From an award-winning author, Fingersmith is an extraordinary, ingenious tale of fraud, insanity and secretsLondon 1862. Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves - fingersmiths - under the rough but loving care of Mrs Sucksby and her 'family'. But from the moment Sue draws breath, her fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away. 'A page turning thriller while managing to be a tender love story' Adam Kay'Intensely atmospheric, impeccably paced, and cunningly structured' Mail on Sunday'A chilling, ingenious erotic thriller - unputdownable' Sunday Express'Long, dark, twisted and satisfying... An unforgettable experience' Julie Myerson, Guardian
CONTRIBUTORS: Sarah WatersEAN: 9780349018508COUNTRY: United KingdomPAGES: WEIGHT: 0 gHEIGHT: 198 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Little, Brown Book GroupDATE PUBLISHED: 2024-04-04CITY: GENRE: FICTION / General, FICTION / Classics, FICTION / LGBTQ+ / Gay, FICTION / Historical / General, FICTION / WomenWIDTH: 126 cmSPINE:
Book Themes:
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary
Totally immersive with brilliantly drawn characters... a page-turning thriller while managing to be a tender love story, Intensely atmospheric, impeccably paced, and cunningly structured, this is that rarity in contemporary fiction: a deeply serious novel that is also a thumping great read, There are always novels that you envy people for not having read yet, for the pleasure they still have to come. Well, this is one. Long, dark, twisted and satisfying, it's a fabulous piece of writing... An unforgettable experience, One of the best twists of any book, one that lifts the novel from a brilliant piece of modern Victoriana to something altogether more original and daring... Fingersmith, like so many great books, calls into question our desire to fit novels into restrictive boxes... If you like a great story, brilliantly told, you'll love this book, A chilling, ingenious erotic thriller - unputdownable
Sarah Waters, who was born in Wales, has been described as 'one of the best storytellers alive today' (Matt Thorne, Independent), and there can be no doubt that readers and critics alike have been gripped by her extraordinary imagination. Sarah Waters' first novel, Tipping the Velvet, won a Betty Trask Award, and was shortlisted for the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. Her next novel, Affinity, won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award while Fingersmith and The Night Watch were both shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize. The former also won the CWA Ellis Peters Dagger Award for Historical Crime Fiction and the South Bank Show Award for Literature. The Little Stranger was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2009 and The Paying Guests was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize in 2015. Tipping the Velvet, Affinity, Fingersmith and The Night Watch have all been adapted for television, The Little Stranger was adapted as a film by Lenny Abrahamson, and Fingersmith inspired Park Chan-wook's film, The Handmaiden. Sarah Waters has been named Author of the Year five times: by the British Book Awards, The Booksellers' Association, Waterstone's Booksellers, Glamour Magazine Awards and the Stonewall Awards. In 2019 she was awarded an OBE for services to literature.
Format:
From an award-winning author, Fingersmith is an extraordinary, ingenious tale of fraud, insanity and secretsLondon 1862. Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves - fingersmiths - under the rough but loving care of Mrs Sucksby and her 'family'. But from the moment Sue draws breath, her fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away. 'A page turning thriller while managing to be a tender love story' Adam Kay'Intensely atmospheric, impeccably paced, and cunningly structured' Mail on Sunday'A chilling, ingenious erotic thriller - unputdownable' Sunday Express'Long, dark, twisted and satisfying... An unforgettable experience' Julie Myerson, Guardian
CONTRIBUTORS: Sarah WatersEAN: 9780349018508COUNTRY: United KingdomPAGES: WEIGHT: 0 gHEIGHT: 198 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Little, Brown Book GroupDATE PUBLISHED: 2024-04-04CITY: GENRE: FICTION / General, FICTION / Classics, FICTION / LGBTQ+ / Gay, FICTION / Historical / General, FICTION / WomenWIDTH: 126 cmSPINE:
Book Themes:
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary
Sarah Waters, who was born in Wales, has been described as 'one of the best storytellers alive today' (Matt Thorne, Independent), and there can be no doubt that readers and critics alike have been gripped by her extraordinary imagination. Sarah Waters' first novel, Tipping the Velvet, won a Betty Trask Award, and was shortlisted for the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. Her next novel, Affinity, won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award while Fingersmith and The Night Watch were both shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize. The former also won the CWA Ellis Peters Dagger Award for Historical Crime Fiction and the South Bank Show Award for Literature. The Little Stranger was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2009 and The Paying Guests was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize in 2015. Tipping the Velvet, Affinity, Fingersmith and The Night Watch have all been adapted for television, The Little Stranger was adapted as a film by Lenny Abrahamson, and Fingersmith inspired Park Chan-wook's film, The Handmaiden. Sarah Waters has been named Author of the Year five times: by the British Book Awards, The Booksellers' Association, Waterstone's Booksellers, Glamour Magazine Awards and the Stonewall Awards. In 2019 she was awarded an OBE for services to literature.
My name is Gwendoline Leghlo, from South Africa, I came across this children's book by this author in America and didn't regret the purchased. I purchased it for my grandson who is age 7 and he absolutely loved it, and I could see the excitement in his eyes while reading the book. I genuinely love to put a smile on my grandchildren's faces; He loves reading and mentioned to me that it was fun reading it and it is wonderful to witness that kind of pure joy and engagement. I'm thrilled to share that it is Highly recommended book for children. Thumbs up to the author Charmaine J Forde ***** I am already interested in her next book.
Kan 'n groepie met uitsonderlike vermoëns 'n planeet red?
