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Affinity
An upper-class woman recovering from a suicide attempt, Margaret Prior has begun visiting the women’s ward of Millbank prison, Victorian London’s grimmest jail, as part of her rehabilitative charity work. Amongst Millbank’s murderers and common thieves, Margaret finds herself increasingly fascinated by an apparently innocent inmate, the enigmatic spiritualist Selina Dawes. Selina was imprisoned after a séance she was conducting went horribly awry, leaving an elderly matron dead and a young woman deeply disturbed. Although initially skeptical of Selina’s gifts, Margaret is soon drawn into a twilight world of ghosts and shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions, until she is at last driven to concoct a desperate plot to secure Selina’s freedom, and her own.
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 1999
About the author
Sarah Waters
39 books8,740 followersSarah Waters is a British novelist. She is best known for her first novel, Tipping the Velvet, as well the novels that followed, including Affinity, Fingersmith, and The Night Watch.
Waters attended university, earning degrees in English literature. Before writing novels Waters worked as an academic, earning a doctorate and teaching. Waters went directly from her doctoral thesis to her first novel. It was during the process of writing her thesis that she thought she would write a novel; she began as soon as the thesis was complete.
Waters attended university, earning degrees in English literature. Before writing novels Waters worked as an academic, earning a doctorate and teaching. Waters went directly from her doctoral thesis to her first novel. It was during the process of writing her thesis that she thought she would write a novel; she began as soon as the thesis was complete.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,143 reviews
October 3, 2012
Oh, Sarah Waters, the lesbian Charles Dickens. Some think she’s boring and I totally understand that. Nothing can be more mundane than flowing, ornate sentences filled with imagery strong enough to physically transport you to the setting, right? And don’t get me started on that gorgeous historically accurate Victorian-style prose. I’m half asleep just thinking about her engaging plots and characters. So, yeah, I can definitely see how it can be boring and how you’d rather watch football or something.
That was sarcasm, by the way.
Okay, cutting the crap and getting down to the review. Yes, there will be spoilers.
Affinity is about a spinster (an older, unmarried woman) named Margaret Prior and, boy, has life really messed her up. Her father (whom she loved dearly) is dead, her mom is overbearing and protective and a Bible away from being the mom in Carrie, her former (female) lover is married to her brother and they have a child together. She takes chloral every day for her emotional instability/insomnia, eventually using it to aid in her suicide after the death of her father. Her suicide failed, obviously, so she decided to be a Lady Visitor at Millbank prison, spending her days speaking with convicts.
At the prison, she meets quirkily alluring and enigmatic Selina Dawes, a psychic medium incarcerated for a reading gone awry. The two seem to be oddly attracted to one another, the nature of their meetings becoming increasingly intimate (on the emotional level, you pervs. Okay, okay, it was supposed to be romantic, but, ya know, jail cells aren’t the most private places).
Throughout the whole thing, there’s an overhanging sense of dread and the entire atmosphere of the book is summed up by: something isn’t right here. After all, Selina seems to be the real deal when it comes to mediums and definitely isn’t a fraud. No, ma’am. No way. Nuh uh. Never ever. Totally honest. Yup.
Long story short, the ending is a bit of a mindfuck if you’re like me and start thinking after you finish a book, as opposed to during.
A handful of other reviews claim that they didn’t care for the character of Margaret Prior, or that they were angry because she was impressionable, weak, and lacked a backbone. I can assume that these people have also never suffered through the trials of uncontrollable bouts of depression, anxiety, self-identity crises, or any other emotional disorders. They probably have thriving social lives and aren’t afraid of things like spiders or airplanes. This isn’t a bad thing, so be glad that your mental health is squeaky clean and you can’t relate to a hopeless and miserable character. I, on the other hand, am utterly neurotic, so Margaret and I got along like two people at an A.A. meeting. To understand her actions, you had to have been familiar with her state of mind. Her obsessiveness and anxiety so mirrored my own, and that was probably the most frightening part of the book.
You see, Margaret’s weakness is what drove the plot. Her infatuation and vulnerability is what kept her coming back to Selina time and time again. The way she desperately latched onto her and put her on a pedestal as basically her saving grace was beautiful in itself.
Speaking of their relationship, let me talk about that for a bit. It was adorable, in my opinion. At first, you’re really convinced that this is a genuine type of love and that two people truly found each other at a miserable time in their lives and are now destined to defeat the odds and get married and gain weight and watch reality shows together, happily ever after. But this isn’t Nicholas Sparks — this is a Victorian lesbian dark paranormal anguish-filled melodrama, and it wants you to be sad.
All in all, this book was fantastic. The plot twist was intricately crafted, almost to an absurd degree. It contained almost everything I’m interested in, which consists of the paranormal, social stigmas, mental instability, Victorian England, betrayal, superb prose, and lesbians.
That was sarcasm, by the way.
Okay, cutting the crap and getting down to the review. Yes, there will be spoilers.
Affinity is about a spinster (an older, unmarried woman) named Margaret Prior and, boy, has life really messed her up. Her father (whom she loved dearly) is dead, her mom is overbearing and protective and a Bible away from being the mom in Carrie, her former (female) lover is married to her brother and they have a child together. She takes chloral every day for her emotional instability/insomnia, eventually using it to aid in her suicide after the death of her father. Her suicide failed, obviously, so she decided to be a Lady Visitor at Millbank prison, spending her days speaking with convicts.
At the prison, she meets quirkily alluring and enigmatic Selina Dawes, a psychic medium incarcerated for a reading gone awry. The two seem to be oddly attracted to one another, the nature of their meetings becoming increasingly intimate (on the emotional level, you pervs. Okay, okay, it was supposed to be romantic, but, ya know, jail cells aren’t the most private places).
Throughout the whole thing, there’s an overhanging sense of dread and the entire atmosphere of the book is summed up by: something isn’t right here. After all, Selina seems to be the real deal when it comes to mediums and definitely isn’t a fraud. No, ma’am. No way. Nuh uh. Never ever. Totally honest. Yup.
Long story short, the ending is a bit of a mindfuck if you’re like me and start thinking after you finish a book, as opposed to during.
A handful of other reviews claim that they didn’t care for the character of Margaret Prior, or that they were angry because she was impressionable, weak, and lacked a backbone. I can assume that these people have also never suffered through the trials of uncontrollable bouts of depression, anxiety, self-identity crises, or any other emotional disorders. They probably have thriving social lives and aren’t afraid of things like spiders or airplanes. This isn’t a bad thing, so be glad that your mental health is squeaky clean and you can’t relate to a hopeless and miserable character. I, on the other hand, am utterly neurotic, so Margaret and I got along like two people at an A.A. meeting. To understand her actions, you had to have been familiar with her state of mind. Her obsessiveness and anxiety so mirrored my own, and that was probably the most frightening part of the book.
You see, Margaret’s weakness is what drove the plot. Her infatuation and vulnerability is what kept her coming back to Selina time and time again. The way she desperately latched onto her and put her on a pedestal as basically her saving grace was beautiful in itself.
Speaking of their relationship, let me talk about that for a bit. It was adorable, in my opinion. At first, you’re really convinced that this is a genuine type of love and that two people truly found each other at a miserable time in their lives and are now destined to defeat the odds and get married and gain weight and watch reality shows together, happily ever after. But this isn’t Nicholas Sparks — this is a Victorian lesbian dark paranormal anguish-filled melodrama, and it wants you to be sad.
All in all, this book was fantastic. The plot twist was intricately crafted, almost to an absurd degree. It contained almost everything I’m interested in, which consists of the paranormal, social stigmas, mental instability, Victorian England, betrayal, superb prose, and lesbians.
April 9, 2016
In reading the gothic psychological novel Affinity, it is nearly impossible to shake off an overwhelming feeling of gloom and pervasive dread. Following a failed suicide attempt, a young "lady visitor" named Margaret Prior develops a relationship with an inmate named Selina Dawes in a Victorian women's prison, and both their lives are forever changed by their acquaintance.
Narrated in alternating chapters by the two very different women, this dark, moody story incites fear, melancholy, and terrible pity. As always, with this author's work comes a thoroughly researched story and a compelling look at women in oppressive circumstances, as well as how their limited choices often lead to desperate attempts to control their own destinies. There's also an erotic undercurrent of forbidden attraction running deep in this novel as Margaret finds herself increasingly drawn to the mysterious Selina Dawes, who has been imprisoned for a spiritualist reading gone horribly wrong. Their subtly blooming attraction is heightened by the misery of the contrast with Selina's living conditions at Millbank Prison (an actual London prison, by the way), and it's a certainty that in Margaret's desire to save Selina, she is also desperate to save herself.
And what will your sister do if her husband should die, and she should take another? Who will she fly to then, when she has crossed the spheres? For she will fly to someone, we will all fly to someone, we will all return to that piece of shining matter from which our souls are torn with another, two halves of the same. It may be that the husband your sister has now has that other soul, that has affinity with her soul--I hope it is. But it maybe the next man she takes, or it may be neither. It may be someone she would never think to look to on the earth, someone kept from her by some false boundary...
