I was delighted to be approved by NetGalley and the publisher, Canongate to read this book as I had previously read The Garden of Evening Mists, which I’d absolutely loved. Many thanks.
From the very beginning of this book I was swept away by the beautiful writing. Set in 1920s Penang, we are transported to a bygone era of colonial life, secret love and betrayals. As Lesley recounts her secrets to Willie Somerset Maugham, sure in the knowledge that parts will find their way onto the pages of one of his novels, she comes to understand something of the truth behind not only Willie himself, but also her own marriage. Exquisitely told, I was mesmerised by this story and my heart broke for not only Lesley, but also Willie and her best friend, dear Ethel. An incredible historical novel, I learnt much about the events of those years. It’s a book that will stay with me for a long time and that I will be recommending to everyone.

The story follows Lesley Hamlyn, wife to Robert as she begrudgingly opens her home to Robert’s best friend and hugely successful writer, Willie Somerset Maugham. The two tolerate each other with very little pretence of warmth, each disapproving of each other’s life choices and lifestyles. Facing financial ruin, Willie is readying himself to return home to break the news to his hysterical wife, a troubling prospect, when he finds himself confiding in Lesley. To his surprise, his confidence is met with no judgement, and in turn, Lesley reveals her past. Secrets she has kept from those closest to her. Can the shocking revelations of the past help the floundering writer out of his troubles, while helping Lesley fulfil her wish of living long after she has gone, in in the form of her story written in the pages of a book.
Beautifully written, the story flows so well. I could not put this down. The imagery, the depth of the characters and the poignancy of the setting combine into a gorgeous story.

This was a lovely book to read. The used words to describe the atmosphere, the characters actions gave life to the book. Reading it felt like looking at a nice crafted piece of wood, like looking at the crafted doors from the house of doors.
Thank you NetGalley, Canongate and Tan Twan Eng for the opportunity to read such a beautiful crafted book.

A stunning read. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review. I really appreciated it.

The House of Doors is my first book written by Tan Twan Eng and I’m blown away. I’ve been initially attracted by the mention of Somerset Maugham, as I am a big fan, but didn’t really know what to expect. The House of Doors exceeded my expectations. Beautiful writing, fascinating portrayal of the early 20th century Malaysia, intriguing and flawed characters and, of course, my beloved Maugham - I enjoyed and savoured every page. This is one of those books that leaves you feeling bereft once it’s finished. Truly mesmerising.

'House of Doors' by Tan Twan Eng

This book was a perfect blend of history and fiction woven around real life events and characters. Through the fictional character of Lesley Hamlyn this novel takes us to the heart of colonial life in South East Asia, introduces us to Dr. Sun Yat Sen as he garners support to revolutionise China, to the centre of a tragic murder trial and into the hidden and troubled life of Somerset Maugham.

I loved the structure of the book and found the writing almost hypnotic.

I especially enjoyed the lost world feeling of 1910/ 1920's Panang - the heat, the sea, the social hierarchy, the melting pot of cultures, the hypocrisy of colonial rule - it was so evocative and atmospheric.

The story took me away from reality in the most visceral way - I felt myself walking beside Lesley as she explored the streets of Georgetown, watching over Willie as he wrote in Cassowary House, standing in The House of Doors and listening to late night conversations between unlikely confidantes.

Each strand of the novel explores secrets, love, betrayal and guilt and it culminates in the most satisfying of conclusions.

I would recommend this novel to everyone who loves historical fiction with a touch of mystery and love at its core.

Thank you to @canongatebooks for an advance copy of this wonderful novel.

An evocative Penang and many themes. Adultery, homosexuality, colonialism and much more - with the addition of Somerset Maugham as one of the main characters. Elegant and good old fashioned writing.

To remember someone you must tell their story. And Tan Twan Eng does that brilliantly. He is telling us the story of Penang, such an evocative one: full of colours and smells and tastes, a long forgotten history coming back to life to entice us about the past's wanders. He is telling us the story of a struggle for freedom. And he is telling us stories about people who may or may not have inhabited those lands and those times. I don't know about you, but I felt compelled to find out if Lesley is real, if Robert can be traced in history. I want to read more about Maugham and I want to read his books. I want to learn more about Penang and I want to be able to travel back in time and experience those tumultuous times for myself ...

A dreamy atmospheric amble of a novel, beautifully written and constructed tale of Penang between the world wars. The structure of the book, the writing and the subject matter are all irresistible, building up a picture of Penang society but also the relationships between different people, what can and can't be known about others and how to chart a course through the uncertainty of life. Beautiful.

I loved both of Tan Twan Eng’s previous books – The Gift of Rain and The Garden of Evening Mists – but, boy, has he made us wait a long time for his next one. It’s been well worth the wait though because The House of Doors is absolutely brilliant. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it pop up on the longlist for next year’s Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

Set in Penang (the author’s birthplace) and moving beween 1910 and 1921, it’s an intimate and nuanced portrait of the complications and consequences of relationships that must remain clandestine, such as that between Willie Somerset Maugham and Gerald Haxton, nominally his secretary but actually his lover.

