Historical fiction book · Curated
Tipping the Velvet
Sarah Waters · historical fiction
In the 1890s, Nancy Astley leaves the oyster parlour in Whitstable after she falls in love with the male impersonator Kitty Butler and follows her onto the London music halls. Sarah Waters’s 1998 novel is Victorian romance historical fiction of the life Nan builds when that affair breaks—under a man’s name on the streets, in a rich woman’s house in St John’s Wood, and in an East End household that asks something else of her.
Why read it: A widely searched Victorian romance—the Waters title readers look up by name (Lambda Literary Award, and the BBC adaptation), and a music-hall counterpart to Fingersmith already on the shelf (not a sequel).
About this historical novel
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters is historical fiction set around 1890s in the Victorian / Gilded Age period with key settings including Whitstable, Canterbury, Leicester Square, St John’s Wood. In the 1890s, Nancy Astley leaves the oyster parlour in Whitstable after she falls in love with the male impersonator Kitty Butler and follows her onto the London music halls. Sarah Waters’s 1998 novel is Victorian romance historical fiction of the life Nan builds when that affair breaks—under a man’s name on the streets, in a rich woman’s house in St John’s Wood, and in an East End household that asks something else of her.
On HisFic we tag it under 2. Historical romance and 1. Literary historical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include music hall, love, class, identity, and performance. A widely searched Victorian romance—the Waters title readers look up by name (Lambda Literary Award, and the BBC adaptation), and a music-hall counterpart to Fingersmith already on the shelf (not a sequel).
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Plot summary
In the 1890s, Nancy Astley leaves the oyster parlour in Whitstable after she falls in love with the male impersonator Kitty Butler and follows her onto the London music halls. Sarah Waters’s 1998 novel is Victorian romance historical fiction of the life Nan builds when that affair breaks—under a man’s name on the streets, in a rich woman’s house in St John’s Wood, and in an East End household that asks something else of her. A widely searched Victorian romance—the Waters title readers look up by name (Lambda Literary Award, and the BBC adaptation), and a music-hall counterpart to Fingersmith already on the shelf (not a sequel).
Subgenres
Eras
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- The Age of Innocence · Edith Wharton
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Regions & places
Britain & Ireland
Whitstable · Canterbury · Leicester Square · St John’s Wood · London
Themes
- music hall
- love
- class
- identity
- performance
Tags
romance · award-winner