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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
the writing is so thoughtful and funny. oh, queer daughters to religious mothers. oh, making a choice that shatters the world and doesn’t change anything at once. oh, change and uncertainty. this felt like reading my life
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Sexual content
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the rich symbolism and imagery. The protagonist's journey of deconstruction is beautiful and heartbreaking. Every word feels intentional and moves the story. I love stream-of-consciousness, so I enjoyed the insights all the way. I also adored the inclusion of fairytales. It feels similar to my own deconstruction when I started to trust myself and my own intuition and realized conformity is not love.
The only other book by [a:Jeanette Winterson|9399|Jeanette Winterson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1561070665p2/9399.jpg] I've read was [b:The Stone Gods|883195|The Stone Gods|Jeanette Winterson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356452048l/883195._SY75_.jpg|868472] ... I read it probably around 10 years ago now, but I have the distinct memory that I loved it.
So when I came to this one, I really wanted to love it too - it was good, but it wasn't amazing. This felt like the type of book that needed to be written. It's important, semi-biographical about the author's life. But more importantly than that it's a beautiful coming of age story about a lesbian girl growing up in an extremely religious household. It's an important story to be told and it was told with absolute grace and respect.
But something about the story didn't click with me. Maybe it was the geographical setting (an area of the UK I know nothing about), maybe it was the characters, maybe it was something else.
I'm glad I read it for sure, and it's getting a solid 3/5 for me.
So when I came to this one, I really wanted to love it too - it was good, but it wasn't amazing. This felt like the type of book that needed to be written. It's important, semi-biographical about the author's life. But more importantly than that it's a beautiful coming of age story about a lesbian girl growing up in an extremely religious household. It's an important story to be told and it was told with absolute grace and respect.
But something about the story didn't click with me. Maybe it was the geographical setting (an area of the UK I know nothing about), maybe it was the characters, maybe it was something else.
I'm glad I read it for sure, and it's getting a solid 3/5 for me.
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I really enjoyed this, felt like I was within the moment with the characters. I did find some of the references to other literature I’d be a bit confused for, for about half a chapter, and then the reference would make sense in the context of the next part of the plot
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think it relied too heavily on fairy tale allegories instead of exploring Jeanette's character and circumstances in depth which greatly decreased my reading experience. I was honestly at a loss whenever those parts came up. Still a memorable book in my opinion, but it'll definitely not appeal to everyone.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
OK, before we get into the specifics of why this book infuriated me, I should explain something:
I. Hate. Stream of Consciousness.
If my high school self could go back in time and take an enormous dump on any author's pillow, it would be James Joyce. And I would leave a note that said, "This is for 'Portrait', ya' jerk."
So yeah, I have some issues I need to resolve with my literary therapist.
It's not that I do not objectively see the relevance and value of narrators that fluidly swap between reality, King Arthur legends, fairy tales and dream sequences; it's that I abhor reading them.
Sure, permanently land-locked perspectives can be boring, and if you knew where you stood with a narrator the entire book, there would be no intrigue or playfulness, not even a sense of tension or growth. I get it. But putting the reader through a warren of truth and allegory is, for me, frustrating and exhausting. To read a book, night after night, and to pick it up and ask myself, "So what was happening when I left off?" and to genuinely answer back, "I HAVE NO F'CKING IDEA!" is so dispiriting. I want to be able to get inside of the head of a character, but in order to so, I cannot be beamed in and out abruptly like a Star Trek crew member, with gear shifts so simultaneously violent and viscous that I feel a sense of perma-fog and disorientation every time I try and read another chapter. I need to follow a breadcrumb trail of a character's thoughts and reasoning and perspective; that trail should pull me in, beat by beat, step by step, so subtly and smoothly that I never question the route until suddenly I look up and I'm in a dark forest that I do not recognize at all!
So if you're looking for a plot that is coherent, look elsewhere. I can respect that this is a classic addition to the LGBTQ canon but it does not mean I like it. Like, at all.
I. Hate. Stream of Consciousness.
If my high school self could go back in time and take an enormous dump on any author's pillow, it would be James Joyce. And I would leave a note that said, "This is for 'Portrait', ya' jerk."
So yeah, I have some issues I need to resolve with my literary therapist.
It's not that I do not objectively see the relevance and value of narrators that fluidly swap between reality, King Arthur legends, fairy tales and dream sequences; it's that I abhor reading them.
Sure, permanently land-locked perspectives can be boring, and if you knew where you stood with a narrator the entire book, there would be no intrigue or playfulness, not even a sense of tension or growth. I get it. But putting the reader through a warren of truth and allegory is, for me, frustrating and exhausting. To read a book, night after night, and to pick it up and ask myself, "So what was happening when I left off?" and to genuinely answer back, "I HAVE NO F'CKING IDEA!" is so dispiriting. I want to be able to get inside of the head of a character, but in order to so, I cannot be beamed in and out abruptly like a Star Trek crew member, with gear shifts so simultaneously violent and viscous that I feel a sense of perma-fog and disorientation every time I try and read another chapter. I need to follow a breadcrumb trail of a character's thoughts and reasoning and perspective; that trail should pull me in, beat by beat, step by step, so subtly and smoothly that I never question the route until suddenly I look up and I'm in a dark forest that I do not recognize at all!
So if you're looking for a plot that is coherent, look elsewhere. I can respect that this is a classic addition to the LGBTQ canon but it does not mean I like it. Like, at all.
Dit boek begint fantastisch: het verhaal van een buitenbeentje, bijzonder vlot geschreven met een ironische ondertoon. Daarna wordt de toon serieuzer en meer filosofisch, en experimenteert Winterson ook met verhaalstructuur. Overpeinzingen en emoties regeren. Goed boek, maar ik heb te sterk het gevoel dat het verhaal onaf is om het echt fantastisch te vinden. Al ben ik nu wel benieuwd naar Wintersons autobiografie.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes