From the Bookshelf of Reading Through the Ages…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought

4.5 stars
I’ve been wanting to read Sarah Waters for some time and thought I may as well start at the beginning of her writing career. I have to admit I wasn’t that interested in reading about the music hall scene of the mid nineteenth century but got drawn into the people and the period and the narrative of Nancy King and in the end couldn’t put it down.
A fairly traditional story of a young girl leaving her coastal fishing village for a life in London with her love, becomes so much more as in am ...more
I’ve been wanting to read Sarah Waters for some time and thought I may as well start at the beginning of her writing career. I have to admit I wasn’t that interested in reading about the music hall scene of the mid nineteenth century but got drawn into the people and the period and the narrative of Nancy King and in the end couldn’t put it down.
A fairly traditional story of a young girl leaving her coastal fishing village for a life in London with her love, becomes so much more as in am ...more

I kindly received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Firstly, I can't believe this novel is 20 yrs old! And secondly, I can't believe I hadn't yet read it. I've read a few of Sarah Waters' novels before and have always been very impressed. I think you're hard pressed to find her equal in character and plot development. The opening few paragraphs in this novel are some of the most atmospheric and emotive I've come across in quite some time. I could almost ...more
Firstly, I can't believe this novel is 20 yrs old! And secondly, I can't believe I hadn't yet read it. I've read a few of Sarah Waters' novels before and have always been very impressed. I think you're hard pressed to find her equal in character and plot development. The opening few paragraphs in this novel are some of the most atmospheric and emotive I've come across in quite some time. I could almost ...more

This one is a bit hard to rate. I loved the first and third part, but absolutely hated the middle part. The writing also could have used some editing, since I found myself thinking from time to time "oh boy, I don't need to know, how many steps and turns you're taking to get to your room!" and similar thoughts like that.
The topic and the story is definitely worth reading and of course Sarah Waters did a great job depicting, that there was LGBQ+ life before the end of the 20th Century.
I'll defia ...more
The topic and the story is definitely worth reading and of course Sarah Waters did a great job depicting, that there was LGBQ+ life before the end of the 20th Century.
I'll defia ...more

Months ago I stumbled upon Tipping the Velvet in a list for recommendations in LGBT+ books. I made a note of it but forgot about it. Jump to about two weeks ago to when I watched the movie The Handmaiden, directed by Park Chan Wook. I loved it and thought it was one of the best things I've seen in a really long time. While looking up facts on the movie I saw that the film was based on another by Sarah Waters, Fingersmith. Fingersmith is definitely a book I want to get into sometime soon, but I d
...more

Feb 23, 2018
Ceil2000
marked it as to-read

Apr 22, 2018
Judith
marked it as maybe-to-read

Sep 23, 2018
Sarah Mari
marked it as to-read

Nov 30, 2018
Donna
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
4-star-reads,
sarah-waters

Jan 31, 2019
Francesca Romana
marked it as to-read

Jan 22, 2020
Soetkin
marked it as to-read