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Quick answer: If you loved Tipping the Velvet, read Sarah Waters's Fingersmith and Affinity, then The Night Watch, The Paying Guests, Carol and Orlando. All are lush, romantic historical novels about women who love women and defy the rules of their time.
Sarah Waters's 1998 debut follows Nan King, a young oyster-girl from Whitstable who falls for a music-hall performer, Kitty Butler, and follows her to London and then into a life of cross-dressing, theatre and love. It is playful, sensual and vivid. The books below offer similar queer historical fiction with rich settings and daring heroines.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fingersmith | Sarah Waters | Adult | Waters's twisty masterpiece |
| Affinity | Sarah Waters | Adult | Victorian prison |
| The Night Watch | Sarah Waters | Adult | wartime London |
| The Paying Guests | Sarah Waters | Adult | 1920s suburban drama |
| The Little Stranger | Sarah Waters | Adult | ghost story |
| Carol | Patricia Highsmith | Adult | forbidden love |
| Orlando | Virginia Woolf | Adult | gender and time |
| Written on the Body | Jeanette Winterson | Adult | love and loss |
| Rubyfruit Jungle | Rita Mae Brown | Adult | coming-out classic |
| The Well of Loneliness | Radclyffe Hall | Adult | lesbian classic |
| Stone Butch Blues | Leslie Feinberg | Adult | working-class history |
| Maurice | E. M. Forster | Adult | love and class |
| The Danish Girl | David Ebershoff | Adult | historical fiction |
| The Song of Achilles | Madeline Miller | Adult | Trojan War |
| Girl, Woman, Other | Bernardine Evaristo | Adult | many voices |
1. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
A thief and a lady conspire, and their love grows. Twisty, dark and romantic.
Best for: Waters's twisty masterpiece.
2. Affinity by Sarah Waters
A lady visitor to a women's prison falls for a medium. Eerie and tense.
Best for: Victorian prison.
3. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
The story moves backward through the lives of four Londoners. Subtle and emotional.
Best for: wartime London.
4. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
A widow and her lodgers fall into a love affair and a crime. Slow and gripping.
Best for: 1920s suburban drama.
5. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
A doctor becomes involved with a decaying country house. Quiet and eerie.
Best for: ghost story.
6. Carol by Patricia Highsmith
A young shop girl falls for an older woman in 1950s New York. Tense and romantic.
Best for: forbidden love.
7. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
A nobleman lives for centuries and changes sex. Playful and poetic.
Best for: gender and time.
8. Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
An unnamed narrator recounts a doomed affair. Lyrical and intense.
Best for: love and loss.
9. Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
Molly Bolt grows up poor and bold in America. Funny and proud.
Best for: coming-out classic.
10. The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
A woman struggles to live truthfully in 1920s Britain. A landmark of queer literature.
Best for: lesbian classic.
11. Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
A butch lesbian navigates life in mid-century America. Raw and important.
Best for: working-class history.
12. Maurice by E. M. Forster
A man faces his sexuality in Edwardian England. Written 1913-14, published 1971.
Best for: love and class.
13. The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff
A painter in 1920s Copenhagen begins to live as a woman. Gentle and thoughtful.
Best for: historical fiction.
14. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Patroclus tells the story of his love for Achilles. Lyrical and heartbreaking.
Best for: Trojan War.
15. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Twelve interlinked lives in Britain. Joyful, bold and Booker-winning.
Best for: many voices.
How to Choose
For more Waters begin with Fingersmith or Affinity. For wartime and post-war drama choose The Night Watch or The Paying Guests. For queer classics pick Orlando, Carol or The Well of Loneliness. For modern voices read Written on the Body or Girl, Woman, Other. Tipping the Velvet is sensual and Victorian, so these picks suit readers who love theatrical, daring heroines. The BBC adapted Tipping the Velvet for television in 2002, which brought wider attention to the novel, though the book contains more detail about music-hall life and Victorian London. If you enjoy Waters's plots, readers' guides and period documentaries about Victorian theatre help set the scene. If you prefer her gothic side, The Little Stranger and Affinity are eerier. If you prefer pure romance, Carol and Orlando are lyrical. Audiobooks suit the rich, descriptive prose.
Related: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: Summary and Key Takeaways · 12 Dystopian Books Like the Hunger Games | Best Books to Read Like Hunger Games
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tipping the Velvet about?
A young oyster-girl falls for a music-hall star and follows her to London.
Who wrote it?
Sarah Waters.
When was it published?
1998.
Is it explicit?
Yes, it includes sex scenes.
What does the title mean?
It is Victorian slang, which the novel explains.
Is there a TV adaptation?
Yes, a 2002 BBC series.
Is it a standalone?
Yes.
What should I read next?
Try Fingersmith.
Is Tipping the Velvet a good place to start with Waters?
Many readers prefer to begin with Fingersmith, but Tipping the Velvet is a popular first choice.
Is the TV series faithful?
It follows the main plot, though it compresses and changes some episodes.
Which book here is best for 1920s suburban drama?
Try The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, which suits readers looking for 1920s suburban drama.
Which book here is best for gender and time?
Try Orlando by Virginia Woolf, which suits readers looking for gender and time.
Which book here is best for lesbian classic?
Try The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, which suits readers looking for lesbian classic.