Fingersmith

Sarah Waters’s Fingersmith is one of those books that’s hard to talk about beyond the broadest strokes, because so much of the book revolves around secrets and twists that are best preserved and experienced as they unfold. (Even if, like me, you were exposed to the story through Chan-Wook Park’s masterful The Handmaiden, there are surprises galore, given that the movie and the novel diverge entirely not long after the end of the first act.) And yet, here’s what I can tell you: everything starts with a scam, as Sue Trinder, a young girl raised by a group of sam artists and fences in Victorian London, finds herself drafted into a plan to steal a fortune from an unmarried young woman named Maud Lilly. Once she’s married, you see, the fortune can be taken, but she needs to be courted first, and her current maid, well, she’s the prudish type. But if the woman’s maid were to be a plant – say, Sue Trinder – well, what couldn’t a suitor get away with? Such is the setup for Fingersmith, a tale that escalates from there to tell the tales of both Sue and Maud and their inextricably linked lives; while the women may be drawn together by a scam, what happens along the way might be more of an undeniable attraction and love – but when you’re lying through your teeth every second of the day, how can you tell the mark that you might be in love with them (and that’s not even dealing with the worry of how same-sex attraction would be viewed at the time)? That’s only the beginnings of the complications of Fingersmith, which veers into psychiatric treatments for hysteria, objectification of women, mother-daughter relationships, and much, much more, allowing Waters to comment widely on the role of women both in the Victorian era and now, all while spinning a compelling and twisty tale. Moreover, in paralleling the lives of Maud and Sue, Waters allows herself to explore issues of social class and wealth, all while never neglecting the female-driven narrative that she’s created and the way that almost every woman in the tale (with one notable exception, but even she finds herself in a role not of her own making) is being used and manipulated by the men around her. If all of this sounds grim, well, it can be, a little. While The Handmaiden eschewed realism for a gloriously stylish lesbian revenge tale, Fingersmith stays truer to “reality,” and allows her characters to push against the boundaries that have been erected for them with as much success as you might expect from the time period. The result can be a little oppressive at times (and it doesn’t help that the book feels a little too long as you approach the final act, with everything feeling like it takes just a little too much time and too many words), but it also allows Waters to tell a genuinely humane story, where even the main architect of everything has a truly understandable motive and a decent side you might not expect. Fingersmith isn’t quite as pulpy as the basic premise might suggest; it’s too historically-grounded, too honest, too interested in exploring the reality of its repressed characters to cut loose in a lurid tale. But that restraint gives the novel all the more power, as we scenes through multiple perspectives and constantly understand the imperfect information with which everyone is operating, the tragic assumptions that destroy lives, and the dangers of a world where you’re viewed not as a person, but as an object – and a world in which you have to hide who you are and who you love in the name of safety. It’s a rich, satisfying read, with a pair of characters and a tale for the ages.

This deeply atmospheric novel transports readers to mid-nineteenth century London, detailing the lives of grifters who survive by preying on each other and the wealthy. The main characters are a group of swindlers who have found each other and live together in a run-down house. The matriarch is Mrs. Sucksby, a woman who is a baby trafficker. At any time in the house are three or four illegitimate or unwanted babies who are turned into child beggars and used by adults in various schemes. Susan is a sixteen-year-old girl who has grown up in Mrs. Sucksby’s care and is the one most favored by the woman. She is not called to do messy or dirty tasks that the others must do. As a result, she is resented by some. “Gentleman” is a twenty-something-year-old man who is Mrs. Sucksby’s associate in schemes. He is from a wealthy family, and his bearing, clothes, and manner permit him access to a higher society than his fellow grifters. He has concocted a plan to place Susan as a lady’s maid to the niece of a rich man. The man lives a secluded, rural life editing books with his niece’s help. Gentleman’s aim is to seduce the young girl into running away and marrying him. Susan’s help will be instrumental in playing the girl’s confidante. When they marry, Gentleman will then control the girl’s fortune and have her committed to an insane asylum. He will split the money with Mrs. Sucksby, Susan, and the others. What he doesn’t count on is Susan falling for her mistress. Readers will be quickly drawn into the plot, which has many shocking twists and turns. The novel has a gothic feeling, even if there is no supernatural element or an obvious hero. The writing can put you in the midst of its band of rogues. There are a few things that I didn’t like. The book is lengthy at over 500 pages, and even with the twists in some places, it seemed to drag. And then there’s the issue of likable characters. Even the most sympathetic people in the novel have few redeeming characteristics. As a result, I was almost to the end of the book, and I still didn’t know whom I was rooting for. When you add the gloomy atmosphere and the grim deeds, it makes for a bleak read. Fans of British mysteries steeped in atmosphere and dark drama will enjoy this novel.

