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This title in other editions

Tipping the Velvet

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Tipping the Velvet Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A classic picaresque, Tipping the Velvet chronicles the adventures of Nancy King, who begins life as an oyster girl in the provincial seaside town of Whitstable and whose fortunes are forever changed when she falls in love with a cross-dressing music hall singer named Miss Kitty Butler. When Kitty is called up to London for an engagement on "Grease Paint Avenue," Nan follows as her dresser and secret lover. Before long, Nan dons trousers herself, and the two male impersonators become a celebrated pair of the stage. But when Kitty betrays her, a solitary, heartbroken Nan reinvents herself as a butch roue — a sort of Moll Flanders in drag — navigating her way through London's seamy and flourishing gay demimonde as she pursues her thrilling and varied sexual education.

Review:

"Tipping the Velvet is a luscious turn-of-the-century English tale of lesbians, lust, kept girls, Socialists, oyster-shuckers and of course...love. It's a feast for the imagination, and just when we think we know where the story is going, Sarah Waters takes us in a more seductive and tantalizing direction." Bust

Review:

"This is the lesbian novel we've all been waiting for — a sexy, funny, sometimes deeply moving romp through the Victorian underworld, saturated with period detail and almost completely free of activist harangue." Peter Kurth, Salon

Review:

"Readers of all sexes and orientations should identify with this gutsy hero as she learns who she is and how to love." Newsday

Review:

"A rather formidable debut." Kirkus Reviews

Synopsis:

“Erotic and absorbing…Written with starling power.”—The New York Times Book Review

 

Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins.

 

Synopsis:

"Lavishly crammed with the songs, smells, and costumes of late Victorian England" (The Daily Telegraph), this delicious, steamy debut novel chronicles the adventures of Nan King, who begins life as an oyster girl in the provincial seaside town of Whitstable and whose fortunes are forever changed when she falls in love with a cross-dressing music-hall singer named Miss Kitty Butler. When Kitty is called up to London for an engagement on "Grease Paint Avenue, " Nan follows as her dresser and secret lover, and, soon after, dons trousers herself and joins the act.

In time, Kitty breaks her heart, and Nan assumes the guise of butch roue to commence her own thrilling and varied sexual education—a sort of Moll Flanders in drag—finally finding friendship and true love in the most unexpected places.

Drawing comparison to the work of Jeanette Winterson, Sarah Waters's novel is a feast for the senses—an erotic, lushly detailed historical novel that bursts with life and dazzlingly casts the turn of the century in a different light.

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About the Author

Sarah Waters is the author of Tipping the Velvet, a New York Times Notable Book; Affinity, which won her the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award; Fingersmith and The Night Watch, both of which were shortlisted for both the Orange Prize and the Man Booker Prize; and The Little Stranger, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and a New York Times Notable Book. She has also been named one of Granta's best young British novelists. She lives in London.  

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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
paxamo, January 30, 2013 (view all comments by paxamo)
Loved this one so much I had to get every book Sarah Waters has written. All done with the 5 of them now and feeling so bereft! Her work may reveal some honest storyline about lesbian romance, it also tells us that it is not that different from any other romance.
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Christin, August 24, 2012 (view all comments by Christin)
This book is supposed to be a lesbian classic, and I can see why, even though I didn't really enjoy it. The writing is fantastic. The characters and setting are all very vivid and striking. Unfortunately, the main character Nancy is such an incredibly self-centered moron it's hard to sympathize with her a lot of the time. In fact, by the end I was actively rooting against her.
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Jamie, July 19, 2007 (view all comments by Jamie)
This book is so much more than what it is touted as, that is, lesbian erotica. Historical fiction at its best, Waters puts the reader right inside 19th century London and makes you feel real empathy for what it's like to live during this time period. She includes fascinating details about the music-hall lifestyle, the different tactics Nancy uses to survive, and the socialist reform of the time. In addition we get to watch Nancy as she evolves from an inexperienced girl who doesn't know what she wants into a woman who has fully realized her desires and accepted herself for who she is. I appreciated Waters' brilliant depiction of how London in the 1800's viewed lesbianism and what being one meant at the time, how it affected different people. I felt part of everything, and the sex scenes, while graphic, did not overwhelm Waters' writing or turn her literary work into smutty erotica. It was written, of course, to entertain, but also to inform and engross you in the story of a girl who has to figure out her life just as we all do.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781573227889
Author:
Waters, Sarah
Publisher:
Riverhead Books
Location:
New York
Subject:
Historical
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
England
Subject:
Lesbians
Subject:
Historical fiction
Subject:
Lesbian
Subject:
England Social life and customs.
Subject:
Erotic fiction
Subject:
Gay and Lesbian-Lesbian Fiction
Copyright:
1988
Edition Description:
Paperback / softback
Series Volume:
IMS-14
Publication Date:
20000531
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
from 12
Language:
English
Pages:
480
Dimensions:
8.03x5.12x1.08 in. .84 lbs.
Age Level:
from 18
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Related Subjects

Featured Titles » Literature
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Gay and Lesbian » Fiction and Poetry » Gay Fiction
Gay and Lesbian » Fiction and Poetry » Lesbian Fiction

Tipping the Velvet Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$10.50 In Stock
Product details 480 pages Riverhead Books - English 9781573227889 Reviews:
"Review" by , "Tipping the Velvet is a luscious turn-of-the-century English tale of lesbians, lust, kept girls, Socialists, oyster-shuckers and of course...love. It's a feast for the imagination, and just when we think we know where the story is going, Sarah Waters takes us in a more seductive and tantalizing direction."
"Review" by , "This is the lesbian novel we've all been waiting for — a sexy, funny, sometimes deeply moving romp through the Victorian underworld, saturated with period detail and almost completely free of activist harangue."
"Review" by , "Readers of all sexes and orientations should identify with this gutsy hero as she learns who she is and how to love."
"Review" by , "A rather formidable debut."
"Synopsis" by ,
“Erotic and absorbing…Written with starling power.”—The New York Times Book Review

 

Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins.

 
"Synopsis" by ,

"Lavishly crammed with the songs, smells, and costumes of late Victorian England" (The Daily Telegraph), this delicious, steamy debut novel chronicles the adventures of Nan King, who begins life as an oyster girl in the provincial seaside town of Whitstable and whose fortunes are forever changed when she falls in love with a cross-dressing music-hall singer named Miss Kitty Butler. When Kitty is called up to London for an engagement on "Grease Paint Avenue, " Nan follows as her dresser and secret lover, and, soon after, dons trousers herself and joins the act.

In time, Kitty breaks her heart, and Nan assumes the guise of butch roue to commence her own thrilling and varied sexual education—a sort of Moll Flanders in drag—finally finding friendship and true love in the most unexpected places.

Drawing comparison to the work of Jeanette Winterson, Sarah Waters's novel is a feast for the senses—an erotic, lushly detailed historical novel that bursts with life and dazzlingly casts the turn of the century in a different light.
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