Tipping the Velvet - Sarah Waters

 Tipping the Velvet is my third Sarah Waters book - I've already read The Night Watch and Fingersmith and loved them both. Tipping the Velvet was her debut novel, and this author was gutsy and bold from the outset - this is a firecracker of a debut and such an enjoyable read! The novel follows Nancy Astley, a Whitstable oyster girl living with her family in the late 19th century. As a regular visitor to the theatre she lives the life of glitz and glamour vicariously through those on stage, secretly wishing she could upgrade her sore, red oyster-shelling fingers for a glamorous gloved hand.

When she witnessed Kitty Butler on stage, donned in a man's suit with a cropped haircut and androgynous aura, everything changes for Nancy - she defies the wishes of her family to pursue a life which was frowned upon by many and lived in secret by more than you may think. Nancy goes from oyster girl to theatre dresser to showgirl to rent boy to working 'tom' - all before she is twenty five. This outrageous novel tells of the protagonist's sexual awakening - and subsequent sexual revolution - against the backdrop of Victorian London.

There are passages of sentiment and love layered throughout the pages, peppered with some of the raunchiest scenes I've read in a novel. I have never considered myself a prude but this made me blush from ear to ear, and cringe internally on multiple occasions. It's a rollercoaster ride and I would NOT recommend reading this on the train where other passengers might glance over at it.

I am aware of a TV adaptation of this novel which I'm now intrigued to watch - in my head, this novel is colourful, full of life and vibrancy and accompanied by a lively soundtrack. If I can compare it to anything I've read, let's liken it to Oliver Twist but with less orphans and more lesbians.

If you're on the fence about whether to read this, all I can say is - do it!