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The Paying Guests
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 21 hrs and 29 mins
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The Paying Guests
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Publisher's Summary
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
What listeners say about The Paying Guests
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Diana
- 07-10-2014
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" } ]
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mandi van Eeden
- 27-08-2019
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
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Sharon
- 04-03-2016
A story about love
This was a very long & somewhat difficult story about the difficulties and perils of relationships on many levels!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- samantha bryant
- 17-03-2018
Brilliant
At last a book I loved from start to finish. Now for more of this brilliant author and narrator. Thank you both.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- audrey platt
- 03-06-2022
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Geraldine Quinnell
- 18-05-2020
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. ⭐️
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amanda
- 01-04-2015
Amazing
What an awesomely narrated book!! Gripping story had me on the edg of my seat throughout the whole 21 hours
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sam
- 15-07-2020
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Willow
- 16-07-2020
Another great book by Sarah Waters
Another great story and a great performance by Juliet Stevenson. I enjoyed it
Thank you
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cathie Dalliwall
- 24-03-2015
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.
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1 person found this helpful