficult to listen too... I have never listened to an audio book before, but once I got into it I lapped it up like I was on a time limit to finish it. I loved the book. I was awesome with little unexpected twist and turns. Highly recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A story about love

This was a very long & somewhat difficult story about the difficulties and perils of relationships on many levels!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

At last a book I loved from start to finish. Now for more of this brilliant author and narrator. Thank you both.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

predictable

fantastic voice artistry by Juliet Stevenson, it made this predictable and mediocre book a little more interesting. I'm sure Sarah Waters is alot more talented and capable of more interesting stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect in every way

The story grabbed my attention from the start and didn’t let go.
Well written, evocative of the time it is set in with such attention to detail that I can clearly visualize the house and rooms. The author describes the emotions of the characters so well and the narrator, with her fabulously authentic accents, bring it all to life.
Five stars from me. ⭐️

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

What an awesomely narrated book!! Gripping story had me on the edg of my seat throughout the whole 21 hours

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

good one

Almost gave up as seemed so slow but 2nd half turned into bit of a page Turner. liked the ending if maybe a little predictable. juliette Stevenson is the only narrator I've heard who made the Male characters sound like men! Great job.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another great book by Sarah Waters

Another great story and a great performance by Juliet Stevenson. I enjoyed it
Thank you

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Step back in time

I loved this book from beginning to end - Juliet Stevenson is a master of voice and captured the characters beautifully. You really get a sense of the era of the 1920s London as it is so well-written, with some interesting twists and turns in the plot.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.