Reviews

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

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evilhag6's review against another edition

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4.0

☹️

nighthawk's review against another edition

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5.0

a book so captivating it carried me through a 14-hour trip to the ER, gasping and sniffling and otherwise tiptoeing through mouldy mansions alongside two of my favorite written lesbians ever. i was foolish to wait so long to find sarah waters.

rachelselene's review against another edition

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1.0

i've heard good things about sarah waters, but i really just read this book because it was the basis for the handmaiden (2016). i'm still head over heels in love with that film, so i had high expectations for fingersmith.

my main impression of this book: tedious. i enjoyed part one and the beginning of part two, but after that it all went downhill. plot points are dragged out and it takes pages to accomplish anything; the plot itself becomes so convoluted that i gave up trying to understand it fully. this book is nothing but misfortune after misfortune, and it makes for a very dark reading. of course there's nothing wrong with a dark book, but there needs to be some sort of balance: give the characters one or two scenes of happiness, or, at the very least, lighten the mood a little. (i'm reminded of joss whedon: "make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of god, tell a joke.") there's none of that here, and even the ending didn't do it for me. waters did nothing to make me believe that sue and maud actually loved one another - and how can they, when their only truthful interaction occurs on the last two pages? i know it is intended as a hopeful reconciliation, but it felt forced to me.

i can't believe i'm saying this, but here it is: the movie was better than the book.

dirtmonster's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? No

4.0

shannenlc's review against another edition

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3.0

Fingersmith tells the story of an orphan pickpocket living in London who is roped into a scheme to steal a young lady’s fortune but is double crossed. The biggest misrepresentation of this book is that it is sapphic Dickens, IT IS NOT. Whilst there is a sapphic relationship, it's not central to the story and although it takes inspiration from Dickens (and many other classic novels) it's not comparable to or alike to Dickens in any other way, and to make this comparison gives people misguided exceptions and hopes going into it.

Thematically, there are some great things here particularly around mental illness in the Victorian period. It's clear that Water had done her research but there were still a lot of historical inaccuracies and anyone familiar historically with the period from their own knowledge or research will notice those inaccuracies. I did on multiple occasions and it sadly pulled me out of the book.

It's a very plot-heavy book with lots of twists and turns, so plot-driven readers may have fun with this one. Because the book is so heavily influenced by a lot of classic novels, those that are familiar with any of those novels may be able to predict aspects of the plot which does potentially create problems. The emphasis on plot is what turned me off the book most. It's soooo plot driven at the detriment of everything else. I was so sick and tired of the constant PLOT TWIST moments. The first one was fun, but after that it was tedious and annoying. Considering this almost 600 pages the plot dragged on and on and on and on and on and felt more and more contrived as it progressed. It felt like Waters was trying to pull the rug from under the reader just for the sheer fun of it and it didn't serve any real purpose.

I also have a lot of issues with just how heavily influenced the book is by other classics to the point that it feels like an imitation in parts. By doing this Waters set herself up to be directly compared to some of the literary greats like Dickens and Wilkie Collins, and that's setting oneself up for a great fall.

Spoiler

As a huge fan of The Woman in White I particularly struggled with how closely elements of the plot followed the novel.

The two main characters - Sue and Maud - feel like plot devices rather than actual human beings and are therefore are difficult to connect to. Their dynamic is compelling in Part 1, but after that is underdeveloped and contrived. As a character-driven reader this was a huge issue for me.

Essentially my biggest issue with Fingersmith is that it lacks substance. Whilst it's well-researched and written with some interesting themes, it attempts to stun and surprise the reader with epic twists and shocking plot elements

Spoiler

e.g. a young girl reading porn to a bunch of men, child abuse, identity switching, betrayal, murder, capital punishment etc.

simply to mask the fact that nothing much is going on beneath it.