Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

9 reviews

tiernanhunter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, Abandonment, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Classism, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, and Grief

marleywrites's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This review will contain spoilers. 

“Tipping the Velvet” covers a span of about eight years in the life of Nancy Astley, from age 18-25. Nancy essentially has her gay awakening in her small hometown where she helps prepare oysters when a musical act of Miss Kitty Butler arrives at the theater. The two eventually grow closer and their relationship blooms, plateaus, and falls. The rest of the novel follows the aftermath of everything, and how Nancy moves on from it all. 

I found this novel to be extremely impressive. I was engaged from the start— the prose is beautiful and visceral, and the author painted a realistic picture of Nancy’s perspective throughout this novel. Nancy’s emotions are strong and intense, and we see the range of feelings she experiences in exquisite detail. 

I found Nancy’s story fascinating. Her character was well-developed and we saw her grow throughout the novel in a fascinating and treacherous way. Nancy has been through a lot— and in a way, she’s quite privileged through some of situations she finds herself in. However she is simultaneously a survivor of multiple questionable sexual situations with a partner who has a significant powerful advantage over he, she is a renter, she loses everything all at once. 

What I found most intriguing was the emotional changes that Nancy experiences throughout the story. The shift from Kitty being the only thing that can save her, to realizing she doesn’t need her at all anymore, is one that I think anyone who’s had a first love and first heartbreak can relate to. The emotional distance she holds herself at with Diana, with Zena, and with Florence (at first) protects her, but also hurts her. I enjoyed watching the slow but steady shift as she learned to trust and love again, and to recognize it as something steadier, and to learn what it means to have a partner who is proud to be yours. 

The writing style of this author has captured me completely— when I finished this novel I immediately went and added all the rest of her work to my TBR. This was a stunning debut and I can’t wait to read the backlist. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Infidelity

Moderate: Death, Violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cursing, Drug use, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Blood, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Emotional abuse, and Outing

Minor: Miscarriage and Racism

moss_martii's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Grief, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Classism

lynxpardinus's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Lesbophobia, Classism, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Death, Alcohol, Sexism, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Dysphoria, Racial slurs, Confinement, Racism, and Suicide

Minor: Child death, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, and Miscarriage

francescaastraea's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

The least realistic thing about this book is that more than 4 lesbians in 19th century London would hang out regularly. I mean it takes like six weeks of planning to hang out NOW and these ladies had to spend eight hours a week sourcing clean drinking water

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Outing, Homophobia, and Toxic friendship

rosalind's review

challenging reflective 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Child abuse, and Death

Minor: Dysphoria and Grief

orchidd's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racial slurs, Grief, and Physical abuse

Minor: Miscarriage, Racism, Addiction, Cursing, Classism, and Suicide

vanadiumbean's review

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

bookbelle5_17's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

Oyster girl, Nancy Astley's, life is changed as she experiences a sexual awakening starting with performer Kitty Butler, a woman who dresses like and puts on a show. Nancy goes from being an admirer with a crush, to Kitty's dresser, her lover, and eventually her performing partner, Unfortunately, societal expectations force them apart, and Nancy experiences her new found sexuality in dark heartbreaking ways.
This erotic and beautiful novel fascinated me with its heartbreaking story about this young woman's journey from Oyster girl to a Drag King. Nancy goes through so much just be her true self, even sacrificing her dignity in the process. I only hated one of the characters that came into Nancy's life, Diana. Her lifestyle wasn't my cup of tea, but I understood it and I get Nancy being susceptible to it. I hated how Diana treated her and there is one part during her time with Diana that made me uncomfortable to read. Water's writing is on par and makes for a relaxing story that includes enough description that you can easily picture in your head. She's uses the F word a few times and there are some scenes with a the characters using a dildo. It is a tragic but hopeful story by the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Grief