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erpedraja's review
2.0
This started off strong, but I just felt it started dragging and eventually lost my interest of a result.
marlamorris's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
late-coming written thoughts on this,, but better late than never!
did enjoy this a lot! perhaps not as much as i enjoyed tipping the velvet but still very good ! v much full of 'its so over' -> 'we're so back' -> 'its so over' -> 'were so back' but it keeps you guessing! i liked the characters well enough and it was nice to have a version of the story from mauds pov in the second part of the book, but the fact that it goes back to sues pov and stays there for the rest of the book did frustrate me a little bit bc i felt like we needed to complete this doubling effect by going back to mauds pov again, but it didn't dampen my feelings at all towards the book!
the reveal that mr lilly was actually working ona collection of pornographic works came as a massive shock to me tbh but it actually added a lot more to mauds character for me, and the musings on pornography and how it affects mauds opinions and affection towards others to be really really interesting!! i thought that the way she sees the lead up to having sex with sue as a sort of script from one of mr lillys pornographic texts that sue falls into easily as actually kinda fascinating? combined with the ending where maud writes pornography (that she imbues w her longing for sue!!!) as a means of earning money , i felt there was something really compelling underlying the overarching thrill of the double cross and its fallout !
v much recommend ! cant wait to watch the handmaiden at some point too !
did enjoy this a lot! perhaps not as much as i enjoyed tipping the velvet but still very good ! v much full of 'its so over' -> 'we're so back' -> 'its so over' -> 'were so back' but it keeps you guessing! i liked the characters well enough and it was nice to have a version of the story from mauds pov in the second part of the book, but the fact that it goes back to sues pov and stays there for the rest of the book did frustrate me a little bit bc i felt like we needed to complete this doubling effect by going back to mauds pov again, but it didn't dampen my feelings at all towards the book!
the reveal that mr lilly was actually working on
v much recommend ! cant wait to watch the handmaiden at some point too !
rookiehedgewitch'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
joutha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Medical trauma
fendergender's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
5.0
WAHHHHHHHHH MY AGONIES!!!!
This is the fattest book i've read maybe ever but as a gigantic handmaiden fan discovering the differences between the og story and the theatrical one was such a deep delight. If i end up with a thimble tattoo it's NOT my fault okay.
This is the fattest book i've read maybe ever but as a gigantic handmaiden fan discovering the differences between the og story and the theatrical one was such a deep delight. If i end up with a thimble tattoo it's NOT my fault okay.
snotboy's review against another edition
5.0
absolutely captured by these sneaky little lesbians! swooned! this was so gripping and the pacing/ perspective switching was wonderful. i loved the details of the imagery and the motifs throughout, it was such a well done, well connected, and well wrapped up story. victorian lesbians in their silly outfits,,, they’re just like us! yearning!
lalalena's review
3.75
Entertaining and twisty, but wayyyyy longer than it needed to be. The conversations last longer than necessary and themes are relentlessly beat into the reader by offering up extremely detailed and slightly different versions of a given interaction.
Chop out like 20% of this and I'd highly recommend it.
Chop out like 20% of this and I'd highly recommend it.
becca_624's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.75
tomleetang's review against another edition
4.0
An homage to Dickens that focuses squarely on the female Victorian experience through its two women narrators, who are joined together by the kind of fantastical plot device that feels distinctly 19th Century.
Having recently read the Victorian-set The Crimson Petal and the White, there are some notable similarities - the looming horror of the madhouse, the narrowly circumscribed sphere of feminine life - but also some differences in style and purpose. Compared to The Crimson Petal, Fingersmith is more carefully plotted, more sensual than sexual, more dedicated to exploring its female characters (the men are reduced to ciphers, mere villains and perverts, the inverse of the criticisms levelled at Dickens' female characters); London is a central character in The Crimson Petal, whereas Fingersmith ventures into isolated asylums and eerie country houses.
This novel also addresses an issue that continues to plague society today: in a world where men (for the most part) have written the rules, women are often forced to turn on one other in order to advance. This is true throughout most of Fingersmith, before it wraps up with comforting scenes of female unity.
I finished feeling somewhat ambivalent about this novel. While I greatly enjoyed it, I couldn't help feeling that Sarah Waters relies principally on clever pastiche, which feels less fresh than the iconoclastic approach that characterises Michel Faber's Crimson Petal (a less subtle but more modern book). But for any lover of the Victorian novel, as indeed I am, this is a worthwhile way to spend your reading hours.
Having recently read the Victorian-set The Crimson Petal and the White, there are some notable similarities - the looming horror of the madhouse, the narrowly circumscribed sphere of feminine life - but also some differences in style and purpose. Compared to The Crimson Petal, Fingersmith is more carefully plotted, more sensual than sexual, more dedicated to exploring its female characters (the men are reduced to ciphers, mere villains and perverts, the inverse of the criticisms levelled at Dickens' female characters); London is a central character in The Crimson Petal, whereas Fingersmith ventures into isolated asylums and eerie country houses.
This novel also addresses an issue that continues to plague society today: in a world where men (for the most part) have written the rules, women are often forced to turn on one other in order to advance. This is true throughout most of Fingersmith, before it wraps up with comforting scenes of female unity.
I finished feeling somewhat ambivalent about this novel. While I greatly enjoyed it, I couldn't help feeling that Sarah Waters relies principally on clever pastiche, which feels less fresh than the iconoclastic approach that characterises Michel Faber's Crimson Petal (a less subtle but more modern book). But for any lover of the Victorian novel, as indeed I am, this is a worthwhile way to spend your reading hours.
joelle99's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75