Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

52 reviews

gchilton's review against another edition

The plot centers around a character’s causing of emotional and psychological pain by engaging in purposeful manipulation, deceit, and imprisonment of another solely for their personal financial gain. Reading about this was too much for me at this time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

pancakes4all'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

4.5

 The plot was slowed by over description at times, but the book had the feel of a Gothic mystery with just enough twists and turns to keep me interested.   

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse

This book is like a mix of Dickens Oliver Twist and Wilkie Collins The Woman in White

rtaire's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, and Confinement

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Mental illness

clovelatte's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Ableism, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Pregnancy, Addiction, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexism, Violence, and Abandonment

lironore's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

Sarah Waters est une conteuse hors pair ! Même les longueurs avaient tout leur sens. La tension est intense et on se demande toujours quel rebondissement viendra chambouler l'intrigue. J'ai eu dû mal à arrêter de lire. 
- écrit comme un classique mais avec un talent incroyable pour le conte. La plume est fluide et pleine de sens. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Torture, Sexism, Death, and Blood

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

 
Fingersmith was a fabulously engrossing read with wonderful storytelling. It’s got something for many different types of reader.

If you like Victorian literature, know that this is very Dickensian in terms of setting, characters and plot set-up. The two main characters are Sue, a poor orphan who was raised by petty criminals, including a baby farmer, and Maud, who was raised by her wealthy uncle and trained to assist him with his business - cataloguing and trading books. However, Waters plays with these tropes and takes them in directions Victorian authors did not. For instance, the books Maud’s uncle worked with were erotic and pornographic. Fingersmith is also slightly Dickensian in terms of style. If a slow story with plenty of detail isn’t your thing you might want to pass on this.

If you are a Shakespeare fan know that this plot features confused, switched, and mistaken identities that would do the Bard proud.

If you enjoy crime stories, mysteries and thrillers know that this plot revolves around a planned con whereby a wealthy woman will be relieved of her fortune. There are many twists and turns, crosses and double-crosses along the way. This story may be long but I was never bored.

For those who enjoy well-written and structured stories Fingersmith delivers. The story has three main parts and the point of view switches from Susan to Maud and back to Susan again. The first switch coincided with a major twist, which totally took me by surprise. I enjoyed the two different voices and sometimes seeing the same scene from more than one perspective. Additionally it cleverly balances the seemingly opposite notions of love and betrayal and explores this dynamic through multiple lenses.

For romance fans, especially those who enjoy LGBTIQA+ storylines, this plot featured a subtle, sexy and surprising sapphic love story.

Lovers of historical fiction will likely appreciate the parts of the plot centred on the horrors of being institutionalised against your will and without cause, and of the horrors that passed for mental health treatment in such instititions in Victorian times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Violence

garibae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Confinement, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Murder

jayisreading's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

2.25

I certainly am not the first person to have picked this book up because they enjoyed The Handmaiden directed by Park Chan-wook. And, with that said, I have to admit that I actually didn’t enjoy Fingersmith as much as I thought I would. For one, I was expecting something far more fast-paced. Instead, I found myself slogging through long and slowish-paced chapters. When the twists came, it heightened the story a bit and grabbed my attention. However, the chapters in-between those twists didn’t feel particularly engaging.

Waters isn’t a bad writer by any means, but I felt that there was a lack of character development that would have gotten the reader more invested. Things happened to Maud and Sue, but… that’s really it. They reacted to certain events, but there wasn’t any significant development in their characters that made it feel this book was worth reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Murder, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Bullying and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault

danielforshort's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Death

septemberdark's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Ableism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content