⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Complex and masterful, Fingersmith, should be one
everyone’s reading list – not only women who love women, but for anyone who
enjoys a well-thought-out and elegantly written tale of deceit and come-uppance
with a huge dollop of romance in it.
It is not for nothing that this novel is one of the most
celebrated F/F works of all time. It is so good that BBC even made a great
series on it. The show sticks sincerely to the book...but (yes, we have a ‘but’)…reading
is a different feeling altogether. We can use our imagination to ‘see’ the characters
and ‘hear’ them. Anything that is filmed takes that possibility away and then
we may or may not like to characters as much. Yes, there is even a movie, The
Handmaiden, made on this book. But once again, please read the book before
seeing either the series or the movie. And if you’ve already seen one of them;
read the book nevertheless.
Fingersmith, an old-fashioned term for thief, is a story of
Sue and Maud being played by one, Gentleman. Every character is something of a
rascal and the twists of plot keep you hooked and gasping. The twists continue
right up to the very last scene, which is quite a feat by the wonderful Sarah
Waters.
Writing about the plot without letting slip spoilers is nigh
impossible so we shan’t attempt it. But yes, there are a couple of scenes where
the girls do have physical intimacy and some exceptionally well written scenes
of building attraction and physical longing.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
