Reviews

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

yarrowkat's review against another edition

5.0

this one is SO much fun. quick, complex, with great plotting once it gets rolling, and authentically complex characters. and it's such a relief to read well-written fiction with gay people in it that is not *about* gayness. due somewhat to the complex setting, it takes a bit to get rolling, but once Waters hits her stride, this is a first-rate intrigue novel.

noemieblue's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

sinnymonbunz's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.5

vonock's review

challenging dark 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

4.5

"“I give myself up to darkness; and wish I may never again be required to lift my head to the light.”
This book is at times thrilling, shocking, heartbreaking, despairing, desolate and romantic. A real rollercoaster, and one of my most compelling reads of the year.

natelley's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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

alpacawallop's review against another edition

5.0

I have been reading a lot of books lately and none of them compare to how Fingersmith just -grabbed- my attention and kept it throughout the whole book. I found myself skimming ahead and needing to put it down just to remember to breathe.

The suspense is delightful. I brought this book everywhere with me to sneak a few extra minutes of reading. The twists are amazing and while I should have guessed they were going to happen, I was completely caught off guard.... and it was GREAT!

sabrinabarkouli's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

haveagoodone's review against another edition

mysterious 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

3.5

bookish_manatee's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-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? Yes

4.5

teresatumminello's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this book very much -- the characterizations, dialogue and writing style are all wonderful. The descriptions of sounds and smells are refreshing and unique, but always spot-on.

I especially enjoyed Part 2 after reading Part 1. Much of Part 2 is the same story as Part 1 but told from the viewpoint of another character, but it's not repetitive and always fascinating. Part 3, though it raced by, seemed to me weaker in comparison to Part 2.

If you've read Wilkie Collins' [b:The Woman in White|5890|The Woman in White|Wilkie Collins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1295661017s/5890.jpg|1303710], you will recognize a lot of the elements from his novel in this story, but I found that made this book even richer.

Besides the strong writing style, there's a subtle theme about the power of written words (much of it, for bad) that for me elevates this book from being merely a plot-driven story.