Reviews

The story of a Victorian oyster girl, Nancy, who falls in love with the musical hall and a musical hall star. The twist being the star is Kitty Butler...another girl. And given the setting is Victorian Whitstable, not only must Nancy come to terms with her own feelings, she must shoulder what the world thinks of her too.
I imagine this book is a future classic (if it isn't already) in the style of Moll Flanders. This was a re-read for me as I'd recently re-read Fingersmith and was getting Sarah Waters withdrawal symptoms.
What struck me quite forcibly was the difference between the two books. Both are breath-taking in their scope, but Tipping the Velvet is much less sophisticated and Fingersmith is more 'clever'. There is a degree of sophistication in Fingersmith which is missing from Tipping the Velvet. Now this doesn't make the latter any lesser of a book...just different.
TtV is a more straightforward tale. It is definitely not a read for the prudish or small-minded. What was a constant source of amazement to me was how the author used words, ordinary, humdrum, ten-a-penny words to paint scenes and people who became living places and breathing people in my head. No doubt about it the themes are very adult, but it is the ordinary words which add up to have such impact - rather than foul or solacious language [adding a qualifier here that there are four-letter words in abundance...but largley used for effect when the character is trying to shock another character...they are not used as a sloppy excuse to create a sexual image.]
Anyhow this is a solid 5 star read all day long. If you have read Fingersmith or Affinity, and loved them, then TtV won't disappoint. What are you waiting for?

caprichosbooks's review

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slow-paced

3.5

maxroller's review against another edition

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slow-paced

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

2.0

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