!$ Fingersmith

"London 1862. Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves - fingersmiths - under the rough but loving care of Mrs Sucksby and her 'family'. But from the moment she draws breath, Sue's fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away." (from Sarah Waters' website)



Fingersmith begins in the seedy part of Victorian England with a "family" of petty thieves, or fingersmiths. Sue Trinder is a member of this family (and the narrator of the first part of the book). One day, a friend of the family, Gentleman, tells them of a plan he has to swindle a well off young woman of her inheritance, with the help of Sue. She is to play the role of a maid to this young woman and be the inside player in the game. As things progress and Sue gets to know Maude, Sue becomes less desirous of this swindle.



Part two of this book is set at the manor house where the well off young woman (Maud) lives. She becomes the narrator at this time. We learn about her past and see the events that happened in part one from Maud's perspective. There is a HUGE twist that takes the reader into part three and an outcome that you will never see coming. This initially small scale swindle, takes on legs of its own and grows exponentially.



It took me a very long time to read this book, but that had nothing to do with the quality of the writing or the story bring told. I was going to school at the time and there was very little free-reading time. When I was actually able to read, I devoured the pages. I hadn't read anything Victorian at that time and couldn't get enough of the descriptions of the world around them. The main characters of Maud, Sue, and Gentleman were expertly created and were wonderful, innocent, and malicious (in that order). Even the minor characters were well created and had distinct personalities of their own.



I really loved the twist - I never saw it coming and it really took the book in a new direction - but it was very fitting and true to the story. I found myself connecting with the characters - feeling sad and angry and disappointed at times.




(180 customers reviews)
Customers Rating=4.5 / 5.0

More Detail For Fingersmith

• ISBN13: 9781573229722
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.