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novabird's review against another edition
4.0
Waters created great tension balanced by the sensual and intellectual both between characters and in atmosphere. It had a didn't see it coming ending. An enjoyable read.
khornstein1's review against another edition
3.0
Grim but not gripping, I pressed on to the last page, rewarded with a spectacular ending.
lurker_stalker's review against another edition
4.0
Took two readings to fully appreciate. I'm a big Sarah Waters fan and have been for many years. I've read all of her books, in the order that they were published. My first reading of Affinity left me very disappointed. Many of my friends had read it and raved about how great it was - it's the favorite SW book for some of them.
After reading nothing but lesbian fiction - primarily romance - for several years, I've gotten back into reading horror and thrillers and mysteries. It took me quite a while to give Waters' The Little Stranger a shot. I was less than thrilled with The Night Watch because I found it pretty slow and it didn't hold my interest. The backward storytelling didn't help. But once I got into The Little Stranger, why I fell in love with her work in the first place came back. Except now she was telling ghost stories. It started me thinking about Affinity again and I decided then that I would eventually give it another shot.
I picked up the audio version of the book and a couple days ago I finally loaded it up and got to listening. This time around I can finally say that I completely enjoyed Affinity. I believe that my expectations of it being a lesbian romance ruined the book for me the first time around. I kept waiting for the romance to really pick up - you have to remember that this book followed Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith, both romances (although Fingersmith is more of a mystery) - and when it didn't, I suppose I felt a bit betrayed. Misled, at least.
Going into the second reading knowing that it isn't a romance but a paranormal mystery of sorts made a huge difference. I was able to fully appreciate the twists and turns and let myself really see the relationships as they were written, not as my subconscious kept telling me they were supposed to be.
Sarah Waters can write some emotionally dark fiction. I love it and can't say that I'm sorry that she's not writing romance anymore. Although there was definitely a romantic angle in The Paying Guests it was so much more.
Hurry, Ms. Waters, hurry! I'm ready for a new book!
After reading nothing but lesbian fiction - primarily romance - for several years, I've gotten back into reading horror and thrillers and mysteries. It took me quite a while to give Waters' The Little Stranger a shot. I was less than thrilled with The Night Watch because I found it pretty slow and it didn't hold my interest. The backward storytelling didn't help. But once I got into The Little Stranger, why I fell in love with her work in the first place came back. Except now she was telling ghost stories. It started me thinking about Affinity again and I decided then that I would eventually give it another shot.
I picked up the audio version of the book and a couple days ago I finally loaded it up and got to listening. This time around I can finally say that I completely enjoyed Affinity. I believe that my expectations of it being a lesbian romance ruined the book for me the first time around. I kept waiting for the romance to really pick up - you have to remember that this book followed Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith, both romances (although Fingersmith is more of a mystery) - and when it didn't, I suppose I felt a bit betrayed. Misled, at least.
Going into the second reading knowing that it isn't a romance but a paranormal mystery of sorts made a huge difference. I was able to fully appreciate the twists and turns and let myself really see the relationships as they were written, not as my subconscious kept telling me they were supposed to be.
Sarah Waters can write some emotionally dark fiction. I love it and can't say that I'm sorry that she's not writing romance anymore. Although there was definitely a romantic angle in The Paying Guests it was so much more.
Hurry, Ms. Waters, hurry! I'm ready for a new book!
alicebme's review against another edition
3.0
Ooh. I love the eerie sensuality of this book. Glad to have read another of Sarah Waters' books.
melissabraine's review
3.0
Although this novel is full of foreshadowing through both narratives and holds interesting themes, such as attitudes towards mental health and different beliefs in Victorian England, I feel that the narrative of Selina was unnecessary and didn’t really give much. Her spiritualist point of view was sometimes confusing and didn’t really bring anything new to the novel. Personally, I feel that the end would have had a greater impact if the reader was able to really know Selina and hold sympathy towards her so opinions could suddenly change when the twist comes in.
The narrative of Margaret was much more interesting, exploring her own mental health and deeper emotions that led to her vulnerability that Selina ultimately took advantage of. Through this narrative we could also see her personal struggle with her sexuality, adding to her vulnerability and her downfall. I feel that this was done subtly, being a truthful representation of how people in Victorian England would have had to express this part of themselves due to restricting laws and social expectations.
The narrative of Margaret was much more interesting, exploring her own mental health and deeper emotions that led to her vulnerability that Selina ultimately took advantage of. Through this narrative we could also see her personal struggle with her sexuality, adding to her vulnerability and her downfall. I feel that this was done subtly, being a truthful representation of how people in Victorian England would have had to express this part of themselves due to restricting laws and social expectations.
lidia7's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
Really enjoyed it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Infidelity, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Drug use, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Violence, Excrement, Abortion, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Classism, Blood, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Terminal illness
eileenthecrow's review against another edition
4.0
this really left me feeling all hallow inside. what a strange and sad little story. i felt it was a bit too long for its own good so i think the 4 star rating is justified. i saw affinity's cover and read its blurb and thought it would become one of my favorites, i wasn't wrong.
imzelfish's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tillybh's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5