Affinity by Sarah Waters
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Book Reviews of Affinity
Book Review: A very fine piece of writing
Summary: 4 Stars
"Affinity" is a very good book, but not as much a tour de force as Waters' other two, "Tipping the Velvet" and "Fingersmith," both of which are broader in plot development and richer in detail. The two historical wells from which Waters draws material for "Affinity," namely, the women's prison system in Victorian England and the Spiritualist movement of the same period, are by definition specific and limited. Where "Tipping.." and "Fingersmith" are epic in scope as well as overflowing with strong characterizations, "Affinity" is a close, intimate, psychological portrait of a few individuals brought together in oppressive, stifling circumstances. By definition, "Affinity" is not a book which fills the reader with large, grand emotions and ideas. But it is, like its counterparts, an artfully written piece of English historical fiction, impeccably well-researched and sensitive to the issues of gender and class that inform all of Ms. Waters' work. It also contains other elements that will be familiar to Ms. Waters' readers - lesbian themes, either overt or implied; plot twists (here, a particularly juicy and unexpected ending); the juxtaposition of dual narratives; explorations of good and evil; and the alienation of women in patriarchal society - all held together by evocative descriptions that nail the reader visually and viscerally to the spot and hold you there. The descriptions of prison life are harrowing, tragic, gripping, brutal, and, unfortunately, based on hard research. This alone makes for a devastating and intense read.
"Affinity" starts slowly, and tried my patience for about the first 100 pages. I offer this comment to encourage the potential reader to stick with the book, because it will improve. I ended up reading the last 250 pages in one sitting, having been completely taken in. Once you fully enter the world of the two narrators, you will need to know how it turns out, and it will not be what you expected. Given the fact that Ms. Waters is such an exceptionally fine writer, when I say that "Affinity" is not the best of her works, still, it is a first-class piece of fiction nonetheless. (And, by the way, if you are expecting to be titillated by lesbian erotica or pornography, you have most definitely come to the wrong place.) Recommended.
Book Review: A Tricky Gothic Novel that Leaves a Mark
Summary: 4 Stars
A story with gothic atmosphere, AFFINITY is set in 1875 London. The narrator, Miss Margaret Prior, is an upper class woman on the verge of turning 30, and when we become acquainted with her, she is making her first visit to Millbank Prison. She is to be the Lady Visitor-someone who comes to visit and motivate the pathetic denizens locked up for everything from petty crimes and prostitution to murder. Very quickly she becomes compulsively interested in a young woman, Selina Dawes, a spiritualist and medium in jail for harming a young girl and for involvement in the death of her benefactress.Miss Prior's elaborate descriptions of Millbank, the incarcerated women, and her daily life at home soon reveal that she, too, is locked in her own private prison from which she has no way to escape. She's already had one "nervous" episode nearly resulting in her death. This followed the betrayal of a woman with whom she was smitten and the death of her dearly beloved father. She is a woman locked in a world with social mores that do not allow her to be herself-nor even to know who her real Self is. Only Selina has managed to introduce a little magic into her life.
With each passing week, the story builds in intensity as Miss Prior visits the dismal Millbank and attempts to see Selina Dawes as often as possible. Though she fights it, little by little, she surrenders to her feelings for the other woman. Will Selina manage to escape and will Miss Prior assist? Is the young woman truly innocent and wrongly convicted? We get clues from periodic diary entries made by Selina, but the mystery of the spiritualist's past is not revealed until the end.
AFFINITY has a feel much like the gothic novels of old, and the style and tone made me wonder if Waters could possibly be the spiritual daughter of Emily Brontė and Mary Shelley. The story's impact quietly creeps up on the reader until the surprising denouement, which, though it seems to come out of the blue, I realized I should have seen coming. I found myself thinking of this novel and Miss Prior's horrendous predicament for weeks. AFFINITY leaves a mark.
~Lori L. Lake, Reviewer for Midwest Book Review, [ ], and The Independent Gay Writer.
Book Review: another excellent novel by Sarah Waters
Summary: 4 Stars
If you are looking for excellent suspense novel, this is something that exceeds the expectations. Only if you are looking for something better than "Fingersmith", you may be a trifle disappointed.
"Affinity", set in London of the 1870s, is a story of Margaret Prior, an unhappy, miserable and ultimately pathetic woman who after her father's death and her companion's marriage to her brother tried to commit suicide. The attempt was unsuccessful and depressed Margaret had an idea to become an official Lady Visitor of the Millbank prison at the women's ward. She meets there a lot of characters, the inmates as well as guardians (called "matrons") and forms a relationship (an affinity, as she believes) with a very exceptional girl, Selina Dawes, who in her past was a spiritual medium. In parallel, we are given the fragments from Selina's diary a couple of years ago, explaining the circumstances leading to her sentence. The "affinity" between the two women develops into an obsession on Margaret's part, and she desperately wants to help Selina get out of prison and start a new life together with her.
The plot is very clever, even for someone like me, who as a natural sceptic is suspicious of all the spiritualist movement and thinks the believers pathetic. I could predict the general direction but there were unexpected turns, and clues so ingeniously hidden that there was a surprise in the end. Waters definitely has a talent for detail and suspense, and
although, as I said earlier, this book is a little less perfect that "Fingersmith", but it is much better than "Tipping the Velvet". The author demonstrates a great writing skill and her familiarity with the Victorian times is remarkable. The whole atmosphere and behavior of the people of that era, their restraints, hypocrisy, and at the same time a certain naivety are depicted fabulously.
Book Review: SPIRITUALISM AND VICTORIAN GAOLS
Summary: 4 Stars
Arguably, Sarah Waters is one of the most prolific contemporary authors of Victorian fiction. She has a gift of creating realistic and three-dimensional female protagonists immersed in a Victorian London setting that comes alive. In AFFINITY Margaret, a young spinster, is battling many personal demons. Her beloved father recently passed away, her secret lover chose her brother over her, and her overbearing mother is treating her like a child. Margaret's world takes a turn when she volunteers as a Lady Visitor for Millbank, a London gaol set along the banks of the Thames. As she immerses herself into the lives of the female prisoners Margaret becomes enchanted with one particular prisoner named Selena who is incarcerated for fraud and assault during one of her spiritualist sittings. The relationship between Margaret and Selena develops into deep friendship and love containing aspects of spiritualism that threatens the well being of both women.Similar to FINGERSMITH, Sarah Waters provides enough plot twists and turns to keep the reader's attention along with an unanticipated ending. It was truly difficult for me to put this book down as I simply had to know what was going to happen next. Thinner than her two other novels, AFFINITY still packs a punch by providing an enduring plot with insightful characters. Despite my enjoyment, my main complaint centers on Waters' consistent use (or lack thereof) of quotation marks and punctuation. This aspect often interrupted my flow of reading and soon became a distraction. In addition, the narration often jumped from first to third person and it was somewhat too jolting for my comfort in many sections of the book. Despite these technical qualms I recommend AFFINITY to those who enjoyed her other books (FINGERSMITH and TIPPING THE VELVET) and by fans of Victorian fiction in general.
Book Review: Style and Substance but missing something
Summary: 4 Stars
I have just finished this novel and find that I am having mixed feelings about it. There was a definite pull from this book which kept me reading throughout the day with no desire to put it down, but closer to the end I started having instincts about where the final pages would take me. Sarah Waters has such a clever and unique writing style that captivates me; I have read all of her books with a fervor and have found that they meet my needs of both style and substance. And this book did not disappoint in that respect.
What I found to be disturbing was trying to use 2 different points of view from both Margaret and Selina, and it took me nearly halfway through the book to start comprehending Selina's. Also, I did not feel that the ending completely answered questions that I had throughout; perhaps that is the intention of Waters: she never tells anything, but rather dances around with subtlety so that the reader can use his own intelligence to predict and presume. I do like that about her, but I have to agree with some other reviewers that there was just something missing in this one that I can't quite put my finger on. One feeling I came away strongly with~ I would not have wanted to be in prison (gaol) during this time period. Truly it was for punishment and punished they were.