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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
Flowers and flowers for Winterson, for I’ve just met her and I can already sense we’ll be such good friends. After being on a strike of unfulfilling books, this little odd one made my week. It’s one of those books that makes my brain go dreamy thinking of my future literature PhD. That’s how you know it’s true love.
The premise is quite simple: girl is raised in evangelical church environment. Girl grows up. Girl meets girl.
The text is not simple at all. Jeanette Winterson describes it herself as a “spiral”. In reality, the girl-narrative is interwoven with retellings of myths, fairy tales, stories. These take place in a fantastical realm. By being positioned in relation to the reality the girl inhabits, they expose the artificial way in which it is constructed, feeding on myths of its own such as religion. The myths thus will become fact or illusion depending on whether those telling them are in power or not. Therefore, everything that takes place in the Old Testament (we're talking fantastical things such as a river filled with blood and a giant boat that can carry all living creatures) is assumed as the truth, while the girl’s love for another girl, as real as it may be, cannot surpass its status as a delusion caused by a demon as long as those saying so remain in power.
This coming of age novel speaks with humorous clarity – perhaps my favourite kind of tone, after all my favourite writer is Margaret Atwood – handing the rock and the hammer, but leaving the readers to break it on their own. I do love me some hammers.
The premise is quite simple: girl is raised in evangelical church environment. Girl grows up. Girl meets girl.
The text is not simple at all. Jeanette Winterson describes it herself as a “spiral”. In reality, the girl-narrative is interwoven with retellings of myths, fairy tales, stories. These take place in a fantastical realm. By being positioned in relation to the reality the girl inhabits, they expose the artificial way in which it is constructed, feeding on myths of its own such as religion. The myths thus will become fact or illusion depending on whether those telling them are in power or not. Therefore, everything that takes place in the Old Testament (we're talking fantastical things such as a river filled with blood and a giant boat that can carry all living creatures) is assumed as the truth, while the girl’s love for another girl, as real as it may be, cannot surpass its status as a delusion caused by a demon as long as those saying so remain in power.
This coming of age novel speaks with humorous clarity – perhaps my favourite kind of tone, after all my favourite writer is Margaret Atwood – handing the rock and the hammer, but leaving the readers to break it on their own. I do love me some hammers.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Haunted me in my dreams and waking life - so much poetry.
I forgot about the weaving in of different stories and legends, such a beautiful way of adding depth and extra characterisation.
I forgot about the weaving in of different stories and legends, such a beautiful way of adding depth and extra characterisation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
slow-paced
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A