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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I started reading this just before I listened to Winterson's talk at Hay Festival 2025, commemorating 40 years of the book. I respect her for doing something so different at the time and for boldly being herself in a society that continued trying to reject her.
To write an avatar of yourself, so it's not quite fiction but not quite memoir, is an interesting idea that I'd not considered before. On stage, Winterson was funny and wise, unafraid to share her life and all it's misgivings in the 40 years. She describes her mother in a bemused way and peppered the talk with funny-but-sad quotes/anecdotes from her.
This book didn't really land for me, though I think that's a me problem. I will definitely check out her other work and the BBC adaptation of this work which I saw clips of during her talk!
To write an avatar of yourself, so it's not quite fiction but not quite memoir, is an interesting idea that I'd not considered before. On stage, Winterson was funny and wise, unafraid to share her life and all it's misgivings in the 40 years. She describes her mother in a bemused way and peppered the talk with funny-but-sad quotes/anecdotes from her.
This book didn't really land for me, though I think that's a me problem. I will definitely check out her other work and the BBC adaptation of this work which I saw clips of during her talk!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia
dark
funny
reflective
medium-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
funny
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
This is maybe my least favourite of Jeanette Winterson's novels, but still great. Jealous she wrote this at 25!
Tegelikult väga raske seda raamatut adekvaatselt hinnata, sest ma olen Wintersoni "Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?" varem lugenud ja see murdis mu südame. Apelsinide puhul esitas ta paiguti sama loo ilukirjanduslikus (niivõrd kuivõrd?) võtmes ja hillitsetumalt.
I sped through this one because I wasn’t really enjoying it but was curious to see where it went. And while there were some rewarding passages at the end, I’m still not satisfied. The writing was odd and messy and I feel validated to see exact phrases that baffled me being quoted in other reviews on here.
Even with the confusing prose and repetitive lore strewn throughout, this book definitely delivered in the religious inner conflict department. It simultaneously felt overcooked (religion/metaphors) and half-baked (self-acceptance/reckoning) by the end. The author was so young when she wrote it though, I’m sure her later works include more on her journey after leaving her church.
Even with the confusing prose and repetitive lore strewn throughout, this book definitely delivered in the religious inner conflict department. It simultaneously felt overcooked (religion/metaphors) and half-baked (self-acceptance/reckoning) by the end. The author was so young when she wrote it though, I’m sure her later works include more on her journey after leaving her church.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes