Fingersmith

A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick – Booker Prize Shortlisted

By: Sarah Waters

Narrated by: Juanita McMahon

A BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK (BOOKER PRIZE GEMS)

London 1862. Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves - fingersmiths - under the rough but loving care of Mrs Sucksby and her 'family'. But from the moment she draws breath, Sue's fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away.©2002 Sarah Waters

Critic reviews

Totally immersive with brilliantly drawn characters... a page-turning thriller while managing to be a tender love story

Intensely atmospheric, impeccably paced, and cunningly structured, this is that rarity in contemporary fiction: a deeply serious novel that is also a thumping great read (Douglas Kennedy)

There are always novels that you envy people for not having read yet, for the pleasure they still have to come. Well, this is one. Long, dark, twisted and satisfying, it's a fabulous piece of writing... An unforgettable experience (Julie Myerson)

One of the best twists of any book, one that lifts the novel from a brilliant piece of modern Victoriana to something altogether more original and daring... Fingersmith, like so many great books, calls into question our desire to fit novels into restrictive boxes... If you like a great story, brilliantly told, you'll love this book (Laura Shepherd-Robinson)

A chilling, ingenious erotic thriller - unputdownable

She distils a slice of London Victoriana, involving pickpockets, orphans and identity, into a fantastic plot and handles the story so well that you just can't wait to get to the end

High spirited and utterly compelling (Robert McCrum)

Serious entertainment... One of the most startling plot twists you'll ever read (Nick Hornby)

A thrillerish plot, fast-moving with umpteen cunning twists, it is inhabited by richly human characters whose fortunes instantly engage the reader

Fingersmith's tight and intricate plotting and full-flavour characters follow in a fine tradition of gothic storytelling, full of love, villains and intrigue (Jane Perry)

This disquietingly twisted tale will engross (Isobel Montgomery)

Deliciously brazen... A smart and seductive enchantment

Fingersmith is the third slice of engrossing lesbian Victoriana from Sarah Waters. Although lighter and more melodramatic in tone than its predecessor Affinity, this hypnotic suspense novel is awash with all manner of gloomy Dickensian leitmotifs

Oliver Twist with a twist... Waters spins an absorbing tale that withholds as much as it discloses... A pulsating story

Superb storytelling. Fingersmith is gripping; so suspenseful and twisting is the plot that for the last 250 pages, I read at breakneck speed

A deftly plotted thriller... absorbing and elegant

A marvelous pleasure... Waters's noted attention to historical detail and her beautifully sensitive dialogue help to anchor the force-five plot twisters

Calls to mind the feverishly gloomy haunts of Charlotte and Emily Bronte... Elaborate and satisfying

A richly woven tale of duplicity and passion... nobody writing today surpasses the precocious Waters's virtuosic handling of narrative complexity and thickly textured period detail. This is a marvelous novel

A sweeping read

Astonishing narrative twists

Enjoyable gripping book, beautifully read

Exquisitely written story, descriptive and articulate. A gripping plot full of unexpected twists and colourful believable characters. Set in Victorian London, the author writes with empathy and compassion. The narrator was excellent and made this story a pleasure to listen to. Overall a gem!

Beautifully Woven. The Power of Elite Writing

I love Sarah Waters and her writings. They’re all filled with melancholy, longing, and wits. I’ve read the book more than a decade ago, and I was amazed by how well crafted the point of views are. It created the visuals of what was truly going on. It was a perfect tool to use, because it is a reality that no one really knows anyone. The twists and turns are enhanced by how beautifully woven the writing is.

Also here, the main characters falling in love was both a hindrance and a solace. It created conflicts on their resolves and choices. Their difficulties though, were heavily affected by the machinations and the worth of the people around them.

Juanita McMahon gave great vocal impressions for our heroines, and I think, they fit perfectly.

An interesting story

An interesting story, mixture of mystery and queer romance. The narration was great as well.

Well crafted story, excellent narrator.

I loved the story and the way the tension was kept up all the way

A struggle

Well-written and poorly structured. Dragged on to the point that I finished it out of spite. The quality of the language is the only reason I continued.

I've been trying to read/listen to this for years based on good reviews and recs but never got very far. got COVID so finally just put it on and got through.

The reader does a good job, no complaints there.

The characters were neither very interesting nor sympathetic. I don't require characters to be both, but if you're rooting for no one in a book this long, it'd be nice to at least know why you should be invested in their stories. Nobody had a personality beyond Cackling Evil, Eternally Conflicted or Purposely Bland.

I hate Liar Revealed as a trope and this is a book with layers on layers of it.

There were also a number of disturbing passages that edged from commentary on mental illness in Victorian England to gratuitousness. these would have been, well, fine isn't really the word for it, but felt less exploitative if the characters felt like they developed because of their experiences.

My biggest issues with the books were not understanding anyone's motivations and the twist upon twist making it feel almost farcical. the first twist wasn't especially surprising but it was still good. It makes little sense, though, and goes from an already overcomplicated plot to something ridiculous and nonsensical. character motivation being unclear made this issue worse.

The book spends a third of the time repeating itself from a slightly different perspective, which was unnecessary and tiring.

Halfway through, I just read a synopsis. I finished listening mostly because I didn't want to have a half listened book banging around in my library.