What do you think?
Rate this book
Homes and Experiences: From the writer of hit BBC shows Ladhood and Pls Like
'A total joy' Laura Kay, author of The Split
'Hilarious and unexpectedly moving' Richard Roper, author of Something to Live For
'Brilliantly written, properly funny and poignant, and such a great takedown of the more absurd aspects of life in the 21st century.' Tom Ellen, author of All About Us
'A delightful and unique take on travel writing.' Katy Wix, author of Delicacy
The Europe. A continent overrun by tourism, where tapas-crawlers cross paths with machine-gun-wielding cops, graffiti tour guides collide with anti-gentrification protestors and, in one classy mountain retreat, a bored pâtissier teaches mindful croissant-making to a bereaved luggage designer.
Witness to this outlandish international spectacle is Mark, comically self-conscious and often thoroughly disturbed by modern life. In his 30s and working as a copywriter for an online travel company despite never having personally ventured further than France, Mark is determined to make up for lost time by embarking on the kind of freewheeling summer expedition he's always dreamed of. And even if his revered older cousin Paris is unable to join him on the trip, he's determined not to let that hold him back. Mark can always email the mysteriously absent Paris about the homes and experiences he has along the way, in intricate and often hilarious detail.
Described by The Times as 'one of the finest comic minds of Generation Y', award-winning comedian Liam Williams brings his inimitable mix of humour and pathos to his unforgettable debut novel.
'Hilarious and unexpectedly moving' Richard Roper, author of Something to Live For
'Brilliantly written, properly funny and poignant, and such a great takedown of the more absurd aspects of life in the 21st century.' Tom Ellen, author of All About Us
'A delightful and unique take on travel writing.' Katy Wix, author of Delicacy
The Europe. A continent overrun by tourism, where tapas-crawlers cross paths with machine-gun-wielding cops, graffiti tour guides collide with anti-gentrification protestors and, in one classy mountain retreat, a bored pâtissier teaches mindful croissant-making to a bereaved luggage designer.
Witness to this outlandish international spectacle is Mark, comically self-conscious and often thoroughly disturbed by modern life. In his 30s and working as a copywriter for an online travel company despite never having personally ventured further than France, Mark is determined to make up for lost time by embarking on the kind of freewheeling summer expedition he's always dreamed of. And even if his revered older cousin Paris is unable to join him on the trip, he's determined not to let that hold him back. Mark can always email the mysteriously absent Paris about the homes and experiences he has along the way, in intricate and often hilarious detail.
Described by The Times as 'one of the finest comic minds of Generation Y', award-winning comedian Liam Williams brings his inimitable mix of humour and pathos to his unforgettable debut novel.
- GenresFiction
Paperback
Published June 3, 2021
5 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 28, 2021
I loved this, it frequently made me laugh out loud and I think it had a good message without bashing you over the head with it. I listened to the audiobook version which was great - it was narrated by Liam Williams (who I think might be my dream man) who has a very soothing voice and excellent delivery.
September 15, 2020
Long term fan of LW as sketch comic, stand-up and writer so was chuffed to hear of this novel which lived up to my expectations. A warm, intelligent (but accessible) voice. Homes and Experiences is written as a series of emails, it's a neat trick, and for me it felt like a reminder of the pleasures of long-form communication and the depth that it can conjure in an age of instantaneous messaging and character limits. Poignant, funny and lyrical
September 29, 2022
I really enjoyed this short novel about a man in his 30s who goes around various European cities.
It made me want to travel and the author's style is engaging, warm, and witty. Plenty of observations about angst in this modern age coupled with very funny writing. I do hope that the author does more!
It made me want to travel and the author's style is engaging, warm, and witty. Plenty of observations about angst in this modern age coupled with very funny writing. I do hope that the author does more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2022
3.5 stars. Found it quite absorbing and learned a new word (repine).
February 1, 2024
Severely mixed feelings on this book.
On one hand, a severely dislikeable narrator Mark, who I think is meant to be presented as clever but overly polite in the British way, as well as slightly wayward and extremely cosmopolitan in the typically millennial way. However, these two traits mixed with the first-person perspective allowing us to have insight into Mark's actual thoughts, he just comes across as whiney and as a know-it-all who is polite to people while actually not liking them. It seems obvious initially that many of the situations Mark finds himself in could be solved if only he told people what he was actually thinking.
We also have a format that is unique, but quickly starts to seem a nonsense. The book is written as a thread of emails describing Mark's travels across Europe, and indeed the first few pages are just that: several short messages, sent in correspondence. However this format quickly falls apart on two fronts, as the email thread stops being a two-way discussion and instead becomes only Mark's perspective, and secondly as the emails balloon to a ridiculous size - one I counted to stand at about 50 pages, which must be several thousand words of detailed and well written prose that would realistically take somebody on a reasonable schedule a full day if not several to write.
Finally, the story goes nowhere for a long time. In fact, much of the story is dedicated to pointless descriptions - I remember specifically some fairly intricate descriptions of a "leathery northern man", a character who is only present for the latter half of one "email" and is not mentioned again. This man has no wider purpose in the book or story, is not particularly unique from any of the other characters we briefly meet in each email, and honestly does not really serve to develop our character nor our understanding of him.
Yet by the end of the book none of these things really matter. Mark as a character becomes far more self-reflective and fair to himself, far more capable and driven. The short comings of the format are explained and wrapped up in a twist that feels slightly left-field, but adds a good wrinkle to the text that came before. And ultimately, this is a book about one mans adventures travelling, and what is more a classic part of travelling than these odd transient characters that you meet and get to know in intimate detail, never to see again?
Mark clearly changes throughout the book, but it is hard to pinpoint any (bar-one) moments where something happens and he changes. I would chalk this up to bad writing, but actually that is just kind of real. Wouldn't it be worse writing if Mark spent some time with with the unimportant "leathery" man and suddenly had a dramatic and profound change? Wouldn't it be hammy and boring and slightly cliché if, after every encounter, Mark waxed about the profundity of how he was finding himself? Much better then that we have a book where a lot of unimportant things happen that make a big difference, even if those unimportant things are slightly tiring to read.
And I am yet to mention the books biggest saving grace which is it's lovely portrayal of places, where the uniqueness of each country and region that are travelled shines through clearly.
Ultimately, I don't know if I would recommend this book to many people, but I commend the author for trying to write an accurate account of escapism via travel, and mostly sticking the landing.
On one hand, a severely dislikeable narrator Mark, who I think is meant to be presented as clever but overly polite in the British way, as well as slightly wayward and extremely cosmopolitan in the typically millennial way. However, these two traits mixed with the first-person perspective allowing us to have insight into Mark's actual thoughts, he just comes across as whiney and as a know-it-all who is polite to people while actually not liking them. It seems obvious initially that many of the situations Mark finds himself in could be solved if only he told people what he was actually thinking.
We also have a format that is unique, but quickly starts to seem a nonsense. The book is written as a thread of emails describing Mark's travels across Europe, and indeed the first few pages are just that: several short messages, sent in correspondence. However this format quickly falls apart on two fronts, as the email thread stops being a two-way discussion and instead becomes only Mark's perspective, and secondly as the emails balloon to a ridiculous size - one I counted to stand at about 50 pages, which must be several thousand words of detailed and well written prose that would realistically take somebody on a reasonable schedule a full day if not several to write.
Finally, the story goes nowhere for a long time. In fact, much of the story is dedicated to pointless descriptions - I remember specifically some fairly intricate descriptions of a "leathery northern man", a character who is only present for the latter half of one "email" and is not mentioned again. This man has no wider purpose in the book or story, is not particularly unique from any of the other characters we briefly meet in each email, and honestly does not really serve to develop our character nor our understanding of him.
Yet by the end of the book none of these things really matter. Mark as a character becomes far more self-reflective and fair to himself, far more capable and driven. The short comings of the format are explained and wrapped up in a twist that feels slightly left-field, but adds a good wrinkle to the text that came before. And ultimately, this is a book about one mans adventures travelling, and what is more a classic part of travelling than these odd transient characters that you meet and get to know in intimate detail, never to see again?
