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The Uninvited Guests
One late spring evening in 1912, in the kitchens at Sterne, preparations begin for an elegant supper party in honor of Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday. But only a few miles away, a dreadful accident propels a crowd of mysterious and not altogether savory survivors to seek shelter at the ramshackle manor—and the household is thrown into confusion and mischief.
Evening turns to stormy night, and a most unpleasant parlor game threatens to blow respectability to smithereens: Smudge Torrington, the wayward youngest daughter of the house, decides that this is the perfect moment for her Great Undertaking.
The Uninvited Guests is the bewitching new novel from the critically acclaimed Sadie Jones. The prizewinning author triumphs in this frightening yet delicious drama of dark surprises—where social codes are uprooted and desire daringly trumps propriety—and all is alight with Edwardian wit and opulence.
Evening turns to stormy night, and a most unpleasant parlor game threatens to blow respectability to smithereens: Smudge Torrington, the wayward youngest daughter of the house, decides that this is the perfect moment for her Great Undertaking.
The Uninvited Guests is the bewitching new novel from the critically acclaimed Sadie Jones. The prizewinning author triumphs in this frightening yet delicious drama of dark surprises—where social codes are uprooted and desire daringly trumps propriety—and all is alight with Edwardian wit and opulence.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
524 people are currently reading
8328 people want to read
About the author
Sadie Jones
18 books379 followers was born in London, the daughter of a poet and an actress. Her father, Evan Jones, was born in Portland, Jamaica in 1927. He grew up on a banana farm, eventually moving to the United States, and from there to England in the 1950s. His most widely acclaimed work is "The Song of the Banana Man". Sadie's mother, Joanna Jones, was featured as an extra in various television series, including "The Avengers."
As a young woman, Sadie opted out of attending university, preferring instead to work an assortment of odd jobs (video production, temping, waiting tables) and to travel. After visiting America, the Caribbean and Mexico, Sadie settled in Paris, where she taught English and wrote her first screenplay. She eventually moved to London, where she currently resides with her husband, architect Tim Boyd, and their two children.
Sadie wrote screenplays for fourteen years before producing THE OUTCAST, her first novel. Her writing credits are an eclectic mix, everything from episodes of BBC-TV shows to a feature film in 2004. Her current project is a pilot for the BBC series DISORDER.
As a young woman, Sadie opted out of attending university, preferring instead to work an assortment of odd jobs (video production, temping, waiting tables) and to travel. After visiting America, the Caribbean and Mexico, Sadie settled in Paris, where she taught English and wrote her first screenplay. She eventually moved to London, where she currently resides with her husband, architect Tim Boyd, and their two children.
Sadie wrote screenplays for fourteen years before producing THE OUTCAST, her first novel. Her writing credits are an eclectic mix, everything from episodes of BBC-TV shows to a feature film in 2004. Her current project is a pilot for the BBC series DISORDER.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,865 reviews
January 28, 2022
KINDLE EDITION IS $1.99 UNTIL 7 FEBRUARY 2022
Rating: 3* of five
The Publisher Says: One late spring evening in 1912, in the kitchens at Sterne, preparations begin for an elegant supper party in honor of Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday. But only a few miles away, a dreadful accident propels a crowd of mysterious and not altogether savory survivors to seek shelter at the ramshackle manor—and the household is thrown into confusion and mischief.
The cook toils over mock turtle soup and a chocolate cake covered with green sugar roses, which the hungry band of visitors is not invited to taste. But nothing, it seems, will go according to plan. As the passengers wearily search for rest, the house undergoes a strange transformation. One of their number (who is most definitely not a gentleman) makes it his business to join the birthday revels.
Evening turns to stormy night, and a most unpleasant parlor game threatens to blow respectability to smithereens: Smudge Torrington, the wayward youngest daughter of the house, decides that this is the perfect moment for her Great Undertaking.
The Uninvited Guests is the bewitching new novel from the critically acclaimed Sadie Jones. The prizewinning author triumphs in this frightening yet delicious drama of dark surprises—where social codes are uprooted and desire daringly trumps propriety—and all is alight with Edwardian wit and opulence.
My Review: Emerald Torrington turns twenty today. Her shabby-genteel mama Charlotte, bratty brother Clovis, and afterthought baby sister Smudge, née Imogen, are celebrating with a dinner party, to include Emerald's old friend Insignificance, née Patience, and her brother Ernest; and a last-minute addition, rich local businessman John Buchanan. Charlotte is hoping John will marry Emerald, who Does Not Fancy him and wastes no time letting him know this; he responds by laughing at her arrogance (go John!), yet he still gives her a beautiful cameo as a birthday gift, and still feels...well.
The the Railway wishes upon the family an entire carriage-load of strangers due to an accident which occurred on the branch line. Florence, the housekeeper tasked with keeping house and making a party with one maid who's time is in demand as a hairdresser-cum-lady's-maid for all the abovestairs women, fetches them tea and then the whole household, and invited guests, forget about them.
Except Charlie. Charlie, from First Class unlike the ragtag and bobtail who arrived before him, moves right on in to the birthday party, with surprising...shocking, in fact...results.
Some guests are more uninvited than others. Poor Emerald...such a decent sort trapped in that last moment of adolescent intolerability and intolerance. Well...not any more.
Three stars? Does that seem a bit mingy? It isn't. I'll tell you why.
What begins as a species of Edwardian-style Heyeresque silliness turns into The Turn of the Screw, and for no really good reason. It's nicely written, being a Sadie Jones novel, and it's plotted with some care, but the mash-up takes a lot of suspension of disbelief and it's not asked of one until too late in the game. I don't think of myself as an inattentive or oblivious reader. No adequate set-up was done for the surprise twist, and so instead of feeling excited and pleased, I felt slightly seasick at the sudden change of direction as the boat, previously making for a harbor I could see miles away, goes across the waves' direction towards a more distant island.
Surprise me, yes; do a hard one-eighty, and you risk making me feel duped instead of pleasantly surprised. And that is where The Uninvited Guests left me. Looking for clues as to why I ended up in Calais when my ticket says Southampton.
Rating: 3* of five
The Publisher Says: One late spring evening in 1912, in the kitchens at Sterne, preparations begin for an elegant supper party in honor of Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday. But only a few miles away, a dreadful accident propels a crowd of mysterious and not altogether savory survivors to seek shelter at the ramshackle manor—and the household is thrown into confusion and mischief.
The cook toils over mock turtle soup and a chocolate cake covered with green sugar roses, which the hungry band of visitors is not invited to taste. But nothing, it seems, will go according to plan. As the passengers wearily search for rest, the house undergoes a strange transformation. One of their number (who is most definitely not a gentleman) makes it his business to join the birthday revels.
Evening turns to stormy night, and a most unpleasant parlor game threatens to blow respectability to smithereens: Smudge Torrington, the wayward youngest daughter of the house, decides that this is the perfect moment for her Great Undertaking.
The Uninvited Guests is the bewitching new novel from the critically acclaimed Sadie Jones. The prizewinning author triumphs in this frightening yet delicious drama of dark surprises—where social codes are uprooted and desire daringly trumps propriety—and all is alight with Edwardian wit and opulence.
