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penofpossibilities's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.0
I dont know how I feel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Slavery, Vomit, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Alcohol
Hallucinations, psychiatric institution, ableist slursdani794's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
"What is it about intimacy that makes it so very disturbing?"
The parts of the book I liked, I really liked, but a lot of it is not that interesting.
I feel like the religious detail about her mother was excessive, I understand why a lot was written, to prove how religious her mother was, but it lost my interest.
Sometimes there's strange tangents, such as a metaphor with the prince, and it'll cut away from the things I was finding more interesting.
"Quite suddenly I turned and kissed her. We made love and I hated it and hated it, but would not stop."
Miss Jewsbury??? What! How old is that woman??? sleeping with a teenager? LOL??? I had to reread it so many times to check that she did in fact sleep with her... Damn,,,
I know sis is closeted but lets not sleep with teenagers that view you as a teacher ya?
"As far as I was concerned men were something you had around the place, not particularly interesting, but quite harmless." HAD ME CACKLINGGGGG.
The parts of the book I liked, I really liked, but a lot of it is not that interesting.
I feel like the religious detail about her mother was excessive, I understand why a lot was written, to prove how religious her mother was, but it lost my interest.
Sometimes there's strange tangents, such as a metaphor with the prince, and it'll cut away from the things I was finding more interesting.
Miss Jewsbury??? What! How old is that woman??? sleeping with a teenager? LOL??? I had to reread it so many times to check that she did in fact sleep with her... Damn,,,
I know sis is closeted but lets not sleep with teenagers that view you as a teacher ya?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
sophie42's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Outing
Minor: Bullying, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
dogluvr's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
capra's review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
carmentxx's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
it is without a doubt that jeanette winterson is my favourite author. her dreadfully insightful and cutting commentary weaved in with shockingly funny humour is just too good to miss. considering she wrote this book in her early 20s it is quite clear that she was beyond her years. i will say i prefer the memoir though. there are many more fantasy/mystical elements in this book that i’m not so much of a fan of. i much prefer learning about the hypocritical, dysfunctional church family. the ending also could’ve been shaved. but overall, it’s a classic for a reason. id definitely recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
fearn3's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
thebankofbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
poolofbees's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-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
4.25
I’ll start by saying I’m in an extraordinarily biased position as a lesbian who was raised evangelical and relates deeply to many parts of this book.
This might be a new contender for my new favorite novel. I was moved a lot by Jeanette’s story and the blunt, almost terse way she narrated it. It’s compelling, bold, and often even funny. Jeanette is the type of teenage girl who is unwilling to lie for others, especially unwilling to lie to her readers. Her story is not cut and dry, and my favorite parts of the book were the ones when she was doubting, missing God as her friend, questioning who she could have been. I found many of the lines memorable and striking and you can trust my copy of the book is properly highlighted throughout. I was especially intrigued by the various fantastical fairytales inter-spliced with the main plot; it reminded me somewhat of parables in the Bible. A lot of them seem random at first glance, but, with deeper study, carry metaphorical meaning and parallels Jeanette’s life. I was a little surprised by how quickly the book moves through her life, jumping years at a time and then ending rather suddenly. I also would have liked to see more of how her relationship with Melanie developed as it seemed to happen rather hastily and without much explanation of what drew the two together in the first place. I feel like I got much more understanding of their relationship after being separated by the church, rather than before, although this seems to be a purposeful choice. The book is less about Jeanette’s teenage lesbian romances and more about the dangerous power of the church wielded through her mother. Most of all, it’s about choices: the choice between religion and identity, family and self, destiny and free will, past and future, and the question of if the choices you make really matter at all, or if you’re simply stuck in the cyclical nature of time, meeting yourself at the starting line over and over again.
This might be a new contender for my new favorite novel. I was moved a lot by Jeanette’s story and the blunt, almost terse way she narrated it. It’s compelling, bold, and often even funny. Jeanette is the type of teenage girl who is unwilling to lie for others, especially unwilling to lie to her readers. Her story is not cut and dry, and my favorite parts of the book were the ones when she was doubting, missing God as her friend, questioning who she could have been. I found many of the lines memorable and striking and you can trust my copy of the book is properly highlighted throughout. I was especially intrigued by the various fantastical fairytales inter-spliced with the main plot; it reminded me somewhat of parables in the Bible. A lot of them seem random at first glance, but, with deeper study, carry metaphorical meaning and parallels Jeanette’s life. I was a little surprised by how quickly the book moves through her life, jumping years at a time and then ending rather suddenly. I also would have liked to see more of how her relationship with
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Death
disnelyse's review
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Child abuse