Reviews

Enjoyable historical fiction, but way too long. We basically get the exact same story from two perspectives.. with the twist being that the guy who is roping both ladies into a swindling plot, turns out to be double crossing them. Yep, saw that coming from miles away, even reading it from the first perspective.

I only finished it because Sarah Waters can write very atmospherically.

shrugabug's review against another edition

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5.0

took me a while to get invested but once i did i literally could not put the book down

savaburry's review against another edition

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DNF @76%. I just do not care. I thought this was supposed to be a historical romance and that’s the way I’ve always heard people talking about it, but it’s really just a historical slog. There’s some slightly interesting parts at the beginning but at this point, I can barely tell who anyone is and I don’t even care to see how it finishes.

This is long and boring and there feels like virtually no plot. The little bit of plot I did comprehend has since left the building and again I just …there’s no reason for this to be this long and seeing as how it’s pretty much aromantic at this point, I have to put myself first.

It’s a character driven story but the characters are dull. I know it’s bad for me when I tried to read it and listen and neither format worked.

Sorry to the book club. I tried.

lemonem's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

laurenmulvi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

cstary's review against another edition

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5.0

I read this as a teen and rated it 4 stars. I don't know what was wrong with me a decade ago but this is so a 5 star book. It's actually improved upon a second and third reading as you see all the plot points coming together.

Spoilers below:

At first Maud seems eye-rollingly innocent and meek, which bugged me at first. Then the plot twist comes and it's awesome. You realize the character you've come to know is actually a lie and you get a hundred pages to re-meet Maud from her perspective. Despite their simultaneous scheming, Maud and Sue remain sympathetic throughout the novel and I kept rooting for the couple even as they tried to trick each other. I love that your expectations of the characters change--Sue starts out as a devious thief, and by the ending you realize what a doll she is. Maud is the meek innocent, and you realize she is anything but.

This book, to me, has the perfect combination of romance and plot. I'd describe it as a romance with a strong plot. This is probably my favorite lesbian novel yet, although I have a few more on my bookshelf.

Side note, the BBC series is worth a watch, as well as The Handmaiden adaptation. The BBC version is a faithful adaptation. The Handmaiden is a bit ridiculous at times (the sex scenes) but barring that, I enjoyed the alternate ending and setting.

odeocowboys's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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