Sue grew up among petty thieves in the underbelly of Victorian London, under the loving care of her adopted mother, a "baby farmer". One day a scoundrel known as "Gentleman" suggests a devious plan: he is currently wooing Maud Lily, a young and rather naive lady who will be very rich once she marries. Currently her uncle, for whom she works as a secretary, is keeping her on a short leash. Sue is to be Maud's personal maid and is supposed to gain her trust and convince her to elope with "Gentleman" Richard Rivers. Once that is achieved, Maud is to be declared mentally incompetent and left at a madhouse. Gentleman promises Sue a reward for her help. At first, all works as planned. But after only a few days, Sue begins to doubt. She grows fond of Maud and realises that Maud is not in love with Rivers at all, but terrfied of him. Sue herself falls in love with Maud, whom she sees as an innocent, guileless angel, a pearl. Her feelings are returned, but even though the girls consummate their relationship the night before the planned secret wedding, Sue is helpless to stop the plan, as she sees no way out, and no future. So the deed is done and the heiress marries the villain, the unhappy maid gives her away at the wedding. He spreads word of his young wife's growing mental problems and has doctors come to examine the patient. They agree with his observations about the patient's mental health and a carriage with 3 passengers arrives at the madhouse. And this is where the story takes a very unpredictable turn. The reader understands that nothing is as it has seemed so far. There are many more aspects to the plot, and not even our protagonists are aware of who is the spider connecting all the strands of this web ... I can not remember ever having cried upon reading a novel. With this book, I did. You may risk a guess at where in the book it happened. The plot gets rather complicated towards the end, and there are a few passages that seem a little longer than necessary. But it is never boring, and the two female protagonists are interesting, loveable characters with many shades. I especially enjoyed the writing style of Ms Waters, she has a wonderful way of describing things and the dialogue in the book is extremely enjoyable. Note to German readers: I recommend to try and read the English original, even though a German translation is available. I am sure the translation is well done, but I have read parts of the German version and did not enjoy it as much. Some pearls and curious turns of phrase were lost in translation :-)

'Fingersmith' is a writhing, twisting narrative of thieves, orphans, riches and poverty, murder and deception. The narrator, Susan Trinder, speaks of her makeshift ‘family ‘of thieves who live in the Borough – a collection of narrow and labyrinthine streets that seem ideally constructed for the conducting of petty crimes and scams. In 1860s London, by the age of seventeen, Sue is an expert thief and muses on the idea of becoming a baby farmer, like her beloved Mrs Sucksby – the caregiver who took in the infant Sue when her murderess mother was hanged. Yet, their sometime visitor, the handsome con-artist Richard Rivers, arrives to thicken the plot almost immediately, by suggesting a scheme to defraud an heiress of her fortune - if only Sue will play her part in aiding the deception. This alone would seem sufficient intrigue to drive an engaging narrative. However, Waters’ talent for invention and subversion is so powerful that any first-time reader will be constantly wrong-footed by the forks and misdirections in the ever-twisting plot. This compelling novel is unrelentingly in the gothic tradition of romance, horror, family secrets, the macabre and the morbid. No-one is wholly untouched by self-interest, even those who profess to love each other. The central characters are memorable, while even the supporting cast is rendered alive and visceral. The quality of Waters’ writing is consistently both literary and highly readable. All potboiling qualities are only those of the highest order. One small criticism might be directed at the highly fortuitous meeting that occurs in the final chapter: isn’t it just too much of a happy coincidence? Perhaps, yet it also seems no less than the characters deserve. Their separation and the losses endured surely merit a chance for reunion and renewal. The high excess of the narrative finds a conclusion that offers solace and the advent of a more benign, though not unadventurous, future.

El libro es muy interesante y el tipo de letra ayuda muchísimo

‘She was like a twig on a rushing river. She was like milk—too pale, too pure, too simple. She was made to be spoiled... And she had made me love her, when I meant only to ruin her.’ London, 1862. Sue Trinder, a young petty thief—or fingersmith—is drawn into an elaborate scheme to dupe Maud Lilly, a lonely young lady with a substantial inheritance. But when Sue meets Maud, and is struck by her innocence and kindness, she begins to feel the first tingles of regret—although abandoning the duplicitous plan is now out of the question. However, both Sue and Maud find themselves caught up in something far greater, with dangerous consequences that neither can foresee. Deeply atmospheric and exquisitely crafted, “Fingersmith” is reminiscent of both Dickens and du Maurier at their best. It won’t be too much of a spoiler to mention that there’s a lesbian twist in this unfolding drama of reversals and revelations—but let that be a hook to pique your curiosity because this is a novel teeming with unexpected delights.

The poetry in Sarah Waters’s words! It’s like sucking the juice out of raw sugarcane, it is sweet, heady and I feel it in my bones. It’s been over a decade since I read this book. I admit I have forgotten the essence of the story. And I am glad for it for I have again relived the lives of Sue and Maud, this time from a more mature angle.