Sarah Waters writes in dense, elegant prose and tells stories that unfold with exquisite deliberation. Affinity is similar to The Little Stranger, in that there are such evocative, spine-chilling moments (including a particularly vivid one involving ) that I literally had to put the book down and step away from it. She masterfully creates an atmosphere of suffocating melancholy and builds the tension to an almost unbearable point, so that when the characters finally break, there is a blessed emotional release and relief in the confusion and madness that follows.
As with all of the authors' novels, it's important not to read too many reviews or interviews lest important surprises are spoiled. I've read enough of her books to know that I needed to pay attention to every word that is uttered, but she still kept me guessing until the devastating end. If you decide to read this, try to save it for a day when it's cold and dreary and drizzling; I did, and my imagination nearly went wild over the awful conditions of the prison, as well as the evocative seances I could picture perfectly in my mind. Affinity isn't the typical jump-out-of-the-closet horror novel, but for the reader who appreciates subtlety and who might feel a fine shiver when things don't feel quite right in the house, it can offer an incredibly suspenseful and terrifying read.
Narrated in alternating chapters by the two very different women, this dark, moody story incites fear, melancholy, and terrible pity. As always, with this author's work comes a thoroughly researched story and a compelling look at women in oppressive circumstances, as well as how their limited choices often lead to desperate attempts to control their own destinies. There's also an erotic undercurrent of forbidden attraction running deep in this novel as Margaret finds herself increasingly drawn to the mysterious Selina Dawes, who has been imprisoned for a spiritualist reading gone horribly wrong. Their subtly blooming attraction is heightened by the misery of the contrast with Selina's living conditions at Millbank Prison (an actual London prison, by the way), and it's a certainty that in Margaret's desire to save Selina, she is also desperate to save herself.
And what will your sister do if her husband should die, and she should take another? Who will she fly to then, when she has crossed the spheres? For she will fly to someone, we will all fly to someone, we will all return to that piece of shining matter from which our souls are torn with another, two halves of the same. It may be that the husband your sister has now has that other soul, that has affinity with her soul--I hope it is. But it maybe the next man she takes, or it may be neither. It may be someone she would never think to look to on the earth, someone kept from her by some false boundary...
Sarah Waters writes in dense, elegant prose and tells stories that unfold with exquisite deliberation. Affinity is similar to The Little Stranger, in that there are such evocative, spine-chilling moments (including a particularly vivid one involving ) that I literally had to put the book down and step away from it. She masterfully creates an atmosphere of suffocating melancholy and builds the tension to an almost unbearable point, so that when the characters finally break, there is a blessed emotional release and relief in the confusion and madness that follows.
As with all of the authors' novels, it's important not to read too many reviews or interviews lest important surprises are spoiled. I've read enough of her books to know that I needed to pay attention to every word that is uttered, but she still kept me guessing until the devastating end. If you decide to read this, try to save it for a day when it's cold and dreary and drizzling; I did, and my imagination nearly went wild over the awful conditions of the prison, as well as the evocative seances I could picture perfectly in my mind. Affinity isn't the typical jump-out-of-the-closet horror novel, but for the reader who appreciates subtlety and who might feel a fine shiver when things don't feel quite right in the house, it can offer an incredibly suspenseful and terrifying read.
October 22, 2011
As seen on The Readventurer
It is almost impossible to say anything about the plot of Affinity without spoiling something, so I'll refrain from recapping. A wealthy, depressed old maid starts visiting a women's prison and quickly finds herself taken by an inmate, a young spiritualist - that's all you need to know.
Let's talk about feelings instead. This sense of emptiness and despair I am left with is so overwhelming right now, that it leads me to believe I might have liked Affinity even more than Fingersmith. I would go as far as to say what I feel now is pretty close to what I felt after finishing The Blind Assassin.
This novel is very strong as a horror-laden/supernatural mystery - the level of suspense and foreboding is very high, but what it conveys even better is the suffocating atmosphere of oppression, repressed sexuality and thinly veiled eroticism and longing for the forbidden. As a woman of the now I have never experienced such a feeling of being completely powerless first hand, but Sarah Waters made me feel all of this for her Victorian heroines.
Not many contemporary writers can portray this very time- and class-specific environment. It's hard to top Edith Wharton. But Waters accomplishes it marvelously.
It is almost impossible to say anything about the plot of Affinity without spoiling something, so I'll refrain from recapping. A wealthy, depressed old maid starts visiting a women's prison and quickly finds herself taken by an inmate, a young spiritualist - that's all you need to know.
Let's talk about feelings instead. This sense of emptiness and despair I am left with is so overwhelming right now, that it leads me to believe I might have liked Affinity even more than Fingersmith. I would go as far as to say what I feel now is pretty close to what I felt after finishing The Blind Assassin.
This novel is very strong as a horror-laden/supernatural mystery - the level of suspense and foreboding is very high, but what it conveys even better is the suffocating atmosphere of oppression, repressed sexuality and thinly veiled eroticism and longing for the forbidden. As a woman of the now I have never experienced such a feeling of being completely powerless first hand, but Sarah Waters made me feel all of this for her Victorian heroines.
Not many contemporary writers can portray this very time- and class-specific environment. It's hard to top Edith Wharton. But Waters accomplishes it marvelously.
February 10, 2024
Sarah Waters is one of my favourite authors. I'm savouring each book of hers, she portrays gothic atmosphere perfectly for me, I really enjoyed this! but the pacing could be quicker for my personal taste and I wasn't keen on the ending 😭
June 5, 2007
Sarah Waters, at this stage, must be the accepted queen of Victorian Gothic lesbian melodrama; not, I imagine, that there is much competition for this title, but I think it's a deserved one nonetheless.
In many ways, the plot of Affinity is like that of the other work of Waters' that I have read, Fingersmith. Crime and Victorian punishment, repression and sexuality and psychology, all feature heavily in both books. Affinity, however, is a much more satisfying novel for me. While it, too, hangs on some often surprising twists of coincidence, these twists are orchestrated by an intelligence that is much more subtle and convincing, to my mind, than the occurrences in Fingersmith (I found those to be much too Dickensian, and I loathe Dickens). And while, admittedly, I never came to feel terribly attached to and moved by Margaret and her plight - she was a little too detached, and her fate a little too obviously signposted - she was undoubtedly a well-drawn character.
The real achievement of the book, though, is the sense of period and atmosphere and mood it has. When I closed the book, I had the strongest desire to open all the windows in the room, because I needed sunlight and wind, after spending so long in the airless world that Waters created. It's rare anymore that a book has that effect on me, so I do think that this is one that I will be re-reading and savouring.
In many ways, the plot of Affinity is like that of the other work of Waters' that I have read, Fingersmith. Crime and Victorian punishment, repression and sexuality and psychology, all feature heavily in both books. Affinity, however, is a much more satisfying novel for me. While it, too, hangs on some often surprising twists of coincidence, these twists are orchestrated by an intelligence that is much more subtle and convincing, to my mind, than the occurrences in Fingersmith (I found those to be much too Dickensian, and I loathe Dickens). And while, admittedly, I never came to feel terribly attached to and moved by Margaret and her plight - she was a little too detached, and her fate a little too obviously signposted - she was undoubtedly a well-drawn character.
The real achievement of the book, though, is the sense of period and atmosphere and mood it has. When I closed the book, I had the strongest desire to open all the windows in the room, because I needed sunlight and wind, after spending so long in the airless world that Waters created. It's rare anymore that a book has that effect on me, so I do think that this is one that I will be re-reading and savouring.
March 28, 2019
I absolutely adored this. Sarah Waters is such an incredible writer and fast becoming one of my favourites. The plotting is brilliant, the themes fascinating, the historical world building spot on, and the charactisation impeccable. Would highly recommend!!
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February 20, 2024Gothic, gothic, gothic.
This reminded of an Arthur Conan Doyle story, "The Copper Beeches" but also more significantly of a Rudyard Kipling story, possibly "the sending of dana da" or something similar to it - the punchline to that story is very similar to this one .
Overall this Sarah Waters novel is very much like alias Grace but for me less compelling, the Atwood book felt more like an express train building up speed and rushing to the end while this luxuriates in gothic details and the suggestion of sensuality and sexual longing or sometimes power relations between women, which are not disconnected with sex.
The political back drop to Atwood's novel appealed to me more than the background (and foreground of exploitation and manipulation. But the basic story of woman in prison for crimes that she may or may not have committed and innocent outsider becoming obsessed with her while she has confederates at liberty who are also interested in prematurely obtaining her liberty is the same. Atwood's novel has a broader interest in the world of mid-Victorian pseudo-sciences and early psychology, while Waters sticks to the world (or unworldly realm) of Spiritualism.
Waters however goes the full Gothic both indulging the reader in what might be a supernatural mystery and providing ultimately rational explanations for the strangeness, the explanations stretched my credulity more than the idea of believing in the spirit world, but I believe that is part of the gothic convention too anyhow in for a penny, in for a pound, and the same sex love element puts me in mind of Horace Walpole who is the starting point for the British gothic novel .
