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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really do not have any patience for men -- my whole life I have been accosted and spoken down to by men of all walks of life who assume, on the basis of being a man, that they are superior to me. An assumption bordered on a false appropriation of biology and social standing, men speak to me like I'm an idiot. I've been questioned on my identity, my intelligence, my personal experience, even my confidence-- and quite honestly, it pisses me off to no end knowing these men with lesser life experience and credentials can talk down to me on the merit of being men alone, in comparison to my womanhood.
This also isn't an experience exclusive to men, its just more commonly observed in them-- women definitely do this as well. I don't blame them, it's a cut throat world out there and if can't beat them, join them. It hurts more when a woman does it, though. Because deep down she also knows we're on the same side, and I'm sure she's peripherally aware of how she'll be tossed aside when her usefulness is done. But I think she also truly believes she is different than all the other women who were used up and tossed aside by men. If you can't beat them, join them; but make no mistake, you will not win either way.
But this isn't what the book is about-- not really, anyways. Winterson focuses on misogyny and hostility because we live in a world where this is largely inescapable -- but what the book is really about is humanity. How do we decide who is, or what is, a human? What is a human experience, are there such things as a collectively shared reality? Is there more to life than sex, sleep, eating and shitting? Can you live your whole life with something that walks, talks, moves, fucks like a human, but is not a human? What do you live for? What do you look for in a partner? What does the afterlife mean to you and, finally, if you could choose to, would you live forever? What would that look like?
This book gave me an opportunity to reassert my answers to these questions and answer the ones I hadn't considered, and it did that while introducing me to characters I did not like. Winterson's ability to write humans -- that is, realistic characters: that are selfish, arrogant, love-blind, irritating as well as caring, kind, concerned, able to change and grow-- is astounding. Similar to my experience with Lawlors "Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl" I hated the characters because I saw myself in them. How irritating it is to be on the outside of my own behaviours watching how ugly the behaviours seem when its witnessed and not felt, unable to talk sense into the characters or into myself!
At one point, the mention of yearly deaths comes up and the sex-pest tech billionaire Ron makes a comment along the lines of "We wouldn't want all 55 million back on earth, though." in the context of cryonic body and mind preservation, and it stuck in my mind. In a time where theres a chase after immortality and an obsession with youth, who decides who gets to live forever? Who gets to come back after death? The unspoken obvious answer is those with money, those who can afford the endless HRT treatments and blood transfusions (I don't remember his name but the guy I'm eluding to is absolutely off his rocker) or monthly/yearly payments of a cryonic freeze tank. But beyond that is examining who has that money, and whether they're "deserving" of this eternal life-- not to mention, why is a bending of what we know to be natural (that is, dying) something to be deserved?
Everyone dies. I will die, that weirdo blood transfusionist guy will die, Musk, Zuckerberg, Trump, Starmer etc. etc. will all die. Despite all our efforts to bend with the natural world, the natural world will win. No amount of brain uploading or trans-humanism will change that and I'm so eternally thankful for that. I am glad that my life is this, and that I cannot indefinitely extend my time here. Why would I do that? What benefit is there to an eternal life? Then what is left? If all the joys to be experienced in my (at maximum) century on this earth are exhausted, whats left? My brain floating in a tank of fluid? My consciousness uploaded to a hard drive where everyone else -- or at least, those who can afford it-- float aimlessly and talk alongside Artificial intelligence that's been modeled off of those long gone and long lost to us?
No thanks. I'm happy where I am. Some things don't need to happen. Frankenstein can stay a fiction, and each individual can decide whether it's a story of ambition, or a story of caution.
This also isn't an experience exclusive to men, its just more commonly observed in them-- women definitely do this as well. I don't blame them, it's a cut throat world out there and if can't beat them, join them. It hurts more when a woman does it, though. Because deep down she also knows we're on the same side, and I'm sure she's peripherally aware of how she'll be tossed aside when her usefulness is done. But I think she also truly believes she is different than all the other women who were used up and tossed aside by men. If you can't beat them, join them; but make no mistake, you will not win either way.
But this isn't what the book is about-- not really, anyways. Winterson focuses on misogyny and hostility because we live in a world where this is largely inescapable -- but what the book is really about is humanity. How do we decide who is, or what is, a human? What is a human experience, are there such things as a collectively shared reality? Is there more to life than sex, sleep, eating and shitting? Can you live your whole life with something that walks, talks, moves, fucks like a human, but is not a human? What do you live for? What do you look for in a partner? What does the afterlife mean to you and, finally, if you could choose to, would you live forever? What would that look like?
This book gave me an opportunity to reassert my answers to these questions and answer the ones I hadn't considered, and it did that while introducing me to characters I did not like. Winterson's ability to write humans -- that is, realistic characters: that are selfish, arrogant, love-blind, irritating as well as caring, kind, concerned, able to change and grow-- is astounding. Similar to my experience with Lawlors "Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl" I hated the characters because I saw myself in them. How irritating it is to be on the outside of my own behaviours watching how ugly the behaviours seem when its witnessed and not felt, unable to talk sense into the characters or into myself!
At one point, the mention of yearly deaths comes up and the sex-pest tech billionaire Ron makes a comment along the lines of "We wouldn't want all 55 million back on earth, though." in the context of cryonic body and mind preservation, and it stuck in my mind. In a time where theres a chase after immortality and an obsession with youth, who decides who gets to live forever? Who gets to come back after death? The unspoken obvious answer is those with money, those who can afford the endless HRT treatments and blood transfusions (I don't remember his name but the guy I'm eluding to is absolutely off his rocker) or monthly/yearly payments of a cryonic freeze tank. But beyond that is examining who has that money, and whether they're "deserving" of this eternal life-- not to mention, why is a bending of what we know to be natural (that is, dying) something to be deserved?
Everyone dies. I will die, that weirdo blood transfusionist guy will die, Musk, Zuckerberg, Trump, Starmer etc. etc. will all die. Despite all our efforts to bend with the natural world, the natural world will win. No amount of brain uploading or trans-humanism will change that and I'm so eternally thankful for that. I am glad that my life is this, and that I cannot indefinitely extend my time here. Why would I do that? What benefit is there to an eternal life? Then what is left? If all the joys to be experienced in my (at maximum) century on this earth are exhausted, whats left? My brain floating in a tank of fluid? My consciousness uploaded to a hard drive where everyone else -- or at least, those who can afford it-- float aimlessly and talk alongside Artificial intelligence that's been modeled off of those long gone and long lost to us?
No thanks. I'm happy where I am. Some things don't need to happen. Frankenstein can stay a fiction, and each individual can decide whether it's a story of ambition, or a story of caution.
I'm not particularly interested in a book who's gender theory treats a trans body as a robot-hybrid curio show that has more to do with new and exciting scientific discoveries in robots and AI than flesh. The way Jeannette Winterson has talked about gender is fine for her and feels woefully undereducated about the trans body and the trans voice. The tune is transness as an "exciting new theory for the kids". The final straw is the graphic sexual assault scene that is not necessary for anything except to have the character say :
"Is this the price to pay for.... For what? To be who I am?"
I thought we were past that. Shut up.
"Is this the price to pay for.... For what? To be who I am?"
I thought we were past that. Shut up.
Odd. Intriguing. At times nauseating - but that was purposeful, I'm sure. Lovely philosophical deliberations and ideas, terrible ones too.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Transphobia
Moderate: Child death, Transphobia
This retelling of Frankenstein happened over the course of various different narratives - some of which were brief. I did not like Winterson’s lack of speech marks or refusal to point out which narrative we were jumping to, but I did like how original she made the retelling feel.
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
I'm still trying to work out my thoughts on this but I think that's one of the exciting things about Winterson's writing. This book definitely makes you think and consider what it is to be human but I think sometimes it went a bit far to the point of confusion. The trans rep in this is questionable, I quite liked Ry's musings on his transness but I 100% see how another trans guy could dislike how it comes across especially from a female author.
All in all it was fun but not my favourite by this author. x
All in all it was fun but not my favourite by this author. x
I normally don't write bad reviews, but this book is transphobic and honestly I would not recommend.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes