Reviews - Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

4.21k reviews for:

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Jeanette Winterson

3.72 AVERAGE

zippyyy's review against another edition

4.0

reflective medium-paced

elizabeth_paige's review against another edition

4.0

[3.5]

towering_tbr's review against another edition

2.0

This was not good. I wanted to read this for PRIDE month because I thought it was a memoir of a young woman growing up in a religious household coming out as a lesbian. It's partially that but her stories are incredibly disjointed. Her pacing is off; she'll include a long passage about nothing and then at the end, write only one sentence that seems way more interesting but not discuss it any further. She also includes a lot of parables and fairy tales that are loosely related or not at all related just to pad out the already short 176 page count. I wish this had been more of a fleshed-out narrative rather than random stories plucked from childhood.

gailiag's review against another edition

4.0

rating - 4★

ruby_q's review

3.5

challenging emotional 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

lifeislikealemon's review

4.25

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

dr_0z's review against another edition

3.5

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Quotes

I miss God. I miss the company of someone utterly loyal. I still don't think of God as my betrayer. The servants of God, yes, but servants by their very nature betray. I miss God who was my friend. I don't even know if God exists, but I do know that if God is your emotional role model, very few human relationships will match up to it.

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.

‘To eat of the fruit means to leave the garden because the fruit speaks of other things, other longings.’

Of course people mutilate and modify, but these are fallen powers, and to change something you do not understand is the true nature of evil.

People do go back, but they don't survive, because two realities are claiming them at the same time.

hollyannsa's review against another edition

2.0

I really struggled to finish this book. The plot and the writing are fine. It is just me and stories about religion and it’s impact.

jadaadira's review against another edition

3.5

emotional funny reflective sad 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: Complicated

Content Warnings

marieisreading's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark emotional tense 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: Yes

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