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Title: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson ISBN: 0802135161 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: September, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.24
Rating: 5
Summary: Sinfully delightful marriage of tragedy and comedy
Comment: Yo, Shakespeare was England's master of both tragedy and comedy, but Winterson brings both to the present in a post-modern autobiographical story that is no lightweight. Winterson has all the authenticity one can expect from someone sharing the bittersweet irony of general growing up AND realizing both one's unorthodox blossoming sexuality and the deep eccentricities and shortcomings of religiously close-minded parents. Her writing style is quite unique, which I found to be lively interspersed with her fantasies she uses to cope with her situations and her own deeply philosophical introspections. I loved her book, and I think anyone, who believes they could like an original, non-conventional writing style combined with the story of a curious girl who must become a rebel to her parents, neighbors, and church, because she's a lesbian will find a lot to learn and enjoy from Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.
Rating: 4
Summary: AN INSPIRED FIRST NOVEL
Comment: Jeanette Winterson's first novel is a comical, moving look at an adopted child growing up in the midst of religious fanatics. It is very well-written and the descriptions of people and places are so vivid as to just jump right off the page, taking you along for the ride, to experience the ups and downs of Ms. Winterson's life along with her. It's one woman's realization of her Unnatural Passsions (her mother's name for homosexuality) that are in no way acceptable in the Pentecostal church. The scenes based around this particular aspect of the novel add an ironic tone, which I love. Wit and wisdom can be found throughout the book, making "Oranges..." at times a very thoughtful read. The only flaw in this book, as others have stated, is the awkward fairy tale bits that just didn't seem to belong there at all. Other than that, it's a heartfelt semi-autubiographical novel of a gay woman (though this is by no means a "gay" book...I'm straight and it made not one bit of difference to my enjoyment of it) and also a great humourous look at religion and all of its contradictions and excesses.
Rating: 4
Summary: Impressive but flawed debut from a fresh new voice
Comment: Jeanette Winterson is a fresh new voice in what the book business would call "alternative literature" and "Orange Is Not The Only Fruit" (OINTOF), her Whitbread Prize winning first novel, is a striking if not altogether satisfying work which heralds the arrival of an impressive literary talent. This is a coming-of-age tale of young Jeanette who outgrows the religious fanaticism of her adoptive family to discover her own wayward sexuality in small town England. In my opinion, OINTOF could have been a more confident and intimate piece of work if Winterson hadn't used a tone of voice or style that tended towards caricature than realism. The people who made her growing up years such a horror - especially her mother and the priest - are so demented you can't quite take them seriously. Maybe they are genuine nutcases. Certainly, Jeanette saw them that way. Maybe it's down to Winterson's style which is inherently quaint and quirky, but by painting the landscape this shade of purple, she creates a strangely distancing effect that negates the heartbreak and poignance that lies beneath. The use of fables to break up the narrative is also a technique that doesn't work for me. They interrupt the flow, confuse and obscure rather than enlighten or add to the overall effect. I don't mean to pan the book because I rather enjoyed it. I just felt it could be better.
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Title: Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson ISBN: 0679744479 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: February, 1994 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: The Passion by Jeanette Winterson ISBN: 0802135226 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: September, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson ISBN: 0802135781 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: September, 1998 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Gut Symmetries by Jeanette Winterson ISBN: 0679777423 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: August, 1998 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown ISBN: 055327886X Publisher: Bantam Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 1983 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
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