My Review: Emerald Torrington turns twenty today. Her shabby-genteel mama Charlotte, bratty brother Clovis, and afterthought baby sister Smudge, née Imogen, are celebrating with a dinner party, to include Emerald's old friend Insignificance, née Patience, and her brother Ernest; and a last-minute addition, rich local businessman John Buchanan. Charlotte is hoping John will marry Emerald, who Does Not Fancy him and wastes no time letting him know this; he responds by laughing at her arrogance (go John!), yet he still gives her a beautiful cameo as a birthday gift, and still feels...well.
The the Railway wishes upon the family an entire carriage-load of strangers due to an accident which occurred on the branch line. Florence, the housekeeper tasked with keeping house and making a party with one maid who's time is in demand as a hairdresser-cum-lady's-maid for all the abovestairs women, fetches them tea and then the whole household, and invited guests, forget about them.
Except Charlie. Charlie, from First Class unlike the ragtag and bobtail who arrived before him, moves right on in to the birthday party, with surprising...shocking, in fact...results.
Some guests are more uninvited than others. Poor Emerald...such a decent sort trapped in that last moment of adolescent intolerability and intolerance. Well...not any more.
Three stars? Does that seem a bit mingy? It isn't. I'll tell you why.
What begins as a species of Edwardian-style Heyeresque silliness turns into The Turn of the Screw, and for no really good reason. It's nicely written, being a Sadie Jones novel, and it's plotted with some care, but the mash-up takes a lot of suspension of disbelief and it's not asked of one until too late in the game. I don't think of myself as an inattentive or oblivious reader. No adequate set-up was done for the surprise twist, and so instead of feeling excited and pleased, I felt slightly seasick at the sudden change of direction as the boat, previously making for a harbor I could see miles away, goes across the waves' direction towards a more distant island.
Surprise me, yes; do a hard one-eighty, and you risk making me feel duped instead of pleasantly surprised. And that is where The Uninvited Guests left me. Looking for clues as to why I ended up in Calais when my ticket says Southampton.
July 12, 2013
What an odd book. It's sort of like Wodehouse's more bitter cousin (one more interested in class struggle) met up with a goth and hashed out a book proposal. The setup is that the Torrington family are about to lose the family home. While the stepfather goes off on a mission to save it, the rest prepare for Emerald's 20th birthday. And then a train derails and the Railway start to send passengers to the house...
Jones does a fantastic job of characterization, especially with people like Charlotte. She knows just how to twist the knife, and the way those sentences settle - it's kind of deliciously grim. These are not particularly likeable people, and Jones doesn't just create an environment where the reader decides that on their own; she also insinuates that the characters not only know they're kind of awful, but not-so-secretly relish it. At times, it feels like the house is full of sociopaths. But then about three-quarters through the book, the book itself feels like it derails, and I ended up feeling like a particularly nasty treat and been taken away.
And now, the last quarter of the book:
I can't say I liked this, and a lot of that is because the plot just dissolved. It reminds me of things that get praised in creative writing classes for being "innovative" and "having levels", which has always kind of translated for me into "I've made this deliberately obscure, and that means it's deep". I think this rationale is crap. So thumbs up from me on creating some truly foul and lovely characters, and thumbs down on punking out with the actual storyline.
Jones does a fantastic job of characterization, especially with people like Charlotte. She knows just how to twist the knife, and the way those sentences settle - it's kind of deliciously grim. These are not particularly likeable people, and Jones doesn't just create an environment where the reader decides that on their own; she also insinuates that the characters not only know they're kind of awful, but not-so-secretly relish it. At times, it feels like the house is full of sociopaths. But then about three-quarters through the book, the book itself feels like it derails, and I ended up feeling like a particularly nasty treat and been taken away.
And now, the last quarter of the book:
I can't say I liked this, and a lot of that is because the plot just dissolved. It reminds me of things that get praised in creative writing classes for being "innovative" and "having levels", which has always kind of translated for me into "I've made this deliberately obscure, and that means it's deep". I think this rationale is crap. So thumbs up from me on creating some truly foul and lovely characters, and thumbs down on punking out with the actual storyline.
October 8, 2012
Not too mysterious and just an odd book. None of the characters were likeable and, well, it was just too odd for me. I was not surprised by any supposed "twist" to the story and I never laughed out loud (not that that's required actually) as some did at this book either. It reads like a play, and if you read it in that context and imaging the players on stage, I suppose it is a better story. In all, it wasn't my cup of tea. My local library recommended this book based on the fact that I adore the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. I didn't see the connection between this book and the Flavia series, outside of possibly the precocious Smudge of the Uninvited Guests and the fact that both are set in England, but that's neither here nor there. This book always left me with a questioning face after each chapter and I kept thinking to myself that it just keeps getting more and more ridiculous. I kept thinking I had missed something, but yet I hadn't. I don't like to presume someone should take my advice and not read any certain book, because, obviously what I dislike someone else may love....so, I guess, read with a cautious mind and if you love it, good for you!
February 28, 2012
I was surprised that this book received 5 stars from some of the reviewers. Did they read the same book I did? I read the yawn inspiring novel of an English family in a country manor house set in the early 1900's. I think the writing style was supposed to be imitative of the writing style of the time in the book. It's like a stuffed chair that just enfolds you in the softness of it. You just sink into a dazed sleep.
I found nothing likable about this book. I didn't like a single character. You really don't get to know them. Somehow it seems like it was written by someone holding them at arm's length. You can see them and interact but never get close to them. There was a long extended scene of the youngest child, Smudge, who smuggles a horse into her upstairs bedroom. It was like fingernails on a chalkboard. You just wanted it to be over but no- it went on and on.
There was a twist at the end although it had been telegraphed throughout. It might have been interesting if you cared about the people in the story or in the story itself. But by the time, the punch gets there, you are tired and really don't care. You just want to be put out of your misery.
It's been a long time, thankfully, that I've read a book this bad. Here's my recommendation: run and read something else. A real book with a story you can care about and characters you can get involved. Anything would be better than this.
I found nothing likable about this book. I didn't like a single character. You really don't get to know them. Somehow it seems like it was written by someone holding them at arm's length. You can see them and interact but never get close to them. There was a long extended scene of the youngest child, Smudge, who smuggles a horse into her upstairs bedroom. It was like fingernails on a chalkboard. You just wanted it to be over but no- it went on and on.
There was a twist at the end although it had been telegraphed throughout. It might have been interesting if you cared about the people in the story or in the story itself. But by the time, the punch gets there, you are tired and really don't care. You just want to be put out of your misery.
It's been a long time, thankfully, that I've read a book this bad. Here's my recommendation: run and read something else. A real book with a story you can care about and characters you can get involved. Anything would be better than this.
April 11, 2012
Despite the fact that the author's previous novels haven't appealed to me, The Uninvited Guests struck me as a must-read as soon as I heard about it, so I was delighted to discover it had been published in advance of the expected release date. Set in a grand old country house inhabitated by the Torrington family, the whole story takes place across the course of one night, as eldest daughter Emerald's birthday party is interrupted by the 'uninvited guests' of the title, a group of lower-class travellers who have narrowly escaped a train crash. As ever with this type of story, all is not as it seems: the Torringtons are on the verge of losing their home, one amongst the party of survivors is not quite who or what he claims to be, and there may be an even more disturbing reason for the presence of the uninvited guests...
