Tipping the Velvet

Amazon

4.3(3,960)

Nan King leaves Whitstable after becoming fascinated by Kitty Butler, a male impersonator performing on the music-hall stage. Her move into theatrical London leads through performance, sexual discovery, exploitation, political circles and changing ideas of independence. The novel follows Nan’s attempts to understand herself within the pleasures and dangers of late Victorian urban life.

Nan’s changing occupations expose several overlapping Londons: the public glamour of the music hall, the precarious economy of the streets, wealthy private households and radical political circles. Performance becomes both livelihood and a way of testing identity. Her progress is shaped by desire, class and the difficulty of building independence in a society that offers few secure roles for women who reject conventional expectations.