Reviews

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

jimbowen0306's review

3.0

With some books it's hard to write a review without giving away some of the story. This book is just such a book.

In it, Susan Trinder, a "girl from the wrong side of the tracks" (Borough in London), teams up with a "well to do friend" of her "aunts," to separate a naive heiress from her money. Along the way there's cross and double-cross as the two heroines (you'll be rooting for both by the end), the "well to do friend" and the "aunt" all vie for the cash.

The story night seem clever, but I wasn't convinced. Maybe it's because I'm a man (many of the positive review are from women). Maybe it's because I've read a lot of crime fiction (and so could guess the story), but I didn't buy into the premiss of this book, or the "double cross" on which it turns (I could see it coming from the moment the "set up" was introduced).

So in short I was underwhelmed by the crux of the story. It's well written. The descriptions of Victorian London were interesting. The core story, however, dragged. Couple this with the fact that one of the heroines wasn't particularly pleasant during the important second third of the book, and the book was lessened for me.

amy7ee's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

3.75

seyoban's review

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bbbrttt's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

a21ny's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

al_sharnaqi's review against another edition

3.0

This book is absolutely astonishing! At least, that's what I initially thought. From the very beginning, I was captivated by the story, even though I didn't know much about it. The opening chapters were written in such an incredible way. It continued like that until the end of part one, which left me completely shocked! However, part two came along and diminished much of the amazement I had felt. I started to feel uneasy with the overly descriptive words that filled the chapters. Finally, part three arrived with its heaviness. I couldn't bear to continue reading any longer. In fact, I found myself skipping pages without missing the main storyline, as it became overloaded with unnecessary words and sentences. Eventually, I gave up before even starting the last chapter, chapter 17. I ended up reading a summary of it online... which made me wonder, isn't this book overrated?

tiredtansy's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

katykat_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lady_wallflower_reads's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

3.0

daja57's review against another edition

3.0

Sue, brought up among thieves, is sent as a maid to a posh house as part of a plan to steal the fortune of an heiress. Set in mid to late Victorian times and with settings of a thieves' kitchen, a stately home and a lunatic asylum, there is a very Dickensian feel to this novel. It is big and slow-moving, taking time to build the characters, all of whom and beautifully drawn (in contrast to Dickens whose eccentrics are more picturesque but less convincing). The thoroughness of the story-telling meant that, for me, the story dragged a little in the second part (when the events of the first part are more or less repeated from the perspective of a different protagonist and so there is little 'new' stuff). But the ending of the first part had a brilliant twist I completely failed to see coming.

There are moments of pin-point-perfect description: "The moon struck the rushes of the further bank, and made spears of them, with wicked points ... I saw the oars dip and rise, and scatter coins of moonlight." and there are moments straight out of Dickens: "You think you've torments ... Have these knuckles for an hour - have these thumbs. Here's torments, with mustard on. Here's torments, with whips."

A large and slow-moving book with a very Dickensian feeling for the period.

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize.