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    The Uninvited Guests: A Novel
    The Uninvited Guests: A Novel
    The Uninvited Guests: A Novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Uninvited Guests: A Novel

    Written by Sadie Jones

    Narrated by Kate Reading

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    A grand old manor house deep in the English countryside will open its doors to reveal the story of an unexpectedly dramatic day in the life of one eccentric, rather dysfunctional, and entirely unforgettable family.

    Set in the early years of the twentieth century, award-winning author Sadie Jones’s The Uninvited Guests is, in the words of Jacqueline Winspear, the New York Times bestselling author of the Maisie Dobbs mysteries A Lesson in Secrets and Elegy for Eddie, “a sinister tragi-comedy of errors, in which the dark underbelly of human nature is revealed in true Shakespearean fashion.”

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 2, 2012
    ISBN9780062247841
    Author

    Sadie Jones

    Sadie Jones is the author of five novels, including The Outcast, winner of the Costa First Novel Award in Great Britain and a finalist for the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Los Angeles TimesBook Prize/Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction; the enchanting, hard-hitting novel set on the island of Cyprus during the British occupation, Small Wars; her most successful, bestselling novel The Uninvited Guests, beloved of Ann Patchett and Jackie Winspear, among other; the romantic novel set in London's glamorous theatre world, Fallout; and most recently, the highly acclaimed, bestselling novel, The Snakes. Sadie Jones lives in London.  

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    Reviews for The Uninvited Guests

    3.5/5

    55 ratings48 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Review from Badelynge.In a large though crumbling country house the Torringtons prepare for the twentieth birthday of their eldest daughter Emerald, while their youngest daughter, mostly known as Smudge, prepares her own Great Undertaking. But during the preparations a train derails and the family are entreated to look after the survivors. I'm tiptoeing around spoilers here, even though the marketing for this book left great muddy footprints all over the cover. I can't really complain too loudly though as I probably wouldn't have even read the book if they hadn't been so indiscreet. The likes of Oscar Wilde and E.M.Forster are the the sorts of literary heritage this aspires to live up too. It's not quite consistent enough to pull it off completely and it suffers from having to hit its targets so far removed from the period of history it satires. It achieves on other levels though. It's engagingly written with many little impressionistic flourishes, entertaining throughout and did manage to put this reader on edge at times. It gave me pause to wonder that faced with a kitten neglected in a box (a present for Emerald) at the same time that the wretched train wreck survivors are similarly neglected, starving and cold in their own little box (the morning room), that the only forceful thought in my mind was: "Let the damn kitten out of the box!!!".

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      I chose to listen to Sadie Jones's latest book - The Uninvited Guests. I was glad I did, as the book had the feel of a radio play to me. 1912. A rambling old manor in England. It is the night of Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday. Preparations have been made and guests invited. But a nearby railway accident results in the house and party acquiring many more guests from that crash. The family is able to stow most of them away in the morning room. But one gentleman brashly joins the family at their dining table. And his presence takes the night into darker territory in more ways than one....Jones captures the "I daresay old chap" attitude and dialogue perfectly. Kate Reading was the reader. I had a bit of an issue with her voice at first as I had recently listened to her read another book that I didn't overly enjoy. I had to separate that character from this book. However, she is an excellent reader. She has a British accent, but one that is easily understood. She enunciates very clearly and has a different way of placing emphasis on certain words by either drawing them out or biting them off. She portrayed both male, female and child roles with very different (and believable) voices, matching them well to the characters.The first three quarters of the book is character driven. Jones excels at manipulating her characters and our reactions towards them. Things change rapidly as the night goes on and so do our players. I quite enjoyed this dark interplay. However I can only describe the last quarter of the book as, well - odd. I wasn't exactly surprised at the direction the story took - there were enough allusions to guess. But what had me scratching my head were some of the things that did happen - they seemed forced into the story for I'm not sure what reason. (I know I'm being a bit obtuse but I don't want to provide spoilers) I had enjoyed the book up to this point, but felt let down with the end run Jones chose.I still enjoyed this as a good listen, but not as much as I had hoped to.
    • 3/5
      Two-and-a-half stars
    • 5/5
      "It's all been so unusual," says Charlotte Torrington, already bemused and overwhelmed by the time the invited guests arrive to celebrate her elder daughter's 20th birthday at Sterne, the family mansion that they can no longer afford to maintain. Her second husband has gone off to Manchester to try and save the day; Charlotte is left to play hostess to her son, Clovis; Emerald, her daughter; Patience, a young family friend, and Ernest, Patience's brother, as well as bluff young local farmer, John Buchanan. But the evening has scarcely even begun, and it's going to get even more unusual, when the uninvited guests show up. Because before the carefully-planned (and, the reader feels, carefully scripted) events can get underway, comes news that a train has derailed nearby, and Sterne has been designated to shelter the passengers until "the Railway" can come to claim them.From the outset, it's clear that these passengers are unusual. They appear out of the woods; when the cart sent to locate them, returns, it is empty, not having spotted anyone. The passengers, with one exception -- a first class passenger in a red silk waistcoat -- are an amorphous mass whom Charlotte and her family try desperately to contain. "Are those shabby creatures safely shut away in the morning room?" Charlotte enquires. But neither they nor a host of nasty secrets can be contained for long; before long, storms are raging outdoors and indoors, as the inexplicably multiplying number of "uninvited guests" spill out of the morning room and become more and more demanding. The mysterious first class passenger turns out to be a figure from Charlotte's past, and seems bent on wreaking mayhem in her carefully ordered Edwardian life as well as Emerald's birthday party.At first, I admit I battled to read this; the first 50 or so pages felt like some kind of forced route march, and I wondered that what felt like some kind of 21st century version of a century-old Edwardian country house novel had won the kind of plaudits I read among the blurbs. Gradually, I became captivated as events became more and more bizarre. I stopped trying to making sense of what was happening and simply immersed myself in the story, awed by Sadie Jones's ability to morph what first appeared to be a straightforward and even banal tale and twist it into something beyond recognition. The tone was perfect throughout; it's as if Jones had beamed herself back in time and embraced the language and attitudes of an Edwardian novelist, even as the tale she was spinning became increasingly strange.I'm still not sure I like the book -- that seems the wrong word to use. Certainly, at times, it creeped me out at the beginning, when it began to metamorphose from something purporting to be akin to "Downton Abbey" (for want of a better comparison) to a novel that I simply can't compare to anything else I have ever read. There are all kinds of tensions and dysfunctional relationships within the family, as well as between them and their invited guests, who have preconceptions about each other, view each other through different prisms, thinking primarily of what they should want, what they deserve, etc. By the time the dust settles (literally) and the next day dawns, they have all been through a stormy night, literally and rhetorically.This is perhaps the most difficult book I've ever had to review. It is without question a very well-written, clever and witty (not funny, but witty) novel (is it a fable of some kind??), but will it appeal to anyone else?? It's hard to even hazard a guess. This is one that is very much going to be an individual choice; some will hate/loathe it, others will wrinkle their noses; some will be baffled by it and some will be captivated. As I said, like? Not sure. Left in awe at Jones's ambition and imagination? Abso-bloody-lutely. Oh, and I'm glad I read it.
    • 2/5
      this book left me puzzled. the people were so unreal. only during one on one conversation you had a sense of reality. and what about the passangers? would anyone treat them like this? or where they even real? they vanished without a trace, same as Charlie. where they ghosts? and the sex scene towards the end was so strange to be thrown in.
    • 3/5
      I'll admit to being initially drawn to The Uninvited Guests by the cover. Shallow, I know, but there you have it. When positive reviews began appearing around the blogosphere, I added my name to the library hold list and reached the top in just a few weeks. At home, I was delighted to discover the novel has gorgeous endpapers, too. This is a very visually appealing book!

