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4th out of 361 books
—
347 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Fingersmith
by
Sarah Waters
In Victorian England, an orphan girl is sent to a country estate to work for-and ultimately woo-its young heiress, on behalf of a mysterious benefactor known as Gentleman.
Paperback, 548 pages
Published
October 1st 2002
by Riverhead Trade
(first published January 1st 2002)
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lesbian dickens!
now that i have your attention... dana has been bugging me to write a review of this for the longest time, and now that she is on vacation and out of my path for ten minutes (seriously - the girl moved to my town just so she could stand under my window all night calling "hey!! heyyy!! write a review for fingersmith! come on, you know you want to!!")
every night.
so, now that i have a little breathing room, i will do my best.
...more
now that i have your attention... dana has been bugging me to write a review of this for the longest time, and now that she is on vacation and out of my path for ten minutes (seriously - the girl moved to my town just so she could stand under my window all night calling "hey!! heyyy!! write a review for fingersmith! come on, you know you want to!!")
every night.
so, now that i have a little breathing room, i will do my best.
...more
Fingersmith packs quite a few twists and surprises.
At first, after reading the book's plot summary, I expected it to be a rompish, Les Liaisons Dangereuses-like adventure. 17-year old Susan Trinder, a foster kid in a family of fingersmiths (thieves), is recruited to act as a lady's maid to equally young and wealthy Maud Lilly. Susan's role in the devious scheme is to gently push this naive and simple-minded girl into the arms of Mr. Rivers, strip Ms. Lilly of her inheritance and then...more
At first, after reading the book's plot summary, I expected it to be a rompish, Les Liaisons Dangereuses-like adventure. 17-year old Susan Trinder, a foster kid in a family of fingersmiths (thieves), is recruited to act as a lady's maid to equally young and wealthy Maud Lilly. Susan's role in the devious scheme is to gently push this naive and simple-minded girl into the arms of Mr. Rivers, strip Ms. Lilly of her inheritance and then...more
I have to admit that throughout almost all of Fingersmith the main random thoughts sweeping across the desolate land of my mind were along the lines of: WTF? WHAT? WHAT DID JUST HAPPEN?
This is an intricate, ambitious, original, jaw-dropping, gut-punching, heart-wrenching plot for which I will NOT give you a synopsis. First, because I wouldn't know where to start from and second because it's better for you if you know NOTHING about it. Then you'll have my same random thoughts, as stated...more
This is an intricate, ambitious, original, jaw-dropping, gut-punching, heart-wrenching plot for which I will NOT give you a synopsis. First, because I wouldn't know where to start from and second because it's better for you if you know NOTHING about it. Then you'll have my same random thoughts, as stated...more
Sarah Waters is one of my very favorite contemporary author and this is my favorite of all of her novels - less frivolous than Tipping the Velvet, but less grim than Affinity - both of which I loved. This one is just as compulsively readable as those - I tore through it in 3 days. I think it's a must-read for fans of sensational Victorian literature. You'll find a lot of reviews comparing Waters to Dickens and of course I see the connection - what with all the orphans, villains, mad houses, biz...more
While not as sexy as Tipping the Velvet, this book is a gripping read. I envy any reader their first trip through the story, because you will never guess what's going on or what's going to happen next. Perfectly plotted, brilliantly realized. Unfortunately, Sarah Waters' most recent book is rather a snore, and in her next book she's promised to abandon writing about lesbian characters all together ('cause the world of heterosexuality isn't yet well-documented. Sorry to be so bitter, but it ma...more
I had high expectations of this: firstly, the one other book I've read by the author - The Little Stranger - is one of my absolute favourites, and secondly, I'd heard/read endless positive reviews of Fingersmith prior to reading it. It's the latter point that spurred me on to finally get round to it, as the plot didn't pique my interest in the same way The Little Stranger's post-war psuedo-ghost-story did. Fingersmith is set in Victorian England, and tells the tale of two teenage girls - both ap...more
"There are always novels that you envy people for not yet having read, for the pleasure they still have to come. Well, this is one. Long, dark, twisted and satisfying, it’s a fabulous piece of writing…and unforgettable experience.” Julie Myerson, Guardian
Fingersmith was my choice for book club (2008). As always, I deliberated endlessly over what to choose and wanted to pick something off my ‘to read’ shelf. Despite the book’s length, reviews had promised a page-turner and they w...more
Fingersmith was my choice for book club (2008). As always, I deliberated endlessly over what to choose and wanted to pick something off my ‘to read’ shelf. Despite the book’s length, reviews had promised a page-turner and they w...more
Character is a fascinating thing, and not many authors can top Waters' ability to create character through dialogue. She also zooms in on details: the sound of a man rubbing his fingers along his unshaved chin, the pop from a fireplace that comes at just the appropriate moment--Waters can do it all. She's able to take point-of-view to a new level-- look over here, now here, now here. It's amazing.
Almost everything about this book is perfection. I love the zipper effect of the f...more
Almost everything about this book is perfection. I love the zipper effect of the f...more
It's the full five stars for this wonderful novel that catches elements of Dickens and strands of the gothic tradition, weaves them together with varying viewpoints and counter-opinions, throws in a lesbian subplot (of course, it is Sarah Waters writing) and ultimately serves up one of the very best novels I have ever read.
It lost out to Life Of Pi for the Booker Prize, and such is the quality of Fingersmith, that Life Of Pi has jumped up my reading list. If it's better than this... ...more
It lost out to Life Of Pi for the Booker Prize, and such is the quality of Fingersmith, that Life Of Pi has jumped up my reading list. If it's better than this... ...more
A friend knocked on my door one evening and I answered, looking disheveled and I think a bit frightened. She asked me what was wrong, if she had interrupted something. I said no, that I had just been reading Fingersmith and I was really stressed out because now I had to leave the house and didn't know what was going to happen next. And that is basically how this book took over my life (in a good way).
Sue is an orphan who lives in London in a house of petty thieves. A con man known as...more
Sue is an orphan who lives in London in a house of petty thieves. A con man known as...more
WOW! This book is so damn good! It is one of those great books that I couldn't put down, because I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but I found myself stopping to admire the writing as well. It has a rich Dickensian style, both in language and plot. The big difference being that this is a Dickensian tale of Victorian London, through the modern eyes of a feminist and lesbian. It deconstructs the darker aspects of literary England in that period, and tells the tale of two young wome...more
Kristina
rated it
Recommends it for:
19th C-lit lovers who've read all of Dickens
Shelves:
neo-victorian,
favorites
This is one of my favorite novels of all time. Yes, Sarah Waters writes bestsellers, and I admit to being a snob about that sometimes, but I love Tipping the Velvet and Affinity, too. She perfectly captures the atmosphere of a Dickens or (perhaps more accurately) Wilkie Collins novel, but is able to say what those novelists could obviously only allude to. While still retaining some of the restraint that seems accurate for the period, the plot is very fast-paced and chock-full of all of the wonde...more
Tara
rated it
Recommends it for:
people who like unexpected plot twists, Victorian & Gothic elements
Shelves:
favorites
If you've read the reviews for this book below, then you know that this book is on almost everyone's "favorite" list, and for good reason. This is my #1 favorite book (a tie to Jane Eyre, which is certainly hard to beat). I read this novel several years ago and have since loaned out 3 copies to friends only to never get them back. I am, in fact, due for another copy -- because I must have one of my own on the shelves!
Essentially, Fingersmith is everything I could possibly w...more
Essentially, Fingersmith is everything I could possibly w...more
This book, although written by a modern living author, is written beautifully in the language of the Victorians. (I despise reading pretend Victorian era prose by modern writers).
The story begins a little too much in the way the classic of 'the Secret Garden' did but it soon heats up with mystery regarding how a big mansion is ran. I would so not call this lesbian literature. Very few moments of describing adventures between two women. But the story is about love!
The story begins a little too much in the way the classic of 'the Secret Garden' did but it soon heats up with mystery regarding how a big mansion is ran. I would so not call this lesbian literature. Very few moments of describing adventures between two women. But the story is about love!
a real page turner--thriller. campy, tragic, sensual. written in a victorian pen, waters knows this writing. great book. lesbian themes. deception. poverty.
This is my favorite book that I read this year. My heart was actually pounding while reading it, and I lost two nights sleep because I HAD to read what happened next.
Don't read too much about this book, just read it.
Don't read too much about this book, just read it.
I read The Little Stranger last year and was left feeling rather cold. I had massively high expectations from the book and although it was fantastically written and definitely grasped my attention and held it until the end, I was unsatisfied with the ending and a few sections of the book left me a bit bewildered.
When I vocalised this, quite a few people told me to read Fingersmith and other works, and not to give up! I am SO glad I did because this is the first 5* I have given a book...more
When I vocalised this, quite a few people told me to read Fingersmith and other works, and not to give up! I am SO glad I did because this is the first 5* I have given a book...more
I just adored this book. It's been a while since I read a book that I couldn't stop thinking about when it was closed.
I was recommended this book by a friend after a discussion on "Wilkie Collins-The Woman in White".
I have absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who has a love of gothic novels-you will not be disappointed!
I had to wait to read this book as I found it wasn`t a book that I wanted to put down,it demanded to be read in great swathes of time so that I bacame completely submerged in it`s world,a bit like Sue Trinder in hers.(you will understand this comment i...more
I have absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who has a love of gothic novels-you will not be disappointed!
I had to wait to read this book as I found it wasn`t a book that I wanted to put down,it demanded to be read in great swathes of time so that I bacame completely submerged in it`s world,a bit like Sue Trinder in hers.(you will understand this comment i...more
Sarah Waters is a wonderfully gifted storyteller. I've only read two of her book so far: this one, and The Little Stranger. The two are quite different from each other. Fingersmith is more detailed and complicated, with richer and more dynamic characters and a tidier conclusion. But that, in my opinion, doesn't necessarily make The Little Stranger a lesser book. The Little Stranger is meant to be more vague, as the vagueness of story and characters adds to the eeriness and mystery of the nove...more
I'm a bit surprised at just how many positive reviews Fingersmith has recieved here. Don't get me wrong--I enjoyed reading it. I didn't have to push myself to get through any part of the novel. But, I felt like the first plot twist was so completely out-of-the-blue that I was actually angry at Waters for it. The rest seemed to flow more smoothly, almost to the point of predicability, had I given myself time to predict before finishing the book.
I also felt like the characters were more fla...more
I also felt like the characters were more fla...more
Started reading Fingersmith today (September 26,2010) after I did a brief preview some days ago. October 1, 2010 -Just finished. Mulling over the book. Perhaps more later, thoroughly enjoyed the read.
Boring. Just boring. Painfully painfully boring. Are you willing to slough through 592 pages of wanna-be Victorian writing for a couple of plot twists and lesbian sex scenes?
Half the damn book was Waters narrating in excruciating detail who blushed when. Or, as she puts it, whose "face coloured" when. Note the 'u' in colored. That means that it's a classy British book and not at all a bland excuse to foist a little bit of bean-fiddling on those who are too repressed ...more
Half the damn book was Waters narrating in excruciating detail who blushed when. Or, as she puts it, whose "face coloured" when. Note the 'u' in colored. That means that it's a classy British book and not at all a bland excuse to foist a little bit of bean-fiddling on those who are too repressed ...more
I dunno, guys. This is...not trashier, but shallower than I expected. It is basically a bloated Elmore Leonard caper novel in Victorian clothing, with a feminist POV and a deceptively dour tone. It's not bad at all, but I was expecting something meatier. The length isn't really justified, either; after a dynamite first act it gets seriously draggy in the remaining two thirds. OTOH, the period milieu is totally convincing and the dialogue is great. But I wouldn't give this more than a shrugging h...more
JChipol
added it
This book is a dark and thrilling adventure, reminiscent of a Dickensian novel set within the world of thievery and double crossers. It is difficult to review a book such as this without giving away the plot, but suffice to say that throughout the book you question just whose word to trust and which description of the facts is the 'truth'.
This book was highly recommended to me by a very good friend and I can see why she enjoyed it so much. I had previously read Affinity and this book is equally...more
This book was highly recommended to me by a very good friend and I can see why she enjoyed it so much. I had previously read Affinity and this book is equally...more
Sue Trinder is an orphan who, at 17, is an accomplished fingersmith--pickpcket -in Victorian London. Her foster mother Mrs. Sucksby, has always treated Sue like a daughter, protecting her from the more violent aspects of life in the Borough, a section of London that is home to the very poor as well as thieves of all stripes. The household includes Mr Ibbs, a fence for the stolen goods that flow regularly through the house, Dainty, John, and a variety of infants, because Mrs. Sucksby runs an inf...more
Feathzzz
rated it
I didn't see the twist coming but despite being taken by surprise by that the book was super-boring up to that point. There was too much dragged out, mundane detail before any action really got started, even if it's to your taste you have to admit the story's very slow-paced.
I understand it's all very well written character and relationship development and the slow pace is to make it feel realistic. It was well done, just for some reason I wasn't digging it.
If you like ...more
I understand it's all very well written character and relationship development and the slow pace is to make it feel realistic. It was well done, just for some reason I wasn't digging it.
If you like ...more
I told a friend, with whom I often converse about reading material, that I was reading this book by Sarah Waters, and asked her if she knew the author. She replied "Lesbians in the Victorian Era?" Bingo. Lesbians + Victorian England + plot twists = Sarah Waters.
But not to say that this novel should be reduced to a stereotype of the author's oeuvre. I enjoyed it, as I enjoyed her other novels I've read. Waters seems to me an ideal historian who writes fiction; her novels creat...more
But not to say that this novel should be reduced to a stereotype of the author's oeuvre. I enjoyed it, as I enjoyed her other novels I've read. Waters seems to me an ideal historian who writes fiction; her novels creat...more
From Bosom Friends: Lesbian Historical Fiction http://lesbianhistoricalfiction.blogspot...
A tale of double cross and triple cross set in the mid-1800s in England, this novel is told in first person by two different women, Sue and Maud, alternately, very effectively stripping each swindle layer by layer.
Sue comes from a criminal background, the unofficially adopted daughter of Mrs. Suxby, the mater familias of a household of pickpockets (fingersmiths) and receivers of stolen g...more
A tale of double cross and triple cross set in the mid-1800s in England, this novel is told in first person by two different women, Sue and Maud, alternately, very effectively stripping each swindle layer by layer.
Sue comes from a criminal background, the unofficially adopted daughter of Mrs. Suxby, the mater familias of a household of pickpockets (fingersmiths) and receivers of stolen g...more
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mostly Lesfic: Fingersmith Buddy Read | 52 | 16 | 7 hours, 39 min ago | |
| Fingersmith: There's something about Agnes! | 4 | 70 | Nov 20, 2011 03:44pm | |
| A little disappointing | 12 | 110 | Nov 18, 2011 04:54pm |
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Sarah Waters is a British novelist. She is best known for her first novel, Tipping the Velvet, as well the novels that followed, including Affinity, Fingersmith, and The Night Watch.
Waters attended university, and earned degrees in English literature. Before writing novels, Waters worked as an academic, earning a doctorate and teaching. Waters went directly from her doctoral thesis to her fi...more
More about Sarah Waters...
Waters attended university, and earned degrees in English literature. Before writing novels, Waters worked as an academic, earning a doctorate and teaching. Waters went directly from her doctoral thesis to her fi...more
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“We have a name for your disease. We call it a hyper-aesthetic one. You have been encouraged to over-indulge yourself in literature; and have inflamed your organs of fancy.”
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36 people liked it
“It's a curious, wanting thing.”
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