Scan barcode
nora13hf's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.0
I dont know how I feel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Racism, Hate crime, Child abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Lesbophobia, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Medical content, Grief, Death, Racial slurs, and Ableism
Minor: Chronic illness, Bullying, Vomit, Outing, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Slavery, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death
Hallucinations, psychiatric institution, ableist slursdanidamico's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit es una novela coming of age bastante particular, en la que seguimos la infancia y adolescencia de Jeanette, adoptada por una mujer evangelista Pentecostal en en norte de Inglaterra que la cría con el objetivo de que al crecer sea misionera y viaje por el mundo esparciendo el mensaje de dios. Desde su niñez, la narradora es considerada problemática por hacer preguntas, por cuestionar desde la curiosidad todo aquello que la rodea en un mundo que busca sumisión. El libro trabaja mucho con la relación entre la protagonista y su madre, una mujer muy complicada que cree que el mundo se divide entre el bien y el mal, y que sólo acepta las cosas según su propio punto de vista. A medida que va creciendo, la situación se vuelve difícil para Jeanette porque se da cuenta de que es lesbiana, algo que su madre, sus vecinos y los miembros de su iglesia no aceptan.
Winterson se basó en varios aspectos de su propia vida para escribir esta novela, que fue su debut en los 80s. Queda claro que debe haber sido un proyecto muy personal para ella, es un texto que está marcado por una enorme empatía hacia la protagonista y por una fuerte pasión a la hora de narrar esta historia. Es el primer libro de la autora que leo, pero se nota que tiene un estilo muy propio, una forma de describir y de estructurar el relato que se sale de lo común. Su estilo me resultó bastante atractivo, aunque tal vez por momentos me descolocaba un poco. Por ejemplo, a lo largo de la novela se van intercalando breves leyendas o mitos que de algún modo se relacionan con la historia principal, pero a veces me resultaban un poco confusos o tediosos, ya llegó un punto en el que comencé a leer muy por arriba esos fragmentos. También me llamó la atención cómo se narran (o casi no se narran) momentos claves de la vida del personaje, que son mencionados al pasar o muy rápidamente. Entiendo totalmente que eso es una decisión artística de Winterson, pero me hubiera gustado poder acceder más en ciertas escenas.
En fin, no es un libro que pase a formar parte de mis favoritos, pero me gustó y disfruté la lectura. La voz que construye la autora es muy original, con una sensibilidad especial y cierto extrañamiento en el modo de observar y comprender el mundo.
Winterson se basó en varios aspectos de su propia vida para escribir esta novela, que fue su debut en los 80s. Queda claro que debe haber sido un proyecto muy personal para ella, es un texto que está marcado por una enorme empatía hacia la protagonista y por una fuerte pasión a la hora de narrar esta historia. Es el primer libro de la autora que leo, pero se nota que tiene un estilo muy propio, una forma de describir y de estructurar el relato que se sale de lo común. Su estilo me resultó bastante atractivo, aunque tal vez por momentos me descolocaba un poco. Por ejemplo, a lo largo de la novela se van intercalando breves leyendas o mitos que de algún modo se relacionan con la historia principal, pero a veces me resultaban un poco confusos o tediosos, ya llegó un punto en el que comencé a leer muy por arriba esos fragmentos. También me llamó la atención cómo se narran (o casi no se narran) momentos claves de la vida del personaje, que son mencionados al pasar o muy rápidamente. Entiendo totalmente que eso es una decisión artística de Winterson, pero me hubiera gustado poder acceder más en ciertas escenas.
En fin, no es un libro que pase a formar parte de mis favoritos, pero me gustó y disfruté la lectura. La voz que construye la autora es muy original, con una sensibilidad especial y cierto extrañamiento en el modo de observar y comprender el mundo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Colonisation and Sexual assault
omligda's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was an insightful look at how hard it was for the author to grow up as a lesbian in an evangelical society. A time capsule of something I’m so grateful I’ll never have to experience, a harrowing almost detached account of how quickly everyone you know and rely on can turn on you for reasons you can’t understand. The prose manages to keep the reader at arms length from the actual trauma that they experienced while still accurately portraying the feeling of what they went through and how it made them grow into who they are now.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
littlefish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual assault
christinecc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-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
4.25
"Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit" is only inspired by author Jeanette Winterson's childhood and teenage years, but its title reminds me of the title for Winterson's more explicitly biographical work, the memoir "Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?"
And if I were a smarter person, I could maybe parse the fruit imagery in this book. It warrants a reread, but for a first-time reader, "Oranges" is still incredibly powerful if sometimes opaque. I love how she depicts the main character's relationship with her family and her highly religious community (which kind of feels like a bubble cut off from the outside world). I especially love the layers of bubbles: what is the norm? Where is the "normal" world and how do we find it? The main character's dynamic at home is not the dynamic in the church, nor is it the dynamic she finds when she eventually leaves home altogether.
I'm not sure how to review this book. It's about getting to know yourself and realizing that things you took for granted were actually irreconcilable elements to the outside world. The main character is gay and religious, but she doesn't see how her love is any different from straight love. It's only when other people call her unnatural that she becomes aware of the issue. If I had to sum the book up, it's about a young girl who comes of age, but it's less about her discovering who she is and more about her hanging on to who she's always been.
The part where she comes back at the end was the most heartbreaking, I think. It's as if nothing's changed, but everything has changed, and her mother (who threw her out) acts as if everything is fine. It should be comforting, but it's not: it feels like someone has papered over the parts they don't like, and the main character can feel the discomfort everywhere. It's both conditional and unconditional love. The main character is home, but she will never be home.
Recommended to anyone who likes to read stories about insular families with a slightly dysfunctional bent (although I have to assume every family is dysfunctional in its own way), stories about growing up, and stories about coming out. This is the third book of Winterson's that has moved me and I absolutely intend to read more of her work.
Slight trigger warning for homophobia, which isn't much of a spoiler, and also the following, which is a spoiler and fairly distressing, so be warned before reading: I'm pretty sure that when the main character is first outed and goes to stay at a friend's house, that friend sexually assaults her. But it's couched in the main character saying she and the friend make love and she hates it the whole time, and the "friend" is a grown-ass woman while the main character is a teen in major emotional distress, so... it felt non-consensual or borderline iffy to me. But like I said, it's not very clear. Take from it what you will.
And if I were a smarter person, I could maybe parse the fruit imagery in this book. It warrants a reread, but for a first-time reader, "Oranges" is still incredibly powerful if sometimes opaque. I love how she depicts the main character's relationship with her family and her highly religious community (which kind of feels like a bubble cut off from the outside world). I especially love the layers of bubbles: what is the norm? Where is the "normal" world and how do we find it? The main character's dynamic at home is not the dynamic in the church, nor is it the dynamic she finds when she eventually leaves home altogether.
I'm not sure how to review this book. It's about getting to know yourself and realizing that things you took for granted were actually irreconcilable elements to the outside world. The main character is gay and religious, but she doesn't see how her love is any different from straight love. It's only when other people call her unnatural that she becomes aware of the issue. If I had to sum the book up, it's about a young girl who comes of age, but it's less about her discovering who she is and more about her hanging on to who she's always been.
The part where she comes back at the end was the most heartbreaking, I think. It's as if nothing's changed, but everything has changed, and her mother (who threw her out) acts as if everything is fine. It should be comforting, but it's not: it feels like someone has papered over the parts they don't like, and the main character can feel the discomfort everywhere. It's both conditional and unconditional love. The main character is home, but she will never be home.
Recommended to anyone who likes to read stories about insular families with a slightly dysfunctional bent (although I have to assume every family is dysfunctional in its own way), stories about growing up, and stories about coming out. This is the third book of Winterson's that has moved me and I absolutely intend to read more of her work.
Slight trigger warning for homophobia, which isn't much of a spoiler, and also the following, which is a spoiler and fairly distressing, so be warned before reading:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Sexual assault and Emotional abuse
sophieharvey's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship
More...