      The Edwardian Era setting helped satisfy my Downton Abbey withdrawal syndrome, and I immediately enjoyed the author's use of language - so smart and witty. Several laugh-out-loud moments had my family raising eyebrows and glancing in my direction. The novel was a quick read and I finished the final half in a single afternoon, an unusual occurrence for me.

      My verdict? Enjoyable overall, yet it fell short of my expectations. The story seemed a little flat and the macabre plot elements just seemed weird. I was expecting more to be made of Smudge's drawings, especially since they adorn the endpapers. The characters, in general, weren't especially likable and I never really cared about any of them.

      I found myself thinking about the book for several days after finishing. My appreciation may have increased slightly, yet I still can't muster more than a 'good' rating.
    • 5/5
      A truly remarkable and completely unique book. Veers from comedy through to horror and back to farce in a effortless manner. I have always admired an author who can produce something which no one else has thought of,and Sadie Jones has certainly done it with 'The Uninvited Guests'.The inhabitants of the grand,but shabby house of Sterne,prepare for Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday party. News comes that the survivors of a nearby train crash are about to arrive at the house for shelter and sustenance. Sterne is about to be turned upside down with the arrival of the Uninvited Guests.Brilliant !
    • 4/5
      This, Jones' third novel, has a period setting centred around a remote English country house where the owners and some guests have gathered to celebrate a member of the family's birthday. Tension underpins the celebrations as the family are on the brink of losing the family home, and the day descends into further disarray and dark confusion when a large group of strangers arrive at the house following a railway crash on a nearby branch line.This was a bit of a frustrating Sadie Jones' book. The first three-quarters were true to her usual form - there was a sense of foreboding and mystery which kept me hooked, and whilst her writing may not be high literature it is eminently readable. Easy comfort reading I would call it. However, the last quarter of the book, when all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, verged on the ridiculous. I was sure she was leading the mystery to a satisfyingly ominous conclusion, but the turn it took was so far-fetched it was like sticking a pin in the balloon of tension. All the build up was spoilt by the silliness of the climax, and to ruin it further she squeezed in some improbable romances at the 11th hour which just felt like very amateur story telling. This is not Mills & Boon - it wasn't necessary.Harsh as this review sounds, however, I did enjoy most of the book, and it was just the kind of easy read I needed to get me back into the reading groove.3.5 stars - a slip of form for Sadie Jones. There was a great start and middle but an expectedly poor ending.
    • 2/5
      &#9733 &#9733 1/2

      Whoa! You want a weird, ugly, & dark ghost story w/ a happy romantic ending? Well, then, This Is The Book For You!

      Let's see: it is Emerald's birthday, she is having a dinner party for old friends, family (mother, brother & baby sister), & neighbors. Step-father is off to town trying to secure a loan, so that they might stay in their family home, rather than move to a smaller one which he can afford on his own.

      So after he leaves, there is a train wreck and the people from the train (The Uninvited Guests) arrive unannounced to find shelter until all is cleared up. Unfortunately another more evil man from Mother's past shows up and plays ugly games and causes havoc....

      The part I liked (which gave this the 1/2 &#9733) was the baby sister: she brings the pets up to her room and holds them against her wall, and draws the outlines of their bodies on her wall w/ charcoal...... But in the midst of the ensuing chaos, she brings her Pony up to her room in order to do the same!

      Otherwise this was too creepy for me and a part of it offended my sensibilities.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! It was a bit of a twisted tale done in an interesting fashion, similar to an Alfred Hitchcock story. The writing style was superb and the characters were all fascinating. The Uninvited Guests is primarily a historical mystery and Sadie Jones made the characters quite real with her accurate use of language for the time period.
    • 3/5
      Not the best genre. Some interesting characters but the timeline was weird. The events even more strange.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      This tried to hard to be many books, it tried to be a comedy of manners, but left out most of the comedy; it tried to be a gothic novel, but failed to raise the tension to make it truly that. It feels like a vaguely magical realistic period piece with unlikeable characters and I just didn't care enough about what happened.The Torrington family are struggling, great dilapidated pile of a house, daughter turning 20 and now a train crash has landed them with several survivors. Only the survivors aren't of their class, and they're not sure how to deal with them. But what's going on isn't obvious and it will change the people involved.I didn't care, wish I had stopped reading after the 30 pages or so that I found tedious because it didn't change, no matter how much I wanted it to.
    • 3/5
      It is the day of Emerald Torrington’s twentieth birthday and things do not go exactly as planned. She and her brother Clovis await the arrival of Patience and her mother, neither of which are entirely wanted at the affair. Their step-father is off to Manchester to try and save Sterne, the house they live in.Everything is surprisingly alright until Patience and her mother are to be met at the train and they are asked to allow passengers from a different train which has gone off of it’s tracks.So, between trying to remain some bit of decorum to their lifestyle and house upwards of fifty displaced persons, not to mention a mother who absents herself whenever she can, a maid who happens to be sick and various other inconveniences. (One of which Smudge, Emerald’s younger sister, who goes on a Great Undertaking.) Emerald (with help from some others) manages it all.This book was an absolute delight to read from beginning to end. I honestly could not put it down and myself gasping at the surprises and shaking with laughter at each new thing. It is full of English humor and wit. I cannot describe how sad I was to finish it is so short a period of time. It was marvelous and I plan on picking up some the author’s other work soon. With much anticipation of her new books in the future.
    • 4/5
      The other reviewers are right when they say that this is an unusual novel. It's hard to describe without spoilers, but I will try.The novel takes place over 24 hours in the life of the Torrington family. It is Emerald Torrington's birthday - a beautiful lady of marriageable age, and the main character of the novel. There's also her sarcastic brother Clovis, her self centered snobbish mother Charlotte, and their precocious little sister Smudge. They are preparing a lavish dinner party to celebrate Emerald's birthday, and their dinner guests start to arrive. But then there is a train accident nearby, and they are told to make room in their home for some survivors. The survivors are poor and of a lower class than the Torringtons and their guests, which causes conflict. After the invited and uninvited guests arrive, everything falls apart in this peaceful country house. The reader is allowed to see the true characters of all in the house by their reactions to the problems that they face. And some of the people in the house are hiding secrets which are exposed. It gets rather creepy and spooky toward the end, but there is also some humor here too.I would recommend that you try this unusual novel and see for yourself!(I received this book through Amazon's Vine Program.)
    • 2/5
      This started out with a lot of promise, but ended up disappointing me.
    • 3/5
      I read this because I was in need of a Downton Abby-esque fix until the program returns later this year. This did the job & also had an unexpected dash of Twilight Zone making me enjoy it just a little more.

      Emerald Torrington is to celebrate her twentieth birthday with a couple close friends & her family but one interruption after another distract. Clovis, her brother, is almost wholly unhelpful & unbearable. Smudge (Imogen), her little sister, is hatching an epic plan & Charlotte, her mother, is infuriatingly deliberately vague & vacant. Charlotte has her own little disaster as it turns out. Her social standing is on the brink & the family being a bit cash poor is straining that even more. Her second husband, Edward, has left to go seek a loan to make things right to Charlotte's mind, so he's absent for much of this story. Toss in Emerald's friends, Patience & Ernest Sutton & longtime family friend, John & the party is rounded out.

      The push-pull between manners & duty begin when the nearby train derails & the survivors of the event show up at the house. There were moments when I wanted to throttle Charlotte & Clovis for their complete lack of tact. For all the pomp & circumstance of manners & civility, they were often rudest of all. Emerald & Patience were much better but far from perfect in the empathy department. It was understandable given who they were but it was just trying to have the passengers corralled into a room (at first without even tea) & Mrs. Trieves & Florence trying to attend to them & still keep on with all of the preparations for Emerald's birthday dinner. I mean, press on & all but they were acting like nothing should slow down or take a back seat in importance because the plan had already been set. Not the most agile group here. It was all the more entertaining to have as the backdrop to all the other dramas, dearest Smudge (I kind of adored this little girl) embarking on her big (& ultimately disastrous but hilarious) plan with Lady, the pony.

