The Paying Guest takes place in London in 1922, and the atmosphere is tense. People are demanding change. In South London, a large house sits absent of all the men that once ruled it and vacant of all the servants that helped run it. Widow, Mrs. Wray and her unmarried daughter, Frances make the decision to take in some lodgers - Lilian and Leonard Barber. The Barber's are a modern, young couple and their routines are bound to shake up the stuffy house a little. But the Wray's have no idea how much the Barber's will affect Frances' life in particular. Frances and Lilian end up falling in love, and how this plays out is slightly ridiculous.
So this was my first book by Sarah Waters and I enjoyed the ride, for sure. But I figured out what was going to happen before I got there and that is always disappointing. Then there is the fact that I felt this book was waaaay longer than it needed to be. It could have been edited down and still had the same impact and just not have been so wordy.
I am also not convinced that level-headed Frances would have actually fallen for such a flighty thing as Lilian. It just wasn't entirely believable to me, that romance. Then the way the ending is handled, I wasn't a fan of. I did give this book 3 stars, and have another Waters' book on my nightstand currently.
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