This is an enjoyable and likeable book, which, unfortunately, has a few too many flaws to be truly memorable. I liked the way the plot did something different and original with a well-worn setup, the characterisation was great (the Torrington siblings are charming, the odious Charlie absolutely hateful) and I could really feel the dread and trepidation in certain scenes. In fact, my main problem with the book has to do with how it's been marketed - the word is actually used on the cover, and to say this ruins a major source of tension is a huge understatement: it's a massive spoiler and led me to guess the biggest plot twist before I'd even started reading! Perhaps, if it hadn't been for this, I would have derived more pleasure from the story. Additionally, I wasn't keen on the ending and all the 'pairing off' that happened was incredibly saccharine. Well-written and a decent story, but I was left disappointed in several respects, and think it could have been much better.
This is an enjoyable and likeable book, which, unfortunately, has a few too many flaws to be truly memorable. I liked the way the plot did something different and original with a well-worn setup, the characterisation was great (the Torrington siblings are charming, the odious Charlie absolutely hateful) and I could really feel the dread and trepidation in certain scenes. In fact, my main problem with the book has to do with how it's been marketed - the word is actually used on the cover, and to say this ruins a major source of tension is a huge understatement: it's a massive spoiler and led me to guess the biggest plot twist before I'd even started reading! Perhaps, if it hadn't been for this, I would have derived more pleasure from the story. Additionally, I wasn't keen on the ending and all the 'pairing off' that happened was incredibly saccharine. Well-written and a decent story, but I was left disappointed in several respects, and think it could have been much better.
April 11, 2024
OK, let's cut to the chase - this is an awful book. The writing style is stilted, the plot is ridiculous, and the characters are - to a man/woman of them - despicable. I read this based on an NPR review and I want to go back and pinch that reviewer - hard - on the arm - for making this book sounds like it might possibly be interesting to read.
This book smacks of the book "The Little Stranger" - family with declining means living in a dilapidated English manor that they cannot afford to keep up; and the movie "The Others" - some people are not what they seem to be. Add to that the most ridiculously happy ending of all time, and you have a mess on your hands. Here's how bad it was: I actually kept hoping that I would turn the page and zombies would appear in the plot. When zombies can improve your book, you are in a whole lot of trouble.
This book smacks of the book "The Little Stranger" - family with declining means living in a dilapidated English manor that they cannot afford to keep up; and the movie "The Others" - some people are not what they seem to be. Add to that the most ridiculously happy ending of all time, and you have a mess on your hands. Here's how bad it was: I actually kept hoping that I would turn the page and zombies would appear in the plot. When zombies can improve your book, you are in a whole lot of trouble.
July 9, 2012
I picked up The Uninvited Guests after hearing a positive review on NPR's Fresh Air. The book started out well, feeling like Edward Gorey and Harold Pinter had somehow collaborated on an adaptation of Ian McEwan's Atonement. Its premise is promising: the Swift family, on the verge of losing their family estate due to financial problems, holds a birthday dinner for the eldest daughter, Emerald. However, a train accident happens nearby, and the railroad company demands to use the Swift's home to house survivors until they can be collected later. One mysterious survivor arrives on his own and insinuates himself into the family's festivities and proceeds to disrupt them with disturbing results.
Early on, the novel was genuinely creepy, with a building sense of mystery and family drama that compelled me to keep reading even when the book took on the feeling of a frustration dream in which I feared that the birthday dinner at the heart of the novel would never take place. However, the plot took a couple of sudden, unanticipated turns, one of which all but changes the genre of the novel, and neither were particularly satisfying. Also, none of the characters earns the resolutions that each receives in the end, and both coincidence and convenience seem to drive the last 50 pages or so a bit too much.
However, The Uninvited Guests has had me thinking about my own expectations for reading this type of creepy, unsettling psychological thriller, and I wondered if my own negative reaction to the book was based more on a rigid set of genre expectations. Whatever the case, though, I found myself disappointed by a novel that had such potential from the outset.
Early on, the novel was genuinely creepy, with a building sense of mystery and family drama that compelled me to keep reading even when the book took on the feeling of a frustration dream in which I feared that the birthday dinner at the heart of the novel would never take place. However, the plot took a couple of sudden, unanticipated turns, one of which all but changes the genre of the novel, and neither were particularly satisfying. Also, none of the characters earns the resolutions that each receives in the end, and both coincidence and convenience seem to drive the last 50 pages or so a bit too much.
However, The Uninvited Guests has had me thinking about my own expectations for reading this type of creepy, unsettling psychological thriller, and I wondered if my own negative reaction to the book was based more on a rigid set of genre expectations. Whatever the case, though, I found myself disappointed by a novel that had such potential from the outset.
October 22, 2018
Although the premise of this book was interesting and the writing very good, the story never quite comes together. Far too many distractions and needless running about.
May 4, 2013
This was highly recommended by a Goodreads friend, and I'm very glad I looked it up. Sadie Jones is a writer I know nothing about, but she is clearly in complete command of her craft. This is a tour-de-force of tone, voice, and playfully serious story-telling. It is impossible to pigeon-hole--a ghost story? A love story? An Edwardian drawing-room comedy? More like Henry James, or Alfred Hitchcock? Oscar Wilde or Edward Gorey? Certainly not Jane Austen, as a blurb on the back suggests. Alternately spooky, lovely, romantic, realistic, and ethereal. And absolutely unpredictable. Early on, 11-year-old Smudge (real name Imogen) says to her older sister, "Don't say that, Em!...You can't know what's going to happen." The author goes on, "It was then, as if in response--as if the countless mismatched wheels of incident had suddenly, briefly, locked together in faultless mechanism--that they heard the brougham..." What could be more every-day than to hear the arrival of a carriage in 1912? But the arrival is weighted with significance that will only gradually become clear, and we realize that the plot itself is a faultless mechanism. The narrator is omniscient (when was the last time you read a contemporary novel written from that standpoint?), and she often tells us exactly what every character is thinking. Sometimes even what the horses and cats are thinking. But we only very gradually learn more and more about all the characters' secrets. Nothing is what it seems, and surprises continue to the last page (you can't know what's going to happen). Smudge is a pretty eccentric little girl, the youngest in the family, and the reader sympathizes with her, laughing at her antics. I was therefore shocked near the end to hear her brother say, "Smudge is quite mad by any normal reckoning, we're just used to her." Playful and ironic? Maybe. But I was startled to realize that it might also be perfectly accurate. And I was also glad to realize that I was part of the "we" that had gotten used to her. I had been included in the family. That was not an accident. This is a very spooky story (yes, there are ghosts). It is emotionally violent and terribly cruel in some places, but it is finally radiant with love, gentleness, and generosity. A wonderful read.
May 18, 2012
The Torringtons live on an estate that is about to be foreclosed upon. It is the eve of eldest daughter Emerald’s birthday and despite everything they are determined to welcome their invited guests and celebrate properly. After seeing off their stepfather, who is going on an attempt to stave off the foreclosure, they are informed of a nearby train wreck and the fact that they are to receive the survivors until the railway company can arrange to pick them up. Sure enough, a small group of shell-shocked people soon arrive on their doorstep. Something is not quite right about the group, and they are given tea and shut into the morning room, so as not to interrupt the birthday festivities. Neither the survivors nor the homeowners are happy about the arrangement and sure enough, chaos ensues. Chaos is given a hearty helping hand by a single mysterious stranger who seems to know much more about the family than he should.
I was expecting to like this book. It is billed as a combination mystery, ghost story and English social comedy. For me it was none of the above. Oh, there were humourous moments, and some mystery, but overall it just failed to deliver because everything seemed so improbable. I know its fiction, but still? It lacked the elegance of a good Edwardian story. The only saving grace in this book is the character of Smudge, the youngest daughter. She charmingly walks to the beat of her own drum and for the most part also cannot fathom what is happening in her own home. A feeling she had in common with this reader.
I was expecting to like this book. It is billed as a combination mystery, ghost story and English social comedy. For me it was none of the above. Oh, there were humourous moments, and some mystery, but overall it just failed to deliver because everything seemed so improbable. I know its fiction, but still? It lacked the elegance of a good Edwardian story. The only saving grace in this book is the character of Smudge, the youngest daughter. She charmingly walks to the beat of her own drum and for the most part also cannot fathom what is happening in her own home. A feeling she had in common with this reader.
February 24, 2013
This must be the worst book I've ever read. I feel I was duped into buying and wasting my time reading this. The description on the back cover and the critic reviews do not accurately describe the kind of book you are in for. I bought this book because it was reviewed in a magazine as one you would love if you like Downton Abbey. This book is nothing like Downton Abbey. Not unless you can possibly imagine the Downton family being extremely rude to their houseguests and completely uncaring about a group of train wreck victims who must take shelter there. I read (skimmed) the whole book, only because I was so flabbergasted at how the story became more and more ridiculous with every passing paragraph. Had I known zombies were involved, I would never have purchased this book. Zombies are not my cup of tea and I believe it's deceptive not to let buyers know about that aspect in the synopsis. The book is poorly written and the characters are unlikeable. I wasted my money. I find it hard to believe a publisher like Harper Collins didn't toss this one into the trash.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2025
It’s an April day of 1912 and Emerald Torrington is about to turn twenty. Her family is in fairly serious financial trouble but the worries are put aside for a day and everything is jolly. In the kitchen the servants are working away preparing the supper and a cake and the guests are on their way. Emerald and her two siblings have nothing to do but wait. The youngest of the three, Smudge, is the odd one in the bunch and is usually left to her own devices. On an exciting day like this she is almost entirely forgotten, so she chooses this day for her Great Undertaking, the ultimate mischief. I won’t spoil much by saying that almost everything goes according to her plan, because very soon all the residents of the mansion are completely absorbed by the appearance of the unexpected and very much unwelcome guests. A train accident on a branch line nearby leaves a couple of dozen survivors that need to be put up for the evening. And horror of horrors, they all seem to be from the third class. What a disgrace to a respectable household. There is only one gentleman among the group; he is quickly weeded out and invited to the birthday party.
His name is Charles Traversham-Beechers and turns out to be an old acquaintance of the lady of the house. Judging by her reaction he is not anymore welcome than the third-class hordes. Don’t worry if you are struggling to remember his name, the characters in the book have a similar problem. And I appreciate that it is mostly due to my shortcomings and not some lack of skill on the part of Sadie Jones but initially I just mixed up everyone in this book, I couldn’t tell who was related to whom and who was merely employed, I even cheerfully confused men with horses and dogs. I finally got them sorted just in time for the story to take a more sinister turn. With the arrival of the hoi polloi led by Traversham-Beechers something shifts in the air and the pleasant dream turns into a disturbing one so gently that the characters can’t decide when it happened exactly.
The English weather can be counted on as usual to make the atmosphere even gloomier by sending clouds and a thunderstorm. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a book in possession of a gothic twist must be in want of a good old thunderstorm.
As in a classical theatrical play the whole story unwraps over the course of one day and night. The characters found themselves playing a game they never intended to play, rather than being a source of innocent joy it brings the worst out of them. By the end of the night they will learn things about themselves and each other that they never suspected.
And let’s not forget Smudge and her Great Undertaking. Did we just forget about Smudge like everybody else?
The Uninvited Guests is not anything particularly monumental but it is a perfect read for another invariably rainy British bank holiday weekend. It has all the necessary ingredients: Edwardian times, mysterious guests, old mansion, family secrets and a stormy weather that make it delightful to read.
His name is Charles Traversham-Beechers and turns out to be an old acquaintance of the lady of the house. Judging by her reaction he is not anymore welcome than the third-class hordes. Don’t worry if you are struggling to remember his name, the characters in the book have a similar problem. And I appreciate that it is mostly due to my shortcomings and not some lack of skill on the part of Sadie Jones but initially I just mixed up everyone in this book, I couldn’t tell who was related to whom and who was merely employed, I even cheerfully confused men with horses and dogs. I finally got them sorted just in time for the story to take a more sinister turn. With the arrival of the hoi polloi led by Traversham-Beechers something shifts in the air and the pleasant dream turns into a disturbing one so gently that the characters can’t decide when it happened exactly.
The English weather can be counted on as usual to make the atmosphere even gloomier by sending clouds and a thunderstorm. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a book in possession of a gothic twist must be in want of a good old thunderstorm.
As in a classical theatrical play the whole story unwraps over the course of one day and night. The characters found themselves playing a game they never intended to play, rather than being a source of innocent joy it brings the worst out of them. By the end of the night they will learn things about themselves and each other that they never suspected.
And let’s not forget Smudge and her Great Undertaking. Did we just forget about Smudge like everybody else?
The Uninvited Guests is not anything particularly monumental but it is a perfect read for another invariably rainy British bank holiday weekend. It has all the necessary ingredients: Edwardian times, mysterious guests, old mansion, family secrets and a stormy weather that make it delightful to read.
July 17, 2012
Was it the glowing pre-release reviews I read that made me feel so dissatisfied with this book? Or is it just that it really isn't a very good book? This is another of those cases where most of the goodreads reviews are gushing and 5 star. I was happy to see that, here and there, tucked away, there were 1, 2 and 3 stars.
First of all, the setting--we are told--is 1912. There is very little evidence in the story, however, that it is 1912. Obviously this is a way of life long-gone for all but the 1% but the time could have been 1920 or 1930 just as easily. The author ignored one of the basic lessons of a beginning creative writing class throughout the book: show, don't tell.
The family, the Torringtons, whose home is the setting are mostly continuously unpleasant people. There is a mother, stepfather (the nicest of them who the two older children loathe who is mostly absent from the story), a daughter turning 20 on this very day, a teen son and a young daughter. The mother and son soon prove to be spoiled, nasty people, people I couldn't care less about. The older daughter, not actually nasty but a thoughtless person who hasn't seen enough of the world (and hasn't been encouraged by her self-centered mother) to develop her instinctive sense of empathy, is more tolerable. In fact, she does prove to be much more caring and parental towards the young girl than the mother is.
When the family hears that there has been a horrific train accident near their very remote estate and survivors must have a place to escape from the raging storm, they are aghast at what they have been asked. The survivors, bedraggled third-class passengers, babies, slightly hurt people, older, hobbling people, many of them smelly and tattered, are all forced into a small room to await the railroad's eventual collection. There they mostly stay, hungry, thirsty, tired without adequate seating....and ignored for much of the story.
