A review by cleo_wylde
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

There's something in this book that really touched me in my own understanding of my queerness, of my identity within the queer world. I found myself feeling suddenly quite emotional as Nan explores and discovers new sides of her identity and her attraction to women. The writing is also beautiful, and transported me to scattered worlds of secret kisses and passions or of bold caresses in liminal spaces of acceptance/lust/desire. The love and lust stories that develop across the book carry through many of the different shades of queer relationships: love kept secret in case it scares the other person off, tiptoeing around an unsaid truth, furtive kisses in case someone sees, gender roles adopted and dropped, lust and pleasure, romance and companionship, etc. Seeing different flavours of gender and sexuality in the late 19th century was an added delight - I love some old timey queers!

I'm glad I've finally read this, after ignoring it on my bookshelf for a while, having dismissed it as "iconic because it's about lesbians, not because it's actually good". I'll definitely read it again, and am now really looking forward to reading Fingersmith.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings