Historical fiction book · Curated
Fingersmith
Sarah Waters · historical fiction
In 1862 London, pickpocket Sue Trinder is planted as a maid in a lonely Thames-side mansion to help a gentleman swindle an heiress—then the con turns inside out. Sarah Waters’s Booker-shortlisted Victorian novel is literary historical fiction of thieves, asylums, and desire, with crime-plot machinery that still startles.
Why read it: A Booker- and Women’s Prize–shortlisted Victorian mystery—literary historical fiction that fills the 19th-century Britain gap beyond Gilded Age New York.
About this historical novel
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters is historical fiction set around 1862 in the Victorian / Gilded Age period with key settings including London, Thames, England. In 1862 London, pickpocket Sue Trinder is planted as a maid in a lonely Thames-side mansion to help a gentleman swindle an heiress—then the con turns inside out. Sarah Waters’s Booker-shortlisted Victorian novel is literary historical fiction of thieves, asylums, and desire, with crime-plot machinery that still startles.
On HisFic we tag it under 3. Historical mystery & crime and 1. Literary historical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include deception, class, crime, desire, and identity. A Booker- and Women’s Prize–shortlisted Victorian mystery—literary historical fiction that fills the 19th-century Britain gap beyond Gilded Age New York.
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Plot summary
In 1862 London, pickpocket Sue Trinder is planted as a maid in a lonely Thames-side mansion to help a gentleman swindle an heiress—then the con turns inside out. Sarah Waters’s Booker-shortlisted Victorian novel is literary historical fiction of thieves, asylums, and desire, with crime-plot machinery that still startles. A Booker- and Women’s Prize–shortlisted Victorian mystery—literary historical fiction that fills the 19th-century Britain gap beyond Gilded Age New York.
Subgenres
Eras
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Regions & places
Britain & Ireland
London · Thames · England
Themes
- deception
- class
- crime
- desire
- identity
Tags
literary · award-shortlist · mystery