Meantime, the family's invited guests have arrived. Although a couple of them are more sympathetic characters than the Torringtons, they all have the same annoyed, impatient attitude towards the guests.
The novel takes a surprise turn after a lone first-class passenger survivor shows up. Much to the shock of the family and their invited guests, this outrageous man knows the mother and begins to inspire these people to show the very worst aspects of their character.
I don't want to disclose much but the story changes sharply at one point, actually becoming another genre. It is not totally successful. However, this sharp turn does bring out the best in even the most unlikable characters.
Frankly, some of the praise granted this book--'scathing social criticism,' 'comedy of manners,' 'lovely period piece'--gives it much more power than it really has. Too much hype, too little delivery.
First of all, the setting--we are told--is 1912. There is very little evidence in the story, however, that it is 1912. Obviously this is a way of life long-gone for all but the 1% but the time could have been 1920 or 1930 just as easily. The author ignored one of the basic lessons of a beginning creative writing class throughout the book: show, don't tell.
The family, the Torringtons, whose home is the setting are mostly continuously unpleasant people. There is a mother, stepfather (the nicest of them who the two older children loathe who is mostly absent from the story), a daughter turning 20 on this very day, a teen son and a young daughter. The mother and son soon prove to be spoiled, nasty people, people I couldn't care less about. The older daughter, not actually nasty but a thoughtless person who hasn't seen enough of the world (and hasn't been encouraged by her self-centered mother) to develop her instinctive sense of empathy, is more tolerable. In fact, she does prove to be much more caring and parental towards the young girl than the mother is.
When the family hears that there has been a horrific train accident near their very remote estate and survivors must have a place to escape from the raging storm, they are aghast at what they have been asked. The survivors, bedraggled third-class passengers, babies, slightly hurt people, older, hobbling people, many of them smelly and tattered, are all forced into a small room to await the railroad's eventual collection. There they mostly stay, hungry, thirsty, tired without adequate seating....and ignored for much of the story.
Meantime, the family's invited guests have arrived. Although a couple of them are more sympathetic characters than the Torringtons, they all have the same annoyed, impatient attitude towards the guests.
The novel takes a surprise turn after a lone first-class passenger survivor shows up. Much to the shock of the family and their invited guests, this outrageous man knows the mother and begins to inspire these people to show the very worst aspects of their character.
I don't want to disclose much but the story changes sharply at one point, actually becoming another genre. It is not totally successful. However, this sharp turn does bring out the best in even the most unlikable characters.
Frankly, some of the praise granted this book--'scathing social criticism,' 'comedy of manners,' 'lovely period piece'--gives it much more power than it really has. Too much hype, too little delivery.
September 7, 2012
Sadie Jones is one of my favourite authors- each book is profoundly different in topic and tone but features her excellent prose and talent for atmosphere. This book reads a little like a Shaw play, with lots of whip-smart dialogue and incredible tension. On more than one occasion I found myself envisioning the action on stage.
The action takes place over one day and night. It is Emerald's 20th birthday party and a few select guests have gathered to celebrate, including 2 potential suitors, one who may be beneath her socially, the other a boy from her past who has grown into a surprisingly attractive young man, her flighty but kind friend, and a strange guest from her mother's past. The strange guest arrives with a whole group of "unsavoury" people who have survived a train accident nearby and have come to the Torrington's sprawling estate for shelter.
This was an odd but compelling combination of biting satire, British parlour drama, and ghost story. At times horrifying, surprising, and extremely funny, I loved every second of it. Jones' style makes me think of Ian McEwan, except with a greater sense of humour.
The action takes place over one day and night. It is Emerald's 20th birthday party and a few select guests have gathered to celebrate, including 2 potential suitors, one who may be beneath her socially, the other a boy from her past who has grown into a surprisingly attractive young man, her flighty but kind friend, and a strange guest from her mother's past. The strange guest arrives with a whole group of "unsavoury" people who have survived a train accident nearby and have come to the Torrington's sprawling estate for shelter.
This was an odd but compelling combination of biting satire, British parlour drama, and ghost story. At times horrifying, surprising, and extremely funny, I loved every second of it. Jones' style makes me think of Ian McEwan, except with a greater sense of humour.
July 28, 2015
The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones is a very unusual novel, a complete departure from the norm. It’s actually a mix of a lot of genres - comedy of manners, ghost story, mystery, historical and quite simply a book with marvellous, unusual characters. Those not happy to follow where Sadie Jones leads them have made their displeasure known with one or two stars on Goodreads. I knew from some of these reviews that this was going to be a surprising book and I’m so glad I allowed Jones to take me on a crazy but bewitching ride.
“One late spring evening in 1912, in the kitchens at Sterne, preparations begin for an elegant supper party in honour of Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday. But only a few miles away, a dreadful accident propels a crowd of mysterious if not altogether savoury survivors to seek shelter at the ramshackle manor—and the household is thrown into confusion and mischief.”
For me all the characters are very original, especially the mother Charlotte who often shirks her duties forcing her daughter Emerald to be the lady of the house. Clovis, the son, is entertaining and memorable and the younger daughter Imogen (Smudge) creates a calamity when she brings the pony Lady into the house. The housekeeper Florence Trieves I found particularly interesting and I really enjoyed the collective presence of the uninvited guests who are shoved into rooms and whose numbers seem to increase at every turn.
“Then the passengers, appeased or defeated, slowly withdrew. They returned to the study, jerkily, like the flickering scene of a moving picture run backwards, and the door closed once more.”
This book is a delight. Don’t try and pigeon hole it. Don’t resist the unexpected. Sometimes certain books defy categorising and I for one am glad that Sadie Jones’s publishers encouraged her on this very whimsical journey.
“One late spring evening in 1912, in the kitchens at Sterne, preparations begin for an elegant supper party in honour of Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday. But only a few miles away, a dreadful accident propels a crowd of mysterious if not altogether savoury survivors to seek shelter at the ramshackle manor—and the household is thrown into confusion and mischief.”
For me all the characters are very original, especially the mother Charlotte who often shirks her duties forcing her daughter Emerald to be the lady of the house. Clovis, the son, is entertaining and memorable and the younger daughter Imogen (Smudge) creates a calamity when she brings the pony Lady into the house. The housekeeper Florence Trieves I found particularly interesting and I really enjoyed the collective presence of the uninvited guests who are shoved into rooms and whose numbers seem to increase at every turn.
“Then the passengers, appeased or defeated, slowly withdrew. They returned to the study, jerkily, like the flickering scene of a moving picture run backwards, and the door closed once more.”
This book is a delight. Don’t try and pigeon hole it. Don’t resist the unexpected. Sometimes certain books defy categorising and I for one am glad that Sadie Jones’s publishers encouraged her on this very whimsical journey.
March 23, 2012
I love it when an author changes direction completely, and with The Uninvited Guests Sadie Jones has done just that. The results are strangely wonderful.
It begins, not unconventionally, in the spring of 1912, at the breakfast table of Sterne, a remote country house. There sit a mother, Charlotte; her three children, Clovis, Emerald and Smudge, and Edward, her second husband and their new and resented step-father.
