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Fingersmith Paperback – October 1, 2002

by Sarah Waters (Author)

4.1 8,044 ratings

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“Oliver Twist with a twist…Waters spins an absorbing tale that withholds as much as it discloses. A pulsating story.”—The New York Times Book Review

The Handmaiden, a film adaptation of Fingersmith, directed by Park Chan-wook and starring Kim Tae-Ri, is now available.

Sue Trinder is an orphan, left as an infant in the care of Mrs. Sucksby, a "baby farmer," who raised her with unusual tenderness, as if Sue were her own. Mrs. Sucksby’s household, with its fussy babies calmed with doses of gin, also hosts a transient family of petty thieves—fingersmiths—for whom this house in the heart of a mean London slum is home.

One day, the most beloved thief of all arrives—Gentleman, an elegant con man, who carries with him an enticing proposition for Sue: If she wins a position as the maid to Maud Lilly, a naïve gentlewoman, and aids Gentleman in her seduction, then they will all share in Maud’s vast inheritance. Once the inheritance is secured, Maud will be disposed of—passed off as mad, and made to live out the rest of her days in a lunatic asylum.

With dreams of paying back the kindness of her adopted family, Sue agrees to the plan. Once in, however, Sue begins to pity her helpless mark and care for Maud Lilly in unexpected ways...But no one and nothing is as it seems in this Dickensian novel of thrills and reversals.

Print length

582 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Riverhead Books
Publication date

October 1, 2002
Dimensions

5.17 x 1.26 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

1573229725
ISBN-13

978-1573229722
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Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

And so you see it is love—not scorn, not malice; only love—that makes me harm her, in the end.
Highlighted by 311 Kindle readers
Everybody in my world knew that regular work was only another name for being robbed and dying of boredom.
Highlighted by 295 Kindle readers
That is all he says. But in his face I see, at last, how much I want her.
Highlighted by 248 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Deliciously brazen…a smart and seductive enchantment.”
—Los Angeles Times

“Oliver Twist with a twist…Waters spins an absorbing tale that withholds as much as it discloses. A pulsating story.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Astonishing narrative twists.”
—Newsday

“Superb storytelling. Fingersmith is gripping; so suspenseful and twisting is the plot that for the last 250 pages, I read at breakneck speed.”
—USA Today

“A deftly plotted thriller…absorbing and elegant.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“A marvelous pleasure…Waters’s noted attention to historical detail and her beautifully sensitive dialogue help to anchor the force-five plot twisters.”
—The Washington Post

“Calls to mind the feverishly gloomy haunts of Charlotte and Emily Brontë…Elaborate and satisfying.”
—The Seattle Times

“A sweeping read.”
—The Boston Globe

About the Author

Sarah Waters is the New York Times–bestselling author of The Paying Guests, The Little Stranger,The Night Watch, Fingersmith, Affinity, and Tipping the Velvet. She has three times been short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, has twice been a finalist for the Orange Prize, and was named one of Granta’s best young British novelists, among other distinctions. Waters lives in London.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

My name, in those days, was Susan Trinder. People called me Sue. I know the year I was born in, but for many years I did not know the date, and took my birthday at Christmas. I believe I am an orphan. My mother I know is dead. But I never saw her, she was nothing to me. I was Mrs Sucksby’s child, if I was anyone’s; and for father I had Mr Ibbs, who kept the locksmith’s shop, at Lant Street, in the Borough, near to the Thames.

This is the first time I remember thinking about the world and my place in it.

There was a girl named Flora, who paid Mrs Sucksby a penny to take me begging at a play. People used to like to take me begging then, for the sake of my bright hair; and Flora being also very fair, she would pass me off as her sister. The theatre she took me to, on the night I am thinking of now, was the Surrey, St George’s Circus. The play was Oliver Twist. I remember it as very terrible. I remember the tilt of the gallery, and the drop to the pit. I remember a drunken woman catching at the ribbons of my dress. I remember the flares, that made the stage very lurid; and the roaring of the actors, the shrieking of the crowd. They had one of the characters in a red wig and whiskers: I was certain he was a monkey in a coat, he capered so. Worse still was the snarling, pink-eyed dog; worst of all was that dog’s master—Bill Sykes, the fancy-man. When he struck the poor girl Nancy with his club, the people all down our row got up. There was a boot thrown at the stage. A woman beside me cried out,

‘Oh, you beast! You villain! And her worth forty of a bully like you!’

I don’t know if it was the people getting up—which made the gallery seem to heave about; or the shrieking woman; or the sight of Nancy, lying perfectly pale and still at Bill Sykes’s feet; but I became gripped by an awful terror. I thought we should all be killed. I began to scream, and Flora could not quiet me. And when the woman who had called out put her arms to me and smiled, I screamed out louder. Then Flora began to weep—she was only twelve or thirteen, I suppose. She took me home, and Mrs Sucksby slapped her.

‘What was you thinking of, taking her to such a thing?’ she said. ‘You was to sit with her upon the steps. I don’t hire my infants out to have them brought back like this, turned blue with screaming. What was you playing at?’

She took me upon her lap, and I wept again. ‘There now, my lamb,’ she said. Flora stood before her, saying nothing, pulling a strand of hair across her scarlet cheek. Mrs Sucksby was a devil with her dander up. She looked at Flora and tapped her slippered foot upon the rug, all the time rocking in her chair—that was a great creaking wooden chair, that no-one sat in save her—and beating her thick, hard hand upon my shaking back. Then,

‘I know your little rig,’ she said quietly. She knew everybody’s rig. ‘What you get? A couple of wipers, was it? A couple of wipers, and a lady’s purse?’

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Riverhead Books; First Edition (October 1, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 582 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1573229725
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1573229722
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.17 x 1.26 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #40,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4 in LGBTQ+ Thrillers
- #13 in LGBTQ+ Historical Fiction (Books)
- #4,550 in Historical Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 8,044 ratings

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Sarah Waters

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Sarah Waters is the bestselling author of Tipping the Velvet, Affinity, Fingersmith, and The Night Watch. Winner of many literary awards, she has been shortlisted for both the Man Booker and Orange Prizes. She lives in London.

Photo by Annie_C_2 [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Jennifer

Twists and More Twists ... Sorry I Can't Tell You More: JUST READ IT!

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2010

Verified Purchase

If you read a lot of book blogs, I'm sure you've come across a few reviews of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. And I bet they all have one thing in common: the reviewer laments the fact that they can't really tell you any more than the bare bones of the plot because then it would spoil the book for you. Then they go on to praise the book and tell you "Just read it. Trust me. It is that good."

So who am I to attempt to do the impossible? You truly cannot write too much about Fingersmith without spoiling everything that makes Fingersmith such a dizzying, delightful read. I saw a comment by Nymeth from Things Means A Lot (who wrote one of the best reviews of this book I've come across) on another blogger's review of Fingersmith that said:

The first rule of Fingersmith is that you don't talk about Fingersmith.

Of course, this is a reference to Fight Club (of which I've only seen the movie and not read the book), but, when I thought about it, there are definite parallels between Fight Club and Fingersmith (aside from the need to be close-mouthed about plot points). And so I felt I must respect the code and not talk too much about this book. But here is what I can tell you.

* Reading this book is like looking into a kaleidoscope. You see things fitting together in an intricate pattern but then you turn it and all the pieces align in a new pattern. And then you turn it again ...

* Reading this book is like boarding those Wild Mouse rides you see at amusement parks where you get whipped around on these crazy sharp turns that make your head spin.

* Reading this book is like watching Mission Impossible where the ... WAIT ... I can't continue with that one. It might give too much away.

Let's just say that if Fingersmith was a food, it would be a pretzel. (Because of the twists). I think the true brilliance and fun of Fingersmith is the plot twists that leave you feeling dizzy, invigorated, duped, nodding, shaking, and wanting to leap ahead to find out where Waters is going to take you next. (But don't think the plot twists are all the book has going for it. It is also amazingly well-written; provides a brilliant sense of atmosphere; and creates memorable, indelible characters that will stay with you.)

So, what else can I tell you?

* The book is set in Victorian England. Now usually this is a turn-off for me. I associate "Victorian" with "dead boring." (Unfairly, I suppose, as I haven't read all that much of it.) I always think books set in the Victorian era will focus too much on virtue and being good and social niceties and the big scandal would be if someone used the wrong spoon to stir their tea. (I'm totally speaking out of my ass here, by the way. I don't know ANYTHING about Victorian novels ... just a vague sense of what I think Victorian novels are or would be like. I'm sure many of you will try to convert me now.) So, if you have an unfair prejudice against books from the Victorian era like I did, discard them. This book is ANYTHING but boring and stuffy.

* Fingersmith is a term that means "petty thief," which is how one of the main characters, Sue Trinder, earns her living in London. Fingersmith might also refer to someone who has mastered a skill involving the use of his or her fingers. It could also have another connotation that makes more sense after you read the book but I'm not going to tell you about it. OK ... I will ... let's just say the book has been called "lesbian Victoriana." So now you figure it out yourself. (And that is your only "warning" that this book deals with the Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name.)

