Subscribe
This is another book I bought on the basis of the cover.
‘Fingersmith’ by Sarah Waters.
It’s just such a good cover. So striking; so simple; and yet, so much in it. Empty gloves that look as though they are choosing to hold each other. That wrought ‘F’ of Fingersmith. The fact that I didn’t know what a fingersmith was. All of these things, and the heft of the book in my hand – I like a big book – meant that I bought this without too much thought. And spent the next four days reading it. And the four days after that reading it again. It must be 7 years since I first read this book, but it’s probably still the one I recommend most often.
I would say that ‘Fingersmith’ is where lesbian Victoriana meets Dickens, but I loathe Dickens. Still, you get the idea: pickpockets, scoundrels, grinding poverty, men with more power than morality, it’s all there. And it’s written beautifully, and it’s the sort of novel that you know is researched brilliantly as well – it feels completely authentic. But Waters wears her research lightly, something I really appreciate having just ploughed through Fall Of Giants by Ken Follett (whose earlier tomes, The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, I did enjoy). I was trying to explain to Alan how heavy-handed I found Follett’s exposition and research. “Sort of, ‘Hello, Mr. Beethoven, have you written any symphonies this morning?’”Alan said. And that’s exactly it. But Sarah Waters is a class apart. The research, the detail, are just part of the story.
And what a story. I’m not going to even try to explain it. I’m just going to say that I’ve never cared so much about a character as I did about Susan Trinder, and I never had such a series of shocks from a book, as the plot wends around. I’m sure I spent most of my time with my hand clamped over my mouth and my eyes stretched wide. This book is brilliant. I hope that you read it; I hope you enjoy it. It’s escapism at its best, and a good book for winter too. Enjoy.
(Sarah Waters has an excellent website here.)
When I read your post this morning, I liked the sound of this book and added it to my wishlist. Then, when we were browsing in Foyles later today, I walked around a corner and there it was staring me in the face from the ‘W’ section. So, I decided it was fate and a copy came home with me
On my holiday to-read pile now!
Hooray! Read it NOW. I hope you like it x
I LOVE Sarah Waters! I could read her writing about paint drying. Next on my to read list is Emma Donoghue’s Slammerkin which I’m told is another good romp of a book…takes place in 18th century London.
Oooh, I haven’t heard of Slammerskin. I’ll head straight to Amazon. Thanks for the tip!