My first impressions suggested that Charlotte was both charming and capable; Edward was both patient and tolerant, Clovis and Emerald were horribly spoilt; and Smudge was a little adrift from the rest of her family.
But as the story advanced many of those impressions would be very cleverly shifted.
First Edward is set off to town to try to secure the funds that the family desperately need to save their beloved home, and then the rest of the family began to prepare for Emerald’s birthday party that evening.
Up to this point The Uninvited Guests looked like a classic country house story. And it was a very well done country house story: the setting and the characters were beautifully drawn; the house was sufficiently isolated to be a world unto itself; and the arrival of guests for Emerald’s party offered some interesting possibilities.
But then something happened: a message from the railway that there had been a crash and that a group of survivors must be accommodated until arrangements could be made.
It might sound like an interesting plot development, and indeed it was, but even before those uninvited guests arrived there were also little signs that something not quite right: abrupt messages, telephone calls cut off, a complete lack of explanations.
And at that point the story grew into something very strange: a comedy of manners, a ghost story, a fable. and a social satire, all mixed together to create something quite unlike anything I’ve ever read before.
A befuddled group of lost souls arrived from the railway and was moved from room to room as the family seems oblivious to the fact that they might need anything more that a space to occupy. They seemed to move as a body, their numbers seemed to grow and grow, and as the night drew in they became more and more of a presence.
One man stepped forward from the group. He joined the party, he shook it up, and he made some startling revelations.
Charlotte was rattled, and her elder children were left to try to hold things together. But Smudge, quite forgotten by everybody, had been upstairs planning something quite spectacular. And she provided an appropriately dramatic, and moving, finale to the night’s programme of events.
In just one night everything changed, and yet when Edward arrived home the next day everything remained the same.
I was fascinated, and the story held me from the first page to the last. It held me in the same way that certain books held me as a child when I didn’t quite have the maturity or the experience to fully understand what they had to say, but I still loved them.
But I did notice that the changes wrought by the Great War, just a few years in the future, were so very cleverly foreshadowed. And that some telling points were made about Edwardian society.
I did love the stylish prose. It was so well matched with the story, and it brought the house, its occupants, and their world to life quite beautifully.
And I was intrigued by the human story, particularly by the way my simple first impressions changed as complex characters, unexpected characters, emerged.
I was only sorry that the story took a while to get underway and that there wasn’t more space and time for characters to shine and for ideas to percolate.
There is much more to be said I’m sure, but all I can think of is the expression strangely wonderful. And the more I think the more that feeling grows.
I can only think that those uninvited guests have cast their spell on me …
It begins, not unconventionally, in the spring of 1912, at the breakfast table of Sterne, a remote country house. There sit a mother, Charlotte; her three children, Clovis, Emerald and Smudge, and Edward, her second husband and their new and resented step-father.
My first impressions suggested that Charlotte was both charming and capable; Edward was both patient and tolerant, Clovis and Emerald were horribly spoilt; and Smudge was a little adrift from the rest of her family.
But as the story advanced many of those impressions would be very cleverly shifted.
First Edward is set off to town to try to secure the funds that the family desperately need to save their beloved home, and then the rest of the family began to prepare for Emerald’s birthday party that evening.
Up to this point The Uninvited Guests looked like a classic country house story. And it was a very well done country house story: the setting and the characters were beautifully drawn; the house was sufficiently isolated to be a world unto itself; and the arrival of guests for Emerald’s party offered some interesting possibilities.
But then something happened: a message from the railway that there had been a crash and that a group of survivors must be accommodated until arrangements could be made.
It might sound like an interesting plot development, and indeed it was, but even before those uninvited guests arrived there were also little signs that something not quite right: abrupt messages, telephone calls cut off, a complete lack of explanations.
And at that point the story grew into something very strange: a comedy of manners, a ghost story, a fable. and a social satire, all mixed together to create something quite unlike anything I’ve ever read before.
A befuddled group of lost souls arrived from the railway and was moved from room to room as the family seems oblivious to the fact that they might need anything more that a space to occupy. They seemed to move as a body, their numbers seemed to grow and grow, and as the night drew in they became more and more of a presence.
One man stepped forward from the group. He joined the party, he shook it up, and he made some startling revelations.
Charlotte was rattled, and her elder children were left to try to hold things together. But Smudge, quite forgotten by everybody, had been upstairs planning something quite spectacular. And she provided an appropriately dramatic, and moving, finale to the night’s programme of events.
In just one night everything changed, and yet when Edward arrived home the next day everything remained the same.
I was fascinated, and the story held me from the first page to the last. It held me in the same way that certain books held me as a child when I didn’t quite have the maturity or the experience to fully understand what they had to say, but I still loved them.
But I did notice that the changes wrought by the Great War, just a few years in the future, were so very cleverly foreshadowed. And that some telling points were made about Edwardian society.
I did love the stylish prose. It was so well matched with the story, and it brought the house, its occupants, and their world to life quite beautifully.
And I was intrigued by the human story, particularly by the way my simple first impressions changed as complex characters, unexpected characters, emerged.
I was only sorry that the story took a while to get underway and that there wasn’t more space and time for characters to shine and for ideas to percolate.
There is much more to be said I’m sure, but all I can think of is the expression strangely wonderful. And the more I think the more that feeling grows.
I can only think that those uninvited guests have cast their spell on me …
June 9, 2012
You know that moment when you go home for the first time after you left. You may have been away at college for the semester and this is the first opportunity you've had to get back home. You just know that your mom is going to make your favorite dinner your first night back. She even told you she was going to do it. Then you sit down and instead of having her lasagna, it's potato dumplings. You love them both, but you had been looking forward to the lasagna the entire trip home. You really can't say your disappointed, but you had to readjust your thinking in about 10 seconds. That feeling, is the exact same way I felt about this book.
For some reason, after reading the synopsis for the first time, I was expecting something more akin to a mystery novel. What I got instead is something I can't for the life of me really explain in a way that makes sense to me, let alone anyone else. I can't say it's a mystery, though there may be slight elements involved. I think it's more of a cross between a comedy of errors, societal satire, family drama, and urban fantasy (if urban fantasy was regularly set in 1912 England.) It's this strange, metaphysical dream like book that I absolutely adored.
I really don't think there is one aspect of The Uninvited Guests that I didn't love. From the characters to the setting, I fell in love within the first 6 pages. Then Sadie Jones' brilliance as a writer kept that streak of love going until the last page was turned. She was able to bring to life the complicated, messy night this family is going to have to face. By the end of the night, they will be different. They will have faced a past full of secrets and deceptions. They will have survived a complete transformation of what is socially acceptable. They will have weathered a vengeful visitor, ravenous hordes, horse manure, and by the end will rediscover what makes them a family.
For some reason, after reading the synopsis for the first time, I was expecting something more akin to a mystery novel. What I got instead is something I can't for the life of me really explain in a way that makes sense to me, let alone anyone else. I can't say it's a mystery, though there may be slight elements involved. I think it's more of a cross between a comedy of errors, societal satire, family drama, and urban fantasy (if urban fantasy was regularly set in 1912 England.) It's this strange, metaphysical dream like book that I absolutely adored.
I really don't think there is one aspect of The Uninvited Guests that I didn't love. From the characters to the setting, I fell in love within the first 6 pages. Then Sadie Jones' brilliance as a writer kept that streak of love going until the last page was turned. She was able to bring to life the complicated, messy night this family is going to have to face. By the end of the night, they will be different. They will have faced a past full of secrets and deceptions. They will have survived a complete transformation of what is socially acceptable. They will have weathered a vengeful visitor, ravenous hordes, horse manure, and by the end will rediscover what makes them a family.
January 7, 2018
Huh huh, huikean hyvä!
September 10, 2012
This was a really bizarre story. It was almost like a bad dream. Not only because weird things occur within the story, but also because the story and characters felt disjointed. The writing really could have used a bit more polishing before hitting the press. The story premise is fine, but there needed to be more fleshing out of the characters and the setting. It seemed as if the author did little to no research on the period in which this book was set. I never felt rooted or drawn into the story. It almost could have been any time prior to 1920 and I thought it odd that the book is noted as a story set in 1912. NOTHING in the story said to me, "This is 1912". The author did not go into any details as far as the clothing, current events, or the setting to establish a time period.
The characters were not very likable, in fact with the exception of maybe "Smudge" I didn't really care about any of the characters or their future. I just felt disconnected. Furthermore, there is a really nasty scene when they all turn on each other while playing a "game". I read a review where this scene is likened to a scene from Lord of the Flies. I really didn't like this scene and felt it further trashed my opinion of the characters.
The story was fairly predicable with the exception of one "match" between two unlikely people. The biggest "surprise" was no surprise to me, though the angle definitely gave a uniqueness to the story.
The chapters were too long for the length of the book. It's a short book, but the chapters seemed to drag on and on without decent breaks for the reader.
Overall it was an "ok" read. It read quickly, but it wasn't up to par with the praise I've read from other readers/critics. I think Ms. Jones could use a bit more practice in fleshing out her story.
The characters were not very likable, in fact with the exception of maybe "Smudge" I didn't really care about any of the characters or their future. I just felt disconnected. Furthermore, there is a really nasty scene when they all turn on each other while playing a "game". I read a review where this scene is likened to a scene from Lord of the Flies. I really didn't like this scene and felt it further trashed my opinion of the characters.
The story was fairly predicable with the exception of one "match" between two unlikely people. The biggest "surprise" was no surprise to me, though the angle definitely gave a uniqueness to the story.
The chapters were too long for the length of the book. It's a short book, but the chapters seemed to drag on and on without decent breaks for the reader.
Overall it was an "ok" read. It read quickly, but it wasn't up to par with the praise I've read from other readers/critics. I think Ms. Jones could use a bit more practice in fleshing out her story.
March 6, 2022
I'm glad I stuck with this; many of the reviews I read were scathing. It began unpromisingly with a houseful of characters I could not imagine liking: dull, spoiled, narcissistic, and snobbish; even the animals were unattractive. I was ready to throw in the towel by page 49, unwilling to spend 260 pages with these people. My patience was rewarded; The Uninvited Guests is essentially a comedy of manners spiced with a plot-essential thread of the supernatural/ghost story in which the characters are transformed (or discover themselves). Unlike Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey or James's The Turn of the Screw, which are serious stories, this is really very funny; it reminded me a little of Stella Gibbons's Cold Comfort Farm, her brilliant (and hilarious) satire of Hardy's rustic pessimism. I enjoyed it immensely.
March 3, 2013
My rating: 3,5 stars
I wouldn't say that this is a historical fiction book. Instead, it looks like a 19th century fiction with some hints of social and love comedy, as the books written in the Edwardian era.
The plot takes place at Sterne, a typical old British manor house in the countryside. During a diner party in honor of Emerald Torrington, daughter of the matriarch Charlotte Torrignton and his husband Edward, an extraordinary event happens.
Edward is forced to leave the house in order to try to save their home.
While this party a train crash happens and the survivors need to be shelter and are then moved to Sterne, they so called uninvited guests.
A chock between different social classes takes place in the heart of Torrignton's family. It reminds in some way one of the novels based on Downton Abbey series.
This author seems to have some promising and interesting readings, such as The Outcast and Small Wars. To be checked.
I wouldn't say that this is a historical fiction book. Instead, it looks like a 19th century fiction with some hints of social and love comedy, as the books written in the Edwardian era.
The plot takes place at Sterne, a typical old British manor house in the countryside. During a diner party in honor of Emerald Torrington, daughter of the matriarch Charlotte Torrignton and his husband Edward, an extraordinary event happens.
Edward is forced to leave the house in order to try to save their home.
While this party a train crash happens and the survivors need to be shelter and are then moved to Sterne, they so called uninvited guests.
A chock between different social classes takes place in the heart of Torrignton's family. It reminds in some way one of the novels based on Downton Abbey series.
This author seems to have some promising and interesting readings, such as The Outcast and Small Wars. To be checked.
January 22, 2013
I'm not sure how to describe this novel, except to say it deserved to be read in one sitting.
Emerald Torrington is set to celebrate her 20th birthday with her family and a few close friends at a dinner at her family home, Sterne, in April 1912. The night is thrown into disarray when, as her guests arrive, so does news of a train derailment, sending dozens of passengers to Sterne for the evening to await rescue by the railway. The assembled group tries it's best to carry on with the party, but the arrival of an unexpected guest sends the night into an unexpected direction.
At first, the novel reminded me very much of the Flavia de Luce novels by Alan Bradley. The tone was playful, and the families were similar in some ways - emotionally distant but loving parents, a family living in genteel poverty, a precocious child, etc. However, that quickly changed as the plot began to turn toward more adult themes.
This is a great read that I would definitely recommend.
Emerald Torrington is set to celebrate her 20th birthday with her family and a few close friends at a dinner at her family home, Sterne, in April 1912. The night is thrown into disarray when, as her guests arrive, so does news of a train derailment, sending dozens of passengers to Sterne for the evening to await rescue by the railway. The assembled group tries it's best to carry on with the party, but the arrival of an unexpected guest sends the night into an unexpected direction.
At first, the novel reminded me very much of the Flavia de Luce novels by Alan Bradley. The tone was playful, and the families were similar in some ways - emotionally distant but loving parents, a family living in genteel poverty, a precocious child, etc. However, that quickly changed as the plot began to turn toward more adult themes.
This is a great read that I would definitely recommend.
April 13, 2012
This was a DNF after I got about a quarter of the way through - the characters of Emerald, Clovis and Charlotte were just not grabbing me. They wanted to be a cross between Bright Young Things (slightly down at the heels), Cold Comfort Farm and something more quotidian, but it didn't quite work. Smudge, on the other hand, had promise, as did their home, Sterne. Perhaps if the writing hadn't tried to be quite so clever and there was more a sense of why these people, why this plot, I could have read more.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
March 16, 2015
March 15, 2015*****Just saw this is available for $1.99 through BookPerk, and Amazon usually matches those prices. If the below sounds like something you would like, buy quickly!
I absolutely adored the first half of this book - the Torrington family has fallen on hard times and the stepfather has been sent forth to try a last ditch effort to save the ancestral home (not HIS, of course) which has housed his wife, stepdaughter and stepson for years. None of them can bear the though of not living at Sterne. All this takes place on daughter Emerald's birthday celebration, which is to be small - her friend Patience and brother Ernest, John a nearby neighbor of some wealth and the family. Until a terrible train crash occurs near Sterne and the refugees, the "univited guests" begin to appear.
