Rating: 
Summary: Great book until the end...
Review: I read and enjoyed "Tipping the Velvet," and appreciate the time frame in which Sarah Waters writes. Yet in both "Fingersmith" and "Tipping the Velvet," she does not seem to know how to end her stories. She weaves a tapestry of intrigue in both books, then suddenly seems to realize, "uh-oh, I'm on page 500-something, better tie up some lose knots here." The blinding speed with which we discover what happens to each character in Fingersmith felt, to me, like sitting down to a gourmet meal and consuming it without chewing. Overall, I enjoy her writing, and we are never left wondering. But I do look forward to reading an ending that is written at the level of the rest of her skills.
Rating: 
Summary: fingersmith
Review: It was wonderfully written--fantastic suspense for someone who usually is pretty good at guessing--great character descriptions--a real page turner.
Rating: 
Summary: I could not care less...
Review: Sue Trinder lives in a family of petty crooks in the slums of Victorian London and Maud Lilly lives with her book-collecting uncle in a estate outside London. Through a villain named Richard Rivers aka "The Gentleman" they get involved with each other, because Rivers wants to get hold of the fortune of the rich girl the moment she becomes 18. The plot twists and turns, the girls fall in love but get separated but all is well that ends well.A typical Victorian novel (or at least the interpretation of a modern writer of Victorian novels). To be honest: I could not care less what is happening to the main characters Sue and Maud. Their characters remained paper-thin (as were all the other characters in the book): they moan and groan but never pull themselves together and take life into their own hands. I know that Charles Dickens had to write sturdy books because he was paid by the word, but their is no reason why modern writers should also produce endless, boring descriptions and books with too many twists and turns that do not really add something crucial to the story that is being told.
Rating:
Summary: Long & Difficult Read
Review: I am having a hard time finishing this book. It is far too wordy and the plot does not live up to the length of the book. The author doesn't stay true to the characters in the three different sections of the book. The historical aspect is interesting. If you like period novels set in Victorian days you might enjoy this one anyway.
Rating:
Summary: No redeeming value here
Review: Although the writer's craft is well done, with some surprising twists to the plot,overall the book was dull. The characters are all low life petty thieves, who have no honor even among themselves. By the end, I felt that they all got what the deserved, but felt no sympathy for any of them, I was just glad I didn't have to listen to their amoral self pity anymore. Although Fingersmith has been likened to Oliver, and it seems derivative in terms of setting, Sarah Waters original additions, (the lesbian relationship, the baby dealer, and the misogynistic con-man,) mired down rather than elevated this tale.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award
Review: Sue Trinder is a seventeen year old girl who lives among theives in London of the mid-1800s. She is the daughter of a murderess who was hanged a short distance from her flat. Sue lives with Mrs. Sucksby, a foster mother who raised Sue from an infant. She also lives with some petty theives called fingersmiths or pickpockets. Into this mix wanders Gentleman, another criminal who is currently employed by an eccentric book collector in the countryside to help catalogue the works. This book collector's niece, Maud Lilly, is a naive young girl who will fall into a fortune after she gets married. Gentleman wants to seduce her and marry her. He comes to elicit the aide of Sue who he wants to become the personal maid of Maud to convince her that marriage to gentleman would be in her best interest. However, many surprises are about to befall both Sue and Maud as they get much, much more than they bargained for.
Sarah Waters has written one of the most compelling mysteries I have read in years. It is epic in length, yet, the story is quite simple, always suspenseful, and, hence reads like a much shorter work. The leisurely pacing facilitating the use of strong realistic characterizations, as well as, the year the story takes place will conjure up the inevitable comparisons to Dickens. However, this is probably not fair. Few writers have ever been able to create so many well known and beloved characters as Dickens. Ms. Waters concentrates her efforts on the plot with serviceable characters. She writes from a time almost one hundred and fifty years after the time her story takes place and what is remarkable is the fact that she has the ability to completely immerse the reader into that time period. With the extreme length, however, the story does lose its focus intermittently. However, overall, this is an excellent work and a worthy winner of the Ellis Peters Award for historical mysteries of the CWA.
Rating: 
Summary: Long twisted road
Review: Somehow Amazon recommended this book for me and my mom bought it. I had no idea it was lesbian victoriana. If you like that sort of thing- you'll love the book. Waters' descriptions leave little to be imagined. As you might expect, the male characters in this book are all unlikeable and the women are caricatures. The plot twists were almost predictable, but the story lines were almost startling.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Novel with Lots of Surprises
Review: Fingersmith was highly recommended by a friend with similiar tastes. How right she was! I loved this book! There's no need for me to review the plot as others have done a marvelous job before me but I do want to make these points. Fingersmith has everything a reader wants in a historical novel: orphans and pickpockets, cruel men and resourceful heroines, plus a good look at the seamier side of Victorian England. The reader will also enjoy lesbian romance tastefully done, betrayal, alas most foul, and mystery and surprises you won't believe! On a serious note, this novel presents us with the many ways Victorian men could manipulate and control the women in their lives with no fear of retribution. This angle makes it a particularly good choice for any book group.
Ms. Waters writes in a such a marvelously descriptive style that I could almost smell the smog-fouled London air, or feel the rough canvas of the madhouse walls. Her characters are well-rounded and sympathetic. Fingersmith would have rated five stars but I thought it got a little wordy here and there.
Rating: 
Summary: Tedious and Dragging
Review: Just because a book is by Sarah Waters (and she usually writes with more literary sense than many other lesbian authors) does not make it good literature, or even a good story. I was so happy to find this book - imagine a lesbian plot line with more than a short afternoon's read! By the end, I was so disappointed. Yes, there are many twists to the plot, but I'm sorry that I wasted my time plodding through to the end. If you want a good "miserable-read" with a bit more action, try the Lemony Snickett's series in the Young Adult section
Rating:
Summary: as brilliant as the flyleaf claims!
Review: The flyleaf accolades were right - Sarah Waters is an awesome writer! Encompassing two first-person narratives, this is the story of Sue Trinder, raised a Fagin's Gang kind of theif, who sets out to swindle Maud Lilly out of her fortune. Multiple double-crosses and revelations ensue before the story finishes, 500 pages later. Waters takes us through the worlds of London theives, dreary Victorian recluses, the erotica book trade, and madhouses before we're done, each terrifying and alluring in its own way. Like Dickens at his best, she manages to give each charater complexity and avoid explicit judgement - even the villian Richard Rives is enticing at times. She evokes, rather than discusses, the various ways women can be controlled and imprisoned, and lets us feel it through her two strong-willed heroines. The language and texture of the book are at once rich and seemingly historically accurate and also accessible to a modern audience. So much could be said about this book - brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!
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