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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
I "read" this as an audiobook read by the author. This is a memoir of growing up lesbian, working class and adopted in England. It covers childhood and adolescence up until she gets into Oxford, and leaps over some middle years to hear late 40s, when she finally gets around to looking for her birth mother. Her home life is grim, but she has great compassion for even the most damaged people in her life. I love that the book is read by the author. It was moving and funny and well worth a read. My main critique is related to that big jump in time. There was nothing in her 30s worth mentioning?
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
but the healed wound is not the disappeared wound, there'll always be a scar. I will always be recognisable by my scar, and so will my mother, whose wound it is too.
This was really good to read after having just recently read Oranges are not the Only Fruit. It definitely fleshed out the story more and then fleshed out even more of the story. Her writing style is very unique and very different from anyone else's. That's not meant as a criticism, more an observation. This was a good, quick read and I really enjoyed reading it. I had never even heard of Ms. Winterson before I read Oranges and now I know more about her than I even thought I wanted to know.
This book was perfect. She writes with honesty and humor, and understanding. As someone who was adopted and never felt a sense of "belonging", this book spoke to me on many levels. I also turned to books for companionship and to learn about the world of emotions. Anyway, great read - great memoir. Part an ode to books and reading, part history lesson, and part memoir.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
jeanette winterson was MY GIRL for years but this kinda killed the magic for me
It's sort of like being cornered by that one friend you have who is incredibly intense and raw-edged emotional and being told a story that roams broadly over the progress of her life, doesn't end in any proper way, and unexpectedly includes a Toy Story 3 reference. But it's also fascinating, especially in the evocation of life in the North of England in the 60s.
really fascinating memoir about jw’s relationship with her adoptive family which leads to a search for her bio family.
definitely wouldn’t recommend without having a background knowledge of her other books (oranges especially) but reading this really helped me contextualize her work and see where it’s inspirations came from.
i loved
definitely wouldn’t recommend without having a background knowledge of her other books (oranges especially) but reading this really helped me contextualize her work and see where it’s inspirations came from.
i loved
Jeanette Winterson's memoir is lyrical, moving, & insightful. The world she inhabits, as we all do, is hard and often dark, but always beautiful and always worth it.
Le cœur brisé par cette histoire puissante et déchirante. C'était une très belle lecture. Je regrette de ne pas avoir lu de romans de Jeanette Winterson avant de lire ce récit autobiographique, mais c'est bien là mon seul regret.
This was such an interesting story. The author was adopted by evangelistic parents, which could have worked out alright. But her adoptive mother was most likely bipolar. The poor girl never felt wanted and was made to sit on the front porch, locked out of the house sometimes overnight. Despite her circumstances, she fought to be happy. I have nothing at all in common with this author, except maybe our age, and yet I felt such a strong connection to her. Her story is compelling. It is a very good read.