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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
dark
emotional
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:
No
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
my highlighter was well used
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Winterson's not-quite autobiographical telling of a young lesbian coming of age in a fundamentalist household.
Winterson finds the funny in everyday interactions and extreme outlandish moments in the church. Whilst some of Jeanette's history is skipped over or brushed past quickly, this novel's positioning of a lone soul living in a highly controlled environment has a lot to appreciate.
Winterson finds the funny in everyday interactions and extreme outlandish moments in the church. Whilst some of Jeanette's history is skipped over or brushed past quickly, this novel's positioning of a lone soul living in a highly controlled environment has a lot to appreciate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Grief, Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Slavery, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Colonisation
reflective
sad
medium-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
emotional
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
So interesting.
As a lesbian who was raised catholic, I always knew I was fortunate to have a family who people people over faith. Who let me be who I am.
Christian nationalism is on the rise at the moment, making this a scary and yet important time to read this.
As a lesbian who was raised catholic, I always knew I was fortunate to have a family who people people over faith. Who let me be who I am.
Christian nationalism is on the rise at the moment, making this a scary and yet important time to read this.
Gorgeous and healing. Plays with form in delightful ways and truthfully communicates the grief of losing god.
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
“..to change something you do not understand is the true nature of evil.”
At under 180 pages, this beautiful 1985 novella is somewhat autobiographical, as the protagonist is given the same name as the author and she also deals with figuring out her sexuality while navigating the bigotry of her family/town.
Winterson grew up in a strict Pentecostal Evangelist tradition, as does her main character. This provides a rich and suffocating background for the narrative. I have a similar background, so this was a visceral read for me and the religious trauma within me, lol.
Some parts were funny & some were heartbreaking/irritating!
The main character is destined to be a missionary under the harsh guidance of her mother but she ends up falling for one of her converts, which horrifies her mother and others at the church. Many characters felt real (some too real, such as the pastor.)
I loved that the chapter titles corresponded to books of the bible, showing parallels between it & the fmc’s coming-of-age.
I also loved that the fmc told her story of growth while reflecting back on it. It’s memoir-esque in that way, though still fiction.
“I love her.”
“Then you do not love the Lord.”
“Yes, I love both of them.”
“You cannot.”
“I do.”