Customer Reviews
I feel I grew up with these two young women - By: Mr. W. Dover, 15 Jan 2008 
By Mr. W. Dover "aspiring nobody" (Duesseldorf, Germany) - See alll my reviews
This story just takes you right inside the lives of two young women living in Victorian England. These central characters are both experiencing so many new things in their lives, yet they graduallly find that they have fundamentallly different motives & desires. Either they are greedy for admiration & fame, or they are fallling in love for the first time.
Like Sarah Waters' more recent novel "The Night Watch", this book is tragic, but with comic moments & as such I think it a masterwork. Classical in its overarching themes of "coming out of the Garden of Eden" (and no pun intended about Coming out), or coming to terms with the world, it sweeps you along with the journey of the characters. Everything the women experience affects the reader in a way that cannot be described. As a male reader, not aware of any particular preconceptions, I watched & loved the TV series, then had to read the book (albeit several years later though).
A element common to great works of fiction, surely, is that the reader shares the emotions of the central protagonists, for better or worse, along the course of the story. And that's exactly what I found whilst reading this tale. Regardless of sex, or sexual persuasion "Tipping the Velvet" pulls you in & doesn't let go. "Unputtdownable" is a term much overused these days. Whatever your opinion on that, I recommend that if you enjoy historical fiction or not; if you identify with idealistic yet reckless (to use one of Waters' favourite words) heroines or not; if you can't abide people who use others according to their own whims & fancies, or if you find that irrelevant; if you want to escape into another time & place as if you never knew any other life; in short, if you are fond of books that enthralll & entrance, then this is the one for you.
I cannot emphasise enough how deeply this book moved me. It makes you want to go & dance on the stage, like the women do. A wonderful, fulfilling & uplifting story. Ultimately life-enhancing.
A good read - By: BookWorm, 07 Oct 2007 
It's reputation as a Victorian lesbian bodice ripper having preceded it, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Tipping the Velvet. I needn't have worried - it is an extremely well written book, which drew me into the story & kept me intrigued from the very start.
The main topic of the story is lesbianism in the 1890s, & as such it is pretty graphic at many points. Therefore readers who are upset by homosexuality or descriptive sex scenes of any kind should avoid this book. However, it is very well written with a strong cast of interesting characters & plenty of twists & turns in the plot.
I did feel that the story lost some of its momentum in parts 2 & 3, but it was still enjoyable & didn't drag. The ending worked well, & I was left feeling pleased I'd given the book a chance. I would recommend this to any reader over 16, as long as they aren't worried by the sex scenes.
A Lesbo-Victorian Romp - By: S. Rankin, 10 Sep 2007 ...as jokingly described by Sarah Waters herself. But oh how much more than that it is. The story is that of Nan Astley, a young & naive oyster girl who fallls in love with another woman, thus changing her life forever. We're taken into a great tale of showbusiness, the secret Victorian lesbian underworld, & so much more.
Sarah Waters' usual fantastic writing & imagination brings us yet another brilliant book.
Filled with sex, seduction, pain, heartache, violence, & alll in the beautifully described Victorian era, this is a book you will not be able to put down until you have finished every word!
Fabulous - By: SJSmith, 27 Aug 2007 I watched the TV series when it was out originallly - isn't that about 6 years or so ago now? - & then read this only recently. Commendations to the directors as they used the book so well. It didn't detract from my enjoyment as the book was perfectly well written & actuallly helped because I could hear/see the characters in my mind.
I think this is a well-known plot & doesn't need much further saying about it. The sex is, well, very explicit & very raunchy but wonderfull written. The learning Nancy goes through is heartbreaking & yet character building for her. Leaving the loving bosom of one family to finallly end up in the arms of another. Beautiful!
Fabulous plot, excellent narrative & a true page turner.
It touched me - By: L. Clifford, 14 Apr 2007 I was looking at the cover of this book for a while, & you know what they say . . never judge, & so on, but I did & it changed me. I could not put it down at alll!! Every spare minute I had I was reading it. It may me cry in parts & my heart pound with the excitement of others. I was upset when it ended because I wanted to read more & more. I got the DVD of the BBC series & that kept the spirit going. I still after 6 months like to watch it & feel the historical charm & sensuality that comes from the amazing characters. It takes me back to a time I wich I could have been around in.
