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tenten's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
that was...okay? i guess?
the historical Mary Shelley parts were my favorite, which was a surprise because i don't normally like historical fiction. this book is clearly well-researched (except for the transgender character lol), and i think the fact that the historical characters were real people benefitted Winterson—that is to say, they actually had distinctive personalities and their conversations felt more <i>real</i> than anyone in the modern day, even though they got int a lot of philosophical debates too.
the only modern character that didn't feel one-dimensional to me was Victor, because he was very strange and passionate and had strong convictions in a way that felt more fleshed out than everyone else. something about the intensity of Claire's religious fervor rubbed me the wrong way, especially because she was the only black one (as an aside, i hate when (white) writers only point out the race of non-white characters. i never read a character description that's like "Claire was tall, white, beautiful..." like, i get it, whiteness is your default but sheesh.)
i wasn't as bothered by Ron's misogyny as other readers because i understood that as being the point, and Polly D didn't feel relevant for most of the book (neither did Claire, honestly.)
i'm all for stream-of-consciousness and a plot that isn't so clear cut but this felt like Winterson trying to work through her thoughts about AI and transhumanism and faith and science, and the characters are kinda just there as mouthpieces. I watched a documentary about Toni Morrison last year where she talks about how she writes to answer/explore questions and ideas, which clearly Winterson is doing here, but with Morrison, her characters and stories are at least fully fleshed out, even when there isn't a very complex plot.
i noticed that a lot of queer readers took issue with Ry's characterization. i understood the transphobia as being a reflection of the other characters's ignorance, but Ry's passivity about it annoyed me. i don't know if it was Winterson's intention for Ry to be non-binary rather than specifically a trans man, but i think that would've worked better, but my perception is colored by the fact that i'm non-binary. this isn't to say that non-binary people are comfortable being misgendered and deadnamed, but i think some of Ry's ideals about gender, and their own gender identity, aligned lore with non-binaryness.
this is a spoiler but:in the last quarter-ish of the book, Ry is assaulted in a bar bathroom by a transphobic drunk dude. this took me out of the story because it felt so out of place—while yes, Ry had previously been misgendered, deadnamed, and fetishized throughout the story, something about this seemed...too far. it also had no bearing on the "plot" and felt like it was put in as a "damn, trans people be facing VIOLENCE" moment. but the misgendering, deadnaming, etc already showed us that so!?
overall, i thought this was just...ok, and probs wouldn't read it again. i checked this out from the library and was torn between this and Daisy Jones & the Six, and i wish i had checked that out instead 😭 i don't think i liked Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit that much either, so i think that Winterson and i just might not mesh!?
the historical Mary Shelley parts were my favorite, which was a surprise because i don't normally like historical fiction. this book is clearly well-researched (except for the transgender character lol), and i think the fact that the historical characters were real people benefitted Winterson—that is to say, they actually had distinctive personalities and their conversations felt more <i>real</i> than anyone in the modern day, even though they got int a lot of philosophical debates too.
the only modern character that didn't feel one-dimensional to me was Victor, because he was very strange and passionate and had strong convictions in a way that felt more fleshed out than everyone else. something about the intensity of Claire's religious fervor rubbed me the wrong way, especially because she was the only black one (as an aside, i hate when (white) writers only point out the race of non-white characters. i never read a character description that's like "Claire was tall, white, beautiful..." like, i get it, whiteness is your default but sheesh.)
i wasn't as bothered by Ron's misogyny as other readers because i understood that as being the point, and Polly D didn't feel relevant for most of the book (neither did Claire, honestly.)
i'm all for stream-of-consciousness and a plot that isn't so clear cut but this felt like Winterson trying to work through her thoughts about AI and transhumanism and faith and science, and the characters are kinda just there as mouthpieces. I watched a documentary about Toni Morrison last year where she talks about how she writes to answer/explore questions and ideas, which clearly Winterson is doing here, but with Morrison, her characters and stories are at least fully fleshed out, even when there isn't a very complex plot.
i noticed that a lot of queer readers took issue with Ry's characterization. i understood the transphobia as being a reflection of the other characters's ignorance, but Ry's passivity about it annoyed me. i don't know if it was Winterson's intention for Ry to be non-binary rather than specifically a trans man, but i think that would've worked better, but my perception is colored by the fact that i'm non-binary. this isn't to say that non-binary people are comfortable being misgendered and deadnamed, but i think some of Ry's ideals about gender, and their own gender identity, aligned lore with non-binaryness.
this is a spoiler but:
overall, i thought this was just...ok, and probs wouldn't read it again. i checked this out from the library and was torn between this and Daisy Jones & the Six, and i wish i had checked that out instead 😭 i don't think i liked Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit that much either, so i think that Winterson and i just might not mesh!?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Sexual content, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Confinement, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Rape
laurajones's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Deadnaming
Minor: Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Body shaming, and Body horror
thoroughlyenjoyedbooks's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Fatphobia, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
demo's review
1.0
Winterson is one of my favourite queer writers but in the end she is a cis woman and I should have been more wary of her decision to write about the experience of being trans. Her use of a trans protagonist is exploitative (see: the sexual assault scene in the pub) and is grounded in ill-informed understandings of gender identity, transness and transition (see: Winterson's reliance on male and female as opposing biological categories, even while she ostensibly subverts the gender binary). Further, Victor's erotic obsession with Ry's transness reeks of objectification and fetishisation but is framed as romantic and loving (see: the book's subtitle of "A love story"), mirroring and revealing Winterson's own sense of entitlement to use trans people for her own purposes. And this is not to mention the ableist and fatphobic sentiments littered throughout. A hard yikes. This ain't it chief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Fatphobia and Ableism
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