It feels timely that the last time I read a book by Tan Twan Eng was The Gift of Rain on my holiday to KL and Singapore about 10 years ago. So I read the House of Doors, knowing I will be visiting Penang later in the year and it felt like my life and Tan Twan Eng's words are coming back in full circle.

I was captivated by the voices of Leslie Hamlyn and Willie Somerset Maugham. Their narration of their stories left me wanting to know what became of their tragic love stories; and what became of Dr Sun Yat Sen and Ethel Proudlock?

There is an inherent tightrope that that Tan had to balance between telling the story of colonial Malaysia from the voices of British Expats and turning Leslie Hamlyn into a white saviour amongst the Strait Chinese. And unfortunately for me at times, Leslie came across more as a white saviour character than a high society ally. But generally, Tan still made me sympathise and care for Leslie that I can understand that she had the best of intentions.

Overall the intrigue of the conflicts between love and duty left me desiring to know how the book concluded.

This is a beautifully written novel, deftly weaving historical people and events through the deeply personal stories of the main narrators. A little slow to start, I was nevertheless drawn into the world of Lesley and Willie and their developing friendship., with the nuanced portrayal of the issues faced, such as attitudes towards women and gay people in that era, and how they dealt with that.

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook. I liked that different actors were used to portray Lesley's and Willie's own point of view, rather than a single narrator. Their performances really brought their characters to life. Thank you to the publisher for the audio review copy.

I listened to the audiobook for this title after really enjoying Tan Twan Eng's The Garden of Evening Mists. The book feels like a classic, the style reminiscent of that used in many great books written in first half of the 20th century rather than 21st. This book seamlessly mixes historical fact and fiction and Tan Twan Eng is such a beautiful storyteller and I'm not surprised this book was Booker Prize longlisted.

The book is split between two narrators - Lesley Hamlyn a moneyed expat married to a repressed elder lawyer living out in Penang and the novelist William (Willie) Somerset Maugham. The two characters cross over when a sickly Willie comes to stay with Lesley and her husband Robert, bringing his lover Gerald. Willie and Robert are old friends and Willie's given up his life (and wife) in England and lives a nomadic existence travelling with his lover, writing and seeking inspiration for his novels. However, a series of bad business decisions threatens this comfortable existence and, in addition, his wife wants a divorce which could leave him destitute. He is in desperate need of cash and a great idea for his new book. He thinks he might have found this in Lesley who confides to him about her friend Ethel Proudlock, another colonial expat, who was convicted of killing a man with whom she was suspected of having an affair. At the same time, she also tells him all about her own affair with Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen (who was briefly exiled to Panang before being instrumental in toppling the Qing dynasty) and how they used to meet in the eponymous House of Doors.

These were not characters or areas of history I knew much about and I really enjoyed the weaving of historical fact into the fiction and made me want to go away and do my own research. Overall I though the narrators were really great and it really helped to follow the story to have the two different timelines split between a male and female voice. However, I do feel like I would have been far more immersed in the story if I had read this book rather than listened. There were so many moments of beautiful prose that I would have wanted to savour which is much harder to do when listening. There are also a lot of names which could at times be complicated to follow. For the most part, I found it fascinating, exquisite and thought-provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book not knowing much, and I was definitely pulled in! I picked it up because it was longlisted for the Booker Prize and I was gutted it wasn't shortlisted.

We mostly follow Lesley and Willie who come to interact in Malaysia in the early 1920s. Lesley recounts a tale to Willie, a famous writer, thinking he might find inspiration from it for his next novel. It's a story about a potential affair with a Chinese doctor as well as the murder trial of a friend of hers who was accused of killing a potential lover.

There were many layers to this story and at times they blurred, but I appreciated the themes of colonialism, race and sexuality touched on by Tan Twan Eng. I was so engrossed by the characters mentioned in this story (including Sun Yat-sen) and found myself Googling some names. I didn't realise it was based on some real events.

In the end, I think the book becomes a little unmemorable due to the many storylines, but the feeling I keep from it (as I forget the details) is a positive one. I highly recommend it if you feel like trying it.

You want be transported to a total different time. This is your book, I loved how raw and real the characters where for me, the ambiance in the whole book was such a delightful creation and made I enjoy the book lots. I imagine there is lots of research in the creation of this book because you can sense it when you read it. It’s such a beautiful storytelling and I like the topics it have like marriage, society, it’s such a brilliant mesmerising story about life and how we live it as humans.

The bulk of House of Doors jumps back and forth in time, from 1920s Penang to the same city ten years earlier, and at times I found it quite confusing. There’s not much to differentiate between the two time periods and I found myself checking back every so often to make sure I was on the right page (so to speak) with the timings. There’s also a fair few random characters which added to the confusion, although there are two narrators which at least reminds you who’s perspective we’re getting.

