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katypicken's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book took me a while to get into, but once I did, it was unputdownable. The author manages to make one of Shakespeare's implausible plots both modern and believable. (Having said which, I've never read or seen The Winter's Tale, and now it's on my list to do both.) With one exception, I found myself rooting for each character at some point in the novel, flawed as they were, and even though many of them made very questionable choices at times. The ending was satisfying without being too neat, and I enjoyed the author's breaking of the fourth wall now and again and addressing the reader directly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Pregnancy, Gun violence, and Alcoholism
Minor: Infidelity and Mental illness
leonineliterature's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a book that I am sure people who read and enjoyed Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale would love! Jeanette Winterson's "cover" of the play was immensely enjoyable to me. A fast read that manages to be both sad and uncomfortable while also including scenes of funny (literary) puns. I had never read Oedipus but instead told as a joke that is actually genuinely funny.
Perdita and Florizel (Zel) are delightful. I know that some reviews on here find them boring, but I think they are adorable. Which is exactly what they are in the original; adorable, naïve teens. Ready to take on life, willing to indulge in the pleasure of loving each other without the possessiveness or abandon that characterize their fathers. The acceptance and reassurance from Shep and Clo was really nice. They did well by Perdita, and they know and are sure of the familial bond. It was nice that they provided stability to counter the craziness of the Leo/Xeno/MiMi triangle. It was refreshing to see her rewrite the sexualities of the Leontes and Polixenes. It made lots of sense for Polixenes (Xeno) to be homosexual and for Leontes (Leo) to be a bisexual cisman in denial.
I was indifferent toward Shakespeare's Autolycus, but I thought Winterson's take on him was funny. I don't care if it was not "original" to turn him into a sleazy car dealer. It worked so well! I was entertained by his banter.
At times, Winterson does miss the mark, however. Her Paulina (Pauline) was not the powerhouse of a woman that we experience in the original. She somehow seemed diminished when she was cast as someone who only holds sway over Leontes (Leo). In the original, she is immensely respected by everyone at court. I miss the pride and fierceness of the original. (And I would have to agree with another review I saw; her Jewishness seems kind of forced - I don't know if Winterson ran the character past actual Jewish persons. It does not seem like it).
The same goes for Hermione (MiMi); she is only the wronged spose in Winterson's cover. Yes, she is famous but I feel like the original character is more vocal about why Leontes wrongs her - and that he ought not to and will regret it. MiMi, in this book, is too passive. It is entirely fitting in the end, when she reappears statuesque but the passiveness should be reserved for that.
I do, however, give this book 5 stars because I was immersed from start to finish. It reads really well and is a refreshing take on a very old story - and I personally love retellings of old tales! That is my favorite kind of literature.
Perdita and Florizel (Zel) are delightful. I know that some reviews on here find them boring, but I think they are adorable. Which is exactly what they are in the original; adorable, naïve teens. Ready to take on life, willing to indulge in the pleasure of loving each other without the possessiveness or abandon that characterize their fathers. The acceptance and reassurance from Shep and Clo was really nice. They did well by Perdita, and they know and are sure of the familial bond. It was nice that they provided stability to counter the craziness of the Leo/Xeno/MiMi triangle. It was refreshing to see her rewrite the sexualities of the Leontes and Polixenes. It made lots of sense for Polixenes (Xeno) to be homosexual and for Leontes (Leo) to be a bisexual cisman in denial.
I was indifferent toward Shakespeare's Autolycus, but I thought Winterson's take on him was funny. I don't care if it was not "original" to turn him into a sleazy car dealer. It worked so well! I was entertained by his banter.
At times, Winterson does miss the mark, however. Her Paulina (Pauline) was not the powerhouse of a woman that we experience in the original. She somehow seemed diminished when she was cast as someone who only holds sway over Leontes (Leo). In the original, she is immensely respected by everyone at court. I miss the pride and fierceness of the original. (And I would have to agree with another review I saw; her Jewishness seems kind of forced - I don't know if Winterson ran the character past actual Jewish persons. It does not seem like it).
The same goes for Hermione (MiMi); she is only the wronged spose in Winterson's cover. Yes, she is famous but I feel like the original character is more vocal about why Leontes wrongs her - and that he ought not to and will regret it. MiMi, in this book, is too passive. It is entirely fitting in the end, when she reappears statuesque but the passiveness should be reserved for that.
I do, however, give this book 5 stars because I was immersed from start to finish. It reads really well and is a refreshing take on a very old story - and I personally love retellings of old tales! That is my favorite kind of literature.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Child death, Murder, Pregnancy, and Rape
emakay's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Car accident, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts
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