Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

7 reviews

zeus_strider's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Death, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Rape, and Misogyny

Minor: Child death, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Blood, and Abandonment

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

angelacoz's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, Bullying, and Gaslighting

Minor: Drug abuse, Murder, Torture, Cursing, Medical content, Mental illness, Classism, Toxic friendship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

erynlasbelin's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

5.0

There aren't enough stars for this book. The writing is gorgeous: the historical elements are well done, the atmosphere is vivid, and the two protagonists have such distinct voices. All the primary characters are complex, realistic, frustrating, sympathetic - even the villains. And the twists! I can't remember the last time a novel kept me on the edge of my seat like this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Ableism, Child death, and Sexual content

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, and Homophobia

colleensreadingadventures's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.0

I read Fingersmith several years back in 2020, but I forgot most of the story so hearing it again the second time around was almost like I was listening to it for the first time. Things seemed familiar but then there were so many twists I forgot about that I was sucker punched more than once in a big way! 

There is a little house in London in the Mid 1800’s where Mrs. Sucksby and Mr. Ibbs live. Mrs. Sucksby is quite the fiend for a woman, she is a baby farmer that takes in babies to sell to the highest bidder to families who are unable to conceive or as servants to others. She also houses a ring of petty thieves (aka Fingersmiths) with Mr. Ibbs, who is in charge of purchasing and sales of all stolen goods.

Sue is one of the Fingersmith’s that was taken in by Mrs. Sucksby as a new born. Unlike all the other children Mrs. Sucksby kept Sue and treated her just like she was her own in every way. Sue now a young woman wants to repay the favor so when Gentleman, one of Mrs. Sucksby and Mr. Ibb’s beloved thief’s comes to visit Sue decides to help him with a con.

He takes Sue to an out of the way town 40 miles away from London as a lady’s maid for Maud Lilly. Maud Lilly is young woman who was orphaned at birth and sent to live with her Uncle at an early age. Let’s just say Maud’s life didn’t get any easier at her uncle’s estate and I wouldn’t want that man as my uncle. Maud’s family has money so Gentleman has set his sights on wooing Ms. Lilly into marriage for her fortune and then sending her off to the mad house to be disposed of. But he needs Sue’s help to convince her he is the perfect man. 

Sue is all in and can’t wait to split her money with Mrs. Sucksby for all her kindness, but Sue begins to feel sorry for the innocent Ms. Lilly and eventually develops feelings of sort for Maud that she was not expecting, and she’s not sure what to do any longer.

But all is not what it seems in this tale of deceit and turning tables and there is no way of knowing who the real villain(s) might be.

I think I enjoyed this much more the second time around and really got into the story. It is told in Sue & Maud’s dual POV’s and is both a character and plot driven story. I can’t go into too much detail or I will spill some secrets that made this book so shocking. But I will let you know one thing, NO ONE is what they seem to be. So expect quite a few twists. And also one of my favorite characters was Dainty, who was actually a minor one. If you’ve read it you might understand why I feel that way. She turned out to be the hero of the book in my opinion. 

It is quite a long story and it had parts that dragged a bit but the shocks made up for it. And overall Fingersmith was a worthwhile, interesting read. I’d say even for some who do not always enjoy historical fiction like myself to give it a try, it might surprise you. 

I’m definitely uping my previous rating from 3-4 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Mental illness

Minor: Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Toxic friendship

becksusername's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

I took too long to get to it and had to return to library and place a new hold. 

When the perspective first changed to Maud's I got bored for a while, but other than that, this book was so good!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Death of parent, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse, Classism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

imaginethehours's review

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Murder, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, and Blood

Minor: Lesbophobia and Sexual assault