(2nd copy registered.) This is an intricately woven Victorian mystery/melodrama. I thought as I started reading that I could see what was coming, but there are more twists and turns in this novel than you might anticipate. It kept me truly hooked, and I really enjoyed the sudden changes of direction and perspective.

I read 'Affinity' by the same author, and thought the prose was quite stilted and slow. The story only picked up for me right at the end where everything was tied together. 'Fingersmith' is in a different class altogether, and I'm so glad I didn't let 'Affinity' put me off! One of the best books I've read in the last year.

This book will be released into a bookray at some point in the future - please PM me if you are interested, and I'll try to make it sooner rather than later!

A Couple More Novels set in Dickensian London:
Jack Maggs by Peter Carey
The Potato Factory by Bryce Courtenay
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

I am starting a bookray to release this book – please send me a Private Message including your screen name and country if you would like to join (please specify if you are NOT willing to ship overseas).

*I will make a list below of members in the order the book will travel (this may be amended later depending on shipping preferences/location etc).

*The current and previous owners of the book will be shown on the list in bold, with the current owner also marked with an arrow (>).

*Please make a journal entry when you receive the book, then read, review and release the book within 1 month of receiving it, to keep the circle turning.

*When you are ready to release the book, send a PM to the next member on the list asking for their postal details.

*When the last person on the list receives the book, you can keep or re-release it as you prefer!

BOOKRAY MEMBERS
1. TangledThreads (UK – will ship internationally)
2. Mytilusgirl (UK – will ship internationally)
3. minx2012 (UK - will ship internationally)
4. fio-dagua (Portugal - prefer to ship within Europe)
5. lesezeichen (Germany - will ship internationally)
>6. hengameh (Iran - will ship internationally)
7. katayoun (Iran - will ship internationally)
8. Lorelei03 (USA – prefer to ship within US but will ship internationally)
9. JesseBC (USA – prefer to ship within US but will ship internationally)
10. vicki9170 (USA – will ship internationally)
11. morpha (USA - will ship USA, Canada, Mexico)
12. spaceystacey (USA - will ship internationally)
13. Ramya (USA)
14. KarinAlyssa (Canada - prefer to ship within Canada)
15. Arwen-Galadriel (Canada (will ship internationally)
16. Wirigerie (Australia)
17. rainbow3 (UK)
18.

(Shipping order not yet finalised so above sequence may/will probably change)

Released on Monday, February 02, 2004 at In the hands of Royal Mail! in Postal release, England United Kingdom.

Forwarded to Mytilusgirl, the first member of this bookray. Hope you enjoy it!

This arrived two days ago. Am half way through and hopefully will be finished by the weekend. Enjoying the read, so far...!

Finished! A what a series of aptly written devious twists and turns I have read. There's a fair bit I'd like to write about the plot but can't, for fear of spoiling the read for those behind me. Suffice to say, this book ought to keep you up well past midnight.

Thank you tangledthreads!

Posted 13th Friday 2004.

Arrived in the post today. I thought I knew the author's name from somewhere but only remembered she wrote Tipping the Velvet when I saw the 'also by' bit inside.
That was a little overhyped, a good book but not thoroughly deserving of the rave reviews it got. I hope this is as good as the word-of-mouth that spurred me to join the ring suggests.

Perhaps it's a little unfair that I've only given this book 7 when I was very nearly very late for work because I didn't want to stop reading it.
You see, it's a grower. I started off thinking, hmmm, this is all well and good, it's reasonable enough. Before I knew it I'd been pulled into the plotting and the twists and the turns and I was trying to work out what would happen next - and then going back through the chapters trying to work out how everything fit together.
There was one essential plot device which to me was very predictable, which is hinted at in quite a strong way in the blurb on the back, but even then the exact details are twisted cleverly enough and just different enough from what you think you've oh-so-intelligently worked out to still make it a shock.

I have about fifty pages left. I'll give my final impressions (and rating) once I've digested them.

Okay, done.
I made the mistake of reading almost all of Lord Of The Rings in one fell swoop and then leaving the last few chapters for some reason; they were nowhere near as good as I remembered the rest of the books being.
I think making sure I was on time for work and leaving those last fifty pages to read during a quiet spell had the same kind of effect - it broke the spell the book had been weaving.
However!
Overall a darn fine read, and while I'm still trying to reconcile the two versions of Maud (her own and Sue's), it was a most satisfying read.

got it! =) thanks
i have to do a couple of rings first before i get to this one.
one of them is "afinidade" (affinity).

Thanks for starting the ray tangledthreads and thanks for sending me the book fio-dagua! I have already read the first chapter and have liked it a lot.

Finished! To be honest, I was a little bit wary regarding the genre Sarah Water's books are attributed to, but she has won me over all right. A really good read with many twists and turns and a good feel for the particular atmosphere of the period in question. I'd be happy to try out her other 'Dickens light' novels. Thanks again tangledthreads!

The book goes out to hengameh in the next days.

got it thanks.but i'm going to pass it to katayoun first because of the pile of my TBR rings.

got it last night from hengameh, have a list of rings to read...BUT this is the first one. thanks hengameh and thanks tangledthreads and now i REALLY have to go and start reading! :)

a strange book, a very straneg book. full of twists and turns and surprise and while maybe halfway through you can geuss alot of them, still there are many not guessed at until you get to them.
thanks tangledthreads for the ring and the book is ready to be handed over to hengameh this weekend, when i see her.

it's back with hengameh. gave it to her last night and may i say that while we were playing cards she was sitting there reading! she's a real bookworm!!! :) (and she's probably going to get my head for this :))

got it from katayoun. thanks for the ring and thanks katayoun for always being patient with her lazy friend :-\

just wanted to let you know that i'm reading the book.

wow, finished.what a twisting story.i enjoyed the book. thanks for sharing.going to ask lorelei03 for her/his address.

Just rcvd and looking forward to reading as soon as I finish The Secret History. Will PM JesseBC for address so I'll be all ready!

9/27 Update
Have just finished reading this book - and I'm sorry to see it end. I enjoyed it, though perhaps not as much as Tipping the Velvet. Waiting to hear from JesseBC to move on!

10/06
Haven't heard from JesseBC and so am moving on to the next in line!