In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, we have partnered with WHSmith to bring you a selection of titles from previous Women’s Prize for Fiction winners, nominated authors and judges at Buy One, Get One Half Price at a selection of their travel stores throughout the UK.
Included in the selection is Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith – shortlisted for the Prize in 2002. We caught up with Sarah to learn more about her book, what she looks for in a book as a travel companion, and the Women’s Prize’s impact on her.
What has it meant to be part of the Women’s Prize over the past 30 years?
I’ve been a fan of the Women’s Prize since its very beginning, so for my books to have been involved in its 30-year journey has been hugely exciting, and very flattering. The Women’s Prize speaks to a whole community of writers and readers, and I love being part of that.
What does the Women’s Prize for Fiction mean to you?
It’s a celebration of women’s words, and of the power of fiction to move and inspire us – a celebration of writing and reading, of book-making and of book-sharing.
As a reader, what are you looking for in a book when you choose it as a travel companion?
I want a book that’s going to engross, entertain and move me, and maybe transport me, convincingly, to another perspective, another place.
Introduce your book to a new reader.
Fingersmith is set in the 1860s: it’s about a young London thief, Sue Trinder, who gets drawn into an outrageous plot to defraud an innocent heiress, Maud – with rather unexpected consequences. It’s very much in the tradition of a certain kind of pacy Victorian fiction, and is full of secrets, surprises and thrills.