I didn’t know anything about Willie S. Maugham going in to this, nor anything around Malaysian History, so I was interested to read up on both which added to the listening experience. I didn’t find the story that gripping so I’m not sure I’ll be looking for Maugham’s work off the back of it, but it was still a pleasant enough listen. I think it might appreciate it more if it was a film as the description is quite cinematic and I feel it would lend itself well to the screen.

Overall, OK but not one I’ll be rushing out to buy for my bookshelves

Goodness, what an immersive novel. I loved being transported back in time and meeting real people through the author’s imagination.

The focus is largely on Leslie Hamlyn and her relationship with Robert, her ailing husband, who suffers from a severe lung complaint and has been advised by his doctor to move to the Karoo, where the weather is drier. It is something they are pondering.

The sense of place and era are beautifully evoked and colourfully enhanced with the inclusion of real characters. Willie Somerset Maughan stays with the couple, with his secretary in tow. He is in a very unhappy marriage back in London and sees travel as a kind of quest to keep moving, jotting down experiences and impressions as he travels. Upon arrival it is clear that he is struggling with his writing, afflicted by several personal problems. Following his stay at Cassowary House with the Hamlyns, he eventually goes on to publish The Casuarina Tree, in which he retells tales told to him, alluding to lives lived in the Straits Settlement of Penang. All those private lives and public virtues…..

Earlier SunYat-sen (known by his childhood moniker Sun Wen) – who came to be known as the Father of China – spent time in the Hamlyn household, which adds an interesting political dimension to the novel. Lesley became involved in the local group supporting his actions and in a way that opens up her world.

A further and involving dimension is the story constructed around the real case of an Englishwoman who was charged with murder for defending herself against a rapist – a man who was part of the British community, which made it a tantalising story. She is portrayed as Lesley’s good friend, who herself goes down to KL to support her during her trial.

Indeed, there are many and varied strands within this novel, which the author brings together beautifully, creating quite a masterpiece of Empire life. The backdrop oozes heat and local colour as the story unfolds, and is very transportive to colonial times. A wonderfully fictionalised creation that could be so very real, written with subtlety and elegance.

I listened to this as an audiobook and it had two narrators. The female narrator took on a very starchy RP voice, that I am sure felt appropriate for the time and place, yet it sounded too forced and contrived and didn’t ring quite right when there are words like the American ‘gotten’ in the text. When she created voices for others, it felt much more natural. This might really put some people off. The male voice was pitch perfect.

Highly recommended.

‘We will be remembered through our stories.’

1920s Penang, Robert and Lesley Hamlin invite the author Somerset Maughan, ‘Willie’, to their beautiful home. Willie is travelling with his secretary, Gerald. He has told his wife he must travel in order to write, but his artistic muse has deserted him and poor investments have led to a financial crisis. Finding themselves unable to sleep, a late night conversation leads to Lesley ‘gifting ‘Willie a story. It is a story involving her friend, Ethel, a love affair and a murder..A story which rocked Kuala Lumpa’s expat community..and which will end up in one of Willie’s books. The narrative slips in and out of Lesley’s story..between past and ‘present’.

I was utterly mesmerised by this novel from the start. Initially it was the gorgeous multi sensory descriptions which drew me in .evenings on the veranda, sultry fragrances hanging in the air, cocktail glasses gently clinking and winds blowing off the sea., a cas
uarina tree. I was fascinated by the introduction of real life names that I recognised - Sun Yat-sen the Chinese revolutionary and Maughan himself. But it was Lesley’s story which shifted this into another gear and in particular that of her friend, Ethel Proudlock who finds herself in court accused of murder.

The setting, exotic, sultry and beautiful, belied a darker side of forbidden relationships, marriages built on lies and societal acceptability, and a community constrained and shaped by cultural norms, politics, race, colonialism..gender..where control has a capital C. This is a world where everyone has a story..

I have heard this novel described as mesmerising - that is the perfect word for it. It is hypnotic, compelling, immersive. The sense of time and place is incredible - reading Maughan after reading this novel made me realise how powerful the evocation is..I was totally fascinated by Ethel’s story and rushed off to explore the ‘true story’, to compare with this fictional representation and to pour over old black and white photos. The characters are beautifully drawn and fact and fiction blended so seamlessly I had no idea where one started and the other finished…

This is one of my top reads this year. After reading this I just had to track down Maughan’s version of Lesley’s story and to revisit his writing..

I thought the audiobook was brilliant. Listening to the story with my eyes closed left me to imagine the incredible scenery, to picture the characters..The matching of voices to Lesley and Willie’s voices was beautifully done and further brought these characters to life.

With very many thanks to Netgalley and WF Howes for my digital copy of this audiobook. I have gone on to purchase a hard copy as I anticipate reading this again and I definitely want this beautiful book to be part of my collection.