Mark clearly changes throughout the book, but it is hard to pinpoint any (bar-one) moments where something happens and he changes. I would chalk this up to bad writing, but actually that is just kind of real. Wouldn't it be worse writing if Mark spent some time with with the unimportant "leathery" man and suddenly had a dramatic and profound change? Wouldn't it be hammy and boring and slightly cliché if, after every encounter, Mark waxed about the profundity of how he was finding himself? Much better then that we have a book where a lot of unimportant things happen that make a big difference, even if those unimportant things are slightly tiring to read.
And I am yet to mention the books biggest saving grace which is it's lovely portrayal of places, where the uniqueness of each country and region that are travelled shines through clearly.
Ultimately, I don't know if I would recommend this book to many people, but I commend the author for trying to write an accurate account of escapism via travel, and mostly sticking the landing.
October 2, 2023
This was a bit like a delayed coming of age novel, but with a wearied and articulate man in his early thirties rather than a naive and enthusiastic boy. With no solid romantic relationship or a history of travelling, the protagonist Mark blags his way onto a paid tour of Authentic Europe, with a youth travel company/Air BnB hybrid.
Told in the format of emails, mostly from Mark to his cousin, he travels to many touristy cities meeting different hosts and fun activities primarily on his own. If I didn't like walking around cities on short breaks myself I wonder if I would have found much of it quite repetitive, however the email format enables the text to include jokes and sharp cynicism that a more standard narration perhaps wouldn't, especially as there is less dialogue with a solo traveller. At various points I did wonder if the emails were a bit of a cop out to justify the comedic efforts, but if that was the case, Williams managed to justify it through a later reveal.
It did need the humourous flourishes because there was a lot of social awkwardness, a mixture of shyness and confirmed low social status. In fact, it was hard to see why his friend Dyson would even want to meet up with him at all (perhaps a remnant of the lads holidays occasionally mentioned) rather than leave him to his Guardian longreads and highbrow books. Beyond the personal experience there was also a wider message, that residents of tourist hotspots don't like the tourists and that those renting out apartments to holidaymakers are making small sacrifices of their own and not just taking in money.
There were small touches I liked, in particular the voices of different characters and believable grammar mistakes, as well as liberal references that weren't just stereotypes and made for good toppers (you could see the comedian in the writing). But there were also the odd details that didn't quite make sense, the word 'ostensibly' used twice as merely a synonym of 'seemingly' and a watcher of University Challenge not knowing that El Greco was an artist was akin to thinking Georgia O'Keeffe was an Irish poet or Chopin a French scrum half.
There was some clever misdirection and a clear turn about 2/3rds of the way in, which brought new life into it and explained a lot of the tone and word choice which had been incongruous at times for a light hearted email to a cousin. I had to admire how this was revealed, and although the ending brought together a few strands, it was difficult to gauge whether Mark had changed at all or really learnt anything. This book had an ambience I could relate to and I was probably predisposed to like it as a result, but I still thought it had a good structure and writing style.
Told in the format of emails, mostly from Mark to his cousin, he travels to many touristy cities meeting different hosts and fun activities primarily on his own. If I didn't like walking around cities on short breaks myself I wonder if I would have found much of it quite repetitive, however the email format enables the text to include jokes and sharp cynicism that a more standard narration perhaps wouldn't, especially as there is less dialogue with a solo traveller. At various points I did wonder if the emails were a bit of a cop out to justify the comedic efforts, but if that was the case, Williams managed to justify it through a later reveal.
It did need the humourous flourishes because there was a lot of social awkwardness, a mixture of shyness and confirmed low social status. In fact, it was hard to see why his friend Dyson would even want to meet up with him at all (perhaps a remnant of the lads holidays occasionally mentioned) rather than leave him to his Guardian longreads and highbrow books. Beyond the personal experience there was also a wider message, that residents of tourist hotspots don't like the tourists and that those renting out apartments to holidaymakers are making small sacrifices of their own and not just taking in money.
There were small touches I liked, in particular the voices of different characters and believable grammar mistakes, as well as liberal references that weren't just stereotypes and made for good toppers (you could see the comedian in the writing). But there were also the odd details that didn't quite make sense, the word 'ostensibly' used twice as merely a synonym of 'seemingly' and a watcher of University Challenge not knowing that El Greco was an artist was akin to thinking Georgia O'Keeffe was an Irish poet or Chopin a French scrum half.
