Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

6 reviews

maddramaqueen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Homophobia, Rape, Sexism, Grief, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Classism, Drug use, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Outing, Ableism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Body shaming, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Cursing, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, and Fatphobia

nicnymh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

It’s a good book in that it was well written, but as a book that is constantly touted as strong queer representation I was disappointed and a little horrified. Readers looking for healthy functional sapphic relationships or storylines should run in the opposite direction. Reads like it was written by a violent man who hates women, especially lesbians. Intense and pervasive sexual harassment of a teen by a family member, grooming and predator behavior. It’s intense, be warned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Mental illness, Classism, Murder, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Slavery

clovelatte's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Ableism, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Pregnancy, Addiction, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexism, Violence, and Abandonment

sherbertwells's review

adventurous emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

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

3.0

“My name, in those days, was Susan Trinder” 

When the leader of my local GSA suggested reading Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, her one-word pitch was “Dickensian.” After reading the book, I find this comparison less than apt: what makes a book “Dickensian” in the first place? The weird names? The reversals of fortune and revelations of inheritance? The emphasis on morality? Fingersmith has all of those and more.

But despite his authorial virtues, Charles Dickens could not have written Fingersmith for the simple reason that it’s too gay for his Vicotrian sensibilities. The novel’s premise—an experienced criminal named “Gentleman” recruits a naïve girl for the con of a lifetime—is a mere tchotchke in Dickens’ wheelhouse. But none of his corseted (albeit progressive) stories would allow Susan Trinder and Maud Lilly to fall in love. Nor would they be written from Sue’s earnest, slangy first-person perspective. The credit for this style belongs entirely to Sarah Waters, the Welsh novelist who has made queer historical fiction her bread and butter.

Known for sapphic Victorian adventures like Tipping the Velvet and Affinity, Waters expands on the best aspect of Dickens: his combination of humor and empathy. Her characters, especially Sue and the maternal fence Mrs. Sucksby, are surprisingly nuanced and she includes lots of writerly flourishes that make the reading experience enjoyable. Take the scene where Gentleman teaches Sue how to “dress” a chair:

“He squatted at the side of the chair and smoothed his fingers over the bullying skirts; then he dipped his hand beneath them, reaching high into the layers of silk. He did it so neatly, it looked to me as if he knew his way, all right; and as he reached higher his cheek grew pink, the silk gave a rustle, the crinoline bucked, the chair quivered hard upon the kitchen floor, the joints of its legs faintly shrieking. Then it was still” (34)

Sexy, right?*

Besides the desire for queer representation, the main draw of Waters’ books is their author. Like Dickens, Sarah Waters is a brand—but not one I’m terribly interested in buying. Fingersmith is a fun story but not a particularly great one.

If you grew up on Six of Crows and are ready for something more adult or are a Useless Lesbian™ looking for a heroine like yourself, you might enjoy Fingersmith or the rest of Waters’ catalog. Her books are cool. They’re twisty. They’re gay as heck.

But don’t call them “Dickensian.”

*I have no idea if this is sexy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Violence, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexual content, Homophobia, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape

Mrs. Sucksby runs a "baby farm," a Victorian business that cares for babies and occasionally sells them.

marionhoney's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts

hardy314's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I truly adored this book. The characters had great chemistry, the central mystery and twists were interesting and enjoyable, and the ending is satisfying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, and Confinement

Moderate: Addiction, Incest, and Drug use