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A review by weebeeweebee
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
4.0
It started off a little slow, but it's a really good book. A lot of twists and turns.
A complaint, and a heads-up for any black readers, one of the rich characters in the book calls the only black character the n word about 3/4 of the way through. She isn't admonished for it, and it isn't addressed at all. The whole time though, the protagonist is exclaiming, kind of scandalised, that this character is black too.
I obviously found that pretty uncomfortable, and given the book was published in 1998, totally unnecessary and pointless as well. I know the book's set in 1890, a whole century earlier, and so much has happened in terms of civil rights that it's pretty disappointing that the author would be insensitive enough to just fling something like that in. I don't understand why you'd do that, and as a black queer person literally just trying to read some good books, I have to say, with all due respect, what the fuck.
I've not seen anybody mention this, but it most definitely bears mentioning. It marred what was otherwise a really interesting and engaging reading experience.
A complaint, and a heads-up for any black readers, one of the rich characters in the book calls the only black character the n word about 3/4 of the way through. She isn't admonished for it, and it isn't addressed at all. The whole time though, the protagonist is exclaiming, kind of scandalised, that this character is black too.
I obviously found that pretty uncomfortable, and given the book was published in 1998, totally unnecessary and pointless as well. I know the book's set in 1890, a whole century earlier, and so much has happened in terms of civil rights that it's pretty disappointing that the author would be insensitive enough to just fling something like that in. I don't understand why you'd do that, and as a black queer person literally just trying to read some good books, I have to say, with all due respect, what the fuck.
I've not seen anybody mention this, but it most definitely bears mentioning. It marred what was otherwise a really interesting and engaging reading experience.