Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Du bout des doigts

The first two parts were great and the story is well-written, but the third part dragged and I didn’t like the ending. I think this book would have benefitted from being significantly shorter. I watched The Handmaiden before reading this and strongly prefer its ending and third part compared to the book.

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colleensreadingadventures's review against another edition

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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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shingekiyes's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

(another library audiobook rental)

i definitely would have enjoyed this more if i read a physical copy, but the audiobook was also very good!

this is a fantastic lesbian classic that really appealed to my historical fiction fan brain. the details of the culture/customs era and setting were really fun and added some levity to the darker plots.

Sue’s perspective in parts one and the end of part three were hilarious, but the scenes at the asylum were honestly nauseating at times. Maud’s point of view was less funny, more thoughtful and romantic. I loved that she had feelings for Sue before Sue realized her own feelings.

several of the plot twists were brutal, though i admit i spoiled many of them through impatient googling. the pacing was about right, and the romantic element kept me on my toes the entire time. although i really liked living in each character’s head, some parts did drag on and on, which is why this only gets a 4/5 from me.

overall, i enjoyed the complexity of how each woman felt about themselves and each other, their clear motivations, their unique histories, and their satisfying, poetic ending.

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aduqu's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Thoroughly enjoyable, and definitely a page turner! There was twist after twist, and each twist colored the events before it differently.

It didn't quite reach 5 stars for me because it did drag a bit in the middle, but otherwise was a captivating read!

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cattheteawitchfairy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

DISCLAIMER - I read this text as a set text for university meaning I did not pick this up for myself. It does not necessarily fit my usual reading selection so my review may be rather biased.

What a read! I would probably have never picked this up for myself yet it’s become a favourite.

Wonderful writing style with twists and turns that I didn’t see coming at all. Engaging characters and a romance with spicy bits that leave you wanting more!

Would highly recommend.

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clovelatte's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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