I loved your book Fingersmith. In fact, I consider reading it one of the best reading experiences I've ever had. I have also enjoyed your books Affinity and The Night Watch. But I always avoided your first novel, Tipping the Velvet. It seemed so overtly...sexual. But one day I found myself in Half Price Books with a taste for a Victorian setting and holding a copy of Tipping the Velvet. Covered with praise from The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, and other reputable publications, I decided to give it a try.
I read it. Besides telling my readers that it is a well written coming-of-age story of a young woman who falls in love with another woman after which much drama ensues, there's not much I can say about it that wouldn't draw the wrong sort of traffic here. You see, I don't really consider myself a prude, I mean, I loved Slammerkin and The Dress Lodger, but this book is pretty much just s*x, s!x, s$x. With various people, in various places, with various methods of payment. I felt as though I were reading something not from the fiction section of the bookstore but from the erotica section. So I am sort of unable to recommend this book to people unless they're looking for some Victorian....s%x.
Thank you very much for your time. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for Tipping the Velvet, I will continue to seek out your work in the future.
Sincerely,
Tara from BooksandCooks Blog
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11 comments:
Good to know. I'll probably skip this one. I keep hearing raves about Fingersmith though. That one I'll have to make time for.
Lezlie
Uh oh: I bookmooched this one forever ago, when I mixed it up w/ Fingersmith. And I think it's on my list for the 1% Well Read Challenge...hmmmmmmm
I just bought Fingersmith, which I have heard about from many bloggers, but I think I will avoid Tipping The Velvet. They did make a movie version at the BBC, but it sounds like they must have toned it down a bit :)
I liked Tipping the Velvet - probably the whole Victorian thing - but my favorite read is Affinity. I still need to read Fingersmith!
you know, Tipping the Velvet is all I've read of Waters's work, but I really enjoyed the book (at least the first 2/3 of it). I found it educational and sensual. People who are turned off or offended by graphic sexual scenes should avoid it, but as I seldom have issues with that, I wouldn't not recommend it.
Hmm. I bought this one because I liked Fingersmith very much indeed. I also have Affinity and Night Watch on my tbr mountain. It'll be interesting to see what I think when I eventually get to them but am feeling slightly reluctant about Tipping the Velvet all of a sudden...
Everyone - I don't usually reply in this way, but this post feels strange to me anyway so I'll just continue that feeling...thanks so much everyone for your comments. Especially the ones from those of you who have enjoyed TTV! For those of you who own and haven't read it...don't let me dissuade you! Obviously, lots of readers and critics enjoyed this book and perhaps I am in the minority. For those who have read it...I realize the book is about burgeoning sexuality, but to me, it just seemed like recurrent bizzare sexual situations for shock value. Jena, I found your comments really interesting, especially since I considered the last 1/4 of the book the part I liked best! I am not generally offended by sexual scenes....there were just so many of them, I began feeling sort of, well, weird, that I was reading it in the first place.
I too loved Fingersmith and have The Night Watch in the tbr pile but have never contemplated reading TTV after seeing the shorts for the TV show (I think I am a bit like you Tara!) The last book I read that was a bit oversexed for me was a long time ago - Plains of Passage by Jean Auel (sp?). Somehow I think Sarah Waters' work would be better written though ;-)
PS I got your return email and will get back to you very soon.
Nutmeg, I think you will like The Night Watch. Glad to see I'm not alone in thinking TTV is oversexed, though very well written. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Great post, Tara! Thanks for drawing my attention to it. I have Night Watch in my pile (and plan to read it for a challenge this year), so I reserve judgment until I've read at least one of Waters' books!
avisannschild, Thanks! Waters is a great writer - this one was just not for me!
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