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Comments (45)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 45 items
Dec 02, 2023DavedM rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
Nothing much was happening so I stopped reading.
Nov 04, 2023beckylunatic rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
If I had a nickel for every community comment summarized as "I love a nice historical murder story but I draw the line at lesbians", I'd have at least three nickels.
Sep 08, 2023
Powerful and gripping novel.
Jun 27, 2023eusebius rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This novel might be considered as a late addition to the Forsyte Saga, with lesbian characters who could never have appeared in Galsworthy's books. Waters is always very concerned with details; what the interior of a Georgian household…
Nov 28, 2022Alpha_zzz rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Frances is given to a lot of mind wandering. It makes for a very long book. This book could have been shortened by 2/3 possibly if it wasn’t for the mindless meandering thoughts. Plus, the storyline didn’t really grab me.
Oct 18, 2022tina43 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I really liked this book. The tension was palpable and I spent several nights reading into the late hours. Tina43
Mar 14, 2021mbuckley18 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Loved it. Exactly the kind of book I was looking for. I have a new found love of Sarah Waters. The ending could have been just a bit more succinct.
Dec 06, 2020
One of the "Five Best" in the 12/5/20 WSJ - topic "British Literary Murders"
Jul 31, 2020
The info about the story was intriguing so I started listening the the audio book. Now that there is a lesbian relationship i am finding it very difficult to continue. I know there is nothing wrong with that But I am no longer enjoying…
Feb 19, 2020
It's a very good book, it is, but somehow, after reading it, whenever I think about it, I feel this odd sense of unease. It's very good, I said that already, but again, kind of leaves the reader with a sort of uneasy, vaguely repulsed,…
Jul 24, 2018ArapahoeJohanna rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
As a fan of Sarah Water's earlier books, I was a little disappointed in this one. Her writing style is gorgeous as always, but these characters were less compelling than I would have expected from her. The book is claustrophobic, taking…
Jan 20, 2018Pisinga rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
In my opinion, the book is too long, author describes almost in every little detail day after day life of the main character. Although there are some really tense moments. There is a feeling that this book is written by a woman, as it…
Dec 14, 2017ArapahoeAnnaL rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The setting is post WWI London, experiencing post traumatic stress; the characters are from the upper and the "clerk" classes; the plot is reminiscent of Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment." The “volcanically sexy” (USA Today) …
Sep 28, 2017LPL_AdamL rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I read this book over two years ago, but I continue to think about it on a regular basis. Sarah Waters is a mastermind when it comes to compelling stories and richly detailed historical fiction. Her writing style is so lush and…
Aug 11, 2017ctkvlk rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
Started out as a charming, old-fashioned story, but then introduced a lesbian theme. Really? Does every book today have to have overt sex (gay or hetero) in it? Just ruined the book for me. Too bad, because it had potential. I'm not…
Aug 24, 2016bluegardenia29 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Great book with wonderful characters. Gives the reader a glimpse of life in England after the first world war. The subject may not be for all readers. It's an unconventional love story....and a thriller. Highly recommend.
Mar 15, 2016Deebean rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
There should have been serious editing done to this book!! The actual story line wasn't bad, but there were many unnecessary details and descriptions that didn't even pertain to the story. I would have given it a better rating if she had…
Mar 03, 2016scatdiane rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I found this book entertaining and engrossing, but I am interested in the time period, between the World Wars and how people lived then. The murder mystery part of it was almost too intense for me, but I am not much into thrillers
Mar 02, 2016JILLYJELLY rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I liked this book but it could have had about half the pages deleted and still have been an effective and engaging story. It needed some good editing. Still, I did enjoy it...especially the ending!
Nov 02, 2015KellyReader rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
I did not enjoy this tedious book at all. The writing was pretty, but the plot was dull and tired. I skipped pages and pages at a time just to get through it.
Oct 15, 2015joanieg19902 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Even with many of the main characters that do not stand up as being honorable, this is an excellent book. The post WWI setting in England is part of its charm.
Aug 09, 2015marinka rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
What a tedious read. Plot was slow moving, the characters flat and unlikable. Scenes appear to be inserted just to fill pages, not to move the story along and the prose is laden with long strings of adjectives. Fluffy, verbose drudgery…
basilbrynn1
Jun 18, 2015basilbrynn1 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. It is brilliantly descriptive and gives us a slice of life back in the mid 1920's. Very well and beautifully done.
Jun 11, 2015
I was not really taken by this book, although there are a lot of good things about it. It has Sarah Waters’ characteristic awareness of the roles of women and class in society, with its focus on an upper middle class lesbian in 1920s…
Jun 09, 2015Wong_Anne rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
1922 – Ex-servicemen – the out-of-work – the hungry – change is demanded. And in South London . . . life is about to be altered as impoverished widow Mrs. Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances begin to house lodgers. Little do the Wrays…