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Affinity

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Affinity

By: Sarah Waters
Narrated by: Juanita McMahon
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About this listen

Set in and around the women's prison at Milbank in the 1870's, Affinity is an eerie and utterly compelling ghost story, a complex and intriguing literary mystery, and a poignant love story with an unexpected twist in the tale.

Following the death of her father, Margaret Prior has decided to pursue some 'good work' with the lady criminals of one of London's most notorious gaols. Surrounded by prisoners, murderers, and common thieves, Margaret feels herself drawn to one of the prison's more unlikely inmates - the imprisoned spiritualist Selina Dawes.

Sympathetic to the plight of this innocent-seeming girl, Margaret sees herself dispensing guidance and perhaps friendship on her visits, little expecting to find herself dabbling in a twilight world of seances, shadows, unruly spirits, and unseemly passions.

©1999 Sarah Waters (P)1999 W F Howes Ltd Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Mystery

Critic Reviews

"Spooky, spellbinding, exquisitely written . . . I do believe Waters is on the way to becoming a major literary star" (Val Hennessy)
"Indeed, this is such a brilliant writer that her readers would believe anything she told them" (A. N. Wilson, Daily Mail)
"Refined, repressed and simmering . . . a delicious tale of Victorian spiritualism" (Mel Steel, Independent on Sunday)
All stars
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A sad tale of love and betrayal and a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Not as enjoyable as other stories of Ms Waters

Too sad

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Mixing romantic passion for another woman and the apparent mysteries of 19th century spiritualism, this tale of a lady visitor and the love she encounters in London's grim Millbank Prison is a re-imagining of a Victorian lady's memoir.

The author is a natural storyteller and, although this is not her best book, it contains themes she will explore again in later books. Here she has crafted the plotting of her tale very cleverly. So cleverly that the narrative twist, when it comes, will be a genuine surprise for many readers (listeners). The reading is exemplary and further enhances a book that would seem less if less well told.

The lady visitor and her prison

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starts off slow but develops beautifully. visceral, romantic and aching. Stay with it - you're not ready for the twist at the end.

Sapphic obsession with a twist

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.