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Tipping the Velvet
by Sarah Waters
First Published
2009
Subjects
Female impersonators
Fiction
Gay men
History
Lesbians
Relations with lesbians
Social life and customs
Transvestites
Cross-dressers
Fiction, lesbian
England, fiction
Fiction, historical
Lesbians, fiction
LGBTQ novels
Lambda Literary Awards
Lambda Literary Award Winner
LGBTQ historical fiction
Music-halls (Variety-theaters, cabarets, etc.)
Identity
Fiction, historical, general
English drama
English literature
Description
Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. 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 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. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins.