Overview

A brilliant novel...At once a shimmering comedy of manners and disturbing commentary on class . (Ann Patchett). 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 and not altogether savoury survivors to seek shelter at the ramshackle manor - and the household is thrown into confusion and mischief. 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 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 number one bestseller Sadie Jones. The prizewinning author of The Outcast triumphs in this frightening yet sinister drama of dark surprises - where social codes are uprooted and desire daringly trumps propriety - and all is alight with Edwardian wit and opulence.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sadie Jones
Publisher:   Vintage
Imprint:   Chatto & Windus
Dimensions:   Width: 15.30cm , Height: 1.90cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.364kg
ISBN:  

9780701186722

ISBN 10:   0701186720
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   22 March 2012
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
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Reviews

What a delicious read! Like something written by a wicked Jane Austen, ...I was captivated by its madcap nature and then, unprepared for the strange fruit that the story became. --Sarah Blake, New York Times Bestselling Author of THE POSTMISTRESS

The Uninvited Guests is at once a shimmering comedy of manners and disturbing commentary on class. It is so well-written, so intricately plotted, that every page delivers some new astonishment. It is a brilliant novel. -- Ann Patchett, Author Of State Of Wonder What a delicious read! Like something written by a wicked Jane Austen, here is love and error in a ramshackle manor house complete with railway survivors, a birthday party and a pony. I was completely captivated by its madcap nature and then, utterly unprepared for the strange fruit that the story became. Passing like a spring fever, here is a fairy tale that stays with you long after it is gone. I couldn't put it down. -- Sarah Blake, Author Of The Postmistress What opens as an amusing Edwardian country house tale soon becomes a sinister tragi-comedy of errors, in which the dark underbelly of human nature is revealed in true Shakespearean fashion. Sadie Jones is a most talented and imaginative storyteller, and The Uninvited Guests is a very clever novel. -- Jacqueline Winspear, Author Of Elegy For Eddie

Shelly writes: This is a glorious Edwardian tale complete with an upstairs downstairs family dramedy. Sadie Jones has established herself as a writer with a wonderful insight into the human condition, and this is what makes her latest offering so intriguing. It begins the morning of Emerald Torrington's birthday, and despite her family's their reduced circumstances there is to be a quiet but sophisticated dinner that evening. The family will be joined by a few guests - these being the neighbour, John Buchanan and Emerald's best friend Patience with her brother Ernest. But when a train crash on the local branch line occurs, the Torringtons find their night overtaken by a host of misplaced passengers. One passenger in particular shakes things up - leading to a few revelations that will leave the family forever changed. Add to this the youngest Torrington's 'great endeavour' and the scene is set for an evening of delightful mystery and shenanigans aplenty. I so enjoyed this novel, I was entertained the entire time, and laughed out loud more than once. This was a delightful, extremely atmospheric read.

Karen writes: I adore Sadie Jones; she is so mean to her characters. The Uninvited Guests is her third book and again we see her wind her characters tighter and tighter in the stultifying boredom, anxieties and morals of their middle class British lives. Her books have been set in the early to mid-20th century so the appearance of propriety is important. Sadie then has a small incident interrupt her character's day and the resulting emotional maelstrom shifts their place in the world irrevocably. Her writing controls the tension so beautifully that I find myself literally holding my breath when I read her books... yet not much actually happens. This book set in the 1920s explores the relationships and secrets of a family living and about to lose their lovely manor house, Sterne. It's Emerald's 19th birthday and there's to be a small dinner in her honour. That night there's a train derailment and they must accommodate some of the passengers. The ending is truly surprising and quite a departure for Sadie.

The Uninvited Guests is at once a shimmering comedy of manners and disturbing commentary on class. It is so well-written, so intricately plotted, that every page delivers some new astonishment. It is a brilliant novel. -- Ann Patchett, Author Of State Of Wonder What a delicious read! Like something written by a wicked Jane Austen, here is love and error in a ramshackle manor house complete with railway survivors, a birthday party and a pony. I was completely captivated by its madcap nature and then, utterly unprepared for the strange fruit that the story became. Passing like a spring fever, here is a fairy tale that stays with you long after it is gone. I couldn't put it down. -- Sarah Blake, Author Of The Postmistress What opens as an amusing Edwardian country house tale soon becomes a sinister tragi-comedy of errors, in which the dark underbelly of human nature is revealed in true Shakespearean fashion. Sadie Jones is a most talented and imaginative storyteller, and The Uninvited Guests is a very clever novel. -- Jacqueline Winspear, Author Of Elegy For Eddie

Author Information

The Uninvited Guests is Sadie Jones's third novel. Her first novel, The Outcast ('Riveting', Lionel Shriver; 'Devastatingly good', Daily Mail; 'Gripping', Harper's Bazaar) was the winner of the Costa First Novel Award. It was also shortlisted for the Orange Prize and was a Richard and Judy Summer Reads Number One bestseller. Her second novel, Small Wars ('Outstanding', The Times; 'Compelling', Daily Telegraph; Uncannily good', Guardian) was longlisted for the Orange Prize. Sadie Jones lives in London.

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