Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Fingersmith

Halfway through I thought this would be a three-star, but it gets better in the second half. I think it's safe to say I liked it (and for some reason there are few books I'll say that for).

This is one where you have to pay attention, because Waters won't spell everything out for you: she really goes for the show-don't-tell, from characters' thoughts and emotions to events that take place in the plot. Which I appreciate, because so many books explain everything in painful detail, thereby giving less than due credit to readers' imagination and comprehension, and also ruining the effect. Very often, less is more.

Sometimes she gets a little too into the minds of the characters telling the story, though (never knew that was possible!), and I wish she'd get back to the story. It's still better than extended painful details, but the vague meditation runs on a bit too long and lost me somewhat now and then.

Another thing that could have improved it for me would have been making the characters, like Sue, more likable. I know that was a large part of the novel's point, that Sue was out for her own interests and fell in love with Maud anyway. But aside from her difficult life, I found it hard to sympathize with her, however much of it may not have been her fault because of her upbringing as a thief. But making her somewhat more sympathetic or giving her a cute quirk or two would have made her more easy to like and root for, I think.

But man, the twists! This book could be read for the plot twists alone. I've seen the BBC adaptation and this book still made my head spin, which is saying something for Waters' talent. I'm hoping to find another book of hers to rival this one in unpredictability. I found the very end to be implausible, or at least it could have been done in a way that made it more believable, but it seems like Waters felt she had to end it the way she did for the sake of the outcome.

Maybe I should have mentioned this first, but I like to save the good parts for later. Anyway. This has to be one of the most original books I've ever read. There's the premise, the plot twists of course, and then child abuse, but it's the strangest form of mistreatment I have seen in a book or movie or anywhere else. I don't know if it's at all based in historical fact or if Waters' warped mind invented it, but wow, I just... I don't have words. Just read the book.

Last, because it's the best part: the emotions. Amid the trickery and intrigue, characters' feelings - and not only the romance - are amazingly genuine. There's that shown-not-told again. Books very, very rarely manage to make me cry, but there was one scene that sneaked up on me and broke that rule. Waters is so skilled at building her novel: not telling you out of the blue what you should be experiencing, but taking you on a journey alongside the people she creates, so that when they feel something, you feel it too.

Overall, nail-biting, touching, and worth reading. I hope I find another book by this author to rival Fingersmith.

Content Warnings

birdbrainbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

This book is so Dickensian, I kept forgetting that it wasn’t written during the 1800s. Sarah Waters is a phenomenal writer—no surprise she’s been shortlisted for the Man Booker prize three times. I enjoyed this one overall! I loved the intrigue, the twists (particularly the first BIG twist), and the organic integration of more authentically representative experiences for queer folk in historical settings. I will say that the book’s structure leads to some parts feeling repetitive and slow, and I think it could have been significantly shorter overall. But I look forward to reading more from Waters!

Content Warnings

marijuanerareads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

More...