Search - Fingersmith

Awesome book! I happened upon it unexpectedly, and only knew that there was another title by the same author I had on my WL and so read this one. It is a gripping story, told from the point of view of an unexpected character--a London small-time thief in Victorian times. The plot turns are unexpected each time and the story draws you in and makes you feel you are truly living it along with the story's two main female characters. It is a great example of historical fiction, and a great mystery tale as well. Definitely a must read.

The best novel I've read in a while. It's a story worthy of Dickens with so many plot twists and long buried secrets that just when you think you know what's going to happen, everything changes. This one kept me up biting my fingernails through the last few chapters.

i love this author,she is genuine in her research and it shows in her books. But this book should have been about 100 pages shorter.
the story is hard to describe as it is one con after the other.you never know who to believe and who is conning who. a delicious read due to the detail to the historical dress,places and times.

This is a great read. This story has more twists and turns than a roller coaster. It takes place in Victorian times and is so vivid that you feel you have been there. The writing just grabs your attention and won't let you put the book down. If you like a suspenseful book then you will like "Fingersmith".

Sarah Waters writes extremely well. Her descriptions and historical detail are fantastic. I have absolutely no complaints about her writing. Even the length of the book seems fine, given that it is in the tradition of the Victorian novel. I cannot give the book a purely positive rating because the story is so grim and every single character is distinctly unlikeable, with the possible exception of a single supporting character who plays a role only in the last quarter of the book. The protagonists are dreadful people, even taking into account the histories that molded them, and even Waters's wonderful skill in bringing them to life cannot redeem them. I finished the book because it was so well written, but really, I didn't much care what happened to either of the two main characters. I came to dread the next twist or turn in the plot because I knew it would reveal yet another example of how badly people can treat each other. The fact that I stuck around to the end is testament to how very talented I found the writer. I will certainly read another of her works in the hope that it will display her skill without being so terribly depressing and misanthropic.

I read the entire book, and while it did have a good story line, it just wasn't for me. It had some lesbian and sexual themes that I personally did not care for.