Affinity by Sarah Waters Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Affinity
Book Review: Easily one of the BEST NOVEL written
Summary: 5 Stars
The Author:
Did thorough research of Victorian Era culture, geography, sociology, psychology and history. Articulate and beautiful words. The Queen's English may sometimes be very difficult to understand, however in Sarah Waters' writing, the language smoothly levitate off of the pages and absorb your soul to the point of you palpating the pulse of the characters and their stories unfolding. The skillful use of language were used to separate the narratives aristocratic social elite Margaret Prior to the street-wise caddish delinquent Selena Dawes. Cleverly weaving each plot points and devilishly fooling you until the end! Bravo Ms. Waters!
The Novel Plot:
Depressing, creepy, and heartbreaking.
Devastated by the recent passing of her very dear father and a recent failed suicide attempt, Margaret Prior occupies her time by volunteering at Millbank prison as a "lady visitor", one who provides company to and hope to reform for the women residents of Millbank. While there, she meets and befriended Selena Dawes.
Selena Dawes is a medium, incarcerated for murder. All the rage during Victorian England was holding seances. During one of said seances, Selena's sponsor (they say patron) dies. She was ... scared to death. Selena denies any wrong-doings and attributed the death to a very naughty spirit, Peter Quick.
Margaret was at first skeptical. Strange things started to happen. Items would mysteriously dissappear while other items appear to and from Margaret's residence and the prison. During the many visits and hearing Selena's tale, Margaret came to trust, believe, and falls in love with Selena. Selena claims to reciprocate the feeling.
We discover from Margaret's journal that the feelings she has, the way she thinks, and how she wants to live her life, that she is a lesbian. Of course Margaret didn't know what it was called or who she really was because of the stigma of one with "unnatural fansies" during 17th century England. Margaret had a really close friend, Helen. It was only suggested that they were really close and that there really weren't any physical romances between them, however, the emotional love was there. Helen couldn't bear the idea of being different, hence, she married. She married Margaret's brother.
So, finding and meeting Selena, Margaret felt alive again and fell heads-over-heels. With time, Selena convinced Margaret to help her escape Millbank.
The end is too good to reveal. Invest the time. Have the heart and patience through the first 100 pages, you will be rewarded. Pay attention to the different narratives.
Book Review: Ebb, Flow and Low
Summary: 3 Stars
Irrefutably, Affinity is well-written, engrossing to read. It's a tour of Victorian England, particularly the spiritual "business," through the protagonist's eyes. The emotions that the reader can feel through this exploration is ebb and flow. Miss Prior is flawed or she thinks she's flawed. So, the reader becomes her. And when she finds hope, the reader finds hope. The Author's style is that of journal-writing, in a way, it's epistolary. This is where the secret of the writing lies, it is a vital style to use to unfold the whole story. Miss Dawes is an engaging counter-character. The "low" of the book is when I got depressed, not clinically, however, it renewed my fervor for writing. It reminded me why I persisted on being a writer.Book Review: Eh
Summary: 2 Stars
I suppose the problem is that "Fingersmith" was such an incredible book, I was expecting the same from "Affinity." It just isn't as good a book, and could have used some massive editing. The story was fascinating, but the ending seemed tacked on and artificial.Book Review: Fantastic!
Summary: 5 Stars
Having already read and fallen in love with Waters' first novel "Tipping the Velvet," I must admit I expected more of the same when I picked up "Affinity." Boy, was I wrong!Waters has proven herself as a masterful storyteller, crafting tales that draw the reader in and do not let go. I found myself reading at all hours of the day and night, unable to stop turning the pages, absolutely absorbed in the tale unfolding before me. As I read this novel, I found myself falling in love with Selina Dawes, my heart broken by the dark story behind Margaret Prior's stint as a Lady Visitor, and so desperate to know what happens that by the end my head was spinning. My husband sat and just watched me read, my reactions so visceral that I was gripping the book, grimacing in ache and surprise as the story unfolded, and breathing raggedly, wildly, as I rushed headlong to the astounding ending.
This is not your run-of-the-mill mystery, gothic or otherwise. It is sensual, dark and entrancing, and I highly recommend "Affinity" to anyone looking for a good yarn. I have "Fingersmith" waiting to be read, but am enduring a torturous wait before diving into it, desperate to know what fabulous tale Ms. Waters has prepared for me, but painfully aware that once I have devoured it, there will be no more to sate my desire for this woman's fabulous work... And so I wait...
Book Review: Fascinating
Summary: 5 Stars
This novel is gripping, realistic, and fascinating. I loved the protagonist and found myself desperately rooting for her. Her past is gradually revealed, the readers' sympathies for her grow accordingly. We readers fall under the same spell that she does. Loved the author's metaphors about prisons and how women in that era were all imprisoned, one way or another. The denouement is chilling, painful, and brilliant. I could not put down the last 100 pages. Waters is a master....after reading the ending's twists and turns, I frantically flipped back the pages and realized that Waters had laid all the clues down perfectly. As others have noted, this is not a novel that leaves you feeling happy and light. It is a stunning work which you can only marvel at.