As to tone think "Downton Abbey" mixed with wit, delightful characters as well as some top-notch writing, "He felt himself to be absolutely in the present: the milky fog; the close, thick walls of the house; the feeling of the shirts weighting evenly in his hands; all were crystallised in a moment that was, for Ernest, rare in its connectedness." What a lovely description about that fleeting feeling most of us have have some time. In fact, I loved the book so much I found myself reading slowly to make it last. I must admit that the second half of the book breaks off into a somewhat odd ghost story, and I didn't enjoy that quite as much, but, overall a a delightful, fun read for a cold winter's day.
I absolutely adored the first half of this book - the Torrington family has fallen on hard times and the stepfather has been sent forth to try a last ditch effort to save the ancestral home (not HIS, of course) which has housed his wife, stepdaughter and stepson for years. None of them can bear the though of not living at Sterne. All this takes place on daughter Emerald's birthday celebration, which is to be small - her friend Patience and brother Ernest, John a nearby neighbor of some wealth and the family. Until a terrible train crash occurs near Sterne and the refugees, the "univited guests" begin to appear.
As to tone think "Downton Abbey" mixed with wit, delightful characters as well as some top-notch writing, "He felt himself to be absolutely in the present: the milky fog; the close, thick walls of the house; the feeling of the shirts weighting evenly in his hands; all were crystallised in a moment that was, for Ernest, rare in its connectedness." What a lovely description about that fleeting feeling most of us have have some time. In fact, I loved the book so much I found myself reading slowly to make it last. I must admit that the second half of the book breaks off into a somewhat odd ghost story, and I didn't enjoy that quite as much, but, overall a a delightful, fun read for a cold winter's day.
March 6, 2015
To my surprise I rather loved this novel. It reminded me in style and atmosphere of Nancy Mitford's sparklingly witty novels with a touch of Noel Coward. The novel's Epigraph from Lord Byron's Don Juan sets the stage for the events that follow. It reads: "Their table was a board to tempt even ghosts To pass the Styx for more substantial feasts." While a ghost story, it is a very unusual one in terms of execution. I found it an intelligent, multi-layered tale.
As a comedy-of-manners there are various relationships that are challenged by events. a touch of romance, and a very funny situation with the youngest daughter of the household and her 'Grand Undertaking'. There are also darker elements such as the metaphoric ghosts of the past that threaten the present, a financial crises and a sinister party game that gets out of hand. Added to this is the bewildered group of train passengers waiting to be collected by the Railway. There are also themes of redemption and class differences in the early years of the twentieth century, The actual date is not stated in the text though various sources identities the setting as April 1912.
This was a reading group selection and members had a mixed response. The ghostly aspect did not sit well with some members though those of us that did enjoy the novel were comfortable with this element. Quite a detailed discussion about the novel and its themes followed though whether it changed anyone's opinion wasn't clear. As one member said it seemed to be a Marmite book, people either love or hate it.
As a comedy-of-manners there are various relationships that are challenged by events. a touch of romance, and a very funny situation with the youngest daughter of the household and her 'Grand Undertaking'. There are also darker elements such as the metaphoric ghosts of the past that threaten the present, a financial crises and a sinister party game that gets out of hand. Added to this is the bewildered group of train passengers waiting to be collected by the Railway. There are also themes of redemption and class differences in the early years of the twentieth century, The actual date is not stated in the text though various sources identities the setting as April 1912.
This was a reading group selection and members had a mixed response. The ghostly aspect did not sit well with some members though those of us that did enjoy the novel were comfortable with this element. Quite a detailed discussion about the novel and its themes followed though whether it changed anyone's opinion wasn't clear. As one member said it seemed to be a Marmite book, people either love or hate it.
May 16, 2019
Jones delicately and deliciously unfolds a mysterious and ultimately surprising story about an early 20th century family's tumultuous weekend. On the surface, this tale reads as a tongue-in-cheek farce, but delve a bit deeper, and the author has a great deal to say about family, class, and expectations. A very satisfying story with some great twists and turns.
SUMMARY: After the death of her husband, Charlotte Torrington remarried Edward Swift, a move that was not altogether well received by her adult children Emerald and Clovis, and tolerated by nine-year-old Imogen. The family is at risk of losing their country home due to financial problems, and Edward is headed to the city to see if he can save it. While he is gone, they are expecting a few guests to celebrate Emerald's birthday. An unfortunate nearby train accident brings many stranded passengers to the family estate. The entire weekend threatens to snowball out of control unless they can figure out how to accommodate all of the guests, both invited and uninvited.
SUMMARY: After the death of her husband, Charlotte Torrington remarried Edward Swift, a move that was not altogether well received by her adult children Emerald and Clovis, and tolerated by nine-year-old Imogen. The family is at risk of losing their country home due to financial problems, and Edward is headed to the city to see if he can save it. While he is gone, they are expecting a few guests to celebrate Emerald's birthday. An unfortunate nearby train accident brings many stranded passengers to the family estate. The entire weekend threatens to snowball out of control unless they can figure out how to accommodate all of the guests, both invited and uninvited.
February 14, 2021
I liked the beginning of this book, it was reminiscent of J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls', set as it is among the Edwardian upper middle classes whose masquerade of manners and propriety is pulled askew by a mysterious visitor.
So far so good, but then it becomes ridiculous with the introduction of the supernatural (to be fair there was one indication of this coming that was repeated several times), a real event that was so silly and unbelievable that I nearly gave up but it was so close to the end it seemed churlish to and an ending that would not be out of place in a Disney animation and again so incredulous considering what had occurred just hours previously.
A book that was good up to the halfway point (maybe 2/3rds) and then turned into something so nonsensical it felt like a parody, but couldn't decide what it was parodying so threw something at several genres in the hope that something stuck.
Disappointing.
So far so good, but then it becomes ridiculous with the introduction of the supernatural (to be fair there was one indication of this coming that was repeated several times), a real event that was so silly and unbelievable that I nearly gave up but it was so close to the end it seemed churlish to and an ending that would not be out of place in a Disney animation and again so incredulous considering what had occurred just hours previously.
A book that was good up to the halfway point (maybe 2/3rds) and then turned into something so nonsensical it felt like a parody, but couldn't decide what it was parodying so threw something at several genres in the hope that something stuck.
Disappointing.
July 4, 2020
This is a wondrous, mysterious, and haunting story. There are minutes when you will be on the edge of your seat, and then slowly push yourself back as this tale unfolds in a classic literary style. I was enthralled and intrigued with every turn of the page. I wanted to know what was really going on and yet I wanted to savor the moment.
February 15, 2019
Allegedly comic tale of inane turn-of-the-century gentry falls flat because the characters are not interesting nor sympathetic, and a foray into the mystical is too late and too lame to save the work.
July 8, 2018
#inlaws #reviews #others
A spooky tale that never really reveals what’s going on, this requires complete suspension of disbelief, but I enjoyed the weird vibe, and it’s beautifully written.
A spooky tale that never really reveals what’s going on, this requires complete suspension of disbelief, but I enjoyed the weird vibe, and it’s beautifully written.
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