* The book is 582 pages but once you hit the end of the first part, you will want to read the book at every available opportunity so make sure you have the time available. Once you board the crazy ride that is Fingersmith, you won't want to get off!

* You will never look at a pair of white gloves in quite the same way.

Oh ... enough already. Just read it!!! Trust me!!!! You'll love it!! (Unless you really don't care for suspenseful, twist-filled, well-written, unforgettable, kick-ass, Gothic, big themed, psychologically thrilling, heart-in-your-mouth historical fiction. If that isn't your type of book, then by all means skip it.)

I hereby award Fingersmith 5 stars and pretty much guarantee it is going to be one of my Top 10 reads of the year.

8 people found this helpful

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E. Smiley

3.5 stars

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2013

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I enjoyed Tipping the Velvet , and so was excited to read this book, reputed to be the author's best. And Fingersmith is a fun read, with a gripping plot and well-developed characters. It's also darker than Tipping the Velvet, in a fairly lurid way (I'm not talking about the sex, of which there isn't much), and the plot doesn't really stand up to scrutiny.

Fingersmith is one of those books you won't want to read too many reviews about before diving in, lest they spoil the surprises that are half the fun. It begins with a young thief, Sue, who joins a plot to swindle an heiress out of her fortune. This being a Sarah Waters book, attraction develops between Sue and the heiress and.... you'll have to read it to find out the rest! The book had me staying up much later than I'd intended to find out what happens next, which had not happened to me for awhile. Certainly a lot of fun.

The plot is also the source of some problems, however. The first big twist set very high expectations, which the rest of the story failed to meet, and the rationale behind that twist doesn't make much logical sense, as it's hard to see how that course of events would benefit anyone. There are also a few other problems of the "why doesn't she just....?" variety. Meanwhile, some of the misfortunes with which Waters torments her heroines are just so absurd that I couldn't even feel bad for them (and I wanted to! I had a soft spot for these crazy girls. Especially Maud, who seriously needs a therapist). To be fair, Tipping the Velvet has its over-the-top elements as well and I suspect that for many of Waters's fans this is a feature rather than a bug; Fingersmith has been called "Dickensian," and Dickens was no stranger to melodrama (I say this as someone who mostly likes Dickens). Finally, while the slow pacing and attention to detail work well at the beginning to develop the setting and characters, later in the book this drags the plot down, leaving too few pages for the rushed resolution.

All that said, the book still has a lot going for it. The writing style is fluid and Waters does a great job with atmosphere and period detail. The book explores the seamy underbelly of Victorian society, from abusive asylums where inconvenient women could be locked away for years, to the sale of pornography (yep, the Victorians were hypocrites). The character development, particularly of the two protagonists, is very good, and Waters uses the dual first person narration to great effect. You really get a sense of how the narrators think differently, in subtle ways, and revisiting some of the same events with a different set of eyes is occasionally humorous and consistently fascinating. On a couple of occasions I wanted to say "But that isn't how it happened!" only to realize.... wait a minute.... everyone is unreliable, and everyone tends to view events in the light most favorable to themselves. We can't simply assume that Sue told us absolute truths. In general I'm skeptical of authors trying to write multiple narrators, but if you want to see it done right, read this book.

Overall then, a compelling and well-written story, as long as you don't mind some plot contrivances. This is really 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up to 4 because I had a lot of fun with it, and because the author does a great job with character and point-of-view. I would recommend this to those who their historical fiction closer to the literary end of the spectrum, but there's enough plot to satisfy those who typically avoid literary books as well.

4 people found this helpful

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Ambar Sahil Chatterjee

Dickens meets Du Maurier with a lesbian twist in this deeply atmospheric, immensely satisfying novel

Reviewed in India on June 8, 2023

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‘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.

Macky

Must read!

Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

Can’t put this book down. Moving, disturbing & very queer.

Brilliant, Sarah Waters!!!

Corinne04

A masterpiece

Reviewed in France on January 26, 2022

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I absolutely loved this book. Sarah Waters is a master story teller and this book has so many twists that you will want to read it non stop. The description of life in London at that time is so vivid and telling. I can't recommend it enough.

Maísa Vilanova

Fingersmith

Reviewed in Brazil on June 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

Uma história universal, envolvente e bem escrita. Tanto que já ganhou duas brilhantes adaptações: Fingersmith e A criada.

2 people found this helpful

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