Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

How I came across it?

Long time ago, I remember someone mentioned it on a forum. The person said that Fingersmith by Sarah Waters was one of his favourite books because of the storytelling and wonderful romance between Maud and Sue. This is about the third or fourth time, I’ve read this book and I felt hooked straight away. Even though I have a long TBR (to-be-read) list on Goodreads, I always find myself coming back to this one one way or another.

It’s amazing that this book celebrates it’s 20th anniversary next year. It’s quite a famous story. It’s about two young women who fall in love and they happen to be orphans. The backing story and the Victorian setting also makes it standout. I find historical fiction interesting.

Sue Trinder is a petty thief that has lived all her live with Mrs Sucksby. She becomes a part of conman, Mr Rivers‘s plan to help him marry a rich woman called Maud Lily. Once Mr Rivers is married to Maud, he plans to send her way to an asylum whilst the gang enjoy her money to themselves. A disgusting scam. Sue feels inclined to do it as a repayment for Mrs Sucksby’s kindness. But Sue and Maud fall for each other which makes the plan not so easy to carry out.

Where did I get it?

I picked it up at a charity shop. But this book is easilly available online and in bookstores. I always see it in stock when I‘ve gone to Waterstones. There’s been several adaptions of this. I know of the BBC mini-series about three hours in total, and I’ve seen Park Chan-Wok’s film, The Handmaiden which is loosely based of Fingersmith and changes the setting of Victorian England to Korea when it was under Japan’s rule.

What I liked about it?

I liked the characters. Despite the issues, I believed in Sue and Maud’s romance and routed for them. I really did learn to love Mrs Sucksby in the end, even though I wasn’t sure about her at first. I think the writing and prose is great. It really paints the Victorian setting well and it makes you feel like you’ve been warped into a Charles Dickens novel. In fact, if Charles Dickens ever wrote an LGBTQ+ story, I think it go a little bit like Fingersmith.

I also like how the novel makes me think. It makes me wonder how many women were actually thrown into an asylum when they didn’t need to be. Also makes me wonder how many people actually got away with the kind of plans Mr Rivers had composed.

What I didn’t like about it?

It’s a great story with very complex characters and plenty of twists. I do think it’s on the long side and I think the story‘s pacing is slow and could be shorter. That’s just a minor thing. I find the parts in the asylum hard to read, especually with the cruel nurses. A lot of the male characters are also unlikable especially Mr Rivers. The plot twists can be over the top at times and sometimes the story is difficult to follow.

How did it made me feel?

I feel this book is passionate, diffulcult and full of emotions. Even though it’s hooking, there‘s so much going on which makes it hard to read it in one sitting. To this day, I would still say it’s one of my favourite books. I love the LGBTQ+ representation during a time of oppression. I also love the stories of Maud and Sue seem different, but they actually have more in common with each other than they think.

Would I reccomend it?

Yes, I would. I think it’s one of the best lesbian romances ever written. I hope it goes down as one of the classics in the future.