Reviews

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

purpleronie's review against another edition

4.0

Very surprising

Though a little slow to start and finish it had some very good twists and turns I did not see coming!

bestknownfor's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

everdeen841's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

I love everything about this book! The story is so well written and I live for all the plot twists, didn't see one coming! 

The only thing I was struggeling with was that the book is so slow-paced. I took so long until there was some action, but because of this you will love the characters more and more and will try to understand them. So it was good for something, just hard for me to get trough the book. 

jodieorange's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

leichamoo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

hollyway'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Sarah Waters is truly an astounding talent. The Paying Guests was one of my favourites last year, and now Fingersmith is my first 5 star read of this year (excluding re-reads). I watched The Handmaiden a few years ago which is how I discovered Sarah Waters in the first place. This meant that I knew the main plot/twists going in, and at first that kept me at a bit of a distance. But the way Waters builds tension, crafts nuanced characters and conjures up an atmosphere quickly swept me up and left me unable to do anything the past few days but read. This book is what I love about reading, and just like her last book, also makes me want to write again. It is such a rare treat to get truly absorbed into a story like this yet Waters has pulled it off twice now. I'm praying she will release a book on writing one day because I want to learn everything she knows!!

doritobabe's review against another edition

5.0

4.5

Solid novel. I'd been wanting to read this for years. It took me awhile as it is a very long slow burn of a novel; a ton of layers went into building this story.

In retrospect, I find it interesting that the struggle of being LGBTQA+ wasn't revealed or the driver of this story. Instead, the focus was placed on despicable people conducting despicable acts to one another. This was the better decision, in my mind. Are the character's decisions and their acts based in class struggle and subsequent warfare, or is Waters speaking to the underlying "evil"/maliciousness that can exist in us all? Is this what makes us human instead of our good intentions? Hmm..

drlark's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

4.5

I can't quite give this a 5* because I don't think the book needed to be as long as it was, given that the entire story takes place in less than a year, and some of the scenes felt way too long in the final third of the book, right when the plot should be picking up. BUT. Fingersmith is near perfection. I've never read anything quite likes this -- a slow-burn, queer, Dickensian thriller. Like *chef's kiss*, wow.

A good-hearted daughter of thieves, Sue, gets roped into a scheme to rob a young heiress, Maud, of her fortune by helping the dastardly Gentleman marry her then ship her off to the madhouse. Sue will play the heiress's maid, earn her trust, and persuade her of Gentleman's love. Unsurprisingly, the plan goes awry as Sue and Maud grow closer.

The twists! The reveals! The romance! The tension! The writing! All of it -- so, so good. I will definitely be picking up more by Sarah Waters.

averielise's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

cassidyleeanne's review against another edition

4.0

4.5