“Oliver Twist with a twist…Waters spins an absorbing tale that withholds as much as it discloses. A pulsating story.”—The New York Times Book Review Sue Trinder is an orphan, left as an infant in the care of Mrs. Sucksby, a “baby farmer,” who raised her with unusual tenderness, as if Sue were her own. Mrs. Sucksby’s household, with its fussy babies calmed with doses of gin, also hosts a transient … with doses of gin, also hosts a transient family of petty thieves—fingersmiths—for whom this house in the heart of a mean London slum is home.
One day, the most beloved thief of all arrives—Gentleman, an elegant con man, who carries with him an enticing proposition for Sue: If she wins a position as the maid to Maud Lilly, a naïve gentlewoman, and aids Gentleman in her seduction, then they will all share in Maud’s vast inheritance. Once the inheritance is secured, Maud will be disposed of—passed off as mad, and made to live out the rest of her days in a lunatic asylum.
With dreams of paying back the kindness of her adopted family, Sue agrees to the plan. Once in, however, Sue begins to pity her helpless mark and care for Maud Lilly in unexpected ways…But no one and nothing is as it seems in this Dickensian novel of thrills and reversals.
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If Sarah Water’s Fingersmith isn’t a classic yet, it should be. It is one of the most impressive novels I have ever read. The writing is exquisite and the story is absolutely remarkable. As for the characters, they are as memorable as memorable can be.
An orphan raised among thieves, Sue Trinder agrees to help con the rich Maud Lilly out of her …
This book does what all great historical fiction can do: let you feel like you LIVE in another time period, sweating its sweat, breathing its fumes. I loved this book and the incredible plot twists and pure energetic FUN.
While I’m having a “Victorian” day, I’ll talk about Fingersmith. This is one of those entirely unique books. I had no idea what I was picking up when I first read it, but once you start it hooks you. The prose lulls you slightly – it’s a smooth read. The content is anything but. It’s a tale of treachery and threats, madness and corruption, …
This is one of my top 10 books in the world. One that I read and thought, “How did the author write it? I couldn’t have written it.” I listened to the audio version, and the actresses made it so dark and juicy and twisty. The characters were wonderfully complex and the plot totally ensnaring.
When a young pickpocket, Sue Tinder, is recruited as part of a scheme to steal an inheritance, she leaves her filthy criminal London slum for a world of wealth and comfort. But not all is as it seems. As she falls hopelessly in love with an heiress, she struggles to extricate them both from dangerous predators. But the girl with a gift for theft …
The story was different and well plotted out. It took a while to realize two of the main characters were lesbians because there were other plot lines that made for a twisted and unusual story. Until I looked up other books by this author did I fully realize the hints that had been placed through out the book.
The characters–rich, lush, and 3-dimensional. The storyline and plot are not as simple as it seems, but better! This book had fantastic twists and turns, I did not see ANY of them coming! Great read!! Sarah Waters’ writing puts you IN the Briar mansion, IN the dirty, ghetto row houses of London in the 1800’s and good gracious, IN a ladies’ insane …
This book is set in a dark, foggy, Dickensian London in 1862. Sue is an orphan whose mother was hanged for murder. She has been adopted by Mrs Sucksby (great name!) who looks after dozens of babies for money, and who is like a spider at the centre of a web of thieves and pickpockets. Sue joins in a plot with a guy called “Gentleman” (the irony), …
In Victorian London, a den of thieves conspire to cheat an heiress of her fortune by having the charming Richard marry her. To facilitate the process, another member of the group, who has been fairly well brought up, is proposed to the heiress as a maid. After things look like they are going according to plan, the author throws in a surprise …
In honor of Pride Month, Estelle Tang writes, “17 Writers Share Their Most Important, Necessary LGBT Books” including Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.
I love a book with a twist that I don’t see coming and Fingersmith has three! This is a difficult book to describe without ruining it, so all I shall say is that when Sue Trinder, a young woman raised by a family of thieves in Victorian London, is asked to pose as a ladies maid in order to persuade a gullible heiress to marry a villain and thus …
Great characters and exciting plot. Highly recommend!!
Sarah Waters has once again delivered a multi-textured historical novel full of twists and turns. Each character is meticulously developed and is offered for whom the reader can cheer, jeer, but usually both. Dickensian scenarios of the everyday life of the poor and LGBTQ citizens of 19th century, complete with deception, heartache, romance and …
Fun, detailed, good story-telling. Tensions, twists, turns, titillation. I wouldn’t read another of Sarah Water’s novels right away because from their description I think I would be engaging with many of the same themes. But I was glad to enter the world of London in the mid-nineteenth century–madhouses, thievery, deceptions, and the love between …
This is my favorite book of all time.
A teenage girl goes to be a maid for a Lady with the intention of stealing the Lady’s fortune. I went into this book thinking I knew how it was going to go: the protagonist would start to develop feelings for the Lady, be unable to go through with it, blah blah, a fluffy and fun read. NO. I mean yes, but IT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT! I didn’t …
Historical fiction at its finest.
Fingersmith is a bit slow to get going but once the plot takes its first turn the book continues to surprise.
This is one of those fascinating stories that twists and turn unpredictably. A wonderful blend of gothic horror, con-artistry, and mystery.
Oh, the twists and turns of this plot. What an imagination this author has.