 Tipping the Velvet is a historical novel published as Sarah Waters ' debut novel in 1998 . Set in Victorian England during the 1890s , it tells a coming of age story about a young woman named Nan who falls in love with a male impersonator , follows her to London , and finds various ways to support herself as she journeys through the city . The picaresque plot elements have prompted scholars and reviewers to compare it to similar British urban adventure stories written by Charles Dickens and Daniel Defoe . 
