Book guide
Tipping the Velvet
An oyster girl follows a music-hall star into the glitter and danger of Victorian London.
GenresHistoricalQueer Romance
Genre and trope pairingsHistoricalLGBTQ+HistoricalClass divideQueer RomanceFound familyQueer RomanceLGBTQ+Queer RomanceSelf-discoveryQueer RomanceFirst love
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About Tipping the Velvet
Nan King becomes captivated by Kitty Butler, a male impersonator on the Canterbury stage, then joins her in London as dresser and performer. The novel follows Nan’s coming-of-age through music halls, desire, disguise and reinvention in the 1890s.
Reading signals
- Spice
- High
- Darkness
- Balanced
- Pacing
- Balanced
Content warnings
- sexual content
- toxic relationship
- lesbophobia
- homophobia
- emotional abuse
- domestic abuse
- infidelity
- sexual assault
- sex work
- racial slurs
- suicidal thoughts
