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sersi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse
liliakwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
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
3.5
what a book mein gott! took me on a rollercoaster. i really thought that it was going to be a book based on one romance but by a quarter of the way through i saw that was not the case lol. i saw people being upset at how the book ended but i really liked it and it felt like a good closing for the character that wasnt unrealistic but still happy. the middle portion of the book def made me uncomfortable and i wish there was more delving into the dark side of that, especially after it was all done. it felt like the emotional trauma was just forgotten about. loved the socialist turn at the end, espcially the line "my god! can we not enjoy even a socialist rally without your wretched past turning up to haunt us!" and the "hallo, comrade" to the baby which, even as many times as its done in socialist circles still makes me laugh. dont know quite how to rate this but it def was enjoyable!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
katewhite77's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-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
5.0
A Steamy Coming Of Age Novel 19th Century Style
Our heroine tells her own story form the age of 19 to 25. She starts out as a sheltered music hall fan, working in the family oyster business. She ends up at a socialist convention in Golders Green.
The tale between those two points is a captivating 19 hour listen but it is definitely not one for small ears. As always Waters writing is amazing she really brings the 19th century to life using all five senses. She really made me route for Nancy even though at times I wanted to scream Have A Word With Yourself at her.
I consider this a classic of my life time and can't believe it has taken me this long to get to, but now I have and I loved it.
Our heroine tells her own story form the age of 19 to 25. She starts out as a sheltered music hall fan, working in the family oyster business. She ends up at a socialist convention in Golders Green.
The tale between those two points is a captivating 19 hour listen but it is definitely not one for small ears. As always Waters writing is amazing she really brings the 19th century to life using all five senses. She really made me route for Nancy even though at times I wanted to scream Have A Word With Yourself at her.
I consider this a classic of my life time and can't believe it has taken me this long to get to, but now I have and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual violence and Domestic abuse
Minor: Emotional abuse, Death, Lesbophobia, and Grief
ranbara's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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
5.0
oh.. this is the book of all time. to be a tom from whitstable in 1888..
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Infidelity, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Drug use, Grief, Death, Alcohol, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Blood, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment
flowersforfroggo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
All cards on the table, I picked up this book purely because it was on a list of must read spicy sapphic novels and, as the true smut goblin I am, I wanted a fix.
Tipping the Velvet is a genuinely good read and I was hooked and along for the ride from the moment Nan was sitting in her little corner booth in the theatre longing for Kitty to throw the flower to her.
I devoured this book, annotating along the way, and while I happily tagged many a page blue for spicy scenes, by the time I read the final line the whole book was filled with rainbow sticky strips to mark bits and pieces of writing that sung beautifully.
Sarah Waters has such a way of capturing the excitement of first love and the first flickers of desire and we see these moments of sapphic love play out so vividly on the page. So much so, that there is an element of cringe early in the book with Nan expressing her inner thoughts about Kitty that took me right back to being sixteen, when everything was bright and new and just a little spiky. Fellow smut goblins will rejoice at the tasty sex scenes scattered through the book. Not overly explicit, but delicious enough to keep things interesting.
Overall, Nan does not have an easy life and she comes across as selfish and careless with those she loves, but I still rooted for her every step of the way and I loved to see her identity evolve. She is so alone in her world, even surrounded by the other characters and what struck me was that she is constantly being given an identity to perform for others. Nan’s relationships in the book are all in one way or another controlling and it made me sad to see that she doesn’t ever really get the space to settle into herself and be seen.
“Oh! I feel like I’ve been repeating other people’s speeches all my life. Now when I want to make a speech of my own, I find I hardly know how.”
Girl, tell me about it.
It’s only towards the end of the book that she finds her fit and realises there are other girls like her who present the same way. We can’t be who we don’t see. It’s rare to want more from a book but I would have loved to have followed her journey of self expression and gender identity a little more.
Nan is not a perfect character and it is certainly not a perfect love story but it is gritty, messy and so very enjoyable. Tipping the Velvet is absolutely worth the random pick up and has earned its place on the spicy sapphic list. Would read again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Domestic abuse
Minor: Lesbophobia and Sexual assault
marxxx's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, and Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Lesbophobia, Classism, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Death, Alcohol, Sexism, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Dysphoria, Racial slurs, Confinement, Racism, and Suicide
Minor: Child death, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, and Miscarriage
_meganno's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Infidelity
kwims's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Domestic abuse
leahrenz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely loved this book! The writing style is vivid and contains lots of hints toward future plot developments without giving them away. Certain objects will be mentioned, Checkov-gun style, or a scenario will be set up in which you as the reader can already tell everything is going to go tits up, or that thing will come back to haunt a character, and all this makes for a highly entertaining read! As a reader, you *know* something is going to happen and it's like waiting to sink your teeth into a juicy fruit... Not to say that the period in between is boring! Not at all. As is essential for good historical fiction, the descriptions crackle with life and give the book a very contemporary feel despite it being set in the 1880-90s. As I was reading I felt it would make an excellent mini-series.
The initial, heady falling-in-love of the main character is also wonderfully described. I further loved being plunged into 1880s London show biz! I would highly recommend this read for any lovers of romance, historical fiction or just a well-written, well-paced book.
"Boys stood drinking at the doors of public-houses, their pomaded heads gleaming, in the gas-light, like silk. The moon hung low above the roofs of Soho, pink and bright and swollen as a Chinese lantern. One or two starts winked viciously alongside it."
"She stood there for what seemed to be a small eternity; then her arm came up, the flower flashed for a second in the beam of the lime - and my own hand, trembling, rose to catch it. The crowd gave a broad, indulgent cheer of pleasure, and a laugh."
The initial, heady falling-in-love of the main character is also wonderfully described. I further loved being plunged into 1880s London show biz! I would highly recommend this read for any lovers of romance, historical fiction or just a well-written, well-paced book.
"Boys stood drinking at the doors of public-houses, their pomaded heads gleaming, in the gas-light, like silk. The moon hung low above the roofs of Soho, pink and bright and swollen as a Chinese lantern. One or two starts winked viciously alongside it."
"She stood there for what seemed to be a small eternity; then her arm came up, the flower flashed for a second in the beam of the lime - and my own hand, trembling, rose to catch it. The crowd gave a broad, indulgent cheer of pleasure, and a laugh."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Mental illness and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs