Fingersmith

by Sarah Waters

From the author of the New York Times Notable Book Tipping the Velvet and the award-winning Affinity: a spellbinding, twisting tale of a great swindle, of fortunes and hearts won and lost, set in Victorian London among a family of thieves.
Sue Trinder is an orphan, left as an infant in the care of Mrs. Sucksby, a "baby farmer," who raised her with unusual tenderness, as if Sue were her own. Mrs. Sucksby's household, with its fussy babies calmed with doses of gin, also hosts a transient family of petty thieves-fingersmiths-for whom this house in the heart of a mean London slum is home.
One day, the most beloved thief of all arrives-Gentleman, a somewhat elegant con man, who carries with him an enticing proposition for Sue: If she wins a position as the maid to Maud Lilly, a na?ve gentlewoman, and aids Gentleman in her seduction, then they will all share in Maud's vast inheritance. Once the inheritance is secured, Maud will be left to live out her days in a mental hospital. With dreams of paying back the kindness of her adopted family, Sue agrees to the plan. Once in, however, Sue begins to pity her helpless mark and care for Maud Lilly in unexpected ways. . . . But no one and nothing is as it seems in this > Dickensian novel of thrills and surprises.
"The New York Times Book Review" has called Sarah Waters a writer of "consummate skill" and "The Seattle Times" has praised her work as "gripping, astute fiction that feeds the mind and the senses." Fingersmith marks a major leap forward in this young and brilliant career.

• ISBN10: 1101057025
• ISBN13: 9781101057025
• Publish Date: 1 October 2002 (first published 4 February 2002)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Riverhead Books
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 592
• Language: English

Reviews

[rohshey]

What a wondrously-rendered, gloriously languid 19th century roman noir! Using imagery that springs to mind so vividly one would think it a memory, Sarah Waters has fashioned a glorious work of fiction.

Fair maidens and dastardly villains; country estate and insane asylum; den of thieves and literary purists; murder and mayhem in Victorian London; Sarah Waters manages to blend it all and produce one whale of a story that had me gulping it ravenously into the night, coming up for air only when it was done.

If you crave authentic historical fiction, clever plot twists, and a fine romance, I highly recommend you don't miss this gem.

[brokentune]

3.5* rounded up to 4*

"We were thinking of secrets. Real secrets, and snide. Too many to count. When I try now to sort out who knew what and who knew nothing, who knew everything and who was a fraud, I have to stop and give it up, it makes my head spin."

It was with some trepidation that I started on Fingersmith. This was said to be the book that was most resembling a Dickensian story. I don't rate Dickens highly. I don't mind him, but I was afraid that people loved Fingersmith because they love the Dickensian element which inevitably would not impress me much.

To my delight, the Dickensian setting was well suited to book but did not distract from the story, the layers, the characters, and best of all the writing.

There is not much to say about Fingersmith that has not been said already, and providing a summary of the plot will spoil the book. However, one of the main features that I enjoyed with this one was the language: the melodic, almost poetic, composition of some of the parts - which really need to be read aloud. For example, this part describes a train journey, and by reading aloud you can just about catch the rhythm of the train rolling on the tracks:

"Soon the train gives a hiss, and gathers its bulk, and shudders back into terrible life. We leave the streets of Maidenhead. We pass through trees. Beyond the trees there are open parklands, and houses - some as great as my uncle's, some greater. Here and there are cottages with pens of pigs, with gardens set with broken sticks or climbing beans, and hung with lines of laundry. Where the lines are full there is laundry hung from windows, from trees, on bushes, on chairs, between the shafts of broken carts - laundry everywhere, drooping and yellow."

[celinenyx]

Sue Trinder, an orphan raised in 'den of thieves' by her adoptive mother, Mrs. Sucksby, is sent to help Richard 'Gentleman' Rivers seduce a wealthy heiress. Posing as a maid, Sue is to gain the trust of the lady, Maud Lilly, and eventually persuade her to elope with Gentleman.

This book was not at all what I expected. It was more dark and depressing. It kind of fits the time, but I think it was a little bit too dark for this kind of story. The main characters don't even see each other for the biggest part of the time. The asylum is portrayed very accurate and London really feels like London how it has once been.

Ah, the lesbian romance, the thing we were all waiting for... Well, it's pretty non existent. Okay, it's there, but how can we be satisfied with just one kiss and a very tiny love scene? I wanted a little bit more. It feels like the romance was in complete disproportion with the heavy weight of depressing stuff in the book. We need some light, Sarah!

The ending was all right. Not even a little kiss? Shame on you. If it had been a guy/girl thing they would have kissed! Don't be such a prude. Especially since Maud knows exactly what to do. *giggles*

Five stars for the setting, Four for the plot twist and two for the story itself. Overall I think four stars is quite generous for this book.

[Eve1972]

WOW WOW WOW...what more can I say! I LOVED this book, could not put it down. I think Sarah Waters is fast becoming one of my favorite authors! Beautifully written, atmospheric, fabulous characters and setting, definitely one you won't want to miss!