Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

39 reviews

stellahadz's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

3.5

I'm not usually a big historical fiction reader, but this was my book club's pick of the month and I'm always down to expand my literary horizons. 

The pacing of the book was slower than I would have liked; it took me almost 200 pages to really get into the story. I think there's also something about the Victorian-esque writing style that doesn't totally resonate with me -- I didn't feel like I could fully connect with any of the characters, and most of them were just downright unlikeable. (My copy was the 20th anniversary edition with an afterword by the author, and I'll just say I agree with what she has to say about Nancy!) 

I can see why this book is popular; it's well-written (I especially liked the setting descriptions and worldbuilding) and explores aspects of Victorian life that aren't always included in the literary canon. However, I think the genre and writing style simply weren't for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Miscarriage

thatchickengirl23's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Grief, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization

amina_writes_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

A perfect mix of Victorian, classical British literature style writing. The author is extremely clever with words. An endowing read for anyone who is struggling with coming out of just being comfortable with queerness. Excellent narrative style, and just when you think the plot could do it drag, it picks up again!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Outing

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

sleepypandaa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Grief, and Sexual harassment

jesshudzik's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Homophobia

Minor: Suicide

helen777's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Medical trauma, and Lesbophobia

Sex work/prostitution

forgottenwitch's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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

5.0

By and large I absolutely loved this book! Tipping the Velvet was advertised to me as a lesbian cult classic from 1998, and honestly, what more could you ask for? Between the evocative writing, the victorian setting, and the heavy focus on gender roles, betrayal, lust, and love I was hooked from beginning to end.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, and Classism

bdingz's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense slow-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

3.75

This is my first book by Sarah Waters and I don’t think it will be the last. I sometimes struggle with historical fiction featuring queer characters because I always have this sense they must be doomed somehow, but this story depicts joy as much as ut does despair. Some parts dragged a little, in my opinion, but it was almost autobiographical in style so I understand why it was as long and detailed as it was.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

A character used the n-word on one occasion in the third part of the book.

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: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

thelaurasaurus's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

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

3.0

A saucy lesbian romp around Victorian London, let down by a cast of characters who were either unlikeable or underwhelming. I’ve read and enjoyed three other Sarah Waters books, so I was surprised at how much of a slog this, her first novel, was. In some ways it felt like a series of set pieces rather than a fully formed story. In fact it was the final scene, spread across a day at a socialist rally, that saved it from a 2-star rating. 

 

I read the 20th anniversary edition, published in 2018, and it was interesting to read the new afterword, where Waters raises all of my complaints and more. I hadn’t thought of a novel as a snapshot of a period of an authors life in the way she describes it, so that was an interesting new perspective. 

 

If you’re looking to get into Sarah Waters, then The Night Watch, set in London during WWII, is my favourite. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Minor: Homophobia