Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

I was surprised by how funny this book is. Even in its bleaker narrative moments, there is a sharp, shining wit to it that made me laugh out loud. Only being familiar with Winterson's much more sombre Written on the Body, I wasn't expecting so many lighthearted moments. That isn't to say that Oranges is only a funny or lighthearted book. It is sombre in its own ways, and the darkly-comic vein which runs through the book gives it a life and depth that most other books about religious bigotry and sexual awakenings would be hard-pressed to match.

I think a few people might be put off by the more experimental aspects of the writing—such as the moments where the narrative is told through reinterpretations of Arthurian grail legends—but the book is a fantastic and genuinely funny exploration of romantic love, religion, family, and being. If you are in the mood for something that's meditative, original, and thought-provoking while also being a delightful, witty read all the way through then you can't get better than this.

Content Warnings

areadingstan's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Winterson insists in the introduction of this book, that even though the novel depicts events within her own life, it is just as much fiction as it is fact.

Jeanette, the protagonist, is adopted from a young age into a Pentecostal Christian family, who are very committed. Her mother is even a missionary, and is raising her daughter to follow in her footsteps. Conflict arises when when Jeanette falls in love with another girl, which, in the 70s, in a community such as this, was quite unacceptable. We can assume the homophobia is present here without Winterson alluding to it, but it becomes more clear when Jeanette is told she cannot visit a paper shop owned by two women because they have, in her mother's words, 'unnatural passions'. This phrase is repeated throughout the novel, as Jeanette starts to express her sexuality, never worrying that she is doing anything wrong, because it comes natural.

The story is periodically interrupted by parallel fairy tales, with no indication of the change in setting but an asterisk in between paragraphs. Whether Winterson wants her readers to analyse these sprinkles of otherwordly magic or not I am not sure, but it does create a nice contrast, and I love a good fairy tale.

This book is so witty and made me laugh out loud a fair bit. Notable mentions include

Mrs Arkwright, who owns a shop specialising in bug and vermin poisoning, hoping for a hot summer to boost business. And Jeanette's mum talking about a fizzing feeling she got when meeting a beautiful French man, but it turned out to be a stomach ulcer

.

There are some philosophical and thoughtful musings about our existence, God, and history, which feel like the author is speaking directly to us, maybe because this story takes great inspiration from her own upbringing.

Overall, I would really recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Winterson's life, and the struggle of growing up as a queer woman in 1970s Britain, with a fair bit of religious satire thrown in. I'm eager to read more of Winterson's work now.

Content Warnings

orlagal's review

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

sophieharvey's review against another edition

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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

sinmin667's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I first read this book five years ago and absolutely inhaled it. I think I loved the themes about Pentecostal religion and sexuality and wanted more books like it. I just finished rereading it a second time and I honestly didn't like it nearly as much-- I found her writing style to be very inaccessible if you were not very familiar with conversational British slang. Personally I'm not a huge fan of fantasy writing, so for the half of the book that is her fantastical internal monologue, I was very bored. I could tell it was her trying to develop the character, but it was exhausting to parse through. I think this is because the second time, I came wanting the story about a young girl coming to terms with her sexuality-- which honestly doesn't get that many scenes, and not much resolution. It wasn't as center stage as I remembered it to be.

Content Warnings

valereads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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