      One more uninvited guest shows up & this is where the story takes quite an interesting turn. Charlie. Like Emerald & Smudge, he put me off from the beginning. I was half worried he was some crazed murderer or grifter who was going to take advantage of the family since Edward was away & no butlers or footmen were in the house. I needn't have worried though, it turned out he was something else entirely. And sadly for Charlotte the renewed acquaintance was not to be a happy one. His addition to the story was really one of the things I liked best & probably my favorite part of the book was when he goads everyone into a game of Hinds & Hounds. It was vicious & really made everyone look terrible (with the exception of Ernest). I never completely forgave Emerald, her participation & this made a future development a hard pill to swallow. Charlotte and Clovis became completely irredeemable for me. I loved those as developments in character.

      In the end, the storm clears, the passengers have mysteriously gone, a new day begins & there's love in the air (contrived as hell & completely unexplainable given events). I had a bit of trouble with Edward returning with the bequest that saves the house because it just felt tacked on & didn't really have an explanation that made sense. These instances made the ending feel abrupt & like they were struck off a checklist, not in the least authentic. Still, in the end, I did enjoy reading this & at some point during the dinner it became "unputdownable". It was entertaining & I would read another by Sadie Jones.
    • 5/5
      This was a book quite unlike any other I have ever read. I can honestly say I only truly liked one character in it and yet the book was a total hoot. Usually when I don't care for the characters I can't stand the book but that was definitely not the case in Ms. Jones satire of Edwardian mores. This will be a very hard review to write without giving the whole of the plot away but I will try.We start by meeting the Torrington/Swifts on the day of Emerald's birthday. Her mother, Charlotte has remarried - to Edward Swift, a one armed barrister. Emerald and Clovis, her brother felt that the marriage happened too quickly after the death of their father. The father who bought their beloved home, Sterne, and then lost all the family money. Edward was leaving to try and save the home. The last member of the family was little Imogen, called Smudge who plans a Great Undertaking on the day of Emerald's birthday.The writing style is very spare, very British. So is the humor. An understanding of Edwardian class distinctions is necessary to true appreciation of the story. So is an appreciation for a British sense of humor. The Torrington/Swifts are veddy, veddy British in their thoughts and quite Edwardian how they treat the lessor amongst them. It makes for some horrifying moments but also for some quite funny moments.All I can say is that if you want a truly unique reading experience this is the book to read. I'll be keeping it to read again because I know this is one of those books that will improve upon a second read.
    • 4/5
      This novel is very different. Possibly quite mad, but intriguing nontheless.Set in pre-war England, the story begins on a spring evening at Sterne...a manor house which is a little shabby round the edges, but grand and well loved by the Torrington-Swift family who reside there. Friends and family are gathering for Emerald Torringtons's twentieth birthday party. Charlotte Swift, Emerald's mother, is feeling anxious by her husband's departure to London and subsequent absence from the celebrations. He is, however, on an important mission to secure money from the bank to safeguard Sterne for the family whose finances have been strained in recent years.Unbeknown to the assembling guests, there has been a dreadful rail disaster a few miles away from Sterne. As news reaches the partygoers, shock and sympathy give way to preparations which carry on unabated. It therefore comes as a surprise when a small group of people is seen "emerging from the gloom of the drive onto the gravel" and it becomes clear that they are "from the accident." Not exactly welcomed with open arms, the travellers believe that they are to remain at the house until further notice. Phone calls to the Rail Company are mysteriously disconnected and the dozen or so folk behave in a most peculiar manner. Worse still...they appear to be increasing in number and are becoming more and more raucous. The appearance of a further passenger who acts as a kind of spokesman for the group, but behaves in a most ungentlemanly manner, causes Charlotte, in particular, much grief.As a portrait of the early twentieth century upper classes, this novel is immaculate. There are glimpses of "Downton Abbey" and also of the film "The Others." There are amusing moments that made me laugh out loud, but also great sadness and empathy. The oddities and bizarre behaviour of both the partygoers and the "uninvited guests" is so well illustrated, they actually seem fairly "normal" when the reader is absorbed in the story.I loved it, but I can see that it may not be to everyone's taste. It is certainly a huge departure from Sadie Jones's first two novels, but, for me, that illustrates her talent and diversity. One thing is certain......it would make a great movie!This book was made available to me, prior to publication, for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      Rating: 3* of fiveThe Book Report: 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.My Review: 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.