There was some clever misdirection and a clear turn about 2/3rds of the way in, which brought new life into it and explained a lot of the tone and word choice which had been incongruous at times for a light hearted email to a cousin. I had to admire how this was revealed, and although the ending brought together a few strands, it was difficult to gauge whether Mark had changed at all or really learnt anything. This book had an ambience I could relate to and I was probably predisposed to like it as a result, but I still thought it had a good structure and writing style.
May 9, 2020
Homes and Experiences is a bittersweet comic novel about travel, experiences, and what really matters. Mark works for Urb, a travel start up for booking stays in people's homes and travel experiences (guess which company it is satirising), where he writes copy and lives a mundane London life. When he's offered to spend the summer travelling across Europe visiting some of Urb's offerings to write non-travel-expert copy, he sees it as a chance to finally do the travelling he never has, and invites his posher, more worldly cousin Paris to come along with him. A big argument puts a stopper in this plan, but as Mark travels, he emails Paris with the details of his trip: the highs and lows in his quest to balance Urb's need for catchy copy with his desire to try and actually see something authentic.
Williams has created an email epistolary novel that uses the format to cleverly expose Mark's feelings about his trip and incorporate a twist to change the perspective on what Mark does during his travels. The tone is charming, exposing Mark's naive outlook on travel on one hand and his conflict around gentrification and the impact of Urb/Airbnb on local cities and communities. The novel does well to satirise millennial culture and guilt whilst also showing actual difficulties and emotion that go along with these (the travel issues that come along with not flying are a key example, though they are also reminiscent of the BBC travel show Race Across The World, in which the participants can't fly either). Alongside the satire and humour is a real emotional side coming from the interpersonal relationships in the book, and particularly friendships: from Mark's idolising friendship with his cousin Paris to others that develop throughout the book, there's a real focus on the importance of these relationships not just romantic ones.
On the one hand, the novel appeals to me as a millennial who does like travelling to European cities (though, admittedly, I've never stayed in an Airbnb), and on the other hand, it's a clever way of presenting some of the issues with this kind of start up tourism and gentrification, but through the lens of someone at a loss with what they're doing with their life and trying to make the most of an unusual opportunity. It can be funny and relatable, but also bittersweet, and the format has a good payoff.
Williams has created an email epistolary novel that uses the format to cleverly expose Mark's feelings about his trip and incorporate a twist to change the perspective on what Mark does during his travels. The tone is charming, exposing Mark's naive outlook on travel on one hand and his conflict around gentrification and the impact of Urb/Airbnb on local cities and communities. The novel does well to satirise millennial culture and guilt whilst also showing actual difficulties and emotion that go along with these (the travel issues that come along with not flying are a key example, though they are also reminiscent of the BBC travel show Race Across The World, in which the participants can't fly either). Alongside the satire and humour is a real emotional side coming from the interpersonal relationships in the book, and particularly friendships: from Mark's idolising friendship with his cousin Paris to others that develop throughout the book, there's a real focus on the importance of these relationships not just romantic ones.
On the one hand, the novel appeals to me as a millennial who does like travelling to European cities (though, admittedly, I've never stayed in an Airbnb), and on the other hand, it's a clever way of presenting some of the issues with this kind of start up tourism and gentrification, but through the lens of someone at a loss with what they're doing with their life and trying to make the most of an unusual opportunity. It can be funny and relatable, but also bittersweet, and the format has a good payoff.
October 29, 2024
A series of sometimes amusing anecdotes of travels around Europe, stitched together without regard for plot or character.
Writing style
As a big fan of Williams’ comedy, particularly Ladhood, I had high hopes for this debut. There is humour here, but far rarer than expected, and not quite as incisive as I know Williams can produce.
The prose is overwritten and flowery, and it feels like Williams is trying too hard to convey intelligence with an overabundance of description - it’s simply unnecessary. It betrays an air of insecurity, like Williams hasn’t fully committed to what he’s trying to say. This style also doesn’t work for the particular epistolary format of the story, as it doesn’t suit email communication, particularly where internet abbreviations such as ‘tbh’ are used throughout. The emails are so long as to be unbelievable (particularly as it’s unclear when Mark would have time to write them) and this does affect the reader’s immersion.