Die Fluisteraar is ’n baie interessante aanbieding in die toekomsfiksiegenre. Die jaar is 2075. Die wêreld se natuurlike hulpbronne is uitgeput. Natuurrampe, oorloë, plae en voedseltekorte het miljoene uitgewis, lees ons in die Proloog. Kato, ’n intelligente sewentienjarige, leerling by Solaris Internationaal deel nie sy onderwyser, meneer Flink, se geloof dat die klimaatbalans kan herstel nie. “Die harde feit is dat niks lewe nie en niks meer gáán lewe nie.” (p.21 e-boek)
Dit blyk dat Kato oor ’n spesiale vermoë beskik wat plantegroei kan stimuleer en woude herstel. Daarvoor word hy gewerf deur die IPN, Die Instituut vir Planetêre Navigasie, om te gaan “werk” in Uganda. Hy voel dat sy ouers hom opoffer ter wille van die planeet. (p.119 e-boek). Sy opstand daarteen en sy heimwee na die see van die Kaapse kom, gee aanleiding tot ’n spannende verloop van omstandighede wat hom uiteindelik by ’n belangrike morele besluit uitbring.
Wat die verhaal vir my onderskei, is dat daar wel wetenskapfiksie elemente teenwoordig is, soos hommeltuie, oktokopters en uberbotte, maar dit bly in essensie ’n verhaal oor mense en nie robotte nie. Weliswaar mense met uitsonderlike vermoëns, maar dit is heel geloofwaardig. Daar is familiebande, vriende, selfs troeteldiere.
Skrywer, Jacolet van den Berg, het haarself deeglik bewys as ’n sukses in die liga van jeugboekskrywers. Die Fluisteraar is sopas aangewys as naaswenner in die Lapa Jeugverhaalkompetisie van 2025, ’n prestasie wat sy ook in die 2024 kompetisie behaal het.
Daar is 'n onmiddellike konneksie tussen Elara en Marko, 'n lieflike liefdesverhaal
Na die intensiteit van Mariette Wenhold se Myner van my hart, het Felicia Snyman se nuutste Romanza, Harte in harmonie, gevoel soos ’n sagte bries. ’n Gemaklike, ongekompliseerde storie oor Elara Hartwell en Marko Roos. Totdat dinge naby die einde skielik skeef loop en albei partye in uiterste mistroostigheid beland.
Elara het ná ’n slegte ervaring met ’n man wat haar en haar oorlede pa uitgebuit het, die mansgeslag afgesweer. Sy is nie sosiaal nie en fokus net op haar werk as ouditeur. Marko is die broer van ’n sangeres en vriendin vir wie Elara liede skryf. Sy werk neem hom regoor die wêreld, maar wanneer hy vir Elara ontmoet verander sy prioriteite. Daar is ’n onmiddellike konneksie tussen hulle. “Toe ek jou by die ateljee gesien het, het die vreemdste ding gebeur. Dit was asof ek jou ken.” Hy gaan verder: “Skielik het ek ’n rede om te bly.” (p.21)
Die mooi liefdesverhaal word pragtig ingekleur deur ’n lied of twee wat sorgvuldig gekies is vir bepaalde tonele. Eintlik vat die lirieke die essensie van die storielyn perfek saam. Ek wil jou nooi om Elara en Marko se verhaal te lees en dan te luister na die liede.
As ek Mariette Wenhold se Myner van my hart in een woord moet opsom, sou ek sê dit is intens. Waarom sê ek so? Hoofsaaklik omdat die onverwerkte trauma waarmee Katarien Roos spook, veel erger is as dit wat mens normaalweg in ’n romanse teëkom. Ek het iets redelik aardskuddend begin vermoed toe sy nie by haar huis kan ingaan nie.
Haar volatiele geaardheid, wat ’n paar maal lei tot uitbarstings of onversetlike optrede, kan ook grotendeels toegeskryf word aan dit wat in haar verlede gebeur het en haar genoop het om Suid-Afrika te verlaat. Die skrywer gebruik hierdie element om deurentyd afwagting en spanning te skep deurdat die volle waarheid nie sommer vroeg in die storielyn onthul word nie.
Verder is die liefdestoneel ook nogal intens. Armand du Toit is ’n held waaroor menige romanseleser sal swymel. Hoewel Katarien haarself as “emosioneel onbeskikbaar” beskou (p.141) is hy presies die man wat sy nodig het om deur haar skanse te breek. Hy, en ’n predikant wat as berader optree.
Familiebande kry baie aandag in hierdie verhaal en die tienerseun laat mens sommer weer glo in die jeug. Tweede kanse, op enige ouderdom, laat ’n romantiese leser sommer goed slaap as jy die boek neersit.
Misverstande is volop in romantiese verhale. Dit gee vir ’n skrywer lekker materiaal om die storie mee te weef. Beslis só in Ballade van die liefde, die nuwe Romanza deur Mari Roberts.
Ons vind die hoofkarakter, Carli, in Botswana, waar sy werk by Die Park, ’n privaat wildtuin langs die Kgalagadi. Sommer uit die staanspoor is dit duidelik dat sy hier wegkruip, maar die wat en hoekom word nie sommer dadelik uitgelap nie. Daar is ’n lieflike dogtertjie betrokke en ’n oupa en ouma waarvoor sy baie lief is.
Die storielyn kry momentum wanneer ’n toergroep by die lodge aandoen en die rede vir haar jarelange wegkruipery, skielik voor haar staan. Mens wil aggressie te wagte wees, maar Ruben verras met vasberadenheid en geduld wat voortduur totdat al die misverstande opgeklaar is.
Die skrywer het goed daarin geslaag om spanning en afwagting te skep, en die gelukkige einde is besonder bevredigend. Knap gedaan, Mari.
