Reviews - Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

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4.23k reviews for:

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Jeanette Winterson

3.72 AVERAGE

ojos_de_plenilunio's review against another edition

2.0

emotional reflective medium-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

andiionline's review against another edition

fuck

hayleehaunts's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional funny reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

samantha_diluca_duckworth's review against another edition

5.0

challenging reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Fantastic exploration of religion and family dynamics.

louisemaymosley's review

4.75

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

I am kicking myself that I didn’t read this book sooner! There’s a reason after all these years this novel has stood the test of time. So many queers can resonate with Jeanette’s feelings of being forced into the binary, and her family dynamic is nothing new. Althought sexuality is said to be the main theme of the book, I found there was a strong sense of community and womanhood and Jeanette leaned into the women in her life when she needed them. I adored how beautifully she wrote about her battle with faith and how clever she was to understand the complexity of sexuality in it all. I loved the sense of peace at the end between Jeanette and her mother. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, a coming of age memoir I’ll never forget, I feel Jeanette’s words so deeply I must read more of her work. I loved this quote of lists “As it is, I can't settle, I want someone who is fierce and will love me until death and know that love is as strong as death, and be on my side for ever and ever. I want someone who will destroy and be destroyed by me. There are many forms of love and affection, some people spend their whole lives together without knowing each other's names. Naming is a difficult and time-consuming process; it concerns essences, and it means power. But on the wild nights who can you call home? Only the one who knows your name”. So beautiful.