Plot
My impression is that Williams wanted to recount tales of travels across Europe but didn’t know how to frame them in a single story. The plot (loosely applied here) is an afterthought and provides no real structure or narrative. There is no real resolution or conclusion to the story either, other than Mark’s travels come to an end. Some of the story’s developments felt wholly predictable and so lacked impact.
Characters
Mark is unlikeable and lacks personality, which makes for difficult reading when the vast majority of the book is written in his words. He has been given a fantastic opportunity (paid to travel!), and yet just wants to watch YouTube in his room alone, pretending to read literature. We understand nothing of his interests, only what he doesn’t like and what he feels he should like. He is also inconsistent, being painfully awkward and indecisive at times, whilst making rash, inexplicable decisions at other times.
The other characters are rather forgettable. Some are transient characters who make brief appearances which is reflective of meeting people on travels and should work well, but none really stick out as memorable.
I’m disappointed by this debut, but hope Williams returns with another story to better allow his excellent humour to shine through.
2/5
Writing style
As a big fan of Williams’ comedy, particularly Ladhood, I had high hopes for this debut. There is humour here, but far rarer than expected, and not quite as incisive as I know Williams can produce.
The prose is overwritten and flowery, and it feels like Williams is trying too hard to convey intelligence with an overabundance of description - it’s simply unnecessary. It betrays an air of insecurity, like Williams hasn’t fully committed to what he’s trying to say. This style also doesn’t work for the particular epistolary format of the story, as it doesn’t suit email communication, particularly where internet abbreviations such as ‘tbh’ are used throughout. The emails are so long as to be unbelievable (particularly as it’s unclear when Mark would have time to write them) and this does affect the reader’s immersion.
Plot
My impression is that Williams wanted to recount tales of travels across Europe but didn’t know how to frame them in a single story. The plot (loosely applied here) is an afterthought and provides no real structure or narrative. There is no real resolution or conclusion to the story either, other than Mark’s travels come to an end. Some of the story’s developments felt wholly predictable and so lacked impact.
Characters
Mark is unlikeable and lacks personality, which makes for difficult reading when the vast majority of the book is written in his words. He has been given a fantastic opportunity (paid to travel!), and yet just wants to watch YouTube in his room alone, pretending to read literature. We understand nothing of his interests, only what he doesn’t like and what he feels he should like. He is also inconsistent, being painfully awkward and indecisive at times, whilst making rash, inexplicable decisions at other times.
The other characters are rather forgettable. Some are transient characters who make brief appearances which is reflective of meeting people on travels and should work well, but none really stick out as memorable.
I’m disappointed by this debut, but hope Williams returns with another story to better allow his excellent humour to shine through.
2/5
September 11, 2024
I purchased this book after watching Liam William's show "Ladhood," which is terrific. This book? Not so much. This novel is told in a epistolary fashion in a series of emails written by the main character Mark to his cousin Paris, while Mark is traveling around Europe to write blurbs for different places to say for his employer Air BnB (fictionalized to be Urb). The novel is advertised as funny and endearing, which I expected given that "Ladhood" is funny and endearing. But this novel just didn't have that. Perhaps if Williams had cut out about 25% of the novel, it could have been that. Instead, I got bogged down in detail after detail of random events or people that the main character met, none of whom are interesting or memorable. The prose is prolix and runs on. The emails themselves lose verisimilitude in that they are so long that no one could believe they are in facts emails. (Even the third act "twist," which was so obvious that I saw it coming, did not fix that issue). Also, the main character Mark is not likable or relatable. He seems like someone who thinks he is intelligent, making references to high literary novels throughout, but in reality is a moron who lacks street smarts or book smarts. I struggled to reach the end of this even relatively short novel. I just recommend watching "Ladhood" instead of reading this.
January 3, 2024
This was one of the first books in a long time that I looked forward to reading. Throughout the day, it left me thinking, "Well, at least I have something to look forward to later" instead of the despair I usually felt at the idea of another dead-end evening with a pint of gin and a shitty TV series because at least this time I could substitute the shitty TV series for the novel. Maybe all of this excited anticipation was just an excuse to evade my soul-destroying job searching duties that I keep puting off. Probably. But nonetheless, I enjoyed having a distraction from life that made me laugh more than once.
