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Fingersmith

4.0(40)
Language
English
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About the book

“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.

Editions (7)

ISBN9781860498824
PublisherLondon: Virago Press, 2002.
Publication Date12/31/02
Pages416

Reviews & Ratings

40 ratings

3 reviews

4.0

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  • 1001books.and.more
    1001books.and.more

    88 Followers

    4.0

    Fingersmith reminded me a lot of the works of Charles Dickens (especially Oliver Twist which is also mentioned in the book) and Wilkie Collins (especially The Woman in White). The setting and the whole atmosphere were described very lively and were the perfect background for the story. I really enjoyed reading Fingersmith. There were just some minor things which made me only rate it four stars: During the whole story I never knew whether I should fell with Susan or with Maud or with both of them or with none of them. Their motives were all very logic but somehow I never could fully associate with them. I also wasn't touched or moved by their love story. My final problem was with Maud's work. I found the whole thing very odd, especially her uncle's behaviour. It's obvious that the author wanted to show the hypocracy of the Victorian time with this. But to me it seemed that the story would still have been very good - maybe even better - without this part. It often seemed to be a bit farfetched.

    Sep 23, 2022

  • _hanna
    _hanna

    10 Followers

    can't believe i'm saying this but i'm giving up on this (for now). i seriously LOVED the first part. really enjoyed the second part. and then... i don't know. i blame it on my attention span & on me already knowing the plot from the movie but right now this book doesn't feel right

    Apr 21, 2024

  • anselmao
    anselmao

    1 Followers

    3.0

    The scenes were so described with so much detail that it made the book too long for what it is about.

    Dec 30, 2022

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moony.books
moony.booksApr 17, 2026

Ich bin schokiert, frustriert, enttäuscht, nicht überrascht und ein bisschen resigniert. Tolle Story bis jetzt (auch wenn ich etwas brauchte um rein zu kommen) und ich bin sehr gespannt, wie es weiter geht. Aber der Plot Twist war echt gemein. Er kam nicht aus dem nichts aber ich hatte so für Sue gehofft, dass es gut ausgeht. Und wenn nicht gut (was ja schon irgendwo klar war), dann zumindest nicht so. Bim echt gespannt, was jetzt kommt!

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