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Nadine in NY Jones
... But tonight, all things are out of their order, all my patterns have been disturbed. My liberty beckons: gauge-less, fearful, inevitable as death.

I sleep, and dream I am moving, swiftly, in a high-prowed boat, upon a dark and silent water.


The old England thing and the poor little pickpocket waif have never really been my favorite themes, but this gets such rave reviews, I thought I should check it out and see if Sarah Waters is an author I should be reading.

I am pleased that I didn't re
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Ryan
Jun 30, 2016 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fiction, 2016
This feels a lot like Dickens for people who don't like Dickens, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. A beautiful walk through the muck, where low folk get glimpses of a better life and realize just how much is required of them to climb the ladder. There's love at the centre of this book...but it's certainly not a conventional love story.

...No gloves were harmed in the writing of this novel.
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mstan
Aug 01, 2011 rated it really liked it
Utterly captivating and unexpected, this story is Dickens/Bronte with a twist: a dessicated uncle collects pornography/erotica purely as an intellectual hobby/compulsion; two women transcend class differences in more ways than one and fall in love with each other; duplicity awaits at every turn; thieves and madwomen lose and find their identities.
Suvi
At some parts the story dragged and overall the book could have been a lot shorter but I nevertheless enjoyed it. The mental institution part was creepy. To think that someone sane could actually be stuck in such a place... Who wouldn't eventually become crazy? ...more
Rajivi
Jun 28, 2007 rated it really liked it
Ching-In
Jun 04, 2008 marked it as to-read
Ashley
Sep 01, 2008 marked it as to-read
Isabel
Jun 14, 2009 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Sarah
Oct 12, 2009 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Terri FL
Aug 27, 2010 added it
Shelves: read2003
Sarah
Aug 30, 2010 marked it as wishlist  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: whodunnit, kindle
Pamela
Apr 05, 2011 rated it it was amazing
Sheila
Jun 05, 2011 rated it really liked it
alana
Jun 27, 2012 marked it as to-read
Vicky
Sep 09, 2012 marked it as to-read
Shelves: lesbians, novel
Erica
Jun 26, 2013 marked it as to-read
Becca
Aug 13, 2013 marked it as to-read
Amanda
Jul 11, 2015 marked it as to-read
Shelves: fiction, 1001, women
Katy
Aug 09, 2015 rated it really liked it
Shelves: lgbt
Phoebe
Apr 01, 2018 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Jen
Nov 11, 2018 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Gaelyn
Sep 09, 2019 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Harvey
Aug 17, 2021 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Anie
Aug 30, 2021 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Jennifer
Jan 02, 2022 marked it as not-reading  ·  review of another edition
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