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A review by skywhales
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
emotional
funny
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
5.0
well, i think to myself as i spot this in the used books section of one of my favorite bookstores, everyone puts sarah waters at the top of their lists of great lesbian writers. may as well give her a shot sometime, right?
my only regret is i didn't do it sooner.
this might just be my new favorite historical fiction novel (though to be fair it's not a genre i read all that often, so the competition is slim). (also as i write this i realize i forgot about carter the great. sorry man you're still like hella up there.) admittedly it does start off slow, and i didn't find nancy very likable at first. her infatuation with kitty to the point of neglecting her family really rubbed me the wrong way. though as i kept reading i figured the Point of her is she's not all that likable. sarah waters even says so in her notes at the end. she's kinda cocky and annoying and sometimes lacking in common sense, but even as i hate her i still find her a deeply entertaining protagonist. and i still do Want her to find happiness!
once the plot gets going it really hooks you. you're on this wild ride through victorian london through all the gritty, weird, sometimes sexy places that nan visits on her travels. i don't know how much of this was historically accurate, but i do know that all of it was very very fun. i learned a lot more about oyster preparation than i ever thought i would. and loads about the victorian lesbian scene, which i maybe could have predicted myself taking an interest in at some point in my life.
idk what to say about this that hasn't already been said, to be honest. the romance aspects, which can so easily make or break even a lesbian book for me, felt so fully realized and beautiful (or ugly, at times). the sex was. well. i ain't complaining.
now to add every sarah waters book to my tbr
my only regret is i didn't do it sooner.
this might just be my new favorite historical fiction novel (though to be fair it's not a genre i read all that often, so the competition is slim). (also as i write this i realize i forgot about carter the great. sorry man you're still like hella up there.) admittedly it does start off slow, and i didn't find nancy very likable at first. her infatuation with kitty to the point of neglecting her family really rubbed me the wrong way. though as i kept reading i figured the Point of her is she's not all that likable. sarah waters even says so in her notes at the end. she's kinda cocky and annoying and sometimes lacking in common sense, but even as i hate her i still find her a deeply entertaining protagonist. and i still do Want her to find happiness!
once the plot gets going it really hooks you. you're on this wild ride through victorian london through all the gritty, weird, sometimes sexy places that nan visits on her travels. i don't know how much of this was historically accurate, but i do know that all of it was very very fun. i learned a lot more about oyster preparation than i ever thought i would. and loads about the victorian lesbian scene, which i maybe could have predicted myself taking an interest in at some point in my life.
idk what to say about this that hasn't already been said, to be honest. the romance aspects, which can so easily make or break even a lesbian book for me, felt so fully realized and beautiful (or ugly, at times). the sex was. well. i ain't complaining.
now to add every sarah waters book to my tbr
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Homophobia