Affinity

Rating:
Summary: A very different story than Tipping the Velvet.
Review: My expectations were really high before I started Affinity. I had devoured Tipping the Velvet in a period of days. And much looked forward to the release of another novel by Sarah Waters.

With Affinity I was dissapointed as I was unable to ever get a real connection going with the story. One of the flaws I encountered was the going back and forth in time left me feeling confused and never really became a natural part of the read for me. Also the descriptions were more flowy (like a poem) than vivid. I never felt like I was _there_ as I had while reading Tipping the Velvet.

With Tipping the Velevet, I finished the book in a matter of days, I was unable to put the book down for long periods of time, the story was so amazing. With Affinity, I felt like I had to push myself to finish the book and I read it over a month's span. I felt like I needed to finish it for reading's sake. It became more of a chore when my expectations were not met.

However the book did redeem itself in the final chapter with a surprising twist. And in retrospect, I would like to reread the book without my expectations. The flaw of the story for me was that from the beginning, I thought I knew how it was going to end so I found myself bored and not really appreciating the story. So that fault was within myself, not the novel.

After the surprise twist, I see that the story actually was very masterful. It also should be noted that this is a different kind of lesbian story than Tipping the Velvet. This is much more subtle and you do not get the graphic sex scenes or talk. Which in a way, made it a more true Lesbian story (for me) - the beginning feelings of wondering.... maybe if you love this person.

I suggest when you read the book to not expect another Tipping the Velvet, that was my fault, and I am sure to enjoy the book much more thoroughly than just the last chapter on a second read.

Of course I would have preffered a story that had me engrossed from the get go, but I believe this book has it's own merit and I was very happy that Ms.Waters was still able to bring crab and brine in the story!

Rating:
Summary: A Lush Victorian Tale of Suspense
Review: From the beginning, AFFINITY creates a mood of watchful caution: nothing is as it seems. Unclear whether asked to suspend belief and enter the world of the spiritual, the reader awaits the author's direction. If such a plane exists, is it real or fraudulent?

It is 1874 in London, at Millbrook Prison, where we meet Margaret Prior, a lady "Visitor" come to offer solace to the female inmates. Miss Prior has been ill, recuperating slowly since the death of her father, determined now to turn her energies on the less fortunate. Millbrook Prison is a huge ediface of gothic proportions, towers and tunnels and geometric patterns leading to the stark chill of individual cells. The greater part of each day is spent in isolation, the inmates given hand-work that they might earn their keep.

Almost thirty, Margaret Prior is on the threshold of spinsterhood, studious and well-intentioned. Her sister, Priscilla, is about to be wed. Then Margaret will be alone with their mother, as brother Stephen has married Margaret's former dear friend, Helen. These two women are closer in temperament and sympathy than the family ever suspects; Margaret must discipline herself at family gatherings, lest she gaze too often at Helen, or with naked longing. In her heart, she grieves deeply for this loss.

Miss Prior is interested in the lives of the women prisoners, their crimes, their hopes. She visits frequently and many become familiar, and each time she stops last at the cell of Selina Dawes, a spirit medium, jailed for fraud and assault. Selina seems a gentle, if lonely soul. Miss Prior is her solitary visitor, besides the spirits that whisper encouragement every evening when the lights are extinguished.

This is Victorian England at its apex, when women of Miss Prior's class are considered innocent and in need of comfort and protection. When Margaret forms an attachment to Selina, as of course she must, she keeps her thoughts to herself, speaking only through the pages of her diary. Margaret starts to entertain the idea that Selina may truly consort with the spirits, opening her mind to such possibilities, even as she receives her nightly sleeping draught, dreaming of Selina. The obsession appears to be mutual. Selina calls Margaret "Aurora", says she is her "affinity", two halves of one whole.

On January 20th, Miss Prior visits Selina a final time as they have chosen this night for Selina's escape. With assistance by her "spirits", Selina promises to come for "Aurora" before the light of dawn. For her part, Margaret has made secret preparations: passports, travel arrangements, clothing, adequate funds.Whether the escape occurs, how it happens, and the consequences create the tension that brings AFFINITY to life on each page. Ms. Waters virtually beguiles the reader, leading slowly through a twisting maze, as she leads us to the ending of her masterful tale.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book, definitely a keeper!
Review: I loved the time-period this book was written in and the way it was written, from the diaries of both women, kept my attention to the very last page. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. I thought I kind of knew how it might end, but could never have imagine the exact circumstances. It was so well written, I can't wait to reread it. I am definitely adding it to my library.

Rating:
Summary: A Literary Masterpiece
Review: Affinity has to be one of the most amazing books I have ever read. I don't come across very many books that I consider literary classics, but this one definitely fits that catagory.

Set in Victorian England in the 1800's, the book gives a very clear insight into life in those times, especially life for women who remain unmarried. It also gives a look into spiritualism, and the conditions of women's prisons.

The book moves at a leisurely pace and lulls the reader into thinking not much is really happening, but like a river with a still, dark surface, there are undercurrents beneath.

The author is a master of language and writing technique. She skillfully layers the story, and when you reach the conclusion, you will be both stunned and yet see how very logically it all comes together like the perfectly fitting pieces of a puzzle.

Rating:
Summary: A Tale Reminiscent of Classic Gothic Literature
Review: Water's tale of a lonely London spinster and a mysterious spirit medium is a beautiful, compelling visit into a dark yet mesmerizing world of ghosts, lovers, and avid believers in the afterlife. Her vivid descriptions--from a dank women's prison to a proper Victorian home--are rich in sensory details and poetic prose. The story is reminiscent of gothic tales of the past, slowly, carefully reeling the reader inside an engrossing and ultimately tragic plot that would have made the Bronte sisters proud. As a historical fiction writer and amateur researcher of 19th- and 20th-century mediums, I commend Waters on her ability to weave a captivating mystery out of the once-fashionable trend of seances and spiritualism.

Rating:
Summary: ....a force to be reckoned with....
Review: Sarah Waters is proving herself a force to be reckoned with in the field of lesbian literature with this rather ambitious second novel. Set in Victorian era England, Affinity tells the story of Margaret Prior, a lonely spinster who has chosen to visit the women's ward at Millbank prison where she becomes fascinated with Selena Dawes, a medium convicted of murdering her client.

The strength of this novel rests on Waters' gorgeous use of prose and her ability to take the reader deep within the psyche of her characters. We are given a glimpse into the life and mindset of a woman who will never fully realize her potential because of the constraints placed upon her by the society in which she lives. Her one attempt at breaking free of societal constraints results in a catastrophic breakdown from which she has yet to completely recover. As a result, she forms a very deep attachment to Selena Dawes with disastrous consequences.

Unfortunately, the very strengths of this novel also tend to be it's worst flaws. The over-reliance on flowery prose gives this work the appearance of being a 352 page poem that lacks the structure of a well organized novel. As well, the author's habit of going back and forth in time leaves the reader feeling more than a little confused and frustrated. Despite these flaws, Affinity is a beautifully written novel that revels in the art of language and atmosphere.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful follow-up
Review: Kudos to Ms. Waters for writing yet another beautifully crafted story! I did not get into this book as easily as I did with Tipping the Velvet, but I wasn't any less fulfilled by novel's end. Sarah Waters's words teem with life and her characters are expertly developed. Affinity was a gripping tale, masterfully created--slowly but surely--to horrify and mystify the reader. It does take 100 or so pages to get the plot rolling, but after having completed the book, I realize the pace of the novel was necessary to the entire flow of the story. The ending did a complete 180 from what I expected it to be. I was on the edge of my seat and holding my breath while reading the conclusion to this fascinating novel. You will too.

Rating:
Summary: Great Expectations Unmet
Review: I had great expectations for Waters' latest novel after reading Tipping The Velvet. But unlike "Velvet" "Affinity" seemed to limp and drag. One reviewer has suggested that the slowness was neccessary for the build up to the final denoument.I was disappointed that Waters let so much ride on the final chapter,it reminded me more of a short story which had been stretched to breaking point than a novel.I can't help wondering whether this was Waters' first novel only published after her second work's success. It certainly lacked the dimension and character development so wonderful in "Tipping The Velvet." While I agree that a novel written by a lesbian does not have to be a lesbian novel I found Waters' coyness with the subject irritating. After waiting so long to read this book I was very disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: Dark, spooky, erotic, compelling--I loved this book. Particularly if you are a lesbian in search of a decent, well written novel and are tired of the endless parade of poorly written detective/mystery/coming out garbage, then you've got to have this. There are so many levels to it, you'll want to read it slowly and savor it, but probably you won't be able to put it down. A wonderful book.

Rating:
Summary: Fine Writing, Great Story
Review: Waters successfully brings the Victorian era to life in this story of an emotionally vulnerable "spinster",Margaret Prior, who attempts to overcome the losses of loved ones by taking up charitable social work with the women of Millbank prison in London. Her relationship with Selina Dawes, a spiritualist imprisoned for fraud and assault, progresses from mere fascination to blind passion, and the reader is pulled along with her in her quest for love and purpose in a world which has deprived her of the opportunity to achieve either. The cold, damp and dreary setting of London and Millbank Prison is a fitting backdrop to this story of Margaret, who much like the women to whom she ministers, is herself imprisoned and nearly destroyed by the repressive social structures of her day. The book is written mostly as excerpts from Margaret's diary. Interspersed among these are brief excerpts from the diary of Selina Dawes, the spiritualist. This technique works brilliantly, because it creates more of a challenge for the reader to distinguish between the inner reality of the characters and the objective reality of the story. It also makes the ending much more dramatic. Read it, by all means. It's a bit of a slow go at first, but the build up is necessary to the progression of the story.