lov2laf's Reviews > Fingersmith

If you like being tortured or sit on pins and needles for an entire read, and by entire read I mean THE ENTIRE READ from the first line to the very last, then this is the book for you. And, damn, this thing is nearly 600 pages or 23 hrs if you're listening to the audiobook.

On the final line of the last page I felt like I emerged from a bunker since sinister doom was around the corner at every turn.

What saves it, though, is that the book is brilliant and well-crafted. The prose is rich, every character is solid and nuanced, and the twists and turns are truly unexpected. The story is vivid and multi-layered. There's a lot to analyze if one so wishes but it also can just be read at the surface, too. I can absolutely see why it gets the praise that it does.

I agree with some other critics that the book did feel too long. Though each page is written well, a big chunk of the 2nd narrator could've been chopped to make the pacing less of a drudgery. If Waters intended for the fuller storytelling to add to the dread and suspense, though, mission accomplished.

As for genre, this is a historical fiction set in England during Victorian times that stars two seventeen year-old women and highlights the horrific disparities of class and sex. A same-sex relationship is present and impacts the story but it also is so very minor in the grand scheme of things. We get it for a very short time early on in the story and, once it's done, we don't really get it again. So, is it a romance? As a blip, yes.

And, no, I wouldn't label this as young adult (YA).

If it had a theme it would be "Things are not as they seem."

We get switching alternative view points between the two leading ladies of the story, Maud, the lady, and Susan, the lady's maid. Both have a distinct voice and, as a reader, I'm torn between rooting for each of them while also hoping they trip. Sarah Waters enjoys putting her readers in this pickle just as much as her characters.

As the story unfolded I kept going along thinking "This can't happen. Surely, something will come through in the end to make things different". But, alas, that is not to be and things unfold in a gut-turning manner.

I will say, the book does have a sober yet happy ending. Thank goodness because, if it didn't, I'd really really hate this book. As it is, I at least got a sigh of relief in the end which made the ordeal worthwhile.

For the read, I did listen to the audiobook version which was narrated by Juanita McMahon and she was absolutely fantastic throughout. She's a professional actress and makes the words sing and come to life. I really don't think the narration could have been any better so major kudos to her.

Technically speaking, "Fingersmith" is a five star book but the non-stop angst and the longer narrative did impact my enjoyment. I don't want to be that stressed during a read so I put this somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars.

If you choose to read this, tuck in, and don't forget your food rations and bunker helmet. You're going to need it.