Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

Set in the late  1800s Tipping the Velvet follows the life of a young lesbian named Nancy Astley. Nancy falls hard  for Kitty Butler, a resident performer at her local theater in a town outside of London. After becoming Kitty's dresser Nancy's life changes forever. Now in the big city, she experiences heart break, change of career and much more. It's a beautifully written book and I commend Waters for writing a book where a gay character isn't questioning their sexuality which seems to happen often in novels dealing with homosexuality. I also loved that it took place in the tale end of the 19th century; it opened up my eyes to a culture I didn't realize was around more than a hundred years ago. 

Something Extra:

This novel gets a little graphic, well, quite graphic. If you can't handle explicit lesbian sex then maybe this isn't for you.