42. Tipping the Velvet

Tipping the Velvet. Sarah Waters. 1998.

This  is an unexpectedly historical romance that is as charming as it is unusual.  Set in London in the 1880's,  it is a roller coaster of emotions with an engaging ploy,  even while the writing is somewhat mediocre.  There is something about the word selection that I found limited and distracting. It is thought provoking, which made up what it lacked in lyrical style.  I found myself wondering about the historical accuracy of the novel at various points, particularly about the acceptance of openly lesbian women in the socialist movement during that time period, but there was enough going on in the book that I could suspend some disbelief around that and just had fun with it.  The spoiler alert section below explains more detail about why I found the story line so intriguing and why I recommend it, but I really liked that I read the book without knowing this was going to be a theme so I have left it separate for those of you interested in reading it and wanting to let the story tell itself.

SPOILER ALERT: The main character, Nance, lives part of the time presenting as a man and part of the time presenting as a woman.  Because the concept of trans-ness was lacking at the time, there is no framework to determine if this is because Nan is trans or not and while the concept is not directly addressed, it lingered in the back of mind until it is more or less answered as the story unfolds.  

​Recommend.

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