    • 4/5
      What a strange and quirky book this was! The momentum builds and the plot gets hectic and then you are brought around to a good story, and funny at times, and a mystery indeed! Loved it. Another book that sat on my TBR shelf for some time, but this makes these books a joy to find.
    • 3/5
      I'm not entirely sure what I expected from The Univited Guests - something Noel Cowardish (even though set in 1912), I suspect - quick, clever, punchy. As I began to read I was reminded of Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford (again the wrong time period).There is much to enjoy in this book - the writing is lush and descriptive. I always think of the Edwardian period as the kaleidoscopic moment befor the gray of World War I and this book truly captures that feeling. Unlikeable though everyone in the book may be, they are still well-characterized if a bit satirized and that makes for some good fun. This is a light breezy novel that turns into something more wicked before going back to its lush English countryside self. It's an interesting transition and tale.
    • 3/5
      This book was pretty weird. You start off thinking you're reading one kind of story, and then it slowly drifts off the road into another kind of book entirely. I also didn't find it watertight in terms of writing, but overall, an entertaining (and fast) read.
    • 5/5
      This was a book quite unlike any other I have ever read. I can honestly say I only truly liked one character in it and yet the book was a total hoot. Usually when I don't care for the characters I can't stand the book but that was definitely not the case in Ms. Jones satire of Edwardian mores. This will be a very hard review to write without giving the whole of the plot away but I will try.We start by meeting the Torrington/Swifts on the day of Emerald's birthday. Her mother, Charlotte has remarried - to Edward Swift, a one armed barrister. Emerald and Clovis, her brother felt that the marriage happened too quickly after the death of their father. The father who bought their beloved home, Sterne, and then lost all the family money. Edward was leaving to try and save the home. The last member of the family was little Imogen, called Smudge who plans a Great Undertaking on the day of Emerald's birthday.The writing style is very spare, very British. So is the humor. An understanding of Edwardian class distinctions is necessary to true appreciation of the story. So is an appreciation for a British sense of humor. The Torrington/Swifts are veddy, veddy British in their thoughts and quite Edwardian how they treat the lessor amongst them. It makes for some horrifying moments but also for some quite funny moments.All I can say is that if you want a truly unique reading experience this is the book to read. I'll be keeping it to read again because I know this is one of those books that will improve upon a second read.
    • 4/5
      The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones is wacky, weird and wonderful. I must let you know that until 44th page, I didn’t even like the book and had to push myself to continue reading it. So my only negative criticism is that there was too much time setting the stage. If this book is turned into a play or a movie, I think it would be best to dramatically reduce the beginning pages. Also, I have a warning for you, if you do not enjoy dark comedy, you probably will not enjoy this book. Since I love dark comedy, I laughed until it was painful. If you enjoy Noel Coward plays, I am pretty sure that you will love this book. The fun begins when the uninvited guests appear. Sadie Jones sets this tale in an Edwardian manor house. The house strangely forms a letter “L”. The vertical part of the L is the old house which has been closed off to save money and the horizontal part is the newer house. There are servants that you get to know, the servants are just as quirky as the family, but I will just tell you a little about the family. Charlotte Swift, aka Charlotte Torrington, has sort of an attitude that the world revolves around me. She is pretty, wants to be adored and is not that concerned with people’s feelings. Clovis, Charlotte’s son is twenty years old and seems very dissatisfied with his life, very sarcastic and doesn’t seem to have any friends or crave any. Emerald, whose birthday is imminent, is the eldest daughter at nineteen years old and is to me the most sympathetic character but that is up for debate. Smudge aka Imogen