Rating: 
Summary: Incredible and sensual
Review: I loved this book. I have no better way to put it. I have made everyone at my local bookstore read it and I have recommended it to everyone I know who loves to read. This is one of the most moving and sensual things I have read in a long time. It made me care about the characters, even though they weren't always perfect. I don't care about that. It is nice to see real characters with human feelings and problems and not just cardboard cutouts who fit molds of good guy vs. bad guy. I felt for Nan many times and sometimes I wanted to shake her, that is what makes a good book for me. I cared. The love scenes were quite magnificent and the whole book is written like a love scene. You can smell Whitstable and taste the oysters and you can feel Nan's excitement when she first touches Kitty. That amazes me. As I said, I've recommended this to many and talked about it to everyone who will listen. It is definitely worth the price and the read, although I wouldn't try to devour it in one night or two. Read it slowly and enjoy it, savor it, it makes it that much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written but underdeveloped
Review: I enjoyed the author's sparkling prose and ability to set a scene. Her vivid portraits of people and places were excellent, and her depiction of another era certainly absorbed me. As several people have noted, the character of Nan King is quite lacking. I found her to be selfish, spoiled, and shallow--I didn't care what happened to her after a certain point in the book. I did not believe in her final love, which is a shame since the book started out so promisingly. I'd rather read about a person who endures hardship with their awareness of other humans intact. Nan did not redeem herself in the end.
Rating: 
Summary: hyped and over here
Review: A book which I came to with high hopes. Unfortunately it has joined a bandwagon which is being pushed by middle aged men living out their fantasies. It is readable and is certainly gentle and detailed, but appears to be tailored for a film contract. The claim is that it is written for a wider audience and not for the traditional lesbian crowd - well it succeeds.
Rating:
Summary: Too dull for my tastes....
Review: In all honesty, I fail to see why this book has received the praise it did. The plot itself is interesting enough (a woman's exploration of her sexuality in 19th century England); however, the narrative is dull and stilted, and the characters boring. Winterson writes prolifically, yet I found that little was said. I finished the book in hopes the ending would be redemptive somehow; its not. Overall, not a terrible read--just not a very exciting one.
Rating: 
Summary: Very well written, but is there a message?
Review: Tipping the Velvet is as well written a book as one is likely to read. It would be difficult not to be impressed by the way the author, born in 1966, writes as if she had been born in 1866. However, the message is confounding. On one level it seems as if the point is that all of us who have been disillusioned and suffered a broken heart must spend time resurrecting ourselves. But it seemed to me that Nancy never regained her sweet heart after she lost her sweetheart. And her behavior as she tried to recover was reprehensible even for someone who has been jilted. Except for Alice did her family deserve her withdrawal? Was renting her only alternative for someone as talented as she? Somehow it seems as if Waters is condoning the reaction that Nancy had to her loss. Still the book is worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible journey and wonderful read.
Review: Honestly written, characters that jump off the pages into reality, even with the historical time setting. One of the few lesbian themed novels that doesn't leave you drained, instead, an inspiration of a time when the word "lesbian" didn't even exist. One of those books I'll read more than once...... and share with others as well.
Rating:
Summary: "Lesbian" erotica...Oh please
Review: A friend of mine suggested I read this book saying that it was "good lesbian erotica". I must disagree. There were more phallic descriptions in this book than I've ever seen in any heterosexual book. The constant association of lesbians to men made me frown. It's something true lesbians fight on a daily basis. There was nothing in this book that turned me on. I hope that people exploring a lesbian lifestyle do not point to this book as a sole example of what lesbians find erotic. There are out lesbians that simply enjoy being women and loving women. If you are someone into "phallic writing" then this is the book for you. I for one had enough phallic imagry after reading this book to last a lifetime. While the book created detailed imagry and history it did not provide the erotica I had hoped. A true disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: A day and a half...
Review: YES, a day and half is all it took me to read this book-- I could literally not put it down. Well, that is somewhat of a lie: I forced myself to put it by the wayside for a few moments in order to prolong the pleasure of reading it. Tipping the Velvet is exquisite and a perfect read for the summer. The novel is so rich with details from life at the turn of century that it is possible to forget where you are. Everyone should read this book, regardless of orientation. The story of (supposed?) love and loss are universal, and I believe any feeling person can understand that! You will find yourself craving oysters by the end-- Treat yourself! Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Tipping The Velvet
Review: I loved this book, Sarah Waters is the novelist Jeanette Winterson would love to be. I found this book hypnotic and engrossing. Victorian England in all its seedy glory. This book never compromises it grabs you till the end and witness Sarah Waters a great talent, lesbian, gay, straight, bi, whatever appreciate this writer she is the best.
Rating:
Summary: A true pleasure to read.
Review: Tipping the Velvet is an easily read book that, like Graham Greene's End of the Affair, captures well the feelings that people have that had before seemed beyond description. Waters does a fantastic job of being truthful to the heroine's feelings by showing Nancy's conflicting emotions. We've all had them! The story is a good read for many reasons - simply, the plot is interesting, it doesn't stagnate. Waters moves the story along and while it is clear that she's paid attention to history, I never felt bogged down in the details of it or felt like I needed a history lesson. This is because the book is ultimately, timeless because it is more about emotions and human nature than anything else. It is a well written book that reads easily.
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