She has acknowledged that the book imagines a lesbian presence and history in Victorian London where none was recorded. As opposed to previous lesbian-themed fiction she had read where the characters escape an oppressive society to live apart from it, Waters chose characters who interact with their surroundings. Employing her love for the variety of people and districts in London, she consciously chose an urban setting. Waters was working on a PhD dissertation in English literature when she decided to write a story she would like to read. The novel has pervasive lesbian themes, concentrating on eroticism and self-discovery.

The picaresque plot elements have prompted scholars and reviewers to compare it to similar British urban adventure stories written by Charles Dickens and Daniel Defoe. Set in Victorian England during the 1890s, it tells a coming of age story about a young woman named Nan who falls in love with a male impersonator, follows her to London, and finds various ways to support herself as she journeys through the city. Excerpt: Tipping the Velvet is a historical novel written by Sarah Waters published in 1998. Chapters: Tipping the Velvet, the Little Stranger, the Night Watch, Fingersmith, Affinity. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins.This is nonfiction commentary. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's 'Erotic and absorbing.Written with starling power.'-'The New York Times Book Review ' Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. 'Erotic and absorbing.Written with starling power.'-'The New York Times Book Review ' Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury.

Tipping velvet book