Tipping the Velvet cover art

Tipping the Velvet

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Tipping the Velvet

By: Sarah Waters
Narrated by: Juanita McMahon
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About this listen

'Piercing the shadows of the naked stage was a single shaft of rosy limelight, and in the centre of this was a girl: the most marvellous girl - I knew it at once! - that I had ever seen.'

A saucy, sensuous and multi-layered historical romance, Tipping the Velvet follows the glittering career of Nan King - oyster girl turned music-hall star turned rent boy turned East End 'tom'.

©1998 Sarah Waters (P)1998 W F Howes Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction

Critic Reviews

"An unstoppable read, a sexy and picaresque romp through the lesbian and queer demi-monde of the roaring Nineties. Imagine Jeanette Winterson on a good day collaborating with Judith Butler to pen a Sapphic Moll Flanders. It's gorgeous" ( Independent on Sunday)
"She is an extremely confident writer, combining precise, sensuous descriptions with irony and wit. This is a lively, gutsy, highly readable debut" ( Observer)
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brilliantly written, you do not want to miss out on this experience. now that it's finished I'll be going to chapter 1 to listen eagerly again.

Marvelous.

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the narrator, perfectly portrayed every character.
completed within days of starting.
I will have to read it again soon not to miss the characters too much.

the book is slightly different to the series.
the ending I feel is much better.
kitty and her rose. *flushes*

Love love love.

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Another brilliant novel from Sarah Waters. I have read both the paperback and listened to the audiobook, and can highly recommend either.

Sarah Waters is the bomb!

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I loved reading the tale of Nancy's rise and fall in English society and the partners she loved and lost along the way

lovely romance

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I have almost read all of sarah waters work and so far tipping the velvet remains the most original and beautiful. Also the most skillfully written. I truly recommend it.

Marvelous, truly magical

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I love all her books but think this is my favourite - I will miss the characters as it has been such a lovely journey with them and fascinating to get an idea of life as the turn of 20th century approached.

My favourite Sarah Waters

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The scenes, characters and themes within this story are completely unforgettable.
Thank you, Sarah, for bringing me on this journey.

So much in this one brilliantly written book!

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I couldn’t pick a normal romance novel now could I? I enjoyed the subject and the voice of the reader.

A queer old time

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