| Fingersmith | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 159 reviews)
Sales Rank: 17837
Category: Book
Author: Sarah Waters
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Studio: Riverhead Trade
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
Label: Riverhead Trade
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 582
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 1573229725
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9781573229722
ASIN: 1573229725
Publication Date: October 1, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In Victorian England, an orphan girl is sent to a country estate to work for-and ultimately woo-its young heiress, on behalf of a mysterious benefactor known as Gentleman.
Amazon.com Review
Fingersmith is the third slice of engrossing lesbian Victoriana from Sarah Waters. Although lighter and more melodramatic in tone than its predecessor, Affinity, this hypnotic suspense novel is awash with all manner of gloomy Dickensian leitmotifs: pickpockets, orphans, grim prisons, lunatic asylums, "laughing villains," and, of course, "stolen fortunes and girls made out to be mad." Divided into three parts, the tale is narrated by two orphaned girls whose lives are inextricably linked. Waters's penchant for byzantine plotting can get a bit exhausting, but even at its densest moments--and remember, this is smoggy London circa 1862--it remains mesmerizing. A damning critique of Victorian moral and sexual hypocrisy, a gripping melodrama, and a love story to boot, this book ingeniously reworks some truly classic themes. --Travis Elborough, Amazon.co.uk
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| Customer Reviews: Read 154 more reviews...
 Breath taking December 4, 2008
The beginning of this novel starts out dark, very dark when talking about Sue Trinders past. Sue lives with a bunch of thieves and witnesses illegal activity every day of her life. When presented with an opportunity to scam a woman with a lot of money, she doesn't give up on the idea but considers it completely before finally accepting.
When she arrives she's not sure what to make of the place and is not sure that her new mistress will be convinced that she really is a maid. Eventually she falls into step with her maid duties and really becomes comfortable in the role of helping her longtime male friend scam this woman to ultimately get her put away forever and to get her share of the fortune.
However, things do not go as planned. Both women decieve each other, and in the end, her mistress is scammed as well. Sue and Maud both discover they have very deep feelings for each other and when Sue can stand it no longer, she finds her way back to Sue.
All in all, I found this a wonderful read with many plot twists that will make it hard to put this book down. The only thing that upsets me about this book is that we don't get to really experience the depth of love that both women feel for each other. I wish we'd experiece it more instead of just in fleeting glances before the book ends.
If you're planning on buying this, make sure you start reading when you have nothing left to do because you will not get any work done!
 half amazing... half not. November 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
the first half of this book was so good, i was in shock!
it starts in a slow but very engaging way... turns surprisingly great...
but the second part of the story was too much for me...
i lost interest, i wanted so bad to know what would happen with the main characters, but it just turned too complicated and unengaging...
it all makes sense and it's kind of fascinating, but the emotional grip dissapears and i was a little dissapointed to feel turned down after such a compelling first half.
 A tale of mystery & madness October 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The first section of this book had me hooked. The labyrinthine underworld of Victorian London, the strange and intriguing characters and the nefarious plot set in motion are the books strongest points and they're at their best in the opening chapters. But by the end of the first section the emotional angst was getting to be a bit much, and the pornography-by-proxy in the second section seems like a 21st century cop out; seriously, the author had to resort to that in order to convey the heroine's bleak, oppressive life? The love story between the two heroines and their mutual betrayal ought to have been enough to carry the second heroine's pathos. When we get back to moving the plot forward, with one girl locked up in a madhouse and the other a prisoner in the London underworld the book begins to fascinate again. And that fascination lasts through a startling twist and a dramatic & emotional climax. But again, at the very conclusion of the book, the author throws in the porno stuff, which honestly distracts from the mystery, the romance and the drama of what would otherwise be a thrilling story.
Heart pounding suspense October 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I LOVED this book. My heart was pounding during several narrative moments in the novel. There are lots of plot twists and turns, and the reader will never see them coming. I lost many hours of sleep reading this book because I just couldn't put it down.
Historical novel September 24, 2008
A female Oliver Twist story with a Lesbian sub plot. This is an interesting fictional account of a female orphan reared by thieves (fingersmiths) . It takes place in 1844 in London and is sexually explicit in a way a Dickens novel could never be. Well researched and wonderfully written.
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