June 1, 2021
All done with this one. I have to say, it was an absolute pleasure to read. I enjoyed the email format of storytelling, it gave a sense of intimacy as everything unfolded. Although I felt it dragged in places, this book managed to conjure up a real sense of connection that felt deeply satisfying. I also appreciate this book for its ability to shift my perspective and make me think about the impact of travel on the countries we visit, as well as on ourselves. The twist at the end was so beautifully done I can’t fault it.
July 10, 2022
This was a great read. It's the story of a clever, funny, slightly awkward and grumpy northern lad travelling across Europe on a jolly writing about hosted holiday homes. The story is told as a long string of email exchanges, which some may struggle with initially (I didn't), but it's definitely worth sticking with it. It's a proper funny travelogue, while also managing moments of sadness and tenderness.
I found myself really rooting for the characters.
I found myself really rooting for the characters.
July 4, 2024
I had been very keen to read this as a big fan of Liam Williams' work on TV and radio. It is well written for sure but lacks the almost poetic style I associate with Liam. It's amusing in parts but never truly "funny". The narrator is a really frustrating character too. I found myself getting a bit annoyed with him and his total ingratitude for the experiences he's getting for free basically. It's a quick, easy read but nothing to write home about.
September 23, 2022
I rarely give up on a book. I managed 180 pages of 240 by which time I’d managed only the occasional wry smile rather than the hilarious laughter promised by several reviews. Liam Williams should stick to TV and stand up.
October 9, 2025
"And whenever I managed to relax for a minute and enjoy my cheap beer or my cheap dinner or my plush private apartment, I was hit with a tingling suspicion that the cheapness of my leisure experience came at the expense of an entire nation."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2022
Ngl, I nearly gave up with this at first, but then the funny really kicked in and had me laughing out loud, reading more in a day than usual, and a lil tear towards the end too.
January 11, 2022
The Remains Of The Day for millennials.
October 28, 2022
Don’t really like emails as a narrative device but really enjoyed this
February 10, 2024
I adore this man with all my heart
May 31, 2024
A generous 3 due to how much I like Williams and Ladhood. Comedy and references save this but it’s not one I’d be recommending.
November 1, 2021
2.5 stars
The format of the book put me off a bit at first- the emails didn't seem like actual emails anyone would ever send each other, and so it felt like a gimmick, rather than adding to the story. It was necessary for the "reveal", but I found the pretence jarring. It was fairly obvious there would be something, so I was just waiting for the schtick to end. Once it becomes apparent what actually happened, it makes more sense, turning the emails into more of a journal than passing them off as actual correspondance.
It still felt kind of clunky, and a bit too earnest. Once the one one-way emails were dropped and he could start talking about Paris's accident and condition, it was funny and kind of sweet, and the email exchanges that pick up were fun. But up to that point I found it frustrating. Overall it's a nice, gentle read, but I don't know if it will stick with me.
The format of the book put me off a bit at first- the emails didn't seem like actual emails anyone would ever send each other, and so it felt like a gimmick, rather than adding to the story. It was necessary for the "reveal", but I found the pretence jarring. It was fairly obvious there would be something, so I was just waiting for the schtick to end. Once it becomes apparent what actually happened, it makes more sense, turning the emails into more of a journal than passing them off as actual correspondance.
It still felt kind of clunky, and a bit too earnest. Once the one one-way emails were dropped and he could start talking about Paris's accident and condition, it was funny and kind of sweet, and the email exchanges that pick up were fun. But up to that point I found it frustrating. Overall it's a nice, gentle read, but I don't know if it will stick with me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2020
Loved Homes and Experiences from start to finish. Liam Williams's writing is deft, intricate, and hilarious. Following Mark's trip from continental Urb to continental Urb is as funny as it is absorbing. Extremely funny throughout Paris, Barcelona, Marseilles, and elsewhere, before becoming very poignant in Athens and then Hull. Cannot wait for Liam's next work.
January 20, 2022
3 & 1/2 *
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews