Affinity

By: Sarah Waters

Narrated by: Juanita McMahon

Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Named Author of the Year at the 2003 British BookAwards, Sarah Waters is the author of Tipping the Velvet, a New York Times Notable Book.

Once inside the concrete walls of Millbank Prison, Margaret Prior, hired to speak with the female inmates, becomes all too aware that what she perceives to be reality may not be so. Bringing new ideas to her mind is the beautiful, but dangerous criminal Selina Dawes.

©1999 Sarah Waters (P)2003 W.F.Howes Ltd

Excellent book

Would you consider the audio edition of Affinity to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the book in print, but I was able to absorb even the slower passages in this version. It takes a moment or two to get used to which diary is being read from, but once you do it makes very good sense.

What other book might you compare Affinity to and why?

I've read Sarah Waters' The Paying Guests and there are definitely similarities. I was a little but put off by some of the 'ghostly' aspects at first, but they made more sense as the book went on. I liked the use of a slightly untrustworthy narrator.

Have you listened to any of Juanita McMahon’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listened to her before, but enjoyed most of her performance. The only real weakness was the american accents which were simply laughable-- it would have been better to simply go with an upperclass english accent rather than whatever scottish/southern hybrid seemed to be coming out of her mouth at those moments.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The denouement was very gripping.

Trying to review affinity

I dislike having 2 review a book I've not yet finished hearing. And now you require 8 more words. Something is not right abt yr system.

Intriguing

Sarah Waters created some fascinating characters with a variety of hidden secrets divulged gradually over the length of the story. The ending, however, left me somewhat perplexed and unsatisfied.

Boring

I finished the book but only because I skipped quite a bit of it in the middle. The book is painfully dragging and boring.

Fascinating and Rich in Detail

When Margaret Prior accepts to become a 'Lady Visitor' at Millbank Prison in London, she is far from suspecting what tangled skeins await her in the endless corridors of the dank and cold prison, with it's wing holding women prisoners who are there for crimes as diverse as attempted suicide, infanticide, arson, petty theft, and fraud. Recovering from an undefined nervous illness brought on by the grief following the death of her father, she believes this will be a worthwhile occupation to fill her time away from home and her overbearing mother, and will bring much-needed relief to the women prisoners who are living in deplorable conditions in the jail, where the emphasis, typical of the times, is on punishment. Her presence gives the prisoners a rare opportunity in the day to speak to someone, for they are expected to be silent at all times otherwise, and it gives them a small break in their continual chores, as well as a chance for some empathy from a stranger rather than the harsh treatment they can expect from the prison matrons who seem to delight in taunting them continually.

Margaret is only interested in listening to the women speak of their experiences and describe their crimes rather than giving pious sermons to the women, as other lady visitors tend to do, and she is taken by the matrons around the jail to see how it is run, which allows the reader to get a comprehensive view of how things stood for women prisoners in 1874. It is rather obvious that Waters did thorough research for the novel and the details are many and quite striking. She writes beautifully and sets the mood perfectly so that one is carried along fascinating scenery in expectation of events to come. To some readers these scenes might seem too prolonged, but I found the details fascinating and as I listened to the audio version beautifully narrated by Juanita McMahon, was all too happy to be carried along the story at a deliberately observant pace.

When Margaret first sees Selina Dawes alone in her cell with her pale face turned to the sun, her attention is arrested. Selina is holding a violet, which she can't possibly have obtained from within the prison, so that its very presence there seems almost miraculous. Selina herself has a delicate and mysterious beauty, and soon Margaret visits her regularly and learns she is a spirit medium who is continually in contact with ghosts. Selina claims the ghosts bring her gifts, such as that violet Margaret saw her with. Furthermore, she says they can spirit her out of the jail anytime they wish to, but that they have a purpose for having sent her there, and soon it emerges that the purpose is for Margaret and Selina to have come together, for they are each other's Affinity.

But this is no simple lesbian romance story. And if one is patient enough and can enjoy the journey, the novel becomes a suspenseful ride which is impossible to put down in the second half and promises a big reveal in the end.

Spellbinding

Would you listen to Affinity again? Why?

Maybe I would listen again. I was totally surprised by the ending and felt so sorry for the main character.

Almost didn't read

I'm so glad I stayed until the end!
Sarah is a great storyteller.
I can't wait to read her next one!

Sarah Waters never disappoints

So happy I discovered this author, there is always an unsuspecting twist to her stories! I really enjoyed the story about Margaret & Selena and had a hard time stopping! I don't want to spoil it so listen on!

Good, not Sara Waters’ best

The story doesn’t seem to have much of a plot, until the last one-third of the book, but the narrator is so good, I put up with the boring middle. And then the writing just soars…

What a plot twist!

What did you love best about Affinity?

The novel is perfectly paced for listening during several long walks/hikes.

What did you like best about this story?

I appreciated the author's ability to mask that phenomenal plot twist. I thought I had it all figured out, but...NOT SO.

The overarching theme is one of control. A desperate young spinster spends most of the novel wondering exactly who controls a younger, seemingly distressed prisoner. Both were so tragically disempowered (as unmarried women in 1870s Britain).

What does Juanita McMahon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator distinguishes the varied accents quite well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. The plot progressed too slowly and with FAR too much detail to consume it all in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

You won't figure out the twist either!