Paying Guests by E.F. Benson (1929)

Name: Paying Guests
Author: E.F. Benson

The novel follows the lives of two sisters, Mary and Susan, who are forced to take in paying guests in order to make ends meet. The sisters are living in a small village in England, and their guests are a variety of characters from all walks of life. The novel follows the sisters as they struggle to make a living and deal with the various personalities of their guests. They must also contend with the gossip and judgement of their neighbours, who are suspicious of the strangers in their midst. The novel is a humorous and light-hearted look at the lives of two sisters trying to make a living in a small village. It is a charming and entertaining read, and a great example of Benson's writing style.

By E.F. Benson · First published 1929 · Genre: Comedy, Romance, Mystery · 11 chapters · 87,738 words

First lines

Bolton Spa, justly famous for the infamous savour of the waters which so magically get rid of painful deposits in the joints and muscles of the lame and the halt, and for the remedial rasp of its saline baths in which the same patients are pickled daily to their great relief, had been crammed all the summer, and the proprietors of its hotels and boarding houses had been proving that for them at least rheumatism and its kindred afflictions had a silver if not a golden lining. Never had Wentworth and Balmoral and Blenheim and Belvoir entertained so continuous a complement of paying guests, and even now, though the year had wheeled into mid-October, and the full season was long past, Mrs. Oxney was still booking rooms for fresh arrivals at Wentworth during the next two months. In fact she did not know when she would get off on her holiday, and as long as this prosperous tide continued to flow, she cared very little whether she got off at all. Though she did not want money, she liked it, and though she liked a holiday, she did not want it.

What this Textopian page supports

Paying Guests is listed on Textopian as a novel by E.F. Benson, dated 1929 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Novel
Author: E.F. Benson
Date: 1929 CE
Language: English
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Mystery, Historical Fiction
Length: 87,738 words
Structure: 11 chapters, 2,902 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

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Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters

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Similar titles

Genres

Comedy — The book is a light-hearted comedy of manners, with a humorous plot and characters.
Romance — The book contains a romantic subplot between two of the characters.
Mystery — The book contains a mystery element, as the characters attempt to uncover the truth about their paying guests.
Historical Fiction — The book is set in the early 20th century, and contains elements of the period's culture and society.