Top 10 Things Every Lesbian Should Be Thankful For

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8. Sarah Waters

When I took my first ever queer literature class at UCLA, I was astonished to realize that there was this whole world of lesbian writings that I had never heard of, and that Sarah Waters was the queen of said world.  I haven’t read all of her books, but Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith (get the double entendre?  It means thief…and….) were like my second and third, vicarious, coming-out stories.  Seriously, ladies, read them.  Read them before you watch the excellent mini series’ that the BBC made of both of them. 

Tipping, especially, is the kind of book that makes you stay up all night reading and then wake up your girlfriend at 4 o’clock in the morning, if you know what I mean.  The protagonist, Nan, goes through hell and back (and has a lot of sex) during her journey of self-discovery.  Plus, she looks really hot in drag.  Fingersmith is even more gripping, though the love scenes are more innocent because the girls are younger.  It’s what your coming-out story would have been had your first girl crush also involved murders, orphans, betrayals, madhouses, pornography, and all other sorts of Victorian debauchery.  And after you read these books, you are allowed to watch the movies.  Cheers! 

These clips are spoiler-ish, so don’t watch them if you want to be surprised!

Tipping the Velvet

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