Torrington, is lonely, very neglected and interested in art and her pony. She doesn’t seem to care about what she wears. That is the main cast, and this book does seem more like a play than a book. When you read this book, it would help if you are not seeking a sympathetic character but instead have an eye, an ear and a nose for the ridiculous. I do not want to reveal the plot because that would spoil it for you. Also, after reading it, you may become aware of what true human caring and kindness would be. There are many times when you the opposite of this is shown in the book but there are times that it pokes through. I want to end with a dark humor quote, from Woody Allen: “Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering—and it’s all over much too soon.” I recommend this book only to those who love dark comedy. If you hate it, I am very sure you will not like the book. I received this book from the Amazon Vine Program and that in no way influenced my review.
    • 3/5
      I was deeply disappointed in this book, as I had enjoyed Sadie Jones' previous fiction very much. The Edwardian setting of the story was well drawn, but the plot was peculiar to say the least. It was as though the author hadn't decided what type of book she was writing. There were places where the action became farcical, and with the best will in the world I could not suspend my disbelief. The description of the attempts to coax the pony down the stairs went on and on, and on and on... I kept hoping it would improve and something would pull the tale together but it never did. Lets hope this book is just an aberation in a long writing career, and that Ms Jones' next book will get back to reality and fine writing.
    • 1/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      A gathering has assembled to celebrate the occasion of Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday. Present are Miss Torrington, her mother Charlotte, younger sister Smudge, brother Clovis, friend Patience and her brother Edmund, and John who is a possible suitor for Emerald. Rounding out the cast is housekeeper Florence. Edmund is Charlotte's husband and stepfather to Emerald and her siblings. He is away during the party to put forth an effort to secure money to save the family estate. During the party an train crashes and the family is instructed by the railway to house the survivors until the morning. Among the survivors is a man named Charlie Traversham-Beechers who has some connection to Charlotte's past. Charlie becomes the de facto leader of the railway survivors whose needs throughout the night increasingly press on the family. A particularly nasty parlor game conducted by Charlie reveals long held family secrets which force Charlotte to face up to her past.I was attracted to the idea that this novel was compared to Downton Abbey meeting The Others. Downton Abbey mixed with the supernatural? Sign me up. The execution however was somewhat disappointing. The first three quarters of the novel dragged for me. Once it hit the parlor game and the character of Charlie came to the forefront I was hooked in. In the end I very much enjoyed the story even though it took a long time to connect.
    • 4/5
      I did a lot of veering from opinion to opinion with The Uninvited Guests. It starts out rather pleasant and Edwardian-y, then becomes a bit odd and discomfiting, and finally ends up somewhere mostly satisfying and affirming. I can't say much for fear of giving things away which I suspect are better left discovered on one's own, but I will say I had suspicions about a third of the way through which I thought were surely nonsense but which turned out to be quite correct. Not what I was expecting, exactly, but a worthwhile read all the same, and well done. The enjoyment I had in reading the novel doesn't quite call for a reread, but I think I really ought read it over again some day to understanding more fully just what it is Jones is doing here. If I have any real complaint about the book, it is that I'm not sure the seeming largeness of some of the goings on are entirely supported by the smallness of the narrative's circumstances. But therein lies my desire to reread. It niggles the back of my mind that I may have missed something very clever.
    • 3/5
      This is a very different story from Sadie Jones 1st 2 novels and while well written I found it a much less engaging read. Although another historical novel, there is no social justice angle, which lent the earlier novels weight. There are just too many country house novels around at the moment and I'm bored with reading about the so called problems of the landed gentry (or those posing as the landed gentry) to maintain their country piles while doing nothing useful with their lives and living off the blood, sweat & tears of their forelock tugging servants. The characters in this novel have few redeeming features & it was hard to feel any empathy with any of them, except perhaps for Smudge & her adventures with her pony in the bedroom! A strange mix of ghost story & farce.