Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

ISBN-13: 9781860495243
Publisher: Virago Press Ltd
Published: March 1999
472 pgs
Source: Personal Library



I have heard a lot of great reviews on Sarah Waters' books, but just haven't got around to reading any of them yet. So I told myself, enough is enough, and I shall wait no more in reading her books, thus this is where Tipping the Velvet comes along. Why I chose this book is simply because I don't think I have read a lot of reviews on this one, as compared to her other titles such as Fingersmith and The Little Stranger. I might be wrong, but anyway the decision has been made so I wasted no time in jumping into this story. And guess what, I loved this story! Aside from the Victorian England setting (which is one of my favourite era to read), the other thing that made this book so outstanding is Waters' writing style. Oh, how I love her prose!

Eighteen-year-old Nancy Astley's life is a simple yet a satisfactory one, in a sense that she is enjoying her life being an oyster girl and that their oyster restaurant in Whitstable, Kent, is doing well. However, her life changes once she attends a musical hall and is fascinated with a young cross-dressing performer named Kitty Butler. She is so intrigued by Kitty so much so to the extent that she watches her perform almost every evening, and hope that she could catch Kitty's attention.

Nancy does finally manage to catch Kitty's attention, and it is not long before she becomes Kitty's dresser, helping her to change costumes in between the performances. All this while, she has kept her desire on Kitty only in her thoughts, plus she is not sure if Kitty feels the same way towards her. When Kitty is being offered a chance to perform in London, Nancy decides she would leave everything behind and be Kitty's personal dresser as she follow her around. Nancy's life then took a new turn when she became Nan King as she joins Kitty on stage. It is also at this time that their relationship soars and at its height when they discover their love for each other.

Tipping the Velvet is not what I have expected in the beginning. I knew this is a coming-of-age story of a young girl and her journey of finding her self and her unique relationship with another girl. Other than these, I knew nothing about this book and for this, I felt it is a good thing because you just wouldn't know what to expect of this story, since there are so much anticipation and twist to it. The twist referred here is more of a change in Nan's life thereafter and does not associated with mystery. And the more I read, the more I felt for Nan and hope that she would find happiness in the end.

While Tipping the Velvet is a story about self-discovery, I have to say it is also a story about sexism, class difference, freedom and socialism. Though this book contains lesbian theme, please do not let that deter you from reading it as Waters' storytelling is superb and the passionate scenes are done tastefully.

As I mentioned before I like reading the Victorian era, what most fascinated me of this story is the characters and the settings as Waters has the capability to bring them all to life through her skilful writing. I learnt something more about oysters; how they are prepared from fishing right down to opening them (yes, there's a technique) and not to mention the colourful life of the performers onstage or offstage.

After reading Tipping the Velvet and falling in love with Waters' writing style, it is no surprise to me that she has become one of my favourite authors to read and I cannot wait to read the rest of her books. The problem is, I do not know which book I should read next (should the mood strikes since I am such a moody reader). What's your suggestion? I would love to hear your views!

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