Described by the

as possibly being “the most important debut of its kind since that of Jeanette Winterson” (Unknown reviewer,

, quoted on the front cover of

) – its “kind” being the queer historical novel –

won both the Somerset Maugham and the

Young Writer of the Year Awards in 2000. Acclaimed by readers and critics alike, it was one of the best-selling novels of 1999, leading to a prime-time television adaptation by the BBC starring Rachael Stirling, Keeley Hawes and Anna Chancellor in 2002.

is complex and wide-ranging, capturing the huge scale and bustle of nineteenth-century London, its social movements and familiar personalities. It also mimics the nineteenth-century…

2486 words

Citation: Yates, Louisa. "Tipping the Velvet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 January 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23069, accessed 21 November 2024.]