One of my books of the year: ‘The House of Doors’ by Tan Twan Eng.

‘Every Marriage has its own rules’.

THOD is a story within a story about a writer of stories: Somerset Maugham, one of the most successful writers of the early 20th century, visits old friend Roger Hamlyn on Penang Island in Malaysia for a fortnight in 1921. Maugham has his own problems - personal and financial - and needs to find material for enough stories to write himself out of a hole. During the visit, Robert’s wife Lesley opens up to him, telling him of her role in a scandal ten years earlier, and of a secret of her own. The result is a collection of short stories, ‘The Casuarina Tree’.

The description is beautiful and evocative without being overdone and Tan Twan Eng masterfully combines character, story and place with politics and history. Prose is classic and lean but rich. Subject matter is nuanced but not preachy: there are tea gowns, linen suits and cocktail parties of colonial life but it’s also a window into tensions between the Penang locals, the British Colonisers, and Quin Dynasty rule in mainland China. There is some expositiony exposition of politics, but, not knowing much about the place or time, I was grateful for the clarity and learnt a lot. It’s also a thought provoking, sensitive exploration of sexuality, marriage and public morality. The characters are realistically flawed, perhaps more interesting than likeable. Crucially, they don’t feel like 21st century people catapulted back in time, and that makes them all the more fascinating, to me at least.

I listened to this over in the wilds of West Cork last week while staying with friends, who conveniently had an entire set of Somerset M. Inconveniently, we weren’t there quite long enough for me to finish the short story in question. Now on a mission to get my own copy. I’ll also be hunting down TTE’s other novels.

So this is not my usual thing as a proper thriller girl, but i was given a copy by Netgalley and the publisher so was excited. Thank you so much to them!

I have spent quite a bit of time in Penang doing the dreaded visa runs when i lived in Southern Thailand, so i was so surprised when it was based there The language was great, i could smell it, see it, be there again

The characters in here were amazing in my eyes, the writing bequtiful. I will be back for more!

A beautifully crafted novel which is rich in both character and setting. I loved how cleverly the author plays with stories within stories.

I listened to the audiobook of this and thought that the narrators performances really added to my enjoyment of the book.

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to heading to Tan Twan Eng’s backlist of books!!

The audiobook has two narrators which was enjoyable, as we do get the feeling the story is told from two perspectives. The overall story was a tad boring with interesting historical elements Woven into plot. I don't understand how this is a contender to Booker prize though.... it was ok

'The House of Doors' by Tan Twan Eng! is captvating fictionalized account of W. Somerset Maugham's 1921 stay in Penang, Malaya. The story is told from two perspectives: Lesley Hamlyn, a society hostess, and Willie, Maugham himself, and it

Eng's writing is pure brilliance, effortlessly capturing the essence of Maugham's own literary style. The narration by David Oakes and Louise-Mai Newberry not only brings the beauty of Eng's prose to life but also sets a perfect pace, drawing you deeper into the narrative.

The novel delves into themes of unhappy marriages, secrets, intrigue and murder, and the narratives provide meticulous details about the social attitudes of the time regarding gender, sexuality, and colonialism. I'm always fascinated to see how historical figures and events are interwoven with fictional characters, creating the impression of a memoir.

I found myself constantly wondering how much of the book was based on fact. It was entertaining but also tackling important issues of the time. The period setting was flawlessly depicted, immersing me in the atmosphere of 1920s Penang. It has definitely sparked my interest in reading more Eng's and W. Somerset Maugham's works.

I know that Eng's previous previous novels have earned high praise and prestigious nominations, and I can't wait to see how 'The House of Doors' fares on this year's long list.

Ultimately, 'The House of Doors' is a thought-provoking and engaging novel that skillfully blends fact and fiction.

Thanks to W.F. Howes and Netgalley for the unabridged audiobook edition

Set mainly in 1920's Penang The House of Doors focuses on the visit of writer Somerset Maugham to his friend and lawyer Robert and his society hostess wife Lesley. Soon an unlikely friendship develops between Somerset, who is beleaguered by money problems and an unhappy marriage and Lesley who as trust between them grows divulges her own secrets including her earlier friendship with Chinese revolutionary Doctor Sun Yat Sen.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the dual timeline worked really well. A memorable story told with beautiful prose. I would highly recommend.

It's NOT THE BOOKS FAULT it's mine. I sadly struggled with this book, due to my mental health getting bad while taking part in the listenalong that i wasn't able to take in the detail, or remember key details eg who characters are. This is also why there has been a delay in posting because i wanted to give this book my attention so it did result in restarting the audiobook 3 times, but i got there WHOOP, and did enjoy the book.

The detail and description of places and items is beautiful you can imagen the detail in the doors and how they look.
The book does jump back and forth between timelines (this is what was getting me in a pickle) but it was well done when i could give the book the attention it needs to take in the build up of the past to what is being told now.