There is a pleasingly menacing contrast throughout between hard shapes like the prison hexagon, and the confines of rooms, all boxing people in so the main character feels and appears to be as imprisoned in her upper middle class life as the young woman in prison with whom she becomes obsessed, with the few rare tantalising mentions of flow and liquidity, ultimately though the liberty that liquidity offers is a dark one.
Anyway, gothic fun with a good forward momentum. And its nice to see Waters go full gothic after so many hints and restrained gothic elements in her more recent fiction.
This reminded of an Arthur Conan Doyle story, "The Copper Beeches" but also more significantly of a Rudyard Kipling story, possibly "the sending of dana da" or something similar to it - the punchline to that story is very similar to this one .
Overall this Sarah Waters novel is very much like alias Grace but for me less compelling, the Atwood book felt more like an express train building up speed and rushing to the end while this luxuriates in gothic details and the suggestion of sensuality and sexual longing or sometimes power relations between women, which are not disconnected with sex.
The political back drop to Atwood's novel appealed to me more than the background (and foreground of exploitation and manipulation. But the basic story of woman in prison for crimes that she may or may not have committed and innocent outsider becoming obsessed with her while she has confederates at liberty who are also interested in prematurely obtaining her liberty is the same. Atwood's novel has a broader interest in the world of mid-Victorian pseudo-sciences and early psychology, while Waters sticks to the world (or unworldly realm) of Spiritualism.
Waters however goes the full Gothic both indulging the reader in what might be a supernatural mystery and providing ultimately rational explanations for the strangeness, the explanations stretched my credulity more than the idea of believing in the spirit world, but I believe that is part of the gothic convention too anyhow in for a penny, in for a pound, and the same sex love element puts me in mind of Horace Walpole who is the starting point for the British gothic novel .
There is a pleasingly menacing contrast throughout between hard shapes like the prison hexagon, and the confines of rooms, all boxing people in so the main character feels and appears to be as imprisoned in her upper middle class life as the young woman in prison with whom she becomes obsessed, with the few rare tantalising mentions of flow and liquidity, ultimately though the liberty that liquidity offers is a dark one.
Anyway, gothic fun with a good forward momentum. And its nice to see Waters go full gothic after so many hints and restrained gothic elements in her more recent fiction.
September 10, 2017
I have said it before, I will say it again. I cannot fathom how Sarah Waters does it, how she can draw the reader into this entirely other world, this other period, time, place, complete immersion. Even something simple like the protagonist Miss Prior's afternoon in The Spiritualists' Reading Room instantly conceived for me a dim, smoky, velvet lined library where she learns the secrets of her true love/affinity's case. Genius.
I honestly do not typically care for the paranormal stories, but under the guidance of Waters, a pretty great read. With the unexpected ending, I admit I did not like it, but then again, I guess it was good, in that way only great writers can have me appreciating an otherwise unacceptable 180. In my opinion, the author better have a damn good reason as well as some damn good transitioning with foreshadowing for these endings.
Selina Dawes. What a character. She had me good. I will say that. I guess I was not paying attention, so enraptured by Waters' writing, I was. At least that is what I say. I feel like I should have seen it from a million miles away. Her story was very interesting, although I do wish there was more detail, more insight into her childhood. In fact, I felt like the center of the story told was quite intense, extremely well told, even a little long, but could have used more insight into "Miss Prior"/Aurora's history, both before + after.
As for the Spiritualism, ghosts, seances, readings, etcetera, I actually really liked reading these aspects of the novel, appreciating Waters' obvious research into the themes.
Oh, Sarah Waters, how I love thee.
I honestly do not typically care for the paranormal stories, but under the guidance of Waters, a pretty great read. With the unexpected ending, I admit I did not like it, but then again, I guess it was good, in that way only great writers can have me appreciating an otherwise unacceptable 180. In my opinion, the author better have a damn good reason as well as some damn good transitioning with foreshadowing for these endings.
Selina Dawes. What a character. She had me good. I will say that. I guess I was not paying attention, so enraptured by Waters' writing, I was. At least that is what I say. I feel like I should have seen it from a million miles away. Her story was very interesting, although I do wish there was more detail, more insight into her childhood. In fact, I felt like the center of the story told was quite intense, extremely well told, even a little long, but could have used more insight into "Miss Prior"/Aurora's history, both before + after.
As for the Spiritualism, ghosts, seances, readings, etcetera, I actually really liked reading these aspects of the novel, appreciating Waters' obvious research into the themes.
Oh, Sarah Waters, how I love thee.
September 17, 2021
Oh wow, that was so good! I haven’t read Sarah Waters before and I will definitely be reading more.
Set in the early 1870s in London, Margaret Prior, recovering from a suicide attempt after the death of her father, starts visiting the female prisoners in Milbank prison and becomes obsessed with one, Selina Dawes. Selina is a young spirit medium given a four year sentence after a seance went wrong, leaving her patron, Mrs Brink, dead.
The book is so well plotted, the story builds, there’s longing and loneliness, the hardships of the prison are described in detail, great atmosphere and it gives an idea of the limitations on women’s lives across class and circumstance. Loved it!
Set in the early 1870s in London, Margaret Prior, recovering from a suicide attempt after the death of her father, starts visiting the female prisoners in Milbank prison and becomes obsessed with one, Selina Dawes. Selina is a young spirit medium given a four year sentence after a seance went wrong, leaving her patron, Mrs Brink, dead.
The book is so well plotted, the story builds, there’s longing and loneliness, the hardships of the prison are described in detail, great atmosphere and it gives an idea of the limitations on women’s lives across class and circumstance. Loved it!
February 5, 2021
Generally, I don't pick up random books at Barnes and Noble that I don't already know a little about. However, I made an exception with Affinity because it seemed intriguing - my mistake.
Firstly, the book dabbles in the supernatural world of psychics whom I already believe to be some of the original scammers. However, I thought this book might present the spiritual medium's world in a different light. The reader is placed directly opposed to the character Selina, who is a medium in jail for a crime related to her seances. The major tension of the book is rooted in this distrust that grows through out the book as a gullible woman by the name of Margaret is pulled in under Selina's spell.
Secondly, for those looking for strong women overcoming the expectations of their time look elsewhere. In this book the main character is swayed by every emotion, sometimes resorting to drugs to deal with her "horrible headaches;" she faints at every instance; "feels ill" any time there's confrontation; and tends to side with her romantic view of people which ends up costing her dearly. She lacks confidence, self-worth, and the willingness to learn from her mistakes; and this doesn't change throughout the book, which makes for a dull read indeed.
Firstly, the book dabbles in the supernatural world of psychics whom I already believe to be some of the original scammers. However, I thought this book might present the spiritual medium's world in a different light. The reader is placed directly opposed to the character Selina, who is a medium in jail for a crime related to her seances. The major tension of the book is rooted in this distrust that grows through out the book as a gullible woman by the name of Margaret is pulled in under Selina's spell.
Secondly, for those looking for strong women overcoming the expectations of their time look elsewhere. In this book the main character is swayed by every emotion, sometimes resorting to drugs to deal with her "horrible headaches;" she faints at every instance; "feels ill" any time there's confrontation; and tends to side with her romantic view of people which ends up costing her dearly. She lacks confidence, self-worth, and the willingness to learn from her mistakes; and this doesn't change throughout the book, which makes for a dull read indeed.
March 18, 2011
"Sexy, Spooky, Stylish" - that's the blurb on the cover. If I was not a Sarah Waters fan already, I would have picked up the book based on those words. How can you resist a book with that description? After reading the book, I can safely say that those words are an accurate description of Affinity. I will further add to that - "Haunting and magical."
It seems, I have been reading many deliciously gothic novels recently. Well, I am not complaining! Affinity is yet another addition to my love for anything gothic. Sarah Waters, who is considered the "Queen of Victorian Gothic novels", churns out yet another winner.
Margaret Prior suffers a complete mental breakdown, following her father's death. A failed suicide attempt breaks her even further. She lives with her domineering mother and a sister, who will soon be married. Margaret feels jealous because she thinks, by marrying, her sister will somehow "evolve" while she will remain stagnant. She's constantly under her mother's watchful eyes and is treated like an imbecile. Her former lover, Helen, is now married to her brother - a fact that she is still unable to get over. Margaret is a repressed, closed-up young woman with no hopes for the future.
In order to forget her painful past, she becomes a "lady visitor" at Millbank Prison. Her job is to talk to the women prisoners, listen to them and guide them towards a more positive direction. She's drawn towards one particular prisoner, Selina Dawes, a spiritualist and a psychic medium, who has been imprisoned for assaulting one of her clients.
When you love an author a lot, you tend to develop gigantic expectations from all of that author's books, which is probably unfair. I have not been very subtle about my love for Sarah Waters. Fingersmith and The Little Stranger are not only my favorite books by her, but are also my all-time favorites as well. Perhaps my expectations were very unrealistic. In the beginning I felt a little deflated. Don't get me wrong. The beginning was compelling enough to keep me reading on, but it was just not up to the admittedly unrealistic standards I have set for Sarah Waters' novels. However, this feeling did not last long as the book soon picked up and I was hooked!
Affinity is told from both Selina's and Margaret's perspectives. The reader feels as fascinated by Selina as Margaret is. Yet, she still remains an enigma, a mystery throughout the book. The story unfolds slowly, with each chapter pulling you in completely.
Selina is viewed as a charlatan, a fraud and a cheat. But the time spent talking to her each day convinces Margaret of her truth. Moreover, there are some strange, extraordinary events which provide further proof of Selina's powers. With each meeting, the magnetic pull , which Margaret feels towards Selina intensifies, leading towards the ultimately shocking conclusion.
"We are the same, you and I. We have seen cut, two halves, from the same piece of shining matter. Oh, I could say, I love you—that is a simple thing to say . . . But my spirit does not love yours—it is entwined with it. Our flesh does not love: our flesh is the same . . ."
I deeply felt for Margaret. I felt her frustration and how repressed she was. I can understand how suffocated she felt under her mother's constant nagging. One of the most powerful aspects of Affinity is the setting and the atmosphere the author creates. Millbank prison is like a character in itself - the author's descriptions of the prison is so vivid that you can feel the prisoners' predicament in the controlled and suffocating environment.
Margaret's longing for Selina, the unspoken but intense "forbidden" emotions and her unhappiness is heartrending and hits you hard.
It is as if every poet who ever wrote a line to his own love wrote secretly for me, and for Selina. My blood - even as I write this- my blood , my muscle and every fibre of me, is listening, for her. When I sleep, it is to dream of her. When shadows move across my eye, it is to dream of her, I know them now for shadows of her. My room is still, but never silent - I hear her heart, beating across the night in time to my own.
Margaret's stark despair and misery really got to me. My heart was breaking for her all throughout. Sarah Waters has an incredible ability to make you care so much for the characters that they almost become real people to you.
Selina's descriptions of her life as a medium and her ability to contact spirits is so real and even mesmerizing, that you believe her without questions or skepticism. Her conversations with the spirits and her experiences creeped me out quite a bit. It unnerved me and fascinated me at the same time.
Like most of author's other novels, Affinity has females as the main protagonists and is set in the Victorian era. In addition, the author has eloquently tackled subjects like repression, sexual awakening and spirituality. Three are several feminist elements as well. The author, very subtly, raises questions about a woman's place in the society.
"Why do gentlemen's voices carry so clearly, when women's are so easily stifled?"
Margaret, though technically a "free" woman, is still a prisoner - to her gender, to her circumstances and to her mother's wishes.
" Women are bred to do more of the same - that is their function. It is only ladies like me that throw the system out, make it stagger..."
The ending is probably the best part of the book. I am still reeling from the shock of the end. It was so unexpected; I doubt anyone could have seen it coming. To say I am impressed is an understatement.
Like every other Sarah Waters' books, Affinity will remain with me for a long time to come. If I had not read any other books by this author, it would have been a 5 star read for me. Affinity, in my opinion, is not her best, but still a fantastic read. Sarah Wates' lyrical writing makes every book worth it.
Now I just have two more books by Sarah Waters to read and then begins the long painful wait for her next book. I believe I can gobble up all of Sarah Waters' books in one go and yet be hungry for more of her brilliance.
It seems, I have been reading many deliciously gothic novels recently. Well, I am not complaining! Affinity is yet another addition to my love for anything gothic. Sarah Waters, who is considered the "Queen of Victorian Gothic novels", churns out yet another winner.
Margaret Prior suffers a complete mental breakdown, following her father's death. A failed suicide attempt breaks her even further. She lives with her domineering mother and a sister, who will soon be married. Margaret feels jealous because she thinks, by marrying, her sister will somehow "evolve" while she will remain stagnant. She's constantly under her mother's watchful eyes and is treated like an imbecile. Her former lover, Helen, is now married to her brother - a fact that she is still unable to get over. Margaret is a repressed, closed-up young woman with no hopes for the future.
In order to forget her painful past, she becomes a "lady visitor" at Millbank Prison. Her job is to talk to the women prisoners, listen to them and guide them towards a more positive direction. She's drawn towards one particular prisoner, Selina Dawes, a spiritualist and a psychic medium, who has been imprisoned for assaulting one of her clients.
When you love an author a lot, you tend to develop gigantic expectations from all of that author's books, which is probably unfair. I have not been very subtle about my love for Sarah Waters. Fingersmith and The Little Stranger are not only my favorite books by her, but are also my all-time favorites as well. Perhaps my expectations were very unrealistic. In the beginning I felt a little deflated. Don't get me wrong. The beginning was compelling enough to keep me reading on, but it was just not up to the admittedly unrealistic standards I have set for Sarah Waters' novels. However, this feeling did not last long as the book soon picked up and I was hooked!
Affinity is told from both Selina's and Margaret's perspectives. The reader feels as fascinated by Selina as Margaret is. Yet, she still remains an enigma, a mystery throughout the book. The story unfolds slowly, with each chapter pulling you in completely.
Selina is viewed as a charlatan, a fraud and a cheat. But the time spent talking to her each day convinces Margaret of her truth. Moreover, there are some strange, extraordinary events which provide further proof of Selina's powers. With each meeting, the magnetic pull , which Margaret feels towards Selina intensifies, leading towards the ultimately shocking conclusion.
"We are the same, you and I. We have seen cut, two halves, from the same piece of shining matter. Oh, I could say, I love you—that is a simple thing to say . . . But my spirit does not love yours—it is entwined with it. Our flesh does not love: our flesh is the same . . ."
I deeply felt for Margaret. I felt her frustration and how repressed she was. I can understand how suffocated she felt under her mother's constant nagging. One of the most powerful aspects of Affinity is the setting and the atmosphere the author creates. Millbank prison is like a character in itself - the author's descriptions of the prison is so vivid that you can feel the prisoners' predicament in the controlled and suffocating environment.
Margaret's longing for Selina, the unspoken but intense "forbidden" emotions and her unhappiness is heartrending and hits you hard.
It is as if every poet who ever wrote a line to his own love wrote secretly for me, and for Selina. My blood - even as I write this- my blood , my muscle and every fibre of me, is listening, for her. When I sleep, it is to dream of her. When shadows move across my eye, it is to dream of her, I know them now for shadows of her. My room is still, but never silent - I hear her heart, beating across the night in time to my own.
Margaret's stark despair and misery really got to me. My heart was breaking for her all throughout. Sarah Waters has an incredible ability to make you care so much for the characters that they almost become real people to you.
Selina's descriptions of her life as a medium and her ability to contact spirits is so real and even mesmerizing, that you believe her without questions or skepticism. Her conversations with the spirits and her experiences creeped me out quite a bit. It unnerved me and fascinated me at the same time.
Like most of author's other novels, Affinity has females as the main protagonists and is set in the Victorian era. In addition, the author has eloquently tackled subjects like repression, sexual awakening and spirituality. Three are several feminist elements as well. The author, very subtly, raises questions about a woman's place in the society.
"Why do gentlemen's voices carry so clearly, when women's are so easily stifled?"
Margaret, though technically a "free" woman, is still a prisoner - to her gender, to her circumstances and to her mother's wishes.
" Women are bred to do more of the same - that is their function. It is only ladies like me that throw the system out, make it stagger..."
The ending is probably the best part of the book. I am still reeling from the shock of the end. It was so unexpected; I doubt anyone could have seen it coming. To say I am impressed is an understatement.
Like every other Sarah Waters' books, Affinity will remain with me for a long time to come. If I had not read any other books by this author, it would have been a 5 star read for me. Affinity, in my opinion, is not her best, but still a fantastic read. Sarah Wates' lyrical writing makes every book worth it.
Now I just have two more books by Sarah Waters to read and then begins the long painful wait for her next book. I believe I can gobble up all of Sarah Waters' books in one go and yet be hungry for more of her brilliance.
February 20, 2022
My fourth Sarah Waters book, probably her least popular, and also probably my favorite. This one replaces the goofy melodrama and teenage self-discovery of Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet with a dark, claustrophobic tale of deception and constraint. It’s not comforting reading, but it’s well-written, intense and feels authentic in the psychology of its characters and the details of its Victorian setting.
The story is told primarily through the diary entries of Margaret Prior, an “old maid” pushing 30 but still treated like a child by her mother due to her unmarried status. Margaret is struggling mentally when the story begins: her father, the only person to appreciate her intellectual abilities to some extent, has died; the woman she was in love with chickened out and married her brother (and to add insult to injury, as a result is considered more grown-up than Margaret); and without any fulfilling focus in life she has few resources with which to combat depression. A family friend suggests she become a “lady visitor” to a women’s prison, where Margaret falls under the spell of Selina, a beautiful young spirit medium imprisoned for fraud and assault. Brief diary entries from before Selina’s arrest are interspersed with Margaret’s much longer ones; appropriately, Selina comes across as much less a writer.
It’s a beautifully immersive book, believably capturing Margaret’s surroundings and state of mind. The prison is explored in detail and is of course awful, given the Victorian belief that solitary confinement improved one’s moral fiber, combined with general lack of consideration for the poor. Margaret gets to know several prisoners, providing a mini-tour of circumstances that landed Victorian women in jail, and also the wardens, who feel very realistic in their failure to grasp just why the prison is so bad. The story also spends time with Margaret’s family—where the little indignities and humiliations come across painfully clearly—and with the spiritualist movement. The spiritualists seem similar to those making similar claims today, though the book doesn’t provide any definitive judgment.
There are a lot of unanswered questions, a general feeling of “something’s wrong here,” a slow and sinister buildup. I wouldn’t call the end a twist—I was expecting something like that, though I hadn’t worked out the details—but it certainly ends with a bang. And it’s one of those books where you go back and read over things after finishing it, to catch what you missed before.
The characters are well-developed and realistic, Margaret particularly. I’m not surprised she’s annoyed some readers: she isn’t spunky, she’s anxious and uncertain and buckles under pressure. She’s dragged down by the constraints of her society rather than rising magically above them. But she comes across as so real and vulnerable that it’s hard for me to imagine a reader not finding her interesting or worthy of sympathy. (And who wants all heroines to be the same, anyway?) Her voice actually sounds like that of a 19th century Englishwoman; the setting of course feels real and well-researched.
While it was only published in 1999, I do wonder if this book would be published as is today; it includes a number of hated elements from 20th century fiction about lesbians. That said, I think in context they work; from the outset this is a dark gothic tale.
Overall, definitely a worthwhile read, though you have to be in the mood for a dark Victorian psychological thriller. Happily, I’ve liked every Waters book I’ve read so far, admittedly probably helped by my having read these four over the span of nearly a decade, but also no doubt a testament to the strength of her writing.
The story is told primarily through the diary entries of Margaret Prior, an “old maid” pushing 30 but still treated like a child by her mother due to her unmarried status. Margaret is struggling mentally when the story begins: her father, the only person to appreciate her intellectual abilities to some extent, has died; the woman she was in love with chickened out and married her brother (and to add insult to injury, as a result is considered more grown-up than Margaret); and without any fulfilling focus in life she has few resources with which to combat depression. A family friend suggests she become a “lady visitor” to a women’s prison, where Margaret falls under the spell of Selina, a beautiful young spirit medium imprisoned for fraud and assault. Brief diary entries from before Selina’s arrest are interspersed with Margaret’s much longer ones; appropriately, Selina comes across as much less a writer.
It’s a beautifully immersive book, believably capturing Margaret’s surroundings and state of mind. The prison is explored in detail and is of course awful, given the Victorian belief that solitary confinement improved one’s moral fiber, combined with general lack of consideration for the poor. Margaret gets to know several prisoners, providing a mini-tour of circumstances that landed Victorian women in jail, and also the wardens, who feel very realistic in their failure to grasp just why the prison is so bad. The story also spends time with Margaret’s family—where the little indignities and humiliations come across painfully clearly—and with the spiritualist movement. The spiritualists seem similar to those making similar claims today, though the book doesn’t provide any definitive judgment.
There are a lot of unanswered questions, a general feeling of “something’s wrong here,” a slow and sinister buildup. I wouldn’t call the end a twist—I was expecting something like that, though I hadn’t worked out the details—but it certainly ends with a bang. And it’s one of those books where you go back and read over things after finishing it, to catch what you missed before.
The characters are well-developed and realistic, Margaret particularly. I’m not surprised she’s annoyed some readers: she isn’t spunky, she’s anxious and uncertain and buckles under pressure. She’s dragged down by the constraints of her society rather than rising magically above them. But she comes across as so real and vulnerable that it’s hard for me to imagine a reader not finding her interesting or worthy of sympathy. (And who wants all heroines to be the same, anyway?) Her voice actually sounds like that of a 19th century Englishwoman; the setting of course feels real and well-researched.
While it was only published in 1999, I do wonder if this book would be published as is today; it includes a number of hated elements from 20th century fiction about lesbians. That said, I think in context they work; from the outset this is a dark gothic tale.
Overall, definitely a worthwhile read, though you have to be in the mood for a dark Victorian psychological thriller. Happily, I’ve liked every Waters book I’ve read so far, admittedly probably helped by my having read these four over the span of nearly a decade, but also no doubt a testament to the strength of her writing.
December 31, 2022
Sarah Waters is a favourite author of mine, with Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith being my particular loves. Waters strikes me as a unique writer, and her stories have delicious little twists that evidently make me very happy.
Affinity, however, is not making it on to my favourite book list, and to be blunt, this felt like it was written by an entirely different person.
This book takes place in a women's prison in the nineteenth century England, and focuses on two women, one called Margaret, who is having rehabilitation for attempting suicide after the death of her Father, and Selina, who is in prison for her work in Spirituality. Both of these characters were incredibly tiresome, and even though I could pick out a few scenes that interested me, I can't say I actually cared about these characters.
Waters usually includes women in her writing that allow themselves to 'break the mould' as it were, but in this particular read, no such thing occurs. Instead, we have our main character experiencing ridiculous amounts of emotion at every turn, taking drugs for headaches, and passing out every time she moves. She has nothing remotely redeemable about her, and she lacks confidence. I did not appreciate how she failed to learn from any of her mistakes, either.
This book was lacking a tragic twist, or something sinister and it definitely didn't feel like Waters. It is such a shame, as this had the potential to be so much more.
Affinity, however, is not making it on to my favourite book list, and to be blunt, this felt like it was written by an entirely different person.
This book takes place in a women's prison in the nineteenth century England, and focuses on two women, one called Margaret, who is having rehabilitation for attempting suicide after the death of her Father, and Selina, who is in prison for her work in Spirituality. Both of these characters were incredibly tiresome, and even though I could pick out a few scenes that interested me, I can't say I actually cared about these characters.
Waters usually includes women in her writing that allow themselves to 'break the mould' as it were, but in this particular read, no such thing occurs. Instead, we have our main character experiencing ridiculous amounts of emotion at every turn, taking drugs for headaches, and passing out every time she moves. She has nothing remotely redeemable about her, and she lacks confidence. I did not appreciate how she failed to learn from any of her mistakes, either.
This book was lacking a tragic twist, or something sinister and it definitely didn't feel like Waters. It is such a shame, as this had the potential to be so much more.
October 17, 2016
Have you ever read a book and experienced de ja vu at the ending??? I thought this book was one I haven't read before (I still think so) but at the end.. it seemed vaguely familiar as if I had read it. I wasn't too surprised and thought "Wait.. I think I read this before." Chalk it up to the creepy experiences that Margaret Prior experiences through out the book.
My thoughts/reactions:
-The Victorian prison system was abysmal for inmates. The idea of spending years with the notion of no news of the outside, four visits from family a year, questionable food quality, poor healthcare in poor living conditions, religious reading only, nothing to write with, and your entire focus should be rethinking your life choices and how to be better. It made me wonder if this actually worked as a crime deterrent. There is a repeat inmate in the book so I'm not sure how well it works.
-As a woman, you could be imprisoned for a suicide attempt. One inmate made it to the second level for her 7 suicide attempts. She was deemed "a public nuisance". Appalling. It makes one wonder how many inmates were truly criminal or suffering from mental illness.
-Work must have been so bad there for women to purposefully maim themselves in the forms of tying a rusted button to a cut to induce septicemia, gouging an eye out with a butter knife, swallowing glass, attempting to hang oneself, etc.
-For a time period known for it's rigidity and devotion to public propriety; the Victorians were a dramatic emotional lot. It it seemed extremely evident in their writings. I won't sugar coat it; the main character was beginning to get on my nerves with her ruminations and dramatic thinking. Skip the chloral and laudanum... give the girl an SSRI stat.
-I think keeping people's hair is so creepy. Sleeping with a braid of hair even more so.
-It was an interesting read that at times did creep me out but I didn't respond to this book's alleged "chilling" story as many reviewers or book bloggers seemed to. Except for the wax scene in the prison cell; that gave me the creeps.
- This is definitely a thinking sort of a read. I'm sure the more I mull it over; more thoughts on it will come to me. It is incredibly well written. I'd love to hear Waters lecture on the time period. She knows her stuff and crafts a good tale.
My thoughts/reactions:
-The Victorian prison system was abysmal for inmates. The idea of spending years with the notion of no news of the outside, four visits from family a year, questionable food quality, poor healthcare in poor living conditions, religious reading only, nothing to write with, and your entire focus should be rethinking your life choices and how to be better. It made me wonder if this actually worked as a crime deterrent. There is a repeat inmate in the book so I'm not sure how well it works.
-As a woman, you could be imprisoned for a suicide attempt. One inmate made it to the second level for her 7 suicide attempts. She was deemed "a public nuisance". Appalling. It makes one wonder how many inmates were truly criminal or suffering from mental illness.
-Work must have been so bad there for women to purposefully maim themselves in the forms of tying a rusted button to a cut to induce septicemia, gouging an eye out with a butter knife, swallowing glass, attempting to hang oneself, etc.
-For a time period known for it's rigidity and devotion to public propriety; the Victorians were a dramatic emotional lot. It it seemed extremely evident in their writings. I won't sugar coat it; the main character was beginning to get on my nerves with her ruminations and dramatic thinking. Skip the chloral and laudanum... give the girl an SSRI stat.
-I think keeping people's hair is so creepy. Sleeping with a braid of hair even more so.
-It was an interesting read that at times did creep me out but I didn't respond to this book's alleged "chilling" story as many reviewers or book bloggers seemed to. Except for the wax scene in the prison cell; that gave me the creeps.
- This is definitely a thinking sort of a read. I'm sure the more I mull it over; more thoughts on it will come to me. It is incredibly well written. I'd love to hear Waters lecture on the time period. She knows her stuff and crafts a good tale.
September 14, 2019
Very atmospheric this one, Sarah Waters is so good at transporting the reader right to the heart of the grimness of Victorian London, or the creepiness of a country house.There's a great sense of time and place and of the stifling life Victorian women were forced to lead. The main character did begin to grate on me after a while, she was somewhat melodramatic and I didn't find myself rooting for her at all. The ending was satisfying and I loved the Gothic feel of the book but I much preferred Fingersmith and The Little Stranger to this one.
June 4, 2023
Affinity is an up-all-night tale of a singular Lady with a snootful of strict class distinctions, whimsical references (Witch of Endor, Aurora Leigh, St. Agnes’ Eve - the last one of particular importance for all you virgins), and spiritualism. Partially set in a dank, cold, dark Victorian prison, which comes complete with straightjackets, trenchers, shackles and wet basement dungeons for solitary punishment.
This story of ensorcellment with Dickensian dykes and enigmatic identities as chronicled by a drugged narrator of desultory reliability makes for a great read. I enjoyed it thoroughly although my sleep pattern will need to be gently re-established.
Don’t want to spoil this delicious plot, so I’ll just say yes, Virginia, maybe one is born every minute, and I will never stop believing in magic.
This story of ensorcellment with Dickensian dykes and enigmatic identities as chronicled by a drugged narrator of desultory reliability makes for a great read. I enjoyed it thoroughly although my sleep pattern will need to be gently re-established.
Don’t want to spoil this delicious plot, so I’ll just say yes, Virginia, maybe one is born every minute, and I will never stop believing in magic.
February 26, 2015
"Now I have more freedom than I ever had at any time in my life, and I do only the things I always have."
Affinity - a feeling of closeness and understanding that someone has for another person because of their similar qualities, ideas, or interests.
This book was not easy to get into. I'm neither a fan of Dickensian tales of woe nor of paranormal or supernatural stories, so for most of this book I was not convinced I would finish it, never mind like it.
The structure of the book was difficult, too. Chapters jump back and forth in time, and the narrative changes between the characters. I kept having to go back and re-read passages to remember where about in the story I was at - and which character.
However, Waters' writing detailing delicious descriptions of life in a Victorian women's prison was awesome. So awesome in fact that I felt like I was there in the bleak and rigid clasp of fear and despair - haunted (haha) by the question if the supernatural could be real. In fact, having read most of the book at night now that the darkness has gripped us up here in the North, made Affinity the perfect read in the run up to Halloween.
Affinity, as the title suggests, explores the relationship between different people, focusing mostly on upper-middle-class Margaret Prior, who volunteers to become a lady visitor in a London prison, and Selina Dawes, a notorius medium who has been sent down after being involved in a woman's death. However, affinity applies to other relationships in the book and each of them serves to paint a picture of the main character, Margaret Prior, and her struggle with life in London society during the 1870s.
As I mentioned, the book was a bit of a struggle for me at first but very rewarding in the end. The ending it self has been criticised by others, but I thought it was perfectly fitting, though not anywhere near as polished as the ending Waters' later books.
This review was originally posted on BookLikes: http://brokentune.booklikes.com/post/...
Affinity - a feeling of closeness and understanding that someone has for another person because of their similar qualities, ideas, or interests.
This book was not easy to get into. I'm neither a fan of Dickensian tales of woe nor of paranormal or supernatural stories, so for most of this book I was not convinced I would finish it, never mind like it.
The structure of the book was difficult, too. Chapters jump back and forth in time, and the narrative changes between the characters. I kept having to go back and re-read passages to remember where about in the story I was at - and which character.
However, Waters' writing detailing delicious descriptions of life in a Victorian women's prison was awesome. So awesome in fact that I felt like I was there in the bleak and rigid clasp of fear and despair - haunted (haha) by the question if the supernatural could be real. In fact, having read most of the book at night now that the darkness has gripped us up here in the North, made Affinity the perfect read in the run up to Halloween.
Affinity, as the title suggests, explores the relationship between different people, focusing mostly on upper-middle-class Margaret Prior, who volunteers to become a lady visitor in a London prison, and Selina Dawes, a notorius medium who has been sent down after being involved in a woman's death. However, affinity applies to other relationships in the book and each of them serves to paint a picture of the main character, Margaret Prior, and her struggle with life in London society during the 1870s.
As I mentioned, the book was a bit of a struggle for me at first but very rewarding in the end. The ending it self has been criticised by others, but I thought it was perfectly fitting, though not anywhere near as polished as the ending Waters' later books.
This review was originally posted on BookLikes: http://brokentune.booklikes.com/post/...
February 1, 2021
To pigeon-hole this book in any single genre is really difficult, as it would sit equally well as either a historical mystery/thriller, or a gay/lesbian novel, without being offensive in either.
This one is certainly not for you, if you are looking for a light-hearted, uplifting to read, or an ‘escape into’ story, with a happy ever after ending. Just the opposite. This a deep, multi-layered, mysterious and intricate storyline, which is actually fairly disturbing, dark and even depressing.
It is however a brilliantly written, well constructed and researched book, which draws you in from the very first page and doesn’t let you go again, until the very last word has been finished.
This unconventional, unique and darkly gothic tale of power and possession, that really makes you want to believe in ‘magic’, the further drawn into events you become, brings into stark relief the societal mores of the Victorian era, dealing as it does with lesbianism and suicide, during a period in time when the punishment for either such act, would have been horrific, particularly if you were a ‘lady’, thus immediately transforming the book into a heart-wrenching, profoundly touching love story, for which there can never be a good outcome.
The author writes wonderfully visual and descriptive narrative and dialogue, with total confidence, compelling authority and desperate intensity and compassion, which kept me on the edge of my seat and not realising just how quickly I was turning the pages.
The story is alternatingly told by Selina and Margaret, who are so well described and developed, as to almost be in the room with me as they speak. So emotionally complex, multi-faceted, raw and passionate, yet unimaginably vulnerable and so totally distant that I was unable to connect with either of them on any level.
I must admit that I never saw the twist in the end coming and had thought it would conclude in quite a different way; but it worked just right in bringing the saga to a natural conclusion, although it did rather mess with my mind!
This one is certainly not for you, if you are looking for a light-hearted, uplifting to read, or an ‘escape into’ story, with a happy ever after ending. Just the opposite. This a deep, multi-layered, mysterious and intricate storyline, which is actually fairly disturbing, dark and even depressing.
It is however a brilliantly written, well constructed and researched book, which draws you in from the very first page and doesn’t let you go again, until the very last word has been finished.
This unconventional, unique and darkly gothic tale of power and possession, that really makes you want to believe in ‘magic’, the further drawn into events you become, brings into stark relief the societal mores of the Victorian era, dealing as it does with lesbianism and suicide, during a period in time when the punishment for either such act, would have been horrific, particularly if you were a ‘lady’, thus immediately transforming the book into a heart-wrenching, profoundly touching love story, for which there can never be a good outcome.
The author writes wonderfully visual and descriptive narrative and dialogue, with total confidence, compelling authority and desperate intensity and compassion, which kept me on the edge of my seat and not realising just how quickly I was turning the pages.
The story is alternatingly told by Selina and Margaret, who are so well described and developed, as to almost be in the room with me as they speak. So emotionally complex, multi-faceted, raw and passionate, yet unimaginably vulnerable and so totally distant that I was unable to connect with either of them on any level.
I must admit that I never saw the twist in the end coming and had thought it would conclude in quite a different way; but it worked just right in bringing the saga to a natural conclusion, although it did rather mess with my mind!
April 10, 2019
Another extraordinary novel from Sarah Waters. I can't believe I'm only just now discovering these books. I'm amazed by her range and her ability to conjure another era in such an all-absorbing, spellbinding way. This one is an absolutely perfect Gothic mystery/tragedy/ghost story, set in a Victorian-era women's prison. If you read Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and felt like you'd never read anything as good again--well, it's time to get to know Sarah Waters.
January 3, 2021
Trying to bring more spooky queer energy into 2021 with my last book/first book. I started this on the 31st and it saw me through til midnight, but it took a while for this to click for me because I have zero interest in spirit mediums. But that last line made it all worthwhile; whew, what a doozy!
February 2, 2017
Sarah Waters sets the atmosphere of this early on. Does gothic always take place at an old mansion hidden in fog? No, here it is Millbank prison on the banks of the Thames River. Let's not forget the spirits that we can expect in a gothic novel - certainly Sarah Waters has not.
I really like books where there are a couple of sentences that give context for the title.
This title is less well known than her others, but I think it should be otherwise. Another 5-star read for me. I'm on a roll.
To Millbank. It is only a week since my last visit, but the mood of the prison has shifted, as if with the season, and it is a darker and more bitter place now, than ever. The towers seemed to have grown higher and broader, and the windows to have shrunk; the very scents of the place seemed to have changed, since I last went there—the grounds smelling of fog and of chimney smoke as well as of sedge, and the wards reeking of nuisance-buckets still, of cramped and unwashed hair and flesh and mouths, but also of gas, and rust, and sickness. There are great black, blistering radiators at the angle of the passages, and these make the corridors very airless and close.This is written in series of journal entries by the two main characters. They do not alternate, but are interspersed. The chapters are dates, and from this is easily understood from whose journal we are reading. In this way, not only is the story told - a story, which as it progressed was more and more compelling - but also the characters are developed. I said elsewhere that sometimes first person narratives are not always reliable. Let me just admit that I am gullible.
I really like books where there are a couple of sentences that give context for the title.
Who will she fly to then, when she has crossed the spheres? For she will fly to someone, we will all fly to someone, we will all return to that piece of shining matter from which our souls were torn with another, two halves of the same. It may be that the husband your sister has now has that other soul, that has the affinity with her soul—I hope it is. But it may be the next man she takes, or it may be neither.And
I looked only at her, heard her voice only; and when I spoke at last, it was to ask her this: ‘How will a person know, Selina, when the soul that has the affinity with hers is near it?’I have read just one other by Sarah Waters - Fingersmith. Her prose is interesting: neither does it rely on simple sentence structure and vocabulary, nor is it so convoluted that the reader is lost along the way. You can depend on an LGBT focus in the main characters, but without being hit over the head with it. The characters are what they are, the story line and characterizations make no attempt to convince the reader that life is unfair because of sexual orientation. Life may be unfair, but isn't it so in some way for everyone?
This title is less well known than her others, but I think it should be otherwise. Another 5-star read for me. I'm on a roll.
November 18, 2022
Creepy, plus a lot of focus on plot -twists, etc, which don't turn out to be that unexpected. The forte of her writing is in the sexual tension between the main characters, especially in the beginning, when she first meets the girl in the prison. The victorian gothic melodrama bored me.
July 12, 2021
The suffocation.
It’s like a quiet storm. You feel the subtle change in the air first, and then the smell, the wind, the gloominess.
And you drown, as if in a stormy sea, but it’s never a sea, it cannot be a sea.
You can find peacefulness in sea, but never in a storm.
And it comes.
It’s like a quiet storm. You feel the subtle change in the air first, and then the smell, the wind, the gloominess.
And you drown, as if in a stormy sea, but it’s never a sea, it cannot be a sea.
You can find peacefulness in sea, but never in a storm.
And it comes.
August 18, 2018
El argumento es muy interesante. La ambientación genial, como en todas sus novelas, con ese aire victoriano, en las que es muy fácil sumergirse en los escenarios que está describiendo. Pero algo me ha flojeado, no sé si los personajes o bien el desarrollo de la trama la cual he encontrado demasiado lenta.
Escrita a modo de diario de los dos personajes principales: Selina que nos relata su vida antes de la cárcel y Margaret que es la narradora principal ya que nos relata el tiempo actual. Mantiene el suspense hasta el final y todo acaba perfectamente atado.
De momento este es el libro más flojo de los que llevo leidos de Sarah Waters. Recomiendo antes leer otros de esta escritora como El Ocupante y Falsa Identidad.
Escrita a modo de diario de los dos personajes principales: Selina que nos relata su vida antes de la cárcel y Margaret que es la narradora principal ya que nos relata el tiempo actual. Mantiene el suspense hasta el final y todo acaba perfectamente atado.
De momento este es el libro más flojo de los que llevo leidos de Sarah Waters. Recomiendo antes leer otros de esta escritora como El Ocupante y Falsa Identidad.
September 29, 2018
A book for all Seasons: picked strictly for the cover
September 6, 2012
When I started this book, I had no idea how sad Affinity would make me. Because it does, and it has, for at least two days even after finishing the book.
Affinity is the tale Margaret, a young lady living in nineteenth-century London. After her father's death, Margaret has fallen ill for half a year. Now everything is slightly better, she has taken it upon her to visit the female inmates at the Millbank prison as Lady Visitor. Here she meets the spirit medium Serena, who starts to intrigue her more with every visit.
This novel unfolds very, very, very slowly. It's way shorter than the other book I have read by Sarah Waters, Fingersmith, but it doesn't contain as many plot twists as that one does. Affinity feels a lot slower. I didn't mind that much, because I happen to love the historical period, and I can easily be entertained by the gloomy mood. Still, after a while I started to wish for the end, because about ninety percent of this novel is build-up.
And when the end comes, it hits hard. I won't spoil anything for you, but I can assure you that if you have come to be affectionate towards any of the characters, it will stay with you. I personally didn't see it coming it all. It all wraps up neatly together, but not in a way you would normally get with this type of novel.
The character of Margaret is a very flawed one. We see most of the story through her eyes, and her weakness shows through every experience she has. She's not very easy to like, but I really did want her to get a happy ending, in any form or another. Madness, substance abuse and depression are a few of the underlying themes, but I wish they were more pronounced. Without explaining Margaret's mental condition, she's really just a weak woman that doesn't appreciate the things she has in life.
Affinity's strength is the vividness of the descriptions of Millbank. I could perfectly imagine the creaking iron, the cold labyrinth-like corridors, the sound of a key turning in its lock. Ms Waters is a master in painting a gloomy atmosphere.
I recommend this book if you really feel like reading something that will make you shiver. It's not as accessible as Fingersmith is, but it's still a great historical novel. Not for the inexperienced reader, as the novel is written in slightly lofty archaic language and style.
Affinity is the tale Margaret, a young lady living in nineteenth-century London. After her father's death, Margaret has fallen ill for half a year. Now everything is slightly better, she has taken it upon her to visit the female inmates at the Millbank prison as Lady Visitor. Here she meets the spirit medium Serena, who starts to intrigue her more with every visit.
This novel unfolds very, very, very slowly. It's way shorter than the other book I have read by Sarah Waters, Fingersmith, but it doesn't contain as many plot twists as that one does. Affinity feels a lot slower. I didn't mind that much, because I happen to love the historical period, and I can easily be entertained by the gloomy mood. Still, after a while I started to wish for the end, because about ninety percent of this novel is build-up.
And when the end comes, it hits hard. I won't spoil anything for you, but I can assure you that if you have come to be affectionate towards any of the characters, it will stay with you. I personally didn't see it coming it all. It all wraps up neatly together, but not in a way you would normally get with this type of novel.
The character of Margaret is a very flawed one. We see most of the story through her eyes, and her weakness shows through every experience she has. She's not very easy to like, but I really did want her to get a happy ending, in any form or another. Madness, substance abuse and depression are a few of the underlying themes, but I wish they were more pronounced. Without explaining Margaret's mental condition, she's really just a weak woman that doesn't appreciate the things she has in life.
Affinity's strength is the vividness of the descriptions of Millbank. I could perfectly imagine the creaking iron, the cold labyrinth-like corridors, the sound of a key turning in its lock. Ms Waters is a master in painting a gloomy atmosphere.
I recommend this book if you really feel like reading something that will make you shiver. It's not as accessible as Fingersmith is, but it's still a great historical novel. Not for the inexperienced reader, as the novel is written in slightly lofty archaic language and style.
Read
March 23, 2019This novel made me bawl my eyes out at sleep-over, one time. No joke, I was literally sobbing by the time I got to the end.
Don't ask me why I was reading a novel instead of playing with the other kids at the sleep-over, you'll only make it worse.
Don't ask me why I was reading a novel instead of playing with the other kids at the sleep-over, you'll only make it worse.
July 30, 2024
3.5 stars. Way back in the day when I read this novel for the first time I found it disappointing. And I'll acknowledge that it's still probably Waters' weakest novel. But I was too hard on it, probably because I read it after Fingersmith and it's really not fair to compare the two.
But I have read more than a few novels about spiritualists of the 19th century and I haven't ever found any of the books truly satisfying. This suffers from many of the same problems, making it hard to know as a reader if we are supposed to believe in the supernatural elements or doubt them, while also not making it very easy to not pick a side as you read.
Still there's a lot to like here. It's such a Sarah Waters novel, jumping in halfway through Margaret's story and never fully giving us the account of her first love affair with her now-sister-in-law Helen. The only Margaret we see is lost, drugged nightly by her mother after a suicide attempt following her father's death, struggling to find a reason to exist in the world.
I actually think that while the plot here is quite good, the real error is having Waters hold back so much to then throw at the very end. Perhaps she figured this out herself because Fingersmith takes a truly impressive approach to the reversals and changing points of view that could have made this more fun. But it's also a book that doesn't exactly want to be fun, it wants to be down in the mournful woes of prison and depression, the difficult lives of the women in Milbank. The book has a slight identity crisis, but also Waters is just really good. Keeps things moving even when so little happens for much of the novel.
I was much too hard on it, though it does have its flaws. The thing is, it still only really looks flawed if you put it in Waters' larger body of work. And so often, her books are better when you reread them, when you already know what she is doing and you just get to enjoy yourself. I suspect the same is true here.
But I have read more than a few novels about spiritualists of the 19th century and I haven't ever found any of the books truly satisfying. This suffers from many of the same problems, making it hard to know as a reader if we are supposed to believe in the supernatural elements or doubt them, while also not making it very easy to not pick a side as you read.
Still there's a lot to like here. It's such a Sarah Waters novel, jumping in halfway through Margaret's story and never fully giving us the account of her first love affair with her now-sister-in-law Helen. The only Margaret we see is lost, drugged nightly by her mother after a suicide attempt following her father's death, struggling to find a reason to exist in the world.
I actually think that while the plot here is quite good, the real error is having Waters hold back so much to then throw at the very end. Perhaps she figured this out herself because Fingersmith takes a truly impressive approach to the reversals and changing points of view that could have made this more fun. But it's also a book that doesn't exactly want to be fun, it wants to be down in the mournful woes of prison and depression, the difficult lives of the women in Milbank. The book has a slight identity crisis, but also Waters is just really good. Keeps things moving even when so little happens for much of the novel.
I was much too hard on it, though it does have its flaws. The thing is, it still only really looks flawed if you put it in Waters' larger body of work. And so often, her books are better when you reread them, when you already know what she is doing and you just get to enjoy yourself. I suspect the same is true here.
August 7, 2014
Set in the mid-1870s, Affinity is the story of lonely Margaret Prior. Nearing thirty, unmarried, and recovering from a series of difficult and upsetting events including the death of her beloved father, she takes up the duties of a 'lady visitor' at London's Millbank prison. Assigned to visit, speak with and offer companionship to the female prisoners, she finds herself developing a particular affection for one inmate - Selina Dawes, an alleged medium imprisoned for fraud and assault. At first, Margaret's visits are focused on exploring the unfamiliar environment of the prison and meeting the women incarcerated there, as a distraction from her dull and unhappy home life. However, as her friendship with Selina blossoms and she begins to feel increasingly alienated elsewhere, Millbank becomes the centre of Margaret's world, a growing obsession. Her diary makes up the majority of the narrative, intercut with extracts from Selina's earlier journal recounting the events that led to her imprisonment.
I have read two of Waters' other novels: Fingersmith and The Little Stranger. The latter is one of the best books I have ever read, and it was because of this that I felt compelled to try Affinity. The two have themes in common, with inexplicable paranormal events and the idea of spirit activity being central to the plot of both. However, Affinity has much more in common with Fingersmith: two female protagonists who take turns narrating the story, and a parade of unpleasant minor characters; a burgeoning lesbian romance, full of suppressed emotion and dull erotic charge; a heavy atmosphere of doom and dread; a series of dreary, depressing settings, from Millbank's cells to the foggy streets of London and Margaret's stifling home life with her unsympathetic mother. Like the heroines of Fingersmith, Margaret and Selina are both thoroughly trapped - Selina, obviously, by her imprisonment, and Margaret by the expectations of society and her family, as well as the illness she cannot name (depression). Treated with sedatives and opiates, which she becomes increasingly dependent upon as the story progresses, Margaret descends into a private, obsessive madness in which the mysteries of Selina's spirit world become very real to her. Selina, meanwhile, remains a more enigmatic character, with her journal conspicuously lacking in emotion.
Like The Little Stranger, Affinity has a revelatory ending, with a twist that casts everything that has come before in a different light. However, I have to say I did see this coming: although I didn't guess specifically what the twist would be, I felt . Maybe I was primed to anticipate a dramatic, unexpected development because of all the twists in the other Waters books I've read, but I wasn't really all that shocked when it came. I must admit that I didn't think ! The problem is that if you have your doubts about certain elements of the plot, it's fairly easy to work out the nature, if not the exact details, of the twist.
Strangely, this is the third book I have read with a medium (real or fake) as a central character, written by a female author of literary fiction, that I've found drab, dispiriting and bleak. (The others were Hilary Mantel's Beyond Black and, more recently, The Blue Book by A.L. Kennedy.) Perhaps a sign (how ironic) that this subject matter should be left alone in future? I do think Waters is a brilliant writer, and I can't fault her wonderfully authentic recreation of a Victorian narrative here. However, as much as the story was compelling and held my interest, it didn't come close to matching the page-turning intensity of Fingersmith, or the brilliant creeping tension of The Little Stranger. While it's worth reading, I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for newcomers to the author's work.
I have read two of Waters' other novels: Fingersmith and The Little Stranger. The latter is one of the best books I have ever read, and it was because of this that I felt compelled to try Affinity. The two have themes in common, with inexplicable paranormal events and the idea of spirit activity being central to the plot of both. However, Affinity has much more in common with Fingersmith: two female protagonists who take turns narrating the story, and a parade of unpleasant minor characters; a burgeoning lesbian romance, full of suppressed emotion and dull erotic charge; a heavy atmosphere of doom and dread; a series of dreary, depressing settings, from Millbank's cells to the foggy streets of London and Margaret's stifling home life with her unsympathetic mother. Like the heroines of Fingersmith, Margaret and Selina are both thoroughly trapped - Selina, obviously, by her imprisonment, and Margaret by the expectations of society and her family, as well as the illness she cannot name (depression). Treated with sedatives and opiates, which she becomes increasingly dependent upon as the story progresses, Margaret descends into a private, obsessive madness in which the mysteries of Selina's spirit world become very real to her. Selina, meanwhile, remains a more enigmatic character, with her journal conspicuously lacking in emotion.
Like The Little Stranger, Affinity has a revelatory ending, with a twist that casts everything that has come before in a different light. However, I have to say I did see this coming: although I didn't guess specifically what the twist would be, I felt . Maybe I was primed to anticipate a dramatic, unexpected development because of all the twists in the other Waters books I've read, but I wasn't really all that shocked when it came. I must admit that I didn't think ! The problem is that if you have your doubts about certain elements of the plot, it's fairly easy to work out the nature, if not the exact details, of the twist.
Strangely, this is the third book I have read with a medium (real or fake) as a central character, written by a female author of literary fiction, that I've found drab, dispiriting and bleak. (The others were Hilary Mantel's Beyond Black and, more recently, The Blue Book by A.L. Kennedy.) Perhaps a sign (how ironic) that this subject matter should be left alone in future? I do think Waters is a brilliant writer, and I can't fault her wonderfully authentic recreation of a Victorian narrative here. However, as much as the story was compelling and held my interest, it didn't come close to matching the page-turning intensity of Fingersmith, or the brilliant creeping tension of The Little Stranger. While it's worth reading, I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for newcomers to the author's work.
February 7, 2014
‘Afinidad’, de la galesa Sarah Waters, está ambientada en el siglo XIX victoriano, y explora el oscuro y opresivo mundo de una cárcel de mujeres, a la vez que nos muestra cómo era el ambiente del espiritismo en aquella época. Igualmente, el amor lésbico está presente, y, aunque no explícitamente, sí se trata con naturalidad, algo que en la narrativa victoriana sólo podía ser leído entre líneas.
La historia está escrita en forma de diario a dos voces, las de Margaret Prior y Selina Dawes, lo que dota a la novela de un mayor intimismo. Margaret vive bajo el asfixiante techo de su madre, viendo como sus hermanos avanzan en sus vidas, casándose y formado su propio hogar, y ve como la soltería se está convirtiendo en su única opción. El fallecimiento de su padre, al que tenía un apego especial y con el que compartía las mismas aficiones intelectuales, así como la traición amorosa de una amiga, son hechos que siguen atormentándola. De tal modo, Margaret decide convertirse en visitadora, haciendo compañía a las mujeres de la cárcel de Millbank. Será en este duro ambiente donde Margaret conocerá a la misteriosa Selina, una joven médium.
La prosa de Sarah Waters es refinada y elegante, y capta perfectamente el ambiente y circunstancias de la época. Waters posee una gran capacidad para plasmar para ramificar las tramas y mantener el suspense. Todo ello, convierte a ‘Afinidad’ en una buena novela con gusto gótico y ambiente folletinesco.
La historia está escrita en forma de diario a dos voces, las de Margaret Prior y Selina Dawes, lo que dota a la novela de un mayor intimismo. Margaret vive bajo el asfixiante techo de su madre, viendo como sus hermanos avanzan en sus vidas, casándose y formado su propio hogar, y ve como la soltería se está convirtiendo en su única opción. El fallecimiento de su padre, al que tenía un apego especial y con el que compartía las mismas aficiones intelectuales, así como la traición amorosa de una amiga, son hechos que siguen atormentándola. De tal modo, Margaret decide convertirse en visitadora, haciendo compañía a las mujeres de la cárcel de Millbank. Será en este duro ambiente donde Margaret conocerá a la misteriosa Selina, una joven médium.
La prosa de Sarah Waters es refinada y elegante, y capta perfectamente el ambiente y circunstancias de la época. Waters posee una gran capacidad para plasmar para ramificar las tramas y mantener el suspense. Todo ello, convierte a ‘Afinidad’ en una buena novela con gusto gótico y ambiente folletinesco.
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