Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

44 reviews

outerscout's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

found it slow to get started but once it did...absolutely bonkers. the final part, especially the first ~60 pages, was difficult to get through & i wish we had

Spoiler

more of maud and susan together before the ending

but i understand why this is the case. will be thinking about this book for a long time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Murder, Alcohol, Mental illness, Child death, Death, and Sexual content

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The setting and the characters shine in this. It feels very Sweeney Todd, dark and dirty London. The characters are well-rounded, surprising, likeable, and compelling.
I wasn't on board with the perspective change mid-book during reading it but now recognize the complexity it allowed the book to portray.
It really kept me guessing and kept me invested in Sue's and Maud's life. The twists and turns and the character development had me picturing this as a movie in my mind.
It's really giving on so many fronts: there's a queer love story, a betrayal plot, a mystery, mistaken identities, an asylum, a murder.
This is definitely for fans of Frannie Langton and Sally Lockhart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Sexism

Moderate: Child abuse, Medical trauma, Confinement, Alcohol, Classism, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Transphobia

didireadthat's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

A wild book full of twist and turns. The set up to the plot is engaging and then it keeps spiraling. I loved the chaos I felt for the characters in the drama I was just immaculate. I think what’s holding me back from a full 5 stars is that my main feeling from this book is shock and I think I need some more time to sit with the book and decide how I really feel about the characters and the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, and Confinement

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Medical trauma, and Domestic abuse

summermorning's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Sexual content, and Homophobia

anacereading's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia

Minor: Vomit

eli_reads_24601's review

adventurous dark 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Mental illness, Violence, and Murder

punchofwishes's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.5

What a read! This book alternated between having me firmly in its grasp and leaving me bored 100 pages at a time. The twists are interesting and the plot compelling even if the characters aren’t as much. It’s a difficult read that I am glad to have experienced even if it wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Mental illness

kpwxx's review against another edition

medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Outing, Violence, Abandonment, Ableism, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexism, Grief, Torture, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Child death, Animal death, Rape, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

Minor: Abortion, Stalking, Dementia, Deportation, and Eating disorder

bruisedtigers's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely enamoured with this. 

I understand why some people would find it slow or hard to get through. It did drag in certain spots, and likely could've been edited down. However, I adored all of these characters, the twists and turns, and felt so much of it in my gut. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Sexual content, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization

colleensreadingadventures's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I read Fingersmith several years back in 2020, but I forgot most of the story so hearing it again the second time around was almost like I was listening to it for the first time. Things seemed familiar but then there were so many twists I forgot about that I was sucker punched more than once in a big way! 

There is a little house in London in the Mid 1800’s where Mrs. Sucksby and Mr. Ibbs live. Mrs. Sucksby is quite the fiend for a woman, she is a baby farmer that takes in babies to sell to the highest bidder to families who are unable to conceive or as servants to others. She also houses a ring of petty thieves (aka Fingersmiths) with Mr. Ibbs, who is in charge of purchasing and sales of all stolen goods.

Sue is one of the Fingersmith’s that was taken in by Mrs. Sucksby as a new born. Unlike all the other children Mrs. Sucksby kept Sue and treated her just like she was her own in every way. Sue now a young woman wants to repay the favor so when Gentleman, one of Mrs. Sucksby and Mr. Ibb’s beloved thief’s comes to visit Sue decides to help him with a con.

He takes Sue to an out of the way town 40 miles away from London as a lady’s maid for Maud Lilly. Maud Lilly is young woman who was orphaned at birth and sent to live with her Uncle at an early age. Let’s just say Maud’s life didn’t get any easier at her uncle’s estate and I wouldn’t want that man as my uncle. Maud’s family has money so Gentleman has set his sights on wooing Ms. Lilly into marriage for her fortune and then sending her off to the mad house to be disposed of. But he needs Sue’s help to convince her he is the perfect man. 

Sue is all in and can’t wait to split her money with Mrs. Sucksby for all her kindness, but Sue begins to feel sorry for the innocent Ms. Lilly and eventually develops feelings of sort for Maud that she was not expecting, and she’s not sure what to do any longer.

But all is not what it seems in this tale of deceit and turning tables and there is no way of knowing who the real villain(s) might be.

I think I enjoyed this much more the second time around and really got into the story. It is told in Sue & Maud’s dual POV’s and is both a character and plot driven story. I can’t go into too much detail or I will spill some secrets that made this book so shocking. But I will let you know one thing, NO ONE is what they seem to be. So expect quite a few twists. And also one of my favorite characters was Dainty, who was actually a minor one. If you’ve read it you might understand why I feel that way. She turned out to be the hero of the book in my opinion. 

It is quite a long story and it had parts that dragged a bit but the shocks made up for it. And overall Fingersmith was a worthwhile, interesting read. I’d say even for some who do not always enjoy historical fiction like myself to give it a try, it might surprise you. 

I’m definitely uping my previous rating from 3-4 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Mental illness

Minor: Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Toxic friendship