If you like historical fiction and fancy something set outside the UK, I highly recommend picking this up. But if you're having memory issues or not able to absorb details, i do suggest reading the book rather than listening, because you would be missing out. 💜

The House of Doorsis a hauntingly beautiful historical fiction homage to William Somerset Maugham. The majority of the book takes place during an extended trip he took to Penang with his “secretary” Gerard as he seeked to escape his unhappy marriage. Willie was staying with his old friend Robert Hamlyn and his wife Lesley in their home, Cassowary House.

Upon arrival, Maugham discovers distressing news that he is in dire financial straits so needs some juicy stories to inspire a new novel. As he starts to get closer to Lesley, he senses that there is more than meets the eye of this seemingly repressed colonial woman and suspects that she had an affair with Chinese revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat-Sen when he had spent time in Malaysia drumming up support for overthrowing China's imperial dynasty more than a decade before. As the two become closer she starts to share her life stories with him and opens up a world of hidden affairs, morality, murder and colonial power which he uses to write a novel called The Casuarina Tree.

I absolutely adored Eng’s evocative and moving prose – Eng’s writing immersed me into the colonial period world of Penang, the cultural melting pot and the forbidden secrets that could destroy lives if they became public, I was completely engrossed in the Ethel Proudlock murder trial which forms the backbone of story that Maugham ultimately writes

The audiobook has two different narrators for the perspectives of Lesley and Willie which smoothly signals the shifts between the two protagonists perspectives and Louise-Mai Newberry and David Oakes really brought Eng’s writing to life for me. It's a book I went into completely blind and have since bought a copy as I just found it so hauntingly lovely. Indeed, i's straight onto my favourite books of the year list 💞

Huge thanks to @wfhowes and @netgalley for an audiobook ARC in return for an honest review

Tan Twan Eng's previous novel, The Garden of Evening Mists, was an absolute delight for me- a sensuous, moving and clever novel.

Although The House of Doors did not always connect for me in the same way, the beauty of the language was still very much there, as Tan Twan Eng guides us through the tension and politics of not only empire and colonialism, but how that intersects with law, sexuality and justice.

Without spoiling the book, two major plot points centre around a court case and the complications of trying a white woman in colonial Penang, and around W Somerset Maugham as he inhabits a world that wants to both covet and reject who he is.

Building in tension and in thoughtful discussion, this book is a powerful re-centring of colonial narratives from someone who understands what they can feel like.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really need to start reading synopsises before I begin the book (though I do say I love the early surprises) cause I had no idea so much of this was based off true events and real people!! And yeh I only found out about halfway through that 3 sort of main characters were actually real people, and this changed my whole perception of the book!

I loved it! I always love when real historical figures are taken and written into hisfic, but this was even more fascinating as we had our fmc Lesley connecting them all. I just find it so incredible how someone can take these small snippets from history and turn it a whole freaking novel!

Lesley and Willie were great main characters and I loved how their relationship grew. All of the stories they had to tell were so interesting, but it wasn’t until the halfway mark that everything started to connect and make sense and the story ramped up!! (Maybe this is a good reason not to read the synopsis though, so you don’t have this part spoilt for you!)

The setting was amazingly written! We’re in 1910s/20s Malaysia and the dynamic between the Englishmen and Malaysians was so fascinating to read about (I love learning).

I found the story a little hard to follow at times, but that is probably my own fault due to not knowing what the book was about lmao

I think this is one that you need to take your time with, fully immerse yourself in the story and the surroundings it puts you in!

Having read "The Garden of Evening Mists" of Tan Twan Eng before, I had high expectations for this novel. While it wasn't able to reach me on an emotional level as much as his previous work, I enjoyed it. The historical setting immersed me in the story, having real historical figures made it more realistic. The murder and hearing gave it an element of suspense without taking over the character study of Lesley and Willie. While story and characters were a nice backdrop; for me the book excels due to its language. I was immersed in the setting and always happy to dive back into Leslies life.

A beautifully written book that evokes the most stunning landscapes of Penang and uses gorgeous lyrical prose. The story focuses on 1920s Penang in the household of wealthy colonialist lawyer Robert and his wife Lesley, when famous writer Willie Somerset Maugham comes to stay with his employee, with whom he is having a homosexual affair. At first, Lesley is scandalised before realising the extent of Willie's unhappiness and the need to carve out a little happiness and be true to himself. Soon, Lesley feels compelled to open up regarding her own stories, which include a friendship with a famous revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat Sen and about her friend who was charged with murder. This novel brings up wonderful discussion points on colonialism, male dominance, a woman's position and role, and attitudes towards homosexuality and adultery. A wonderful audiobook listen, with dual narrators taking the POV of Lesley and Willie. #thehouseofdoors #tantwaneng #netgalley