Tipping The Velvet by Sarah Waters | 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.''

Please beware of spoilers before you continue reading!!

Hate is a strong word to use in my opinion but when I read the whole of the first part of the book, Kitty Butler made me feel such strong dislike, especially the crucial moment towards the end involving her and Walter Bliss. This dislike was made into disgust when Nan read the news article in the cruddy bedroom; ''..being taken Ill, was busy with plans making a career of her own'', this was so coldly put, they had no idea where she was if she was alright, yet they made up an excuse for her not being part of the act anymore that didn't make people alarmed for her. This just shows how little they regarded her and how disposable she was, as it seemed she always was when you think about how Kitty ingratiated herself with Nan's willing helpful attitude. Nan was used, both emotionally, sexually and in the end financially. This was further proved at the end of the novel when, chance meeting Nan again, Kitty on the spot expects her to up and leave her current relationship and life for her, just because she offered baseless promises and still showed clear dislike for "Toms". This hate I felt reading the evolving story with Kitty just shows how good the narrative was written, Sarah Walters really does know how to hook you in with such interesting and complex characters.

I suppose in that vain I should have disliked Diana too, did she not also use Nan? But actually, I rather felt like the period of life she shared with Diana was a self-imposed punishment Nan willingly put herself in. Some novels, I think, would have you pity and feel for the main characters, but there was a pointed part of Nan's behaviour that made me dislike her just as much as I did Kitty. She messed with people and coldly discarded people just as bluntly as Kitty did to her, she willingly put herself into situations that further plummeted her into depravity and loose morales and brazen lustful intentions. The passage when she left Gracie and Mrs Milne's was so awkward, for Nan knew she was leaving them to go stay with a woman she met the night before and had slept with her once.

Plot aside, the book is strangely engrossing, not to mention the actual title being a euphemism for...well..something the ladies in the book do to one another. From the first page to the last, there are whimsical ways of describing intimate acts, terminology for body parts and ways of describing those of same-sex relationships. What also struck me was how the word ''gay'', which in the time period of the book and in modern times means something different, and yet is used in the instance to describe the girls. ''Gay'' in much historical literature did not mean what it does today, but it was a way of describing someone of joyous nature, carefree and happy. This was my first book, I admit, which contained a character that was embracing any type of LGBT feelings, which in historical times was just as difficult and challenging and I have to say I really enjoyed it. There were times I thought sections were overly descriptive and went on for longer than they should have.

So if it was such a great book, why did I only give it 4/5? The end, I'm afraid, was not the tantalizing climax (no pun intended..or was it?) I expected. With just a few pages left, Nan met all the women she slept with at the same rally at a park, including Kitty, her first love,; each one she had some sort of closure in which she finally realised who she loved, realised her mistakes, saw what she was better off without. All of this was fit into a few pages at the end and it just felt so dull and lifeless. One moment Flo was cross with her and the next it's "I love you'' and that's it. Nan was told about her family looking for her and again it was just, "Oh just send me the letters they wrote" and that was it, she didn't ask any questions, again she was just as selfish. I didn't get any impressions from the final chapter that she learnt anything other than she liked Flo better. I wish the final chapter was overly descriptive as it was in many other previous chapters.

All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable book and I highly suggest it to anyone wishing to explore historical LGBT literature or for anyone who likes whimsical euphemism and cheeky puns at naughty things.

In 2002 the book was adapted for the BBC into a mini-series, which you can watch on youtube! I would suggest reading the book first, as many aspects were changed, including the ending, but it is just as theatric and geity as the book.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324264/