The book opens in 1947 as Lesley Hamlyn, living on a remote farm in Doomfontein, South Africa, receives a package containing a copy of the book, The Casuarina Tree by W (Willie) Somerset Maugham. It evokes memories of the author’s two week stay in 1921 with her and her late husband, Robert, at Cassowary House, their former home in Penang. It was a place Lesley loved and was reluctant to leave but did so out of a mixture of loyalty to her husband, and despair. The book also has another significance for Lesley, one which the reader will only discover in the moving final chapter of the book.

Willie arrives in Penang in 1921 weakened by sickness from his travels through the Far East and beset by money troubles, a situation he fears may scupper his relationship with Gerald who has become used to a luxury lifestyle. In order to restore his finances, he needs to find material for his next book. Willie and Lesley form an immediate bond, both being in marriages that provide a form of cover from society gossip and speculation. Lesley begins to unburden herself to Willie, sharing details of a secret relationship that took place ten years earlier as well as her involvement with charismatic Chinese revolutionary, Sen Yat-Sen (a real life figure). She also reveals her connection with a (real life) murder case that scandalised the British inhabitants of the Straits Settlement and the Federated Malay States.

Willie uses her recollections as material for the stories in The Casuarina Tree. Reading the published book, and in particular the story ‘The Letter’, Lesley observes that ‘He had woven it into something that was familiar to me, yet also uncanny; factual, but at the same time completely fictional.’ Tan Twan Eng has harnessed the same writer’s instinct to blend historical fact with fiction in order to create this wonderful novel.

Those who have read Tan Twan Eng’s previous novels won’t be surprised that there is wonderful descriptive writing that really brings to life the bustling streets of the ‘real’ Penang, i.e. the Penang that the white residents don’t see. There is also a wonderful scene in which Willie and Lesley go for an evening swim. ‘That night, side by side, we drifted among the galaxies of sea-stars, while far, far above us the asterisks of light marked out the footnotes on the page of eternity.’ Gorgeous.

The House of Doors of the title is an actual place in the novel but is also a metaphor for things that must remain hidden, often things more wonderful than the plain facade shown to the outside world.

The House of Doors by Tan Trang Eng is majestic and enchanting. The setting of the story in Penang adds an exotic richness to what is already a feast of a plot featuring "Willie" Somerset Maugham, a charismatic Chinese revolutionary and an over-privileged imperial lifestyle.

Lesley and husband Robert Hamlyn invite the world famous author and his secretary to stay with them in their idyllic residence on the island of Penang. During his two week sojourn, Willie spends time getting to know Lesley whilst trying to write some stories for his next book.

Confidences are shared as Lesley divulges details of the case of her good friend Ethel Proudlock; Willie is fascinated and probes for more and more information.

Tan Twan Eng ha proven again that he is a wonderful storyteller and The House of Doors is another brilliant book.

The House of Doors is absolutely mesmerising. In my view, it should go down as a literary classic. It’s beautifully written, evocative, full of detail and it’s multi layered with fiction woven around real people and places.

The pace is leisurely; it’s a story to savour. The first part sets the scene and the latter part delves into mystery and intrigue. From the first pages, I was drawn immediately into a different world. Eng captures the language and manners of the period to perfection and reading it was absolutely effortless. I think it’s a book I’ll buy as an Audible version as it’s relaxing and captivating and just to listen to before sleeping. I haven’t read anything by this author before and will be looking for other books. Highly recommended whatever your taste in genre.

This is a masterpiece. Tan Twan Eng writes sumptuously. I have a weakness for stories woven around historical events and characters, particularly when they unfold in such an evocatively rendered setting with a cast of such finely drawn characters. The colonial era early 20th century Penang (of the Malaysia Federated States) is so beautifully depicted by Tan that it reads like a love letter to his home town. Highly recommended. Special thank you to Canongate and NetGalley for a no obligation advance review copy.

I was very excited about the book and it did not disappoint. This author consistently writes the most beautiful prose. There are phrases and descriptions which conjure up vivid images for the reader. We are transported by the author’s language and lyrical skill. We can hear, we can see and we can feel everything that the main characters are part of. This is such a gift for any author and this author never fails to draw you in and make you part of the lives and places he describes.

The dual narrative is done perfectly and whilst we know the outcome is not ever going to be ‘happy ever after’ we still feel the hope and then the pain of the beautifully drawn characters.

The characters are flawed but portrayed with love and empathy. I did not want this book to end. Having read all of Tan Twang Eng’s books I do now have the small consolation of reading the writing of Somerset Maugham who he portrayed so sympathetically.

I loved The Garden of Evening Mists so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read this and I wasn’t disappointed. This is very good storytelling with multiple layers of interest and the bonus of being based on actual events.

The story opens with an older Lesley sitting on her veranda in Africa. She receives through the post a copy of a book by W. Somerset Maugham, The Casuarina Tree, and is immediately transported back to her native Penang and the events of 1910 - 1921. The earlier years focus on Sun Yat Sen’s activities in Penang where he tried to enlist support and funding from the Straits Chinese to further his revolution to overthrow the Qing dynasty. In 1921, W(illie) Somerset Maugham and his lover/secretary, Gerald, come to stay with Lesley and her husband, Robert, in Penang. Over several evenings, Lesley relates her story of these earlier years to Maugham, including the murder trial of her friend, Ethel Proudlock, an Englishwoman living in Kuala Lumpur. Everyone knew that the inspiration for all his short stories were based on his experiences abroad and the stories he heard on his travels so Lesley was taking a risk divulging very personal information to him. The author has quoted Maugham on the title page as saying, “Fact and fiction are so intermingled in my work that now, looking back on it, I can hardly distinguish one from the other.”

Within these layers of the storyline are many different strands. There is the intrigue of the murder trial, insight into Maugham’s life and Sun Yat Sen’s, and the lives of Europeans, Straits Chinese, Malays and others in Penang at this time. The writing is excellent, although I occasionally found descriptive passages a little overdone, and it held my interest completely throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the only reason it’s not a 5 star read for me is due to very minor issues.

With thanks to NetGalley and Canongate for a review copy.

What a wonderful book, this is my first read of Tan Twan Eng and I will definitely be seeking out his other books.
The House of Doors captivated me from the start all the way to the very end. At its heart it is a love story, but not just that of Lesley, also her husband, Willie Somerset Maughan and her friend Ethel. All of their loves are hidden as they are outside their society rules.

Beautifully written, and as a tribute to Somerset Maughan it works so well, I have added him to my want to read list.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The House of Doors.

This complex and powerful novel goes beyond the 5/5 rating. Reading this historical literary fiction was sheer, satisfying delight.

I find myself in a bit of a pickle. A simple review does not suffice to expound about this novel. This is a book one wants to thoroughly research before writing about it.

The beauty, depth and warmth of the language, of the prose alone makes this novel worth reading.

Then the wealth of information that is so elegantly served into this no el is the proverbial cherry in top of the cake that is the story.

It isn’t just a tale of love, betrayal, complex and complicated relationships, public opinion vs what happens behind doors, the way society behaves towards women, gays,etc… there is also history, politics, a dash of literary criticism, and real people.

This is the kind of novel that will leave you eager to learn about the culture, society and history of Malaysia, China and England (especially between 1910 and 1950, bit not only), as well as more about Somerset Maugham, not just as an author, but the personal history of the man himself.

And, ultimately, most importantly, this marvelous novel will leave you eager to read every single book Tan Twan Eng has ever written (and hopefully will write).

Tan Twan Eng is now one of my favorite authors.

This novel deserves to be viewed as a literary masterpiece. The writing was so evocative of the exotic places in Malaysia and South Africa as well as the 1920s and 1940s. All the characters were so well drawn, and a murder mystery at the heart of the story added an extra twist. The allusion to Somerset Maugham was well drawn but didn't dominate the narrative. All the elements of a great novel are here and are well-balanced. A masterpiece and my book of the year so far!





Thank you to Tan Twan Eng, Canongate, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

*4.5 stars.*

1920’s Penang is where we meet our protagonist Lesley Hamlyn. Her husband Robert is a lawyer, and it’s fair to say that they live a very comfortable life, mixing in the very highest circles.

They currently have none other than famous novelist and old friend of Robert’s, W. Somerset Maugham (whom they affectionately call Willie) staying with them.

Robert warns Lesley not to say too much to Willie, as he’s known to use people’s stories in his novels. However, as Lesley becomes ever more comfortable around him, she feels compelled to tell her story - and it includes being very good friends with real life Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat Sen, as well as the trial of her friend Ethel Proudlock for murder.

With a fascinating storyline, ‘The House of Doors’ was also beautifully written, here’s just a small example - “So I remained here, a daub of paint worked by time’s paintbrush into this vast, eternal landscape”. In addition, the author’s descriptions of Penang are stunning, making the landscape almost a character in itself. Highly recommended.

Firstly I'd like to thank NetGalley, Canongate, and Tan Twan Eng for allowing me to read and review this novel.

The House of Doors is a wonderfully written novel exploring themes of morality, misogyny, betrayal, and maintaining public appearances all whilst detailing the Chinese revolution and its nationalist leader Sun Yat Sen.

Tan Twan Eng has beautifully built a multi-layered narrative exploring the lives and experiences of real life people and telling the story of the Chinese revolution through Lesley. The interwoven narratives was wonderfully done and clearly displays the talents of Tan Twan Eng; I don't think anyone else could've done it as well as they did.

One thing I loved about the book is how you can tell Tan Twan Eng put a lot of thought and research into his novel. The mentions of white superiority, the distaste some have for white expats, and the descriptions of the cultural melting pot that was Malaya during the early 20th century.

I feel like having been really into British Empire and having studied it to quite some depth, that's the main thing I sort of took away from the novel, as well as the obvious other commentaries on Maugham and whatnot.

I thought it was interesting that Tan Twan Eng had chosen to write from a white perspective, paying homage to Maugham. Usually the novels I read regarding colonialism and Empire are from the point of view of the colonised, so this was very new and intriguing for me.

All in all I think it was a great book !! Would definitely recommend it. Tan Twan Eng has this certain air of elegance with the way he uses words and I'm all for it!!