Tipping The Velvet. Sarah Waters

A fine and very satisfying read. The characters and their relationships are drawn with great sensitivity and I particularly enjoyed the steady pace of the narration. The descriptive passage – of the environment, the palaces, the actions, the details of appearance, are a major strength of the novel and it is nowadays slightly unusual to have this element given such effective prominence. Often these days, authors focus almost entirely on the inner and inter-personal workings of their characters and their relationships.  In this sense, this is a slightly old-fashioned book with this central element given its due and rightful importance.

Towards the end I did feel that the pace flagged somewhat but it finally picked up very well and the ending was convincing and emotionally convincing and satisfying.