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Affinity Audiobook
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(3.00) - 7,908 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Named Author of the Year at the 2003 British Book Awards, Sarah Waters is the author of Tipping the Velvet (H1470), 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.
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"I am still gasping for breath from the last pages to Sarah Waters brilliant Victorian Gothic Thriller. Once again Waters delivers her stupendous talent through this gut wrenching story. Be it the stark cold and unforgiving walls of a women's prison or the black velvet cabinet of Victorian spiritualism, there seems to be a force working stealthily yet most certainly - a force so deadly that makes you love it, obsess upon it, and then thwarts you with a severity of the frosty stone prison walls."
— Yoshay (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“There are two kinds of mystery novels. The first gives us the crime and the clues; the guilty party is then unmasked and the mystery solved. In the other, the crime is solved but not the mystery, which arises from a dark corner of the human condition. Sarah Waters’s remarkable second novel, Affinity, is both of these—and also a wrenching love story.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“The book is multidimensional: a truly suspenseful tale of terror; and a piece of elegant, thinly veiled erotica.”
— USA Today -
“Moody, haunting, and haunted… Affinity is two parts Wilkie Collins, with whose The Woman in White it shares an obsession with prisons, madness, journal-keeping, and elaborate, carefully engineered deceits.”
— New Yorker -
“The author’s persuasive imagination matched by her gift for storytelling…initially suggests that we can separate truth from desire. Or can we? What Waters’ haunting creation leaves us with is a more painful reality—that knowledge and belief are entirely different things.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“Waters has concocted a delicious mix of mysticism and dark romance set in Victorian England.”
— Booklist
Awards
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Shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award for Fiction
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A Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award Winner
Affinity Listener Reviews
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" This book was well-written, but when I looked back on the plot I realized it was completely contrived. That's all right, I guess, since the prose was creepy and great and the characters were interesting, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Fingersmith. "
— Mhgoblue, 2/4/2014 -
" B+ My main complaint is that I wish Sarah Waters characters' weren't always betrayed! Still, it was a very engaging and interesting book! Loved it! "
— Cherie, 1/30/2014 -
" Read 2003. Brilliant but absolutely devastating. "
— Roslyn, 1/25/2014 -
" Wonderfull book. Sarah Waters has a certain kind of style in writing that I've never seen (read) before... The boog grabed me, hold me and only let me go until I've finished the book. A masterpiece! "
— Karin, 1/23/2014 -
" A nuanced look at spiritualists. The Victorian prison aspect doesn't hold my attention the way it obviously does Waters'. The plot kept me guessing but didn't leave me feeling stupid. Mild spoiler to conclude: I am sorry for our privileged narrator's bitter end. "
— Jenine, 1/3/2014 -
" I really wanted to like this book. I like reading about prisons from the by-gone era, however, the style of writing really turned me off. I struggled for about 150 pages and then I just couldn't take it anymore. "
— Viktoriya, 1/3/2014 -
" This was a slow, haunting novel. I had a hard time sticking with it unlike Tipping the Velvet. But have not fear Sarah Waters is an excellent writer. "
— Vfields, 12/24/2013 -
" another guilty pleasure. Victorian era lesbians. Prison. Seances. Con games. All this, and well-written, too. "
— Katherine, 12/21/2013 -
" The writing was fantastic and really painted the setting. I absolutely hated the end, though; it made the entire book feel like a complete waste of time. "
— Squeemu, 10/20/2013 -
" I've read all of Sarah Waters' novel - I'm a big fan of her clever plotting, strong characters and clean, vivid prose. This is my second favourite (after "Fingersmith"). The plot twists aren't quite as sharp but it has all the same Gothic description and menace. "
— Jill, 10/9/2013 -
" Its very emotional and disturbing at the same time, but a fluid read and i really liked it. "
— Valencia, 10/1/2013 -
" This is a great book full of surprising twists, forbidden love, mystery and the unknown. The ending left me absolutely floored. I highly recommend this book for fans of Sarah Waters and anyone interested in the idea of spirit talkers. "
— Laurie, 9/28/2013 -
" I felt this was the strongest Waters so far. It's intense, and the twist wasn't quite as predictable or lame as in the others. "
— Marja, 7/26/2013 -
" An excellent, gothic ghost story with a brilliant twist in the tale. I would highly recommend this book and i'm really looking forward to seeing the television adaptation which is on soon. "
— Juliana, 4/26/2013 -
" Took a lot of work to get through as it didn't hold my interest terribly well. Perhaps it was successful in that I felt as cheated as the book's character by the ending, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. "
— Mandygallagher, 4/24/2013 -
" Good little read, as with all of Sarah waters books, loved it, can't wait for her next book. "
— Rebecca, 4/5/2013 -
" Not my favorite Sarah Waters. Some plot elements were too reminiscent of Fingersmith (which was awesome), and there was definitely not enough ladyaction. But it was still Sarah Waters, and therefore good. "
— Alice, 1/4/2013 -
" not my favorite book by Sarah Waters. It had an expected "twist" at the end but it took way too long to get there. I think about 250 pages were wasted on unnecessary details. "
— Macy, 8/9/2012 -
" Love Victorian Gothic stuff, which this is! Gripping and spooky "
— Carol, 6/25/2012 -
" That book was amazing! It slowly draws you in and gets you feeling for Margaret. I felt just as anxious as her at points. That ending I was totally not expecting! Absolutely wonderful book. I won't say anymore becasue I don't want to spoil anything! "
— A, 4/27/2012 -
" really enjoyed the Victorian spiritualism stuff, but probably liked it best for the prison scenes. "
— Thorn, 4/6/2012 -
" Not as scary as Little Stranger but loved the Victorian spiritualist atmosphere. Fantastic plot twist! "
— Inga, 2/5/2012
About Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters is the New York Times bestselling author of The Little Stranger, The Night Watch, Fingersmith, Affinity, and Tipping the Velvet. She has three times been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, twice been a finalist for the Orange Prize, and was named one of Granta’s best young British novelists, among other distinctions.
About Juanita McMahon
Juanita McMahon is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a professionally trained actress with experience in theater, television, and film productions, including the critically acclaimed Control, which won the BIFA Best British Film Award.