(no subject)
I recently read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters! I really liked portions of it and only managed to get through other portions of it because I was stuck in a car for 12 hours.
I really liked the relationship between the two main characters. It was dark yet sweet, twisted but sincere. I thought the narrator's voice was really compelling -- at least, once you get past the first chapter -- and the book had some twists at the end that took me completely by surprise. And I loved how untrustworthy the narrators were.
Things I liked:
My favorite sections of the book happened when Sue was narrating. I think part of that was that Sue got more of the interesting parts, but I think part of it was just that I didn't like Maud on her own very well. But! This is a section about things I liked! I thought the whole business about learning to be a lady was interesting, and the mental hospital was fascinating. And I really liked reading how Sue fell in love with Maud, how gradual it was, and all her conflicts between getting the job down and not betraying Maud.
Sue's narrating voice sounded very low-class British to me, which is always fun. And by "fun" I mean rare, because I always end up hearing characters talking in my own voice, or at least my own accent.
It was a rather dark book. This was handled both very well and quite poorly, I thought. So, uh, it goes in both sections.
I really, really liked the scene where Maud figures out she loves Sue. I love Gentleman's reaction and I love Maud's confusion.
On one level, I enjoyed reading Maud's version of the events at the Briar house. I love those sorts of "One narrator told you this version, but really, the actual thing went much more like this." But I also was kind of upset by it, because I really liked how things went in Sue's version. I just. I'm not sure Maud could have hidden her true character that well.
Victorian lesbians!
And I liked how accurate everything seemed to be, period-wise! I could tell that Sarah Waters either did a lot of research or was freakishly good at making stuff up believably.
Things I didn't like:
Maud's uncle's book collection struck me as being a little over the top. I would not be surprised to hear that someone in the Victorian times had a library like that, but in this book, it just seemed kind of... unbelievable. Too much crazy. And -- and in a way, it made me upset, because I don't want people thinking Maud was only a lesbian because she was screwed up from reading all those books.
I didn't like how completely different Maud's real character was from the one Sue fell in love with. Both because I couldn't accept that Sue would be that dense, to not pick up on it, and because I worry for their relationship at the end.
The ending! The ending was another problem. I hate endings that are rushed, and this one definitely felt like it was rushed, especially after the leisurely pace through the rest of the book. Sue and Maud spend the entire second half of the book apart and hating each other (or at least, Sue hates Maud), but suddenly in the last four pages, Sue forgives her for sending her off to the insane asylum and doesn't care that she's the keeper of an entire collection of nasty pornography and lied to her. I mean. SHE IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON AND THIS DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE? I can see why they would end up together, especially considering they're the only people left, but - but can't we have a few more pages of them dealing with their issues and getting to know each other again?
I found Mrs. Sucksby's indifference to Sue at the end upsetting, although I'm pretty sure I was supposed to.
And! I was really disappointed in Maud at the end, saying that cheesy line about writing down everything she'd like to do to Sue. Maud, no. That sounds like something someone would say in one of your books. Don't go there. Just. No.
Speculation:
I'm really wondering about Gentleman's sexual preferences. He struck me as pretty gay:
- He got really defensive and angry whenever somebody joked about him fucking a fist/himself/called him a poof.
- He noticed Maud falling in love with Sue.
- He was never interested in the books Maud read and said he wasn't into lesbian pornography.
- He didn't have sex with Agnes or Maud and seemed pretty freaked out on his wedding night (although I guess that could've been because he had to cut his arm open).
I felt really bad for Dainty. I hope that Sue hires her as a maid or just as help around the house.
I was soooo glad at the end when I realized that Maud hadn't gone back to being a librarian for the pornography. That just would've been creepy and upsetting. And my relief at her not going back to her old job made it easier for me to accept her new career decision.
I really liked the relationship between the two main characters. It was dark yet sweet, twisted but sincere. I thought the narrator's voice was really compelling -- at least, once you get past the first chapter -- and the book had some twists at the end that took me completely by surprise. And I loved how untrustworthy the narrators were.
Things I liked:
My favorite sections of the book happened when Sue was narrating. I think part of that was that Sue got more of the interesting parts, but I think part of it was just that I didn't like Maud on her own very well. But! This is a section about things I liked! I thought the whole business about learning to be a lady was interesting, and the mental hospital was fascinating. And I really liked reading how Sue fell in love with Maud, how gradual it was, and all her conflicts between getting the job down and not betraying Maud.
Sue's narrating voice sounded very low-class British to me, which is always fun. And by "fun" I mean rare, because I always end up hearing characters talking in my own voice, or at least my own accent.
It was a rather dark book. This was handled both very well and quite poorly, I thought. So, uh, it goes in both sections.
I really, really liked the scene where Maud figures out she loves Sue. I love Gentleman's reaction and I love Maud's confusion.
On one level, I enjoyed reading Maud's version of the events at the Briar house. I love those sorts of "One narrator told you this version, but really, the actual thing went much more like this." But I also was kind of upset by it, because I really liked how things went in Sue's version. I just. I'm not sure Maud could have hidden her true character that well.
Victorian lesbians!
And I liked how accurate everything seemed to be, period-wise! I could tell that Sarah Waters either did a lot of research or was freakishly good at making stuff up believably.
Things I didn't like:
Maud's uncle's book collection struck me as being a little over the top. I would not be surprised to hear that someone in the Victorian times had a library like that, but in this book, it just seemed kind of... unbelievable. Too much crazy. And -- and in a way, it made me upset, because I don't want people thinking Maud was only a lesbian because she was screwed up from reading all those books.
I didn't like how completely different Maud's real character was from the one Sue fell in love with. Both because I couldn't accept that Sue would be that dense, to not pick up on it, and because I worry for their relationship at the end.
The ending! The ending was another problem. I hate endings that are rushed, and this one definitely felt like it was rushed, especially after the leisurely pace through the rest of the book. Sue and Maud spend the entire second half of the book apart and hating each other (or at least, Sue hates Maud), but suddenly in the last four pages, Sue forgives her for sending her off to the insane asylum and doesn't care that she's the keeper of an entire collection of nasty pornography and lied to her. I mean. SHE IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON AND THIS DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE? I can see why they would end up together, especially considering they're the only people left, but - but can't we have a few more pages of them dealing with their issues and getting to know each other again?
I found Mrs. Sucksby's indifference to Sue at the end upsetting, although I'm pretty sure I was supposed to.
And! I was really disappointed in Maud at the end, saying that cheesy line about writing down everything she'd like to do to Sue. Maud, no. That sounds like something someone would say in one of your books. Don't go there. Just. No.
Speculation:
I'm really wondering about Gentleman's sexual preferences. He struck me as pretty gay:
- He got really defensive and angry whenever somebody joked about him fucking a fist/himself/called him a poof.
- He noticed Maud falling in love with Sue.
- He was never interested in the books Maud read and said he wasn't into lesbian pornography.
- He didn't have sex with Agnes or Maud and seemed pretty freaked out on his wedding night (although I guess that could've been because he had to cut his arm open).
I felt really bad for Dainty. I hope that Sue hires her as a maid or just as help around the house.
I was soooo glad at the end when I realized that Maud hadn't gone back to being a librarian for the pornography. That just would've been creepy and upsetting. And my relief at her not going back to her old job made it easier for me to accept her new career decision.