Ladra (2002)

Fingersmith - Waters
Audio performance by Juanita McMahon
4 stars

I have a definite need to exorcize this book from my system. I alternated between the audio and a hardback copy that I bought at a library sale. I began to feel that the gothic darkness of the book and the evil of its characters was oozing out of both versions of the book as I waded through it. That says a great deal about the skill of the author, but also makes me happy to have the book behind me. The book disturbed me. I put it down frequently, but I was always drawn back into it. As much as I disliked most of the characters, I wanted to know what happened to them in the end.

Susan Trinder is a fingersmith, a pickpocket, raised among the thieves, whores, and baby farmers of a Dickensian London. It seems that there is some honor among thieves. Some honor, some loyalty, and some love, although it becomes obvious that self-interest is the dominant characteristic of almost every character. The plot twists and turns with an overriding sense that it couldn’t possibly end well. The tension in the book built slowly, possibly too slowly. I could easily skip pages of the build up. With a foreknowledge the something awful was bound to happen, none of the several plot twists were very shocking. That said, the book is skillfully and intricately plotted. I did need to keep reading to see how all the puzzle pieces fit together at the end. It’s an ending that is a bit unbelievable simply because it is a somewhat happy ending; not nearly as bleak as the rest of the book. ( )

Loved it! I am astonished at how much research Waters appears to have done. Her grasp of 19th c. speech is extraordinary. Also, the sex scene is hot. ( )

Fingersmith By Sarah Waters
#books #reviews

https://sravikabodapati.blogspot.com/2022/05/fingersmith-by-sarah-waters.html ( )

London 1862, Sue Trinder is an orphan and living with Mrs Sucksby and her family of thieves, fingersmiths. Richard Rivers ' Gentleman' has a cunning plan which involves Sue going to work as a ladies maid to Miss Maud Lilly.

I started to read this book once before and gave up on it very quickly. I decided to give it another go after seeing it featured on BBC 2 Between the Covers. This time around I did finish the book.

It seems to have taken my ages to get through the book. It's a chunky 500 plus pages. The first part of the book I was quite engaged in and was loving the story. Then comes along a major twist.

The second part of the story I felt dragged. Where the first part is mainly following Sue the next follows Maud. However for me it was just a repeat of what I had just read but from the pov of Maud. This part for me was a slog to get through.

The next part is back with Sue. Again I'm back into the story and want to know how it is going to go. This part again drags slightly, and is very grim. Then the rest of the story comes to its conclusion.

Reading Sarah Waters books before I knew what I was going to get. A heavily descriptive narrative with the London part of it bring my favourite. A very long book with an excellent premise, but maybe too long for what it was. ( )

Issue d’un sombre quartier londonien, Sue est engagée comme femme de chambre de Maud. Mais c’est la fortune familiale qu’elle et l’homme qui l’a introduite convoitent. Un roman fleuve dans une époque victorienne parfaitement restituée, où l’on retrouve l’inspiration de Dickens, subtilement émaillé de touches contemporaines notamment dans la psychologie des personnages. Malgré quelques longueurs, un roman choral qui, de retournements de situation en coups de théâtre, devient de plus en plus difficile à lâcher au fil des pages. ( )