It reminds us that we can build communities around us that make us feel whole and safe.

This book has a message of forgiveness of personal growth, and understanding when to let go. And that's how she gripped me! She didn't necessarily deserve stability, sanctuary, and security any more than any other character in this book, so I just had to know whether or not she found it! She is by no means a diamond in the rough, but is as scuffed and filthy as the rest of the world. I admire her courage and tenacity though I cringe at her greed and shallowness. Not once does Nancy even consider re-joining the straight-laced (pardon the pun) life she was born into, and she is heroic in her efforts to stand proudly and independently in her resolve. her world is a chaotic blur of over ground and underground cultures battling it out. Nancy sees it all: cross-dressing, prostitution, rags and riches, sex, androgyny, homophobia, ostracisation, heartbreak, familial bonds - both blood and chosen - acceptance, social change. Nancy finds herself tumbling all over London, trying to find herself with one foot in one world, and one in another. Things escalate quickly and, after moving to London with Kitty, she finds that things aren't as simple as falling in love and building a life when you're both women. Kitty dresses as a man in her act, and Nancy is completely enthralled by it all. Tipping the Velvet follows Nancy Astley, as she falls in love with a performer at the music halls, Kitty Butler. Oooooh boy, did Sarah Waters come THROUGH! I wanted androgyny and bravery and a total disregard for strict social codes. Upon standing in front of the storefront, I declared to my friend: 'I am in search of historical gays!' I wanted a story of incognito queers from decades heck, CENTURIES passed. Purchased from Gay's the Word the most fantastic all-LGBTQIA+ bookshop in Bloomsbury, London.

Tipping the velvet novel