After I read Tipping the Velvet, the debut novel by Sarah Waters, I was hooked on her writing. She published Fingersmith in 2002 and it was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Man Booker Prize. It won the CWA Ellis Peters Dagger award for Historical Crime Fiction. The descriptions in Tipping the Velvet wowed me. What dazzled me in Fingersmith wasRead More
Laura reviews Red Falcon’s District by Leilani Beck
Red Falcon’s District is a historical fantasy novel by Leilani Beck. The story follows Bridget Caswell — a plucky young woman who has been on the run her entire life — as she takes sanctuary in an unusual, little known London district. A capable work by an emerging author, this book is an excellent choiceRead More
Maryam reviews Affinity by Sarah Waters
Affinity was my first venture into the writing of Sarah Waters, and I have to say that I particularly enjoyed it. This novel in particular came well-recommended: firstly by Amazon(!), and seconded by my advisor, thirded by a friend who owned the book and wound up giving it to me(thanks, Emily!). I especially appreciated theRead More
Laura reviews Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
So, I know that Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters is, like, the lesbian book. But I’ve got to be honest with you: I really wasn’t all that into it. Terrible, I know! But hear me out. Background: Tipping the Velvet is set in Victorian England in the 1890s. It’s a coming of ageRead More
Laura Mandanas reviews Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
A darker tale than one might expect, Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith is a story of deception, double-dealing, and dysfunction. Opening in 1862 in a dilapidated London slum known as the Borough, we meet heroine #1: 17-year-old Susan Trinder. Orphaned at a young age, Sue has been raised as a fingersmith (pickpocket) by Mrs. Sucksby, a crookedRead More
Mslexia Interview with Sarah Waters
Mslexia has a great, if short, interview with my favorite author, Sarah Waters, here. She seems to usually dislike writing, much like another one of my (non-lesbian) favorite authors, Douglas Adams. He’d take as many baths in a day as he could to procrastinate. Well, I’m glad some of these authors slog through it forRead More
Guest Lesbrarian Ami reviews Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
We have another guest lesbrarian! Her name is Ami, and here’s her review: Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters Pages:474 My rating: C Summary: At 18, Nancy Astley is a fishmonger in coastal Whitstable, working with her sister and parents in the family oyster parlour. Smitten by male impersonator Kitty Butler, Nancy attends every showRead More
Bi & Lesbian Book Recommendations
If you’re not sure where to start with queer women books, here are some of my favourites. The Classics 1) Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown This 1970s novel is not only a lesbian/queer women classic, it also entertaining and challenges social norms even